Psalms 119:1

The Bible says in Psalm 119:1, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.” The word that is translated “blessed” means both blessed and “happy.” The word that is translated “undefiled” also means “whole” or “blameless.” You will be happy if the “way” that you go in life is blameless. In other words, do the right thing. Jesus called it the straight and narrow way. There is a way to live life that results in happiness. Everyone should want to be happy. But if you do evil, you will not be happy. You will have many more sorrows than otherwise you would have. This verse makes clear what is the way. You are in the right way if you “walk in the law of the LORD.” In the Old Testament the law was made up of the first five books of the Bible. Because we have all of the Bible today, when we think of the law in the context of Psalm 119, we can think of the entire Word of God. In all of Psalm 119, when the word “law” is found or one of its synonyms, think of the Word of God. Since the word “law” or one of its synonyms is in every verse of Psalm 119, this Psalm is one of the greatest teachings about the Bible: the value of the Bible and the goodness of the Bible.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:2, “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.” The Bible tells us what to do and how to do it. It tells us how to live life. If you are going to follow God, then you must plan to live your life according to “his testimonies,” and you will only want to do that if you “seek him with the whole heart.” We are not told to seek Him with part of our heart, but with the whole heart.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:3, “They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.” The Bible has a very high standard. God’s will is that we do no wrong. That is why every sin is so bad. How can we do no wrong? “Walk in his ways.” In order to walk in His ways, we must know what His ways are. The Bible tells us His ways.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:4, “Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.” It is not like we have a choice. Every human being is commanded to be a follower of His Creator. How well are you doing that? We are commanded to keep His precepts diligently. You have got to know His precepts, and then you must be diligent about putting them into practice. It requires an effort on your part.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:5, “O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!” To be able to go God’s way in life involves more than your own desire. It also requires help from God. It is impossible for us because we are so weak and sinful. This verse is a prayer to God. The Psalmist knows to do right, but he cannot do it without God’s help.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:6, “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.” One of the terrible consequences of sin is “shame.” If you are a Christian, your knowledge of yourself needs to be positive. You do not want to have thoughts of shame about what you have done. Confession of sin might be in order.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:7, “I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.” Another one of the primary goals of life is to praise the Lord every day and at all times. The Word of God helps us do that because His teachings are good and true and beneficial. We are praising Christ when we have the right thoughts, and the Bible gives us the right thoughts.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:8-10, “I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.[9] Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.[10] With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.” In the first phrase of verse eight we see that David is determined to “keep” God’s statutes. David knows that God has told us how to live and how to think, and David desires greatly to do things God’s way. David knows that he needs God in his life, and David knows that to accomplish having God in his life requires obedience and consistency with the Word of God. God blesses goodness and punishes sinfulness. Even if we get on the right path of following Jesus, it will be easy to fall off because we are very sinful by nature and there are many temptations in the world. It is imperative that I walk in a clean and a pure path if I want to bear fruit for Jesus and glorify His name. It is imperative that I walk in a clean and pure path in order to make sure that my life is not wasted and that it accomplishes the purpose for which God put me on this earth. All will be lost except my soul if I do not walk in a clean way. My way needs to be guarded from all the pitfalls. That is what it means when it says “taking heed thereto.” Guard your way that you take, and guard it very carefully. God has given to you a tool so that you can guard your way. You have an instruction book of what to do and how to do it. It is called the Word of God. But it does take an effort on your part. It takes the “whole heart.” There is a lot that can be revealed about Jesus Christ. How much has been revealed to you? If you seek Him with the whole heart, you will find more blessedness of what can be known about the Christ, and only then will you stay on the pure way. But we are weak and always will be. It will take divine help, and so David prayed at the end of verse ten, “O let me not wander from thy commandments.”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:11-12, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.[12] Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.” The first part of verse eleven is talking about memorization. There are many Bible verses that can be of great help to you in your Christian life, but only if you memorize them. Bible verse memorization is one of the keys to living a life of faith in Christ and being faithful to Him, and as it says at the end of verse eleven, Bible verse memorization is key to avoiding temptation. It says in First Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Sometimes the way to escape is to remember a Bible verse that applies to the situation such as, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” If you do not memorize Bible verses, you will not have them at your disposal when you need them. It is interesting that the Holy Spirit used the verb “to hide” to describe learning Bible verses. We might say that the Bible verses are the secret weapon of believers. Jesus used a Bible verse each of the three times that He was tempted of the devil. When Jesus was tempted to make stones into bread, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, and Jesus said to the devil in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” When the devil tempted Jesus to cast Himself off the pinnacle of the temple, Jesus again quoted from Deuteronomy and Jesus said, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” When the devil tempted Jesus to fall down and worship the devil in order to gain the kingdoms of the world, Jesus once again quoted from the book of Deuteronomy, “for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Let us assume that we are memorizing Bible verses. There is something else we need too. The Psalmist prays at the end of verse twelve, “teach me thy statutes.” We need divine help to understand His Word. That is one of the benefits of knowing Jesus as Savior. When we accept Christ, we are also given the Holy Spirit. That is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit opens up the Bible to us, and teaches us its true meaning.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:13, “With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.” When you memorize the Word of God, you will benefit from it because you now have it in your heart. But others will also benefit if you speak what you know. It is good to quote the Bible verses that you have learned throughout the day to various people and in various situations.