They Love the Lord's Instruction
Psalm 1:2a (CEB) · Tending the Soul: Growing in Grace Through Three Questions
“Instead of doing those things, these persons love the Lord’s Instruction, and they recite God’s Instruction day and night!” — Psalm 1:2 (CEB)
The word is love. Not obey. Not endure. Not dutifully complete. The psalmist describes someone who genuinely delights in God’s instruction, who returns to it the way you return to a favorite song or a conversation that leaves you thinking for days.
The Hebrew word behind “instruction” is Torah. For the original audience, Torah wasn’t a list of restrictions. It was a gift, God’s guide for living well. To love the Torah was to love the relationship it represented. Every commandment was an invitation to know God more deeply.
Something shifts when we approach scripture as invitation rather than obligation. The question changes from “Did I read my Bible today?” to “What is God saying to me today?” One produces guilt when we miss a day. The other produces hunger that draws us back. If your relationship with scripture has become dutiful, that’s worth noticing. Not with shame, with curiosity. What would it take to fall in love with God’s word again?
God whose word is gift, rekindle our love for your instruction. Move us from duty to delight, from obligation to hunger for your voice. Amen.