The Only and Wise God
This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate thereon day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. — Joshua 1:8
To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. — Romans 16:27
Author
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
Summary: True wisdom comes from the omniscient God, whose Word is eternal and guides our lives, unlike human promises that fade away. Revealed through Jesus Christ, it calls us to be reconciled with our Creator and to know him more each day. To that end, we must meditate on the Word, treasure it, and put it into practice, submitting our will to God’s. In this way, it helps us resist sin and face trials. Happiness springs from living in close communion with the Lord. Let us be grateful for his instruction and allow the word of Christ to dwell richly within us.
True wisdom comes from God. Understanding that the ways set out in His Word spring from His omniscience gives us assurance and hope. What detail escaped the One who made the universe and everything in it? Through His decrees, His word spoken with authority, God makes things happen;
through His testimonies, the truth of the gospel came into the world through the Word made flesh. His Word is light for the path, truth to bring down falsehood, justice to overcome inequity, judgment to walk in obedience, the law above all laws that leads to reason, and a commandment for eternal life. All God’s words are good: they work for our good, warn us against evil, and guide us toward prosperity. God Himself addressed Joshua with these words: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and have success” (Joshua 1:8).
Human speeches amount to promises and then die away. God’s Word endures forever, like the life it promises to those who have made it their own. It is the logbook for the journey of life, the nautical chart for crossing the oceans of a world without God. The whole Word is the omniscience of the Eternal God, His infinite mind. Revealed for many centuries to chosen prophets to warn and guide His people, it is revealed today through Jesus Christ so that humanity may be reconciled with its Creator. The Word, the eternal Logos who announces Good News, the teacher of God’s unshakable Word proclaimed from the wilderness of the liberating Exodus to the adventure of our everyday life with Christ.
Yet people continue to trust in human speeches full of promises and oaths, and die of thirst before a river of Living Water that quenches thirst forever, offering hope and peace, comfort and encouragement, love and joy, faith and perseverance. God’s Word celebrates life from the fullness of God’s knowledge and invites us to know Him more each day through it. To know Christ is to know God in all His fullness, to desire Him, to long for Him at every moment of our lives. Christians should fill their lives with the Word of God. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God declared: “If anyone is to boast, let them boast that they know me and understand that I am the Lord, who acts on earth with love, righteousness, and justice, for these are what please me—declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:24 NIV). To know the Lord, we must know His Word, because it is there that He reveals Himself so that we may desire Him and seek Him with all our heart.
Psalm 119 is God’s invitation to meditate on His Word and incorporate it into our minds as an inseparable companion to our thoughts and their application, so that our will submits to God’s will and we guard against attempts to displace the King from the throne of our Christian lives. The Word encourages those who fear avoidable falls, if it is treasured and applied to life with the certainty that it is the best possession we can have to keep from falling: “I have treasured your word in my heart, so that I might not sin against you” (Ps 119:11).
Happy are those who meditate on and delight in God’s Word as a way of life; they can walk confidently in His ways. True happiness comes from living in intimate communion with the Lord. Intimacy comes from the longing to know Him through everything He has revealed to us, from taking up the sword of His Spirit, which is His Word (Ephesians 6:17), in times of trial or in the falls we will suffer. God alone is wise and omniscient. Christians should be grateful for such great instruction and for the fact that His Word is living and effective (Hebrews 4:12) on every occasion.
Paul encouraged the brothers and sisters in Colossae with this beautiful exhortation, worthy of being treasured by all of us today: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:16)
God bless you!