The Sweetness and Profitableness of Divine Meditation
W. Bridge, M. A. Psalm 104:34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD. I. WHAT THIS MEDITATION IS. In Scripture it is called a thinking upon God (Psalm 48:9), a remembering of God (Psalm 63:6), a musing on God (Psalm 143:5). Meditation is the work of the whole soul. The mind acts, and the memory acts, and the affections act. "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart:" it is an intense and a vehement application of the soul unto truth. II. HOW AND IN WHAT RESPECTS MAY A MAN BE SAID TO MEDITATE ON GOD? 1. When a man doth meditate on the name, nature, titles and attributes of God, then he is said to meditate on God. 2. When a man doth meditate on Christ the Son of God, then he is said to meditate on God, for Christ is God; and therefore saith the apostle (Hebrews 3:1). 3. When a man doth meditate on the Word of God, the law and statutes of God, then he is said to meditate on God (Psalm 1:2). 4. When a man doth meditate on the works and concernments of God (Psalm 77:11, 12). III. HOW MAY IT APPEAR THAT IT IS A SWEET THING TO MEDITATE ON GOD? Is it not a sweet thing to enjoy God? Enjoyment of God is the life of our lives. And how do we enjoy God? Sometimes God doth come down into our souls; sometimes there is an ascent of the soul unto God. And what is the ladder whereby we ascend unto God, and take our turns in heaven with God, but believing meditation? It is a sweet thing for a good and gracious man to meditate on God and the things of God, because it is natural to him. Natural works are pleasant works. It is a help to knowledge, thereby your knowledge is raised. Thereby your memory is strengthened. Thereby your hearts are warmed. Thereby you will be freed from sinful thoughts. Thereby your hearts will be tuned to every duty. Thereby you will grow in grace. Thereby you will fill up all the chinks and crevices of your lives, and know how to spend your spare time, and improve that for God. Thereby you will draw good out of evil. And thereby you will converse with God and enjoy God. And I pray, is not here profit enough to sweeten the voyage of your thoughts in meditation? But hard work, you say, and therefore how can it be delightful? The harder the nut is to crack, the sweeter the meat when it is cracked; the harder the Scripture is that is to be opened, the sweeter is the kernel, the truth when it is opened. Would you meditate on God and the things of God with sweetness? When you are most fearful, put your thoughts upon that in God which is most cheerful; when you are most cheerful, put your thoughts upon that in God which is most dreadful; evermore divide your thoughts if you be to meditate on God, and the name, and nature, and attributes of God. In case you would meditate on Christ the Son of God, be sure of this, that you think on Christ, and meditate on Christ as your great example as well as your gift, and your gift as well as your example. In case you would meditate on the works of God, be sure of this, that you look upon all the works of God as enamelled and embroidered with so many attributes of God; for the more you see the attributes of God shining forth upon His works, the more sweetness you will take in the meditating thereof. (W. Bridge, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD. WEB: Let your meditation be sweet to him. I will rejoice in Yahweh.