The Spiritual Life #16 - Biblical Meditation

Believers Must Meditate on Scripture

     The Lord instructed Joshua, saying, “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 according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success” (Josh 1:8). This command involves a deep, reflective engagement with Scripture, allowing its truths to shape one’s thoughts, actions, and decisions. The word “meditate” translates the Hebrew verb hagah (הָגָה), which means “to growl…to moan…to read in an undertone…to mutter while meditating.”[1] According to Warren Wiersbe, “It was the practice of the Jews to read Scripture aloud (Acts 8:26–40) and talk about it to themselves and to one another (Deut 6:6–9). This explains why God warned Joshua that the Book of the Law was not to depart out of his mouth (Josh 1:8).”[2] The practice of speaking the text while reading it implies concentration, allowing the mind to process and absorb its content.

     Similarly, David wrote of the righteous man, saying, “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2; cf. Psa 119:148; Phil 4:8-13). The word “law” translates the Hebrew noun torah (תּוֹרָה), which means “direction, instruction, the law.”[3] Allen Ross states, “To be blessed and remain untarnished in the world, the faithful must live according to God’s word. The word ‘law’ (תּוֹרָה) can refer to instruction in general, or an individual teaching, or the commandments, or the books of the Law, or Scriptures as a whole.”[4] And the one who adheres to this pattern of meditating on God’s Word “will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Psa 1:3). The imagery of a tree firmly planted by streams of water vividly illustrates the stability, nourishment, and fruitfulness that comes from a life rooted in Scripture. Just as a tree by the water remains lush and productive regardless of external conditions, so too does the person who immerses themselves in God’s Word remain spiritually vibrant and effective, no matter the challenges they face. Peter Craigie states:

• "A tree may flourish or fade, depending upon its location and access to water. A tree transplanted from some dry spot to a location beside an irrigation channel, where water never ceases to flow, would inevitably flourish. It would become a green and fruitful tree. The simile not only illustrates colorfully the prosperity of the righteous, but also makes a theological point. The state of blessedness or happiness is not a reward; rather, it is the result of a particular type of life. Just as a tree with a constant water supply naturally flourishes, so too the person who avoids evil and delights in Torah naturally prospers, for such a person is living within the guidelines set down by the Creator. Thus the prosperity of the righteous reflects the wisdom of a life lived according to the plan of the Giver of all life."[5]

     James wrote, “The one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25). The word “intently” translates the Greek verb parakuptō (παρακύπτω), which carries the idea of stooping down or bending over to take a closer look at something with careful attention. The aorist tense suggests a focused and intentional effort at one point to deeply examine the law of God. The active voice means the Christian is performing the action, showing that the believer must actively engage in this careful examination of God’s Word. Once learned, the believer must be “an effectual doer” of what God commands, and the one who obeys the Lord “will be blessed in what he does.” Fruchtenbaum notes, “The blessing lies in the doing, and he will be blessed further in the future life as the future tense of the verb indicates. The voluntary doing of God’s will, as revealed by Scripture, is the secret of true happiness.”[6] Christians who are “doers” of the Word are blessed not merely because they follow God’s rules for life, but because living in harmony with God’s truth brings divine favor.[7] This includes experiencing the benefits of God’s wisdom and protection, a growing relationship with Him, and, ultimately, spiritual fruitfulness (Gal 5:22-23). By obeying God, the believer moves beyond theoretical faith into a transformative, lived experience of grace and divine blessing.

     Master the doctrines you learn from God’s Word. Let them consciously and constantly circulate in your thoughts. Saturate your mind with Bible doctrine, reviewing and reflecting until it becomes integrated into your thinking. The spiritual life is built by repeatedly studying, processing, and applying God’s truth, not by racing through it. A slow, steady rain results in greater ground saturation than a flash flood, where most of the water runs across the surface. Likewise, slow reading with thoughtful meditation penetrates more deeply into the heart. Take in the Word deeply—study it, think about it, live it.

God Uses Bible Teachers to Help Us Grow Spiritually

     Almost anyone can be used by the Lord to communicate divine revelation. Even a jackass can be the mouthpiece of God (Num 22:28-30). Biblically, Christians are directed to “teach and admonish one another” (Col 3:16), which shows that all believers can teach and counsel one another with the Word of God. Of course, this assumes they’ve been “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine” (1 Tim 4:6), are spiritually mature in their walk with the Lord (Heb 5:14), and can “speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine” (Tit 2:1). New believers are to “long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet 2:2).

     Throughout Scripture, God has used various persons to communicate His Word to others for their instruction and edification. God used mothers and fathers (Deut 6:6-7; Eph 6:4; 2 Tim 1:5; 3:15),[8] wise men (Prov 13:14), noble women (Prov 31:26), older mature women (Tit 2:3), prophets (Deut 4:1; 4:5; Eph 4:11), ruling officials and Levites (2 Ch 17:7-9; Neh 8:7-8), and priests (Lev 10:11; Mal 2:7; Ezra 7:10). In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul listed several communication gifts that Christ gave to His church, saying, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers” (Eph 4:11). This is a list of gifted men who are tasked by the Lord to provide education to Christians. Jesus gave these men to His church “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature person, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:12-13). Christ gave these gifted men to His church to help Christians advance spiritually so that they, in turn, can serve others in their walk with the Lord.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

 

[1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 237.

[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Strong, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 27–28.

[3] Willem VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 284.

[4] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms 1–89: Commentary, vol. 1, Kregel Exegetical Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2011–2013), 188.

[5] Peter C. Craigie, Psalms 1–50, vol. 19, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1983), 60–61.

[6] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 237.

[7] God’s Word also strengthens the heart of the believer who regularly meditates on it. The psalmist wrote, “My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to Your word” (Psa 119:25), and “My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to Your word” (Psa 119:28), and “This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me” (Psa 119:50), and “I am exceedingly afflicted; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word” (Psa 119:107), and “Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live” (Psa 119:116a), and “Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word” (Psa 119:154). The idea in these verses is that stressed-out-believers recharge their batteries by means of God’s Word, which is “alive and powerful” (Heb 4:12).

[8] The Mosaic Law instructed the parents, saying, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up (Deut 6:6-7). The phrase, teach them diligently, translates the Hebrew verb שָׁנָן shanan, which means to engrave or chisel on stone. The verb is in the Piel stem, which makes it intensive (i.e., teach diligently). Here, the tongue of the parents is likened to a chisel they keep applying to their children’s minds in order to engrave God’s Word into their thinking (cf. Prov 6:20-23). Where and when was this activity of training to take place? Moses says, you “shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut 6:7b). Sitting suggests times of rest, and walking speaks of activity. When you lie down suggests evening time, and when you rise up suggests the morning hours. These form a double merism which encompass of all of life. In this way, Deuteronomy is aimed at subsequent generations, that they might learn God’s will and faithfully transmit it to their children, who will pass it along to their children, and so on.