August 18, 2020
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Reading along with us in Psalm? Here’s today’s reading:
Psalm 119 (ESV)
Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet
Aleph
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!....…..Continue Reading
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“Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.”
Psalm 119:135 ESV
https://www.bible.com/59/psa.119.135.esv
We will take a few days to work through this long Psalm…the longest chapter in the Bible as well. It is an acrostic Psalm where the writer begins each stanza with a word whose first letter are the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Psalm, the Word of God is exalted…and there is so much here to reflect on about the significance and wonder of God’s word and what it means for our lives. We want to let it sink in…..
What a privilege is ours to have the Word of God. I am so glad God saw fit to reveal Himself and His principles to us so we can know both Him and the direction He has for our lives. And Psalm 119 is so rich with concepts and affirmations exalting and reenforcing the importance of the Word of God. My father had in His Bible the statement, this book will keep you from sin and sin will keep you from this book (interesting enough when I found a Bible in his mother’s house that his aunt had given her, the same statement was there). And that is expressed generally in the first 2 stanzas here and more specifically in Psalm 119:11. In God’s word we are affirmed, established and rescued. We need to continually incline ourselves to God’s word so as to gain the wisdom and insight it provides for life. May Psalm 119:35-36 be the tenor and tone of our lives!
Another strong emphasis in Psalm 119 is that God’s word is a reference point for every situation we find ourselves in. It is especially helpful when people come against us and maybe even spread lies and we can be affirmed in the knowledge that the Word of God brings. It is even good when God afflicts us so we can be drawn to His word as it says in Psalm 119:71, because the word of God is priceless! The word is also steadfast and reliable. Though the world is constantly changing, God’s word never changes and is a constant source of comfort in the storm. It assures us of God’s promises and God’s presence in our lives that often makes all the difference. When we continue to take In the Word of God, we will find ourselves wiser than those in the world that we or others might see as wise. And Psalm 119:105 is a very familiar one. What a comfort a flashlight is guiding us and making us aware of dangers we cannot see. Well the word of God does the same thing for us. And we and those around us are better off for it!
In psalm 119, we find 176 statements about God’s word. The writer speaks of its value, it’s trustworthiness, his dedication to it, it being the reference point in good times and in bad, it being in stark contrast to the ways of the world, it’s necessity, and how necessary it is for us to keep it and follow it. I wonder how many statements we could come up with? It all reflects our dedication to it, our understanding of it and how much we value it. And I think for many of us, we don’t value it like we should. At times, we value man’s opinion more than God’s. We read other books for learning and insight, but neglect the Word of God. We need to engage with it more. We need to talk about it more. We need to follow it more. We need to regard it more. Psalm 119 may need to be a more regular diet of the spiritual food we eat, to make sure we are properly oriented to the word of God.
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!
2Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
Just reading Psalm 119 is a “reset” button for life. God’s word revives. This Psalm tells us how we should trust and interact with God’s word, and how it impacts our lives and the world around us.
Forever, O Lord,
Your word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.