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Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s all about the Word of God. That teaches us that God’s Word is very important. And it’s very important for a lot of reasons.
In this psalm, numerous words are used for the Word of God. Depending on the translation, they are: law, precept, statute, command, commandment, regulation, decree, judgment, word, promise, testimony, instruction, teaching, way, path. The terms reflect different aspects of the Word of God. For example, several of the words emphasize law. Keeping the commandments of the Sinai Covenant was very important when this psalm was written. But there are other words used, like instruction or teaching, or way or path or testimony. The Word of God teaches us. It educates us. It’s a way or path, leading us to the desired goal. It is a testimony, faithfully testifying to what God wants us to know and do. It’s a word or promise, letting us know the good things God has promised for those who obey His Word.
This psalm is an acrostic. There are 22 sections based on the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The acrostic goes in order, starting with alef and ending with tav. Each of the 22 sections has 8 verses, each of which starts with the same letter of the alphabet. The way this psalm is arranged speaks to us of design. Like nature, God’s Word has design written all over it.
Psalm 119 Has Four Main Themes:
The Nature Of The Word of God.
The Benefits That Come To Us From Interacting With The Word Of God.
The Ways We Interact With The Word Of God.
What God Will Do To Us To Help Us Follow His Word.
First, The Nature Of The Word of God
The Word Of God Has A Divine Origin. It’s righteous. It’s true. It’s trustworthy. It’s perfect. It’s eternal.
Second, The Benefits That Come To Us From Interacting With The Word Of God – And They Are Many, And They Are Fantastic
God’s Word produces joy. Freedom. Holiness. Wisdom.
God’s Word eliminates shame. It helps us discern good from evil, the righteous from the wicked. It protects us from evil. It produces righteous indignation and godly sorrow.
It revitalizes us when we are low, depressed, discouraged. It comforts us in our troubles. It produces stability, peace, confidence in dangerous and difficult circumstances.
That’s what we considered last week. Let’s continue with the benefits that come to us by interacting with the Word of God.
God’s Word Has Wonderful Promises Which Produce Hope
114: You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope. 43: Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for your regulations are my only hope. 49 Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope.
If only princess Leia didn’t live a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. If only Princess Leia lived in our time and in this world, and instead of knowing the Force, she knew the God of Israel and the Word of God, she wouldn’t have said: “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”
The truth is the Word of God is our only hope.
What are some of the promises in the Word of God that produce hope? I’m the eternal God. I will be your God and you will be my child. I am there to help you in every situation you encounter. My grace will be sufficient for you. I will never leave you or forsake you. I am with you always. I have a great inheritance waiting for you. I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying.
You feel hopeless? Nothing good to look forward to? You need to be interacting with the Word of God, filling your mind with God’s wonderful promises.
God’s Word Produces A Great Worldwide Fellowship
Though we have technology that makes connecting with people around the world so easy, many people feel lonelier than ever. Social media‑savvy millennials make up the loneliest generation in America, according to a new survey. 27 percent of millennials have no close friends and 22 percent have no friends at all. (nypost.com/2019/08/02/1‑in‑5‑millennials‑are‑lonely‑and‑have‑no‑friends‑survey)
Not having a friend doesn’t have to be the case, because God’s Word produces a great worldwide fellowship. 63: I am a friend to anyone who fears you – anyone who obeys your commandments. 79: Let me be united with all who fear you, with those who know your laws.
There is a friendship that exists between those who love the Word of God. They can come from different races or nations, be richer or poorer or older or younger – but their shared love for the Word of God creates a bond of friendship between them.
You’re feeling lonely, isolated, without a friend in the world? Interact with the Word of God, and get involved in a community of people that loves the Word of God, and you’ll have brothers and sisters, friends and comrades – now and forever.
God’s Word Helps Us From Being Ruined By Love For The World
Because most people don’t know God’s Word – which produces the hope of living forever with God in the World To Come; because all they have is this world, they are consumed with the things of this world. They want more things, nicer things, bigger and better things. They want more money. They want fame. They want power. That’s success. That’s happiness. So, they spend their lives pursuing the world and the things of the world. How tragic!
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.
In contrast to wasting one’s life loving the world and the things of the world, we are able to love something better – the Word of God. 72: Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver. 103: How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.111: Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight. You don’t want to be consumed by the desire for the world or the worthless things it offers you? You want to be happy, content, truly successful? Love the Word of God.
We favor those who share the same beliefs and values we do. We are inclined to help them when they need help. God is the same. God’s Word Produces Divine Favor Which Results In Divine Help. 8: I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me! 77: Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your instructions are my delight. 86: All your commands are trustworthy. Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause. 94: I am yours; rescue me! For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments. 153: Look upon my suffering and rescue me, for I have not forgotten your instructions. 166: I long for your rescue, Lord, so I have obeyed your commands. 173: Give me a helping hand, for I have chosen to follow your commandments.
