desiring the word

As I read through John MacArthur's, The Pillars of Christian Character, I am moved by his section on desiring Scripture.

1 Peter 2.1-2; "So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation."

Constantly confess and forsake sin. If one wants to increase desire for the Word of God, then put other desires behind. This is an iterative process in that the more of God's Word one hides in one's heart, the more one will be able to put off sin. The more we put off sin, the more we desire His Word.

Psa 19.10; The Word of God is "more to be desired are they than gold,even much fine gold;sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb."

We are to delight ourselves in God's Word.

Psa 1.1-2; "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."

MacArthur explains that we are to go beyond reading the Bible, beyond studying the Bible, even beyond meditating on the Bible - we are to desire the Bible. The wicked perish because they fail to love the truth (2 The 2.10).

Great stuff but depending on what exactly he meant, MacArthur may have stumbled a little in this comment regarding the preferred attitude of the believer's heart.

I want the Word more than I want anything else.

As I've noted in other posts, the Bible is not our goal, it is our Goal's communication to use and by it and His Holy Spirit, we will come to know Him better.

Interestingly, MacArthur adds this passage from Proverbs 2.1-6:

"My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding"

Through Scripture and the Holy Spirit, we find our true goal, to know God.