Psalm 19:7-9 details the sufficiency of the Bible as it applies to everyday Christian living:
- Psalm 19:7a – “the law of God is perfect, restoring the soul.” The Hebrew word translated “perfect” means complete or whole and “soul” speaks of the inner person. Thus God’s Word is sufficient to transform people completely from within, beginning with conversion and extending to the sanctification of the whole person (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
- Psalm 19:7b – “The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” God’s Word is His testimony to us about Himself. God’s testimony in Scripture is absolutely trustworthy, touching every area of life, including how we think, what we say, what we do, and why we do it.
- Psalm 19:8a – “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.” This means that the divine principles found in the Bible lay out a sure path for us to follow, and those who run away from the Word of God run away from joy and peace.
- Psalm 19:8b – “The command of the Lord is right, enlightening the eyes.” This means the commandments of God are clear and understandable, what theologians like to call, “perspicacious.” A few passages are hard to understand (2 Peter 3:15) but in general the Word of God is unmistakably plain. Its message of salvation is not hard to understand and it leaves no doubt as to how to live a holy life. The simplest Christians know many things the scholarly unbelievers do not know (Psalm 119:99). Illus: When I was a student at Duke, a scholars, some of whom were unbelievers, converged on our campus to discuss the meaning of grace. While these brilliant minds were scratching their heads in their effort to define grace, an uneducated janitor just outside the room where they were meeting was lustily singing, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” At that very moment, the famous mystic and my classmate, Tommy Tyson, walked by and hearing him singing and said, “This dear brother knows more about grace than all those scholars put together.”
- Psalm 19:9a – “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.” The Bible produces in us a reverential awe of our Creator and draws us to worship Him” (Psalm 12:6). And the worship which God commands will characterize the people of God not just in this life, but also for eternity.
- Psalm 19:9b – “The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. The Bible speaks truth without compromise and without apology. Therefore, Christians need not play the postmodern game of trying to redefine truth. It is “righteous” altogether, because it reflects the eternally Righteous ONE who wrote it. Nothing needs to be added or subtracted (Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19).
Conclusion: These 6 lines from the Bible show that the Bible is everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Every time we pick up the Bible, we pick up the truth. Jesus’ last assurance to His people were these words, “Sanctify them in they truth; thy Word (the Bible) is truth.”
However, though His Word is all sufficient, they only become so when they are “Internalized” on the inside of us until they control our minds, our thoughts, our life style, making us “conform to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29) and becoming true Christ – followers in our personal lives, in our homes as husbands and fathers, exemplary church members, and citizens.
Final Word: The Sole Purpose of this explanation of Psalm 19:7-9 is to encourage you to “Internalize” the Word all the days of your life.