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:14, “I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.” Here is another benefit to the Word of God: it will bring you joy and happiness. Truth is enjoyable. We are told in Philippians 4:8 to think of whatsoever things are true. You will not be able to do that unless you are thinking about the Bible. But if you do it, you will have all the advantages of rejoicing and being happy. In this verse the Word of God is compared to “riches.” Most people want to be rich. A wise person would use riches to help others and to spread the gospel and to strengthen Christian schools, colleges, and Bible-teaching churches. Some people are richer than they think.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:15, “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.” To meditate in God’s precepts means to spend time thinking about His Word. To have “respect” unto God’s ways means to fix one’s eyes on the Lord and His ways. It speaks of a decision to concentrate on God’s Words and to look to the Bible. That will take some time and some effort.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:16, “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.” The word that is translated “delight” refers to something that you would caress and treat fondly because you love it. Do you love the Word of God? If you love it, you will do everything that you can to make sure that you do not forget it: reading, memorization, and hearing the preaching of the Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:17, “Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.” Human effort must always be assisted by divine intervention in order to be successful. Of course, we need God to extend our lives. However long God decides to let us live, we need the blessing of God to stay in His Word. Many drift away. Many forget. Many stop keeping His Word. Our prayer must be that we will have a better fate than that. Our life will be successful if we keep His Word, and we will keep His Word if He blesses us.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” The Word of God is wonderful. But once again it requires divine intervention for us to see those wonders. One of the benefits of knowing Jesus as Savior is that we have the Spirit of God who does open our eyes and who does reveal to us the wonders of God’s Word. That is why we love His Word: His Word is wonderful.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:19, “I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.” This is not the only verse in the Bible that says that we are strangers in the earth. Moses said in Exodus 2:22, “I have been a stranger in a strange land.” It also says at the end of Hebrews 1:13, “…they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Peter wrote in First Peter 2:11, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” Because we are strangers, we need something to sustain us. The Word of God gives us instructions of how to live in this world where we are strangers. The Word of God reminds of us a country where we do belong: the Kingdom of Christ.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:20, “My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.” King David had a tremendous desire for God’s Word. We need to ask ourselves if we also have that kind of longing to hear and to live by God’s precious Word. David said that he had this longing “at all times.” Not just yesterday or last year, but “at all times” we need this longing.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:21, “Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.” God is judge. He will judge every person on the earth, and he will judge based upon His commandments. For everyone who does not know the Savior, the books will be opened at the judgment. That book that they never opened during their life, will be opened at their judgment. They are called “proud” because they think they have the answers and that is why they do not seek answers from the Bible.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:22, “Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.” The Psalmist realizes that he will be better off if he keeps God’s Word. That is one of the reasons that the Lord gave us His Word: so that we would be better off. Keeping God’s Word will bring us benefits. The world has it backwards. Sometimes they think that the Word will keep them from having fun and keep them from enjoying life. The opposite is true. King David had enemies, but David knew that His defense came from the Word of God.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:23-24, “Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
[24] Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.” King David had enemies, powerful enemies. Even though those enemies were dwelling around him, and were speaking against him, and plotting against him, David would think about the Word of God and what the Word of God said. You can think about the words of human beings and let those words affect you, or you can think about the Word of God. No matter how unpleasant were the words of human beings, David found enjoyment in the scriptures. And he also found good advice. All believers have a great supply of good counsel and good advice from the very words of God. What do I do now? Stay in the Word, and the Lord will teach you from His Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:25, “My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.” Dust is dry. It is dry ground. There is no sustenance or life-giving quality to dust. When the troubles of life mount up against us, we can easily feel that we are in a parched place for our soul. It is important what happens to us spiritually speaking. And therefore, we go to the Lord and to His Word. To “quicken” means to give life to. David prays to the Lord, and David ties that prayer to the Word of God. The Word of God is our spiritual food. It is a life-giving source. A full human life is made up of the physical and the spiritual. The Word of God will build up your spiritual life like water in a thirsty land. Without the Word, your spiritual life will wither and shrink and dry up.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:26-27, “I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.[27] Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.” In verse twenty-six the Psalmist says, “I have declared.” As you read the Word of God and learn it, you are now equipped to make the Word of God part of your speech. As you talk to people, learn to include the Word of God in what you say. Every Christian should do that. The word that is translated “talk” in verse twenty-seven comes from a word that means “to meditate” or “to consider.” In these two verses King David is making it very clear that he knows that he needs divine help if he is going to understand the Word of God and meditate on the Word of God. The Bible is a spiritual book. It is God’s Word. It can only be properly understood if the Spirit of God teaches it to you. Cults use the Bible and come up with false ideas. They did not get understanding from God.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:28, “My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.” In the first part of this verse King David tells us that he has been overcome by sadness. But he knows that there is a source of strength that every believer has: the Word of God. We are strengthened by the living Word, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And we are strengthened by the written Word: the Bible. Make sure that you know when to turn to the Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:29-30, “Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.[30] I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.” Every person must choose between “lying” and “truth,” and it takes God’s help to do so. It will take a gift from God to be delivered from all the lies. That is why David prayed “grant me thy law graciously.” I can make decisions to choose the Word of God and to make it a part of my life, but the Lord must do things to make that choice end well. The Lord must open my eyes to the truth. He must bless me through His truth.