By Thy Word Shall I Live

Psalm 119:93 (NKJ) I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have given me life.

In my Bible reading the other day, I read this verse and something clicked. The Word of God, the Bible, gives us life. I was reminded of a couple of my favorite verses:

Jeremiah 15:16 (NKJ) Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

Job 23:12 (Amplified) I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

The idea that God's Word is food for my spiritual growth and wellbeing is not new to me. I have thought this before and have, in fact, used this analogy to encourage other believers to read God's Word, study it and meditate on it. What was new was the connection I made between this verse from Psalm 119 where the Word (specifically referring here to the Torah) gives me life and the following verse:

1Peter 2:2 (Amplified) Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation,

(NKJ) as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.

A newborn baby will not live long if he isn't fed milk. He will grow weaker and weaker and finally die. He will certainly not grow fat and healthy, gaining weight and inches, and going on to maturity as an adult. Likewise with us, if we do not partake of the "pure milk of the word" on a regular--dare I say, daily basis--we will fail to thrive and die spiritually. The "milk" of God's Word nourishes us, giving us life, causing us to grow to maturity. Yeshua/Jesus quoted the following verse (Matt 4:4, Luke 4:4):

Deuteronomy 8:3 (NKJ) So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

So desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.