NOT-SO-SIMPLE SYNONYMS

One of the books on my desk reference shelf is called “The Synonym Finder.” I bought it back in college years when my English major mandated using such a reference work. If you're hopping along writing an essay and find yourself stuck for just the right WORD, this is the place to go. All 1,388 pages of it! Of course, it presumes you're an English speaker who knows enough of nuances of words that you won't pick one that just doesn't fit your meaning.

I think of that when I read Psalm 19, which is well-known for its synonyms for scripture and what it does in our lives. They spill out starting at verse 7 (as translated in the NIV):

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure, and altogether righteous.

All these, the psalmist says, are “more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.” It's easy to skip over these two comparisons. Gold is painstakingly taken from ancient rock veins and from eroded areas along rivers called “placers.” (Remember reading about California's “Gold Rush” of the mid-1800s, and frenzied, grizzled men swishing their pans along certain rivers they'd “staked” to pan for riches?) Gold has also been discovered in meteorites and oceanic vents.

As for the preciousness of honey, let's say it's not as easy to produce as, say, carrots. Today's honey—nature's “gold”--is “harvested” from its buzzing-bee-guarded incubator hive by someone wearing protective clothing and a veiled hat. In David's days, they didn't have such “garb,” and probably bee-farmers had their share of bee-warfare wounds.

But Psalm 19 is about more than adjectives for scripture. It's about obedience. It described scripture as “warnings” (v. 11), able to reveal our “hidden faults,” “willful sins” and behavior that threaten to “rule over me” (v. 12). That sounds like the biography of King David—and indeed, he is credited with the psalm!

Ever thought about the concluding verse?

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (v. 14)

So much is packed in that closing. Our minds (hearts), and what comes out of our minds and emerges through our mouth, really matter. Kind, true and caring words (the focus of this psalm) should be my “mouth-set,” not the negatives I might hear from others in my daily tasks. They should be honoring of (v. 14) my Rock and Redeemer.