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:31, “I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.” You are “stuck” to something in this way if you love it. You will cling to the scriptures if you love them. You will be like a drowning man clinging to a life preserver. One of the goals of a Christian is to have our lives be a shining light for the Lord. It is a terrible thing if a Christian has to be ashamed of his or her conduct. We better “stick” to God’s testimonies and then rely on the LORD to help us.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:32, “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.” Over and over we see the theme: we need the scriptures and we need God to apply the scriptures to our hearts. True Christianity is spirituality. It takes the Book and the Spirit. Many people’s hearts are closed to the Word of God. The Lord can open the heart and open it wide to the receiving of the Word. We need churches who teach the Word of God, and we need people whose hearts have been opened by God Himself to receive the Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:33, “Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.” Many people start well, but not as many end well. This is especially true of being dedicated to the Bible and to following the Lord as the Bible designates. The better that we learn the Word with God as our teacher, the more likely that we will continue “unto the end” with the Lord and with His Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:34, “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” A key phrase in this verse is “with my whole heart.” We cannot expect to follow the Lord faithfully unless our approach is with the whole heart. That involves being focused on the Lord and His Word, and having a great determination and desire to follow Him and to go His way in life. Even when we have such a great desire, we still need the Lord to give us understanding. Some people have a zeal and a desire, but they do not have understanding from the Lord.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:35-36, “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.[36] Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.” What will keep us from having a desire, and a delight, and a determination to walk in a path according to God’s Word? “Covetousness” will stop us. Whenever we have a strong desire for any other thing, even things that are ok in and of themselves, we will fall away from the Lord and His Word. Watch your own heart. Make sure that your great desire is to be in God’s Word and to follow Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:37, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.” If we do not stay in God’s Word and follow it, then we are “beholding vanity.” Vanity refers to something that is worthless and of no value. Unless you are consistently in God’s Word and following Jesus closely, you are living a life of no value. Spiritual life is the only true life. Without the proper kind of spiritual life, you are a walking dead man or dead woman. The Lord can make alive that which is dead. To “quicken” means to make alive. Many people are spiritually dead. Only God can give them life through Christ.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:38, “Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.” The key word in this verse is the word “fear.” There is a direct relationship between benefitting from the Word of God and having a fear of God. Why are not some people attracted to the Word of God and do not seek it out to hear it and to learn from it? The reason is because they do not fear God. If they feared the Lord, they would desire His precious Word. The two go together.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:39, “Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.” The Psalmist did not want to have “reproach” on his life. He knew how important it is to be a good testimony and a good example to others. That is one of the things that the Word of God will do for you. The more that God helps you to be aligned with His Word, the more that you will have an honorable life that is above reproach.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:40, “Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.” What do you love? What is your greatest desire? How much do you love the Word of God? It is very important because it is the difference between spiritual life and death. To quicken means “to make alive.” There is a direct relationship between God’s righteousness and life. There is life when we have the righteousness of Christ. Sin brings death, but righteousness brings life. This righteousness comes through the Word of truth. If you want to have true spiritual life, call on the name of Jesus, who is the Word of truth. If you want to grow in true spiritual life, desire the written Word. His Word is a Word of life because it deals with goodness and righteousness.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:41, “Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word.” God loves us. Jesus loves us. That is why He has mercy and salvation. God tells us about His love, and His mercy, and His salvation in His Word. He wants everyone to be forgiven. He wants everyone to know His love. He wants everyone to have salvation so that we all will end up in heaven. Perhaps the greatest value to the Word of God is that it tells us about the love of God, and it tells us how to receive salvation through faith in Christ.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:42, “So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.” What do you say when someone attacks you, or criticizes you, or reproaches you? If you know the Word of God, then you will know what to say. Also, no matter what they say about you, the Word tells the truth about you. God loves you, Jesus is your Savior, God has gifted you and has a plan for you. You are important in God’s plan.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:43, “And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments.” The words that we say are very important. One of the things that will be looked at closely in the judgment are the words that we said during our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” Our lives are defined by the words that we say, and our judgment will be determined by the words that we have said. What better words to come out of our mouths than the words of God? Learn the Word, hope in the Word, and by God’s grace include the Word in the things that you say throughout the day.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:44, “So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.” Of course, the goal is not only to speak the Word, but also to obey it. And our purpose must be the same as the Psalmist’s: to always obey God and His Word “continually for ever and ever.”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:45, “And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.” The word that is translated “liberty” in this verse has an interesting meaning to it. It literally means “wide” or “broad.” King David is saying that because of God’s Word, the possibilities for David open up. His own abilities and capacities increase, and he is better able to handle anything that comes his way. It is just one other way that we will benefit from the Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:46, “I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.” Once again we are reminded that one of the reasons to learn the Word of God is to speak it. You want that to be such a normal part of your life that no matter who you are with, even the leader of your country, you will still speak the Word of God. The Word of God has the most important words in the world. There is nothing to be ashamed of. The shame would be if a Christian has a chance to be a testimony, but does not use it.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:47, “And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.” Even though we love the Word of God, it does not mean that we will necessarily “delight” ourselves in it. There is a certain stirring up of one’s own heart that is necessary to delight oneself in the Word of God.