They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  We each have different ideas about what is beautiful.  Often, we find beauty in the things we love, beauty that others may not see.  Take the Bible, for instance.  Many people see the Bible as a dry, old book, totally irrelevant to our lives today.  Even Christians sometimes fail to see the beauty of the Scriptures.  However, for those of us who love God, the Bible should be the most beautiful book ever written.  David certainly beheld beauty in God’s Word.  He describes it in nine different ways in Psalm 19:7-11 (taken from the CSB).

According to David, the Word of God is…

Perfect (7)

God’s Word is perfect, or complete.  God has given us everything we need in the Scripture for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).  The answers we need to all of life’s questions are in the Bible, if we know where to look.  This does not mean that we cannot look for answers to our problems from other sources.  However, we must make sure that the answers we find are based soundly on the Bible.

Trustworthy (7)

God is the author of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16).  Because God cannot lie, we can trust everything He says (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2).  He is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do.  We can trust the Bible because we can trust the One who wrote it.  He will keep His promises. 

Right (8)

If we want to know what is right and pleasing to God, we need to look in His Word.  He has told us exactly what He expects of us.  It is by God’s Word that we are sanctified, or made holy (John 17:17).  God’s Word is the standard by which we must live our lives. 

Radiant (8)

As we navigate through this dark world, it’s easy to lose our way.  God’s Word is the light we need to show us the right path (Psalm 119:105).  The world is constantly trying to lead us astray.  Our hearts even deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9).  The Bible is the only sure guide, as it reflects the light of God (1 John 1:5).

Pure (9)

God’s Word is morally clean or pure because God is holy or pure (Isaiah 57:15).  Everything God commands in Scripture is morally right.  He does not sin, and He cannot produce or command anything that is sinful.  If we want to remain pure, we must obey His Word (Psalm 119:9).

Eternal (9)

God has preserved His message for centuries.  The Scripture we read now is basically the same as believers have read throughout history.  Everything around us will be destroyed, but God will make sure that His Word survives (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35) because it is only through His Word that people can come to know their need for salvation through Christ (Romans 10:14-17)

Reliable (9)

Sometimes it feels like we’re on shifting sand.  The world is constantly changing, as is society’s ideas of right and wrong.  Fortunately, we have a reliable foundation on which to build our lives (Matthew 7:24-27).  God’s Word does not change with the times, because God Himself does not change (Hebrews 13:8). 

Righteous (9)

God has given us commands for how we should live our lives.  All of Scripture is in agreement about God’s righteous standards, standards which reflect the very righteousness of God.  We are to be righteous as He is righteous (1 John 2:29, 3:7) by living in obedience to His Word.

Desirable (10)

God’s Word should be a delight to us.  We should treasure the Bible above everything else, because it is infinitely more valuable than all the riches in the world (Psalm 119:14, 72).  We show our love for the Word by reading it, meditating on it, memorizing it, and discussing it. 

Because David loved God, he loved God’s Word.  He understood that the Bible is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, eternal, reliable, righteous, and desirable.  I don’t always see the Bible this way.  I love God, but I often choose to do other things instead of reading His Word.  I pray that God would open my eyes to the beauty of God’s Word, so that I would desire it above all else.

How about you?  What do you love most about the Bible?  What is your greatest struggle in consistently reading God’s Word?  Leave a comment below!