I have esteemed the word of His mouth more than my necessary food

“Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” - Job 23v12


In the darkness of his troubles and despair Job could no longer really sense God’s presence. It is obvious that he felt alone and abandoned, but his basic faith in God did not waver. He knew deep down that God had a purpose. He also knew that God knew what was going on.

How can we know that God knew all of this? I think we can get a picture of this from this verse where Job says that he treasure the words of God more than even food itself. We can’t prove it here, but Job got his strength from someplace, and that he treasured God’s words, so it appears that he got his strength from God’s words.

How much do we treasure God’s word? Do we have a “take it or leave it” attitude, or do we treasure God’s word so much that we would be willing to pass up our daily sustenance for it?

Could any of us say today that we love God’s word more than our daily food?