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:48, “My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.” Stretch out your hands to the Word of God. Reach for it. How often you pick it up and open it up will demonstrate how much you really love it. The amount that you meditate on the Word of God will also show how much you love it.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:49-50, “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.[50] This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.” These two verses mention three of the benefits that we receive from the Word of God: hope, comfort, and life-giving power. The Word of God is full of many promises that should give hope to everyone, if you believe them and think about them. God loves you. Jesus died for you. If you know Jesus as Savior, all your sins are forgiven, and you will go to heaven when this life is over. God is all-powerful and He promises to be with you, to provide for you, and to protect you for the rest of your life. Also, Jesus might come back at any moment to take all the believers to heaven. That means there is a lot of good things going to happen. But of course, we are not in heaven yet. There will be some afflictions for Christians. The Word of God will comfort us in these afflictions. The afflictions are temporary, and whatever you are going through, there is the Word from the Lord to help you get through it. Every believer has both a physical and spiritual part to their life. We must eat food in order to have physical strength and physical life. The Word of God gives us the spiritual strength and spiritual life that we need. If you are weak spiritually, that means that you need more of the Word of God.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:51, “The proud have had me greatly in derision; yet have I not declined from thy law.” We are social creatures. We are affected by the attitudes of others towards us. Believers need to have a strong resolve that no matter what other people think or how they treat us, we are still going to direct our hearts to the Word of God. We are not going to turn away from the Word of God.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:52, “I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.” This is another verse that tells us to remember the Word of God. Think about it. Bring its words into your mind. It is just the spiritual medicine that we need to comfort us in any sorrow. The Word of God is called here God’s “judgments of old.” Even the newest part of the Bible is almost two thousand years old, and so God has made His solution available for a long time. You will comfort yourself if you remember certain parts of the Word of God.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:53, “Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.” For those of us who love the Word of God, one of the things that we do not like about this life has to do with all the people who abandon God’s Word. That is why they took Bible out of the schools in America: they abandon God’s Word. That is what they do. Believers know how terrible the consequences will be for abandoning the Word of God. Society is paying the price every day.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:54, “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.” There are many great gospel songs. Some of the sweetest songs are simply Bible verses put to music. That is why Christians are told in Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” King David uses an interesting phrase at the end of the verse: “the house of my pilgrimage.” Whatever house we live in now is only temporary. We are sojourners on a voyage. If you know Jesus as Savior, your voyage ends in heaven. You might as well be as happy as you can be until you get there: sing and sing words from the Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:55-56, “I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law.[56] This I had, because I kept thy precepts.” In the Old Testament God’s primary name was Jehovah. That is the name that is translated “LORD” in verse fifty-five. The name Jehovah means “eternally existent one.” If you become connected to Jehovah, you have eternal life, and you are given the answer to the greatest problem of human life: death. God’s primary name in the New Testament is Jesus. And by the way, Jesus is Jehovah. That name means “Savior.” Only Jesus can save you from your sins and get you into heaven. If only we would remember God’s name, and if only we would keep his Word. Remembering Jesus and who He really is will help us keep His commandments. And keeping His commandments will help us remember who He is. His Word and His name are inseparable.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:57, “Thou art my portion, O LORD, I have said that I would keep thy words.” The Psalmist is saying that an important part of his life is God. The Psalmist has been given his portion of God. Some are given more than others. To whom much is given is much required. The portion of God that you have in your life is directly related to your determination to keep His Word. What do you want? Some people are similar to King David and want to serve God.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:58, “I intreated thy favor with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.” When you believe in Jesus, you are called to a high standard: the “whole heart.” Even if you think that you have given your whole heart to Christ, you are still dependent upon His mercy. Our feet are made of clay. We fail easily in this flesh and in this life. One of the many values of the Word of God is that it tells us how merciful God is through Christ. You can always rely upon God’s mercy. He has a lot of mercy: more mercy than all the sins of the world. That is how great was the death of Christ on the cross.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:59, “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.” There are several things going on in this verse that need to be a part of every believer. First, we see that the Psalmist is thinking about his ways. In other words, he gives careful consideration to the path that he is going in life. Be careful about hasty decisions. Think things through. What will be the consequences of what you are doing or what you are considering doing? Secondly, make sure that you know God’s “testimonies.” That is another name for His Word. Gain a knowledge of the Word of God, and then use that knowledge as the standard that you compare your actions to. The Psalmist says that he “turned” his feet. This is personal responsibility. You have the power of your own life. No one else decides which way you go in life. You decide. Make sure that your decisions are consistent with the principles of God’s Word, such as loving God and loving your neighbor and always doing what is right.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:60, “I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.” Here is an important truth about the need to “hasten” and to not delay to obey God’s Word and God’s ways. When should I turn to the Lord: tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or next week? All of those would be too late. Today is the day. That is especially true concerning the need to turn to Christ for salvation. You might not be alive tomorrow. You also might have other things press upon your mind that will keep you from turning to Jesus tomorrow. After you are converted to Christ, it is important to make haste to run to God’s Word and do things His way before you make a mistake that results in many unpleasant consequences for you and your spiritual life.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:61, “The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.” The word that is translated “robbed” means “surrounded.” True Christians are a minority, a very small minority in this world. It is easy to get into a situation where a Christian seems to be surrounded by the wicked. But never forget that one Christian plus Christ makes a majority. Also, never forget God’s Word. Some people fall away when they suffer affliction or persecution. But King David knew that it is all about God’s Word. Do not let anything keep you from God’s Word. Go to church services where the Bible is taught. Read the Bible. Memorize Bible verses. Do not let anything knock you off that manner of life. Find ways to get more and more of the Bible into your life.