You want the Lord to favor you, help you when you need help? Love and follow His Word. Work hard at obeying His teachings.
Let’s review the many wonderful benefits that come from the Word of God
God’s Word produces joy. Freedom. Holiness. Wisdom. Godly anger and sorrow.
It helps us discern good from evil. It protects us from evil.
It revitalizes us when we are low, depressed, discouraged. It comforts us in our troubles.
It has wonderful promises which produce hope.
It produces a great worldwide fellowship. Friends. Brothers and sisters. Comrades.
It prevents us from being ruined by the desire for the ultimately worthless things this world offers.
It produces stability, peace, confidence in dangerous and difficult circumstances.
It produces divine favor which results in divine help.
The Third Main Theme: The Ways We Interact With The Word Of God.
To Properly Interact With The Word of God, We Must Have A Personal Relationship With God Based On Faith
It’s not enough to read the Word of God. The fallen angels are very familiar with the Word of God. There are scholars of theology or New Testament studies who are very familiar with the Bible yet are very far from God and salvation. The Word of God must be combined with faith that results in a personal relationship to God. 57: Lord, you are mine! I promise to obey your words! 94: I am yours; rescue me! For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments. 55: I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord; therefore, I obey your instructions. 120: I tremble in fear of you; I stand in awe of your regulations.
124: I am your servant; deal with me in love, and teach me your decrees.
These verses describe a man who has a relationship with God. The Lord belongs to him and he belongs to the Lord. (Lord, you are mine and I am yours). He is the Lord’s servant. He knows God, thinks about God, fears God and serves God.
Don’t expect to experience the blessings that come from interacting with the Word of God without a close, personal relationship with the Three-In-One God based on having real faith.
To Properly Relate To The Word of God, We Must Read It And Think About It Every Day
In this fallen and demonically-influenced world, it’s easy to lose our connection to the Word of God. We must not allow that to happen. 15: I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 97 Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long. 117: Sustain me, and I will be rescued; then I will meditate continually on your decrees.
The Word of God must be our constant companion. We must discipline ourselves so that we read it every day, and think about it throughout the day.
To Properly Relate To The Word of God, We Must Practice It Carefully And Consistently
4: You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. 5: Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! 34: Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart.
Interacting with the Word of God must be different from the way we interact with all other sources of information. This must be our main source of information. We must not settle for casual interaction with it. We must keep it, obey it, practice it carefully, diligently and consistently.
To Properly Interact With The Word of God, We Must Love It
16: I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. 47:
How I delight in your commands! How I love them!111: Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight. Here’s a good one for me: 127: Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold. The finest gold is so rare, so precious, so valuable, so beautiful. The Word of God must be our greatest treasure. Our joy. Our delight. Our love. It must be our sun and moon, our bread and butter, the air we breathe and the water we drink.
To Relate Properly To The Word Of God, We Need God’s Help to Understand It
18: Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. 27: Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds. 33: Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end. 64: O Lord, your love fills the earth; teach me your decrees. 124: I am your servant; deal with me in love, and teach me your decrees. 125: Give discernment to me, your servant; then I will understand your laws.
We should not just sit down and open the Bible and begin reading it. Before we interact with the Word of God, we must pray. We ask the Lord to help us understand His Word. We ask the Lord to teach us.
We Should Praise And Thank God For His Word
God is so great and so good, and has done, is doing and will do so much for us. One of the best things He has done for us is give us His Word, which benefits us in so many ways. Not only has He given us His Word, He helps us understand His Word. Because of this, we should praise and thank Him – a lot.
62: I rise at midnight to thank you for your just regulations. 164: I will praise you seven times a day because all your regulations are just. 171: Let praise flow from my lips, for you have taught me your decrees.
And when we thank and praise the Lord, we get closer to Him – which is a very good thing. You want to thank and praise the Lord for everything you should? You want to get closer to God? Praise and thank Him for His Word and that He teaches you His Word.
The Fourth Main Theme: To Relate Properly To The Word of God, Our Heavenly Father May Allow Us To Suffer
67: I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word. 71: My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. 75: I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair; you disciplined me because I needed it.
Because God’s Word is so important, so necessary for us, so beneficial for us – if we are not interacting with it the way we should; if we’re not taking it seriously enough, reading it, thinking about it, practicing it – God may discipline us. He may allow us to suffer so that we will interact with it the way we should – which will be for our ultimate good.
If that happens, that’s a good thing. If that happens, don’t get angry with God. Don’t resent Him. Understand what He is doing and cooperate with Him. You will be blessed if you do.
Let’s pray:
Lord, thank You for Your Word. It’s amazing. It’s so true. So valuable. So beneficial.
May it influence our thoughts and actions and values and priorities.
Lord, teach us your Word.
Help us love it, treasure it, learn it, master it, carefully and consistently practice it, read it and think about it every day.
May it be our constant companion, friend and ally.