Precious Things
by Leon Mauldin
via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015
The Word of the Lord
I Samuel 3:1 gives the setting for God’s initial calling of young Samuel to the prophetic office: “And the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision” (ASV). The Hebrew word here rendered precious is yaqar, meaning “precious, rare, splendid, weighty.” Most translations choose "rare" in this text; cf. NET: “Word from the LORD was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent.” Contextually, the passage helps explain why it did not occur to Eli that Samuel was hearing God’s voice until the third time He called! (I Samuel 3:1-9). The word of Yahweh was rare during this period of the Judges. Sometimes, the fact that a thing is rare contributes to its being precious.
The Word of the Lord should be precious to us. It reveals the very mind of God (I Corinthians 2:6-13). This book is the unfolding of God’s plan to bring Jesus into the world, to do His great redemptive work on our behalf. This infallible guide can build us up and give us an inheritance among those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32). This is the only reliable source of information on where we came from, what our purpose is here, and the life beyond. The fact that we can have our own personal copy in our own language is precious indeed!
Let’s consider some things that are called precious (yaqar) in the Bible.
The Steadfast Love of God
“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings” (Psalms 36:7 ESV). cf. “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!” (Psalms 36:7 NKJV): CSB, “Your faithful love is so valuable,” “unfailing love” (NIV), “lovingkindness” (NASB), “loyal love” (NET). Often, the word is translated as “mercy."
David also says in this Psalm, “Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” “O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart” (Psalms 36:5, 10 NASB).
The Hebrew word for God’s steadfast love is hesed. A translator's note in the NET says of this rich term, “It is difficult to capture the nuances of the Hebrew word [hesed]. When used of the Lord it is often connected to his covenant loyalty.” Nelson Glueck’s published doctoral dissertation was entitled Hesed in the Bible (pub. 1927). This landmark study focuses on just this one biblical word, and rightly so, seeking to explore its depth and profundity. Yahweh is constant and dependable in fulfilling His covenant promises and acting redemptively on behalf of His people. How precious is His steadfast love!
“Through the LORD’s mercies [hesed] we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV). Where would we be without the lovingkindness of the Lord? “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness [hesed] toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him” (Psalms 103:10-13).
The Death of His Saints
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints” (Psalms 116:15 NKJV: cf. NASB: “godly ones,” NET, “faithful followers”). The thrust of the Psalm is thanksgiving for deliverance from death (Psalms 116:4, 8). The wording (Psalms 116:15) should not be pressed to mean that God delights in the death of His followers, yet there is a sense in which the death of His saints is precious. Jesus taught that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32). When Lazarus died, he was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:18). What a comforting thought, that when a faithful child of God dies, our Father sends His angels, His ministering servants (Hebrews. 1:14) to transport the soul to be in that realm of paradise. You see, Jesus, our Savior, has the keys to death and Hades (Revelation 1:18). That is precious.
God’s Thoughts
“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" (Psalms 139:17).
David is praising the One who knows all about him: “My sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.” God knows every word on his tongue (Psalms 139:2). There is nowhere he can escape the all-seeing Eye. Further, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalms 139:13 ESV). It is only fitting that David should care deeply about the thoughts of his all-knowing Creator.
We should consider God’s thoughts on all matters right (Psalms 119:128), even when His thoughts are different from ours! (Isaiah 55:8-9). He is for us (Romans 8:31), and His commandments are for our good always (Deuteronomy 6:24).
Precious things, indeed!