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:62, “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.” Evidently King David was so overcome by how good and true and righteous is the Word of God that David would be awake in the middle of the night and would give thanks to God for the Bible. It is wonderful that we have a source of goodness and truth and righteousness that we can turn to. We need that. There are a lot of negative things going on in the world. Do not dwell on the negative or the untruthful. Think about the Bible and its words, even in the middle of the night, and give thanks to God for the Bible that He has given to us.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:63, “I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.” A Christian needs to be joined to other Christians. This is one of the reasons for having a church family. If you know Jesus as Savior, and if you want to serve the Lord Jesus, the Spirit will guide you to other Christians. We are stronger when we are united. These are the kind of companions that you want: those that fear God and those that desire to keep His Word. That is the also kind of spouse that you will want to look for and pray for. Your spouse will be your life-companion.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:64, “The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.” The word that is translated “mercy” in this verse means “steadfast love, kindness, or devotion.” King David is saying that he sees God’s love everywhere. That is because God is everywhere, and God is love. Why does David include this truth with His request to learn God’s Word? That is because God’s Word tells us about His love. The more that you are in the book of God’s love, the more that you will know about love.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:65, “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD, according unto thy word.” The word that is translated “well” in this verse is the basic word for “good” or “goodness.” All good things come from God. In the purest sense there is none good but God. If you look at your life and see everything in it that is good, then you will be looking at what God has done for you. We know this to be true because the Word of God tells us. It says in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Jesus also said in Matthew 7:11, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Notice in Psalm 119:65 that David calls himself God’s servant. If you want to really experience the good things from God from God’s perspective, make sure that you are one of God’s servants. Do not serve yourself, and do not go your own way.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:66, “Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.” Your education is not complete if you do not know the Word of God. You might know many things, but you will not know the most important of all. When the Supreme Court took prayer out of the public schools, everyone also took the Bible out of the schools. That was a horrible mistake. If you do not have the knowledge of the Word of God, then you will not be able to make right decisions: you will not have “good judgment.” That is why the Supreme Court has made some terrible mistakes. That is why other leaders have made terrible mistakes in judgment. They have not been taught by God from His precious Word. King David believed the Bible, and he knew that he needed God’s help to learn it and to apply it to his life.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:67, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” Unfortunately, this is a common sequence of events for Christians. First a Christian goes astray from the Lord Jesus. That is easy to do because the standard is very high: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind.” That is a very high standard, and so it is easy to fall away from such a command and to sin with idolatry. And of course, there are all the other sins. After you sin and go astray, if you do not confess very quickly, then you will be afflicted. That is because God loves you and He wants to wake you up so that you will come back to Him to be in fellowship with Jesus, and to serve Him once again. It says in Hebrews 12:6, “Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” One of the most important verses for every Christian to learn is First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrightepousness.” Of course, you can avoid the afflictions of chastisement by quickly confessing your sins. It says in First Corinthians 11:31-32, “But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.[32] But when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” Once King David was chastened or “afflicted,” he came back and started keeping God’s Word again. Your relationship with the Lord is reflected by your attitude towards His Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:68, “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.” God is great and God is good. Compared to God, man is not good. One way that we know that God is good is from His Word. A benefit of knowing God’s Word is that we know more about God’s goodness. But even to know God’s Word requires an act of goodness from God. You only know the truth of God’s Word to the degree that God reveals it to you. Fortunately, every Christian has the Holy Spirit who teaches each of us the true meaning of God’s precious Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:69-71, “The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.[70] Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.[71] It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Once again we see in verse sixty-nine a truth that has been expressed before in this Psalm: no matter what unbelievers do, the Psalmist has made a resolute decision to attach himself to the Word of God in order to obey the Word of God with the “whole heart.” The problem with unbelievers is that there is something wrong with their hearts. They are selfish and they have allowed the wrong things to enter their hearts. The problem is in the heart. It is a spiritual problem. If only they would allow Jesus into their heart, that would fix the problem. But even the afflictions that they bring against us can have at least one good result: the afflictions can drive us to the Lord and to His Word. We know that the Scriptures can comfort us. We know that the Scriptures can draw us closer to the Lord. We know that the Scriptures can help to build up our faith, hope, and love.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:72, “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.” The Word of God comes directly from the “mouth” of God. Yes, the Lord used human writers to give us the sixty-six books of the Bible, but the miracle of inspiration means that the words are God’s words. Because the Bible is the Word of God, that makes the Bible the most important thing on this earth. It certainly is more important than money. Maybe you can spend some of your money so that you and others can increase your exposure to and knowledge of the Word of God. Notice the amount of money involved in this verse. Let’s assume that these pieces of gold and silver are one-ounce coins. And so, if we are talking about several thousand ounces of gold, then we are talking millions of dollars. Would you rather have millions of dollars or a better exposure to and knowledge of the Word of God? David made his choice.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:73, “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding that I may learn thy commandments.” It is interesting that the Psalmist makes a relationship from his existence and his life from God to understanding the Word of God. God gave me life. What should I do with my life? I should always seek an increased learning and understanding of God’s Word. That is why God made me: so that I would know Jesus as Savior and then keep learning the Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:74, “They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.” If you are a person who has learned to put your hope and faith in the Word of God, not only will you benefit greatly from it, but you will become a blessing to other Christians. You will be spiritual. You will be an example of what a believer should be like. God will use you to touch and help and bless the lives of other Christians. They will be glad when they see you and observe the person that you have become.