"Chew" On the Word!

I recently had a confusing moment as I quickly entered a farm and home supply store where I serve as a workplace chaplain. I thought I saw a small table with a bucket of pork rinds on it (one of my favorites and my dad’s, too!) and didn’t pay any attention to the poster nearby. The experience had me thinking, “How nice! They are providing another complimentary snack for the customers like the free popcorn by the checkout counter!”

These Are NOT Pork Rinds! 😮

When I backed up to read the poster and looked more carefully into the contents of the tin bucket, I could clearly see that I had completely misunderstood. The snack was a quantity of pig’s ears to keep pet dogs entertained while their owners did some shopping! There is a substantial difference between pig’s ears and pork rinds! Years ago, President George W. Bush from Texas leaked to the media that he loved to snack on pork rinds. Almost immediately, the demand at grocery stores soared for bags of the President’s favorite snack!

In our house, we always have a couple of bags of cereal mix or pretzels on hand to snack on while streaming and watching our nightly television shows. I like a couple of butter-ring or lemon-flavored shortbread cookies, too! I don’t think I would ever try to gnaw on a pig’s ear even if someone double dared me to try it! My brother-in-law munched down some crunchy dog food one time on a dare! I know what some of you are thinking, "That’s gross!" Yes, and that’s another story for another time! 

In reading the lengthy 119^th Psalm recently with its one-hundred and seventy-six verses (prepare for that reading to take about twenty minutes!), I noticed that the phrase, “meditate on God’s Word,” occurred repeatedly. Of the twenty-three times the word meditate occurs in the Bible, it is mentioned nineteen times in the Book of Psalms alone!

One of my favorite Psalms is the first one which reminds us that, “Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2, NIV). Eugene Peterson, in his well-known paraphrase, freshens verse two in this way, “Instead you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night.” (The Message).

The word “meditate,” in the original language can mean to muse, ponder, or “rehearse in one’s mind.” Like a cow chews on its cud, we are to spend enough time reading and re-reading some verses so that we can gain greater understanding of its intent. When I said that it took me over twenty minutes to read Psalm 119, I was not meditating on each verse at that speed of reading. It takes me a lot longer to process and “chew” on the Word in a meditative way!

There is another verse that the Psalmist may have been thinking about when he wrote about meditating on the Word. It is found in the first chapter of Joshua. “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8, NIV). That benefit and outcome of such a daily “chewing” on the Word is most likely to be a spiritual one.

In other words, when we are committed to reading, re-reading, practicing, and obeying the Word, God will guide us in the ways of His purpose for our lives. When we do what He wants, that always brings glory to Him and a feeling of satisfaction and success for us. Who doesn’t want or need to be “prosperous and successful” in that way?

Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
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