In 1572 an engraver named Philips Galle created a series of works that would become known as the Seven Wonders of the World. Among the scenes highlighted were the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Over time many different natural and manmade locations have been canonized as so-called Wonders of the World.
But long before Galle compiled a list of wonders in the world, the writer of Psalm 119 referred to the Wonders of the Word. In verse 18 of the psalm he prays, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
Few of us would think any law is wondrous. Has anyone ever trembled in anticipation of reading the latest bill being debated in Congress? Man’s law is rarely wonderful, but God’s law is only wonderful.
We also need to keep in mind that the author is using a figure of speech (called synecdoche) in which a part of something is used to speak of the whole. He isn’t just talking about the law, but all of God’s Word, what we would call the Bible.
What are these wonders? We see a God who loves His people in Genesis, who fights for His people in Exodus, who blesses His people in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. We see a God who keeps His promises in the writings, and a God who communicates with humans in the prophets. We see a sovereign God who is nothing like the impotent gods of the world. We see a God who came near to His people. We see grace on display, that we are not saved by human effort. We see forgiveness, as our sins were laid on the back of the sinless Son of God. We see mercy, as the sick are healed and the dead are raised. We see the incredible promises of heaven, new Jerusalem, our happily ever after, and the promised return of Jesus.
And what a small sample size that is, for there are many wonderful things in the Word! I have not the time nor space to list them all here, but you can read them for yourself every time you pick up a Bible. Oh God, open our eyes and show us the wonderful things in your Word!
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