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:75, “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” God is the great Judge of all the earth. He decides. And He decides based upon the principles of His Word. If you are wise, you will find out what His Word says and you will align your life with it as much as you can. If you do not do that, then you will learn the hard way. The Lord wants you to learn, and He will find a way to teach. He will Judge. He will decide. Sometimes He will afflict. If you are a Christian, God always has a good purpose and a good reason for everything that He brings into your life, even the afflictions. God will find a way to be faithful to the holiness of His Word and to be faithful to you, His child. He will use His judgments to teach.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:76-77, “Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.[77] Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.” It is a good thing that the Word tells us about the “merciful kindness” and “tender mercies” of the Lord. We need a lot of mercy because of how evil we are. The sinfulness (selfishness) of man is so deceitful and so strong. If you are aware of your own sinfulness and failures, the only real comfort for that is the promise of God’s mercy through faith in Christ. That is the primary message of God’s Word. No wonder that the Word of God was David’s “delight.” David found the promises of God’s mercy in the Word. God will not punish me because of my sins because He is merciful. God will bless me even though I do not deserve it because He is merciful. Good things will happen to me even though I have not earned them because God is merciful.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:78, “Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.” Of course, believers would like to see justice be done. We would like to see liars and deceivers get the recompence they deserve, and they will if they do not repent and turn to Jesus. They will be terribly ashamed when they stand before the Lord at their judgment; and some of them will get a fair amount of recompence in this life too. The phrase that is translated “they dealt perversely with me” refers to the fact that the enemies of King David were liars and deceivers. What did David do when such people came into contact with him? He turned to the Word of God. David did not spend a lot of time thinking about the lies and deceptions of the unbelievers, but instead David put his thoughts on God’s Word. David thought about truth instead of thinking about the lies of people.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:79, “Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies.” What kind of people did David want to be with: those who fear God and those who know God’s Word. That is called Christian fellowship. It is an important part of serving the Lord. It is one of the four great activities of a Bible-based church: Bible preaching-teaching, singing spiritual songs, prayer, and Christian fellowship. Fearing God and knowing His Word go together. If you are a true Christian, the Spirit will let you know that you need to learn God’s Word. You must respond to that leading by organizing your life in such a way that you are consistently in God’s Word. If you do not do that, then you do not fear God, and you are not a God-fearing person.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:80, “Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.” The phrase that is translated “Let my heart be sound” means “Let my heart be complete.” Let my heart be blameless and everything that it should be. It takes the Word of God for that to happen. Why did God give us the Word of God: so that Christians could be everything that they should be. But this is a prayer. David wrote, “Let my heart be sound in thy statutes.” It is not enough to be in the Word of God constantly. We need God Himself to let it happen and make it happen. The cults use Bible verses, but God is not involved in what they teach and believe, and that is the problem. Jesus is our Teacher by the Spirit and we rely upon Him to make us more of what we need to be through the Word. If that does not happen continually day by day in our lives, the result is that we will be “ashamed.” We will end up doing things and saying things for which we will be ashamed. You can avoid that shame that surely will come upon you as time goes by if you have the prayer and the attitude that David expressed in Psalm 119:80.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:81-83, “My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.[82] Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, when wilt thou comfort me?[83] For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes.” Life has its troubles and difficulties and sorrows that can really hurt. The Psalmist knows that he needs the Lord to deliver him from a particular affliction that the Psalmist is experiencing. That is the meaning of the word “salvation” in the context of verse eighty-one. It is not talking about salvation of the soul, but deliverance from some affliction of persecution in life. To describe his distress, the Psalmist mentions his soul fainting in verse eighty-one, his eyes failing in verse eighty-two, and his life shriveling up like an animal-skin bottle being dried out over a smokey fire. Go to the Word of God, put your eyes on the Word of God instead of on your troubles. Find the Bible verses that will sustain you, and strengthen you, and support you. Do not forget God’s Word. Nothing can do for you what the Word of God will do for you.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:84-87, “How many are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?[85] The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.[86] All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.[87] They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts.” In verses eighty-four and eighty-six King David mentions those who “persecute” him. In verse eighty-five he describes them as those who “have digged pits” for him. And then in verse eighty-seven David said that they had “almost consumed” him. David looks forward to the day when his persecutors will be judged by God. In other words, David knows that only God can deal with them. We also look forward to the return of Christ and to the judgment that He will ultimately bring, knowing that only King Jesus can fix this world. Until that happens, a lot of days are passing by. That is frustrating. But until we see God “execute judgment,” we have one great advantage to help us: His Word. The Word of God is “faithful” even when people are not. Notice that the persecutors are called “proud” in verse eighty-five. Because they are proud, they think they have the answers, and therefore they do not seek the Word of God nor do they seek to be conformed to the Word of God. In contrast to the proud, David said in verse eighty-seven that even though he was “almost consumed” by what he was suffering, he “forsook not” God’s Word. He was faithful to God’s Word, He loved God’s Word, and he saw the importance of always having God’s Word in his life. What a contrast between the proud and a believer like King David. What was the contrast? The contrast was the difference in their attitude towards God’s Word. If you want to know something that is really important about someone, then find out this about them: what is their attitude to God’s Word? Do they love God’s Word, do they read God’s Word, do they memorize Bible verses, do they quote from God’s in their conversations, do they run to God’s Word to be fed and comforted and strengthened by it? If they do not, then they are headed for spiritual trouble. Woe to any believer who marries such a person as the proud “which are not after thy law.”