STUDY - REWARDING AND ENJOYABLE

Digging Deeper Into God's Word

In reverential admiration, the psalmist exclaimed: "How great your works are, O Jehovah! Very deep your thoughts are. " (Psalm 92:5) And the apostle Paul spoke of "the deep things of God," profound thoughts that Jehovah reveals to his people "through his spirit" operating on the faithful and discreet slave class. (1 Corinthians 2:10; Matthew 24:45) The slave class diligently provides spiritual nourishment for all - "milk" new ones but "solid food" ff "mature people." -Hebrews 5:11-14.

To comprehend such "deep things of God," it is necessary to study prayerfully and reflect his Word. For example, fine material has been published that shows how Jehovah can at once be just and merciful. His exercising of mercy is not a watering down of his justice; rather, divine mercy is an expression of God's justice as well as his love. When judging a sinner, Jehovah first determines whether it is possible to show mercy on the basis of his Son's ransom sacrifice. If the sinner is unrepentant or rebellious, God allows justice to take its course without unwarranted mercy. Either way, he is faithful to his elevated principles. (Romans 3:21-26) 'O the depth of God's wisdom!' -Romans 11:33.

Like the psalmist, we thrill at the fact that Jehovah shares many of his thoughts with us. David wrote: "To me how precious your thoughts are! O God, how much does the grand sum of them amount to! Were I to try to count them, they are more than even the grains of sand." (Psalm 139:17, 18) Although our knowledge today represents only a fraction of the innumerable thoughts Jehovah will reveal throughout eternity. we deeply appreciate "the grand sum" of precious spiritual truths revealed thus far and dig ever deeper into the sum, or substance, of God's Word. -Psalm 119:160.

Next time: Effort And Effective Tools Needed

Watchtower, 2000