You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature...

  - Hebrews 5.12-14

Gilldae (‘a pupil’) – like to a leech (gil): it is its custom to suck: it is also the custom of the gilldae to suck instruction from his tutor’s tongue...

  - Cormac, Glossary, Irish, 10th century

Cormac – bishop, local king, sometime man of letters – was concerned that perfectly good Gaelic words were passing out of everyday use. He developed a Glossary to record those he thought most important to preserve.

Of all the words Cormac listed in his Glossary, I think this has to be my favorite.

I’m glad he was afraid that gilldae was going out of use and needed to be included in his list. I love that image of the student as one who sucks instruction from his tutor like a leech sucks life-blood from its host.

I doubt many of us think of ourselves as leeches on the Lord, or on His Word. Maybe we don’t even consider that He calls us to feast on the banquet of His Word, which He daily prepares especially for our needs.

But if somehow feeding on the Word were critical to our physical wellbeing, not just our spiritual, I suspect we might suck a little harder and longer. After all, which of us doesn’t get a little cranky if we miss a meal?

But miss time feeding on God's Word? We hardly notice.

Are we determined to stay babes all our lives, lapping at a little milk poured out from behind the pulpit once a week? The richest banquet of spiritual food is ready for your consumption, morning by morning, day by day.

“Your words were found, and I ate them,” Jeremiah declared. “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food,” said beleaguered Job.

But us?

Let’s get past the milk diet, shall we, or the occasional nibbling on spiritual hors d’ouvres, and get on to the real divine cuisine by which we may grow strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Plug in to God’s Word and suck the life from it, every single day. A banquet of blessing awaits you.

Psalm 19.7, 8 (St. Christopher: “Beneath the Cross of Jesus”)
The Law of God is perfect, His testimony sure;
The simple man God’s wisdom learns, the soul receives its cure.
God’s Word is right, and His command is pure, and truth imparts;
He makes our eyes to understand; with joy He fills our hearts.

Fill my heart with longing for Your Word, O Lord, and with joy in feeding on it.