Daily Devotional | Fear and Purity

According to the Journal of Food Research, blowing out the candles on a birthday cake multiplies the number of bacteria on the frosting by 1,400 percent! This varies by person—the “top blower” in the study increased bacteria by 120,000 percent. Although most experts don’t see these results as a serious health risk, I wouldn’t blame you for choosing cupcakes or ice cream, instead, on your next birthday.

In the Bible, the word “pure” is not referring to being germ-free but is associated with righteousness and goodness. In Psalm 19:9 we read, “The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.” In this case, the phrase “fear of the LORD” is used as a synonym for God’s Law or God’s Word. We know this from the context. The first half of Psalm 19 (vv. 1–6) presents the witness and praise of God by creation, while the second half (vv. 7–14) presents the witness and praise of God by the Scriptures. Specifically, in the parallelism of verse 9, the “fear of the LORD” is equated to the “decrees of the LORD,” meaning His Word. This makes sense, since the Scriptures clearly teach the fear of the Lord.

What qualities does God’s Word show? And what can it do? It’s perfect, refreshing, trustworthy, and right (v. 7). It gives wisdom, joy, light, and truth (v. 8). It’s pure, eternal, stable, and righteous (v. 9). It’s precious and delightful (v. 10). It warns us that we have choices to make and that those have consequences (v. 11). It provides an objective and infallible moral standard, helping us fight temptation and prompting repentance when we stumble (vv. 12–13). Without God’s Word, we wouldn’t even realize our errors. We can live in the fear of the Lord by thoroughly immersing our minds, hearts, and wills in the truths of Scripture.