“Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12)
HERE is a great testimony regarding the Word of God. The speaker is Job, and he is answering one of his critics who has just charged Job unjustly with evil. In the midst of Job’s speech comes this declaration about the Word of God. In it is the esteem for the Word, the essentials of the Word and the endurance of the Word.
Esteem for the Word. “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job so values the Word of God that it is more important to him than physical food. Many despise the Word of God, and others simply ignore it. But Job saw its real value, and he gave it the honor we all should give it. This sort of attitude in people will make them really faithful to church attendance at a church where the Scriptures are faithfully proclaimed. They will not be off doing other things if they so esteem the Word of God.
Essentials of the Word. “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job shows the essentials of the Word in that he says it is greater than “necessary food.” Job did not say he thought the Word more important than just some other non-essential thing, but he went farther and said it was more important than even the most essential things of life. Food is indeed very essential. It is “necessary” or our physical body will die. But the Word is even more important. For it feeds the spiritual being, and the spiritual is more important than the physical!
Endurance of the Word. “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips.” In spite of his great troubles, Job had not junked the Word of God. In spite of his great troubles, Job still obeyed the Word and still esteemed the Word above even the essential things of life. Obviously then, the Word of God had not failed Job in trial. Many other things fail us in our darkest hours, but the Word of God will not fail. The Word of God will endure all our troubles and trials. It will never let us down. It will always be of help.
Rev. Dr. Kary E. Harris, PhD.