Lesson 2 | Observe Carefully
What’s at Stake: Your Joy
Gain:
A heart full of joy
Consider once again Psalm 19 and the sweet benefits David experienced from God’s word.
David extolled the virtues of God’s word because in it he had tasted the goodness of God. The reward he gained was a heart overflowing with joy. This is what awaits those who, in faith, set their heart to meditate upon God’s word.
Loss:
Boredom with God's word
In stark contrast to David’s delight in God’s word and his joy in God, the people of Judah in Isaiah’s day had become bored with God’s word. Their affections for God himself had grown cold. As an act of judgment, God closed their hearts altogether.
Many in Jesus’s day succumbed to the same sin of dullness—and fell under the same judgment (Matthew 13:14–15). These examples serve as a clear warning against the danger of being dull toward God and bored with his word. These instances are not unique; the disease is pandemic.
To be sure, many sincere believers go through seasons of spiritual dryness. David also experienced such seasons. Yet, here too, he points the way forward—looking to God in hope with confidence that he will keep his word. In other words, David fights against a listless heart with truth from Scripture.
Why Are So Many Christians Bored with the Bible?This article offers one significant answer to the question.