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:88, “Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.” There are two types of spiritual life and they are very closely related. Until you know Christ, you are spiritually dead. Once you trust in Him to be your Savior, you are given spiritual life. Before you were dead, and now you are alive. The second type of spiritual life has to do with a Christian either being carnally minded or spiritually minded. It has to do with a Christian walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus or not. It has to do with a Christian having a spiritual vitality and zeal to serve the Lord or not. That is what King David is talking about here when he asks God to “quicken” him. In other words, “O Lord, please revive me and give me the proper level of spiritual vitality.” Only God can do that. It takes divine intervention. It takes the power of God for the carnal Christian to become a spiritual Christian. Why should God answer such a prayer? Why not just let the Christian reap what he or she has sown? This is why: because of God’s “lovingkindness.” God has a steadfast devotion and a love that never quits or gets tired of loving. Some couples grow apart because they just cannot stand the irritations that come from their human failings day after day., That never happens to God. He is kind, He is loving, He is compassionate, and He is tenderhearted. He will revive us again, if we ask Him, and that revival will be evidenced by our relationship to His Word. David said, “I keep the testimony of thy mouth.”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:89, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” This is a great verse about the eternal nature of the Word of God. Everything on this earth shall perish, but the Word of God shall remain forever. Jesus said the same thing. He said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” This is an important teaching about the preservation of the scriptures. No one has altered the Word of God. That is impossible because God has preserved it. Any study of textual criticism has to conclude that the Word of God is “forever.” Any concept that even hints of something about the Word that in any way takes away from these words: “forever” and “settled in heaven” is a concept that must be rejected. Our eternal abode is in heaven thanks to Jesus. And so Psalm 119:89 seems to indicate that the same Bible that you hold in your hands will be with us in heaven. That is an interesting idea. One reason that the Word of God is eternal is the fact that it is unfathomable. No one knows everything about the Word of God that they need to know. A lifetime is not near enough time to learn the Word of God. Study the Word of God your whole life and you are simply a student of God’s Word, not an expert. We will need eternity in order to continue our studies of God’s eternal Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:90, “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.” God’s faithfulness refers to His truth. One reason that God has given a written Word is so that His truth can be communicated to every person in every generation. The creation of the Word of God is compared to the creation of the earth. The earth abides day after day, year after year, and century after century; and so does God’s written Word.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:91, “They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.” What continues? Based upon the previous verse, God’s truth and God’s earth both continue. God created them, and God makes them continue. And then there is an interesting statement at the end of verse ninety-one, “all are thy servants.” Who and what are the servants of God? “All” are the servants of God. Everything and everyone serve God. God created everything and everyone, and so God has a purpose for everything and everyone. For example, God even has a purpose for the hard heart and the unbelieving heart. Sometimes that purpose is seen when such a person repents and the miracle of faith in Christ is manifest. That purpose will also be seen when such a person does not repent, but they are seen at the judgment bowing at the feet of Jesus, declaring that He is God and thus glorifying His name at that time. Everything serves God. God turns the tables. God uses all things. God is in control. That is why it says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are the called according to his purpose.”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:92, “Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.” Basically, David is saying that he had just one place to go to get relief and comfort in the midst of his afflictions: the Word of God. That is why he delighted in the Word of God. David knew its value and its power. David knew that the Bible was a source of strength and life.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:93, “I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.” David is determined to remember the Word of God. In other words, he thinks about the Word of God and what it says. That is what gives David life. The Word of God has amazing spiritual healing powers. It will heal your soul. It will put new life and a better spiritual life inside of you.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:94, “I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.” In this verse David makes a statement of who he is, he makes a request to God for help, and David states why he thinks God will help him. David is a child of God. He has a personal relationship with God, and David knows that God helps His children. David is just like us: he has afflictions and he needs God to intervene to deliver him from his afflictions. As long as we keep looking to the Lord through His Word, we can be sure that help is on the way.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:95, “The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.” Yes, the wicked spiritual forces of darkness who oppose you have a plan to destroy you. They are looking and waiting for their opportunity. It is no wonder because that is what the devil does. “Your adversary the devil goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” But King David did not dwell on the wicked. He dwelt on the Word of God. The wicked cannot do anything to you that God does not allow. God will protect you. Instead of thinking about the wicked and what they are like and what they are trying to do, it is much better to think about the Word of the Lord.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:96, “I have seen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding broad.” If you are looking for perfection, you will not find it in this life. But you will find everything you need in the Word of God. It will comfort, it will sustain, it will strengthen, it will guide and instruct. The Word of God is “exceeding broad.”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:97, “O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” Do you love God’s Word like David did? If you do love God’s Word, then it will be what you think about “all the day.” There are a lot of other things to think about: all the cares and issues and situations that you face can easily overtake your mind. We need to make the Word of God our “meditation all the day.” If we love it, we will.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:98-100, “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.[99] I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.[100] I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.” These verses tell us that the Word of God will give us wisdom and understanding. Those are very valuable things to have. They are more valuable than silver or gold. How much wisdom and understanding can we get from the scriptures: more than our “enemies,” more than our “teachers,” and more than the “ancients.” That is a lot of wisdom and understanding. The enemy of your soul is trying to defeat you. He has thoughts and ideas and plans to do that. You need one thing: you need to be smarter than him. The Word of God will give you that advantage.

There are those who have a reputation for having wisdom and understanding. They are called teachers. Everyone has or has had teachers to teach them. One of the values of being part of a Bible-teaching church is that you will have teachers to help teach you things that you need to know that you will get nowhere else. Some teachers are very good teachers. They have spent years studying. They know a lot. But if you learn the Word of God by the Spirit of God, you will pass them in wisdom and understanding. They will learn from you.

Psalm 119:100 mentions the “ancients.” These are the elders. These are the religious leaders. These are the pastors and the Bible teachers. These are also the prophets who from ancient times had understanding and wisdom from God. But we have one thing that they did not have: we have the entire Word of God. They only had part of it. Even the writers only had part of it. Moses only had the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. David only had the books that had been written up to his writings in the Psalms. But we have the entire Word of God. Blessed is he or she who learns to love the Word of God, and who learns the Word of God from the Spirit. They will have more wisdom and understanding than the ancients.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:101, “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.” We do not read the Word of God and learn the Word of God just so that we will know what it says, but we do so in order to improve our behavior and become better people and better Christians. We should always come to the Word of God with an attitude of repentance. In other words, my attitude is this: “I want to become a better person. I want to do the right thing. I am coming to the Word of God, knowing that it will show me how to avoid evil and how to do what is right.”

The Bible says in Psalms 119:102, “I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.” The goal is to start following the Lord and then to keep following Him. Many people start, but they do not keep on keeping on. There are many things that can knock you down and get you off that straight and narrow way of following Jesus: sin and afflictions and sorrows are among those things. Another thing that can do it is not having enough of God’s Word daily. You cannot be spiritual if you do not have spiritual food. That is why Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Of course, you must learn the Word of God the right way. David said to God, “thou hast taught me.” If you want to keep following the Lord, learn from God through His Word. God wants to use His Word to teach you, but He cannot do that if you are not in the Word consistently. He cannot do that if you do not go to a good Bible teaching church to learn from God.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:103, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” David knew how wonderful is the Word of God. As you spend time in the Word of God and are blessed by it, you will want more and more of it. You also will learn how good and how sweet it is.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:104, “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” Truth is a wonderful thing. The problem is that there are a lot of lies in the world. How blessed is everyone who benefits from the truth and understanding that is found in the Bible. Love the truth and hate the lies. But do not hate the liars. Help those who have accepted the lies by teaching the truth and by speaking up for the truth.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” This is a great verse that tells us one of the benefits of the Word of God. It will be “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” This is a world of spiritual darkness. There are many decisions to be made in life that will determine the path that you will take in your personal life. The wrong decision can have terrible consequences. God has given us a path to take. Jesus called it the straight and narrow way. The Bible will speak to you, will instruct you, and will illuminate that path for you.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:106, “I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.” In order to keep following the Lord Jesus no matter what happens in your life, you must have a great determination to do so. You must make a decision and stick to it. David says it three times just in this one verse: “I have sworn,” “I will perform it,” and “I will keep.”

The Bible says in Psalms 119:107, “I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.” In this life the tide can turn and things can mount up against terribly. They can fall down upon you, humble you, and crush you under their weight. There is always the death of loved ones, sickness, failure, hatred, etc. In other words, you can be “afflicted very much.” In such a situation what we really need is life from the life-giving God. We need to be animated, strengthened, and lifted up. If we are blessed, God will use His Word to do that.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:108, “Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.” The Psalmist is saying that no matter what happens to him, he still has control over his own mouth and the words that he will say. David is going to volunteer the right words to the Lord: words of thanksgiving, words of praise, and words of faith. He is hoping that God will accept his words, and that God will continue to teach him from the Bible. Here is one advantage that a preacher has: we get to speak forth God’s Word in public on a regular basis. God’s precious Word deserves that someone will do that.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:109, “My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.” The first phrase of this verse refers to the fragile nature of life. Anything that you hold in your hand, you could easily drop or lose. Try holding on to water, let alone your own soul. David is saying that even in dangerous and troubling times, he still remembers God’s Word and thinks about God’s Word.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:110, “The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.” In order to keep following the Lord faithfully and continually, you must make a great resolve down in the depths of your heart. No matter what anyone does to you or does against you, you will just keep on following the Lord. You will not wander away from God’s way. People may try to trap you and cause you to fail, but as long as you stay focused on God’s Word, you will be fine.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:111, “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.” Once again we are told that the scriptures are eternal. If you love the scriptures and choose the scriptures, you will have them forever. One reason that anyone makes such a choice is because of the joy that the scriptures give. If you get that kind of joy out of the scriptures, you will want to have them forever.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:112, “I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end.” Every person has control over their own heart: what you want, what you love, what you choose. The goal is not to just study the scriptures, but to put them into practice. How long should that be our goal: forever. Another way of saying that: all the way to the end. Anyone who does not have such a determined resolve to stay in the scriptures and to obey them will certainly fall away at some point.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:113, “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” One of the values of the Bible is that it gives us the right thoughts for our mind. Without the Bible we will only have human thoughts that are empty, unspiritual thoughts, thoughts of this life only, and maybe even unholy thoughts. Learn the Bible and memorize great Bible verses, and you will have the best thoughts of all: thoughts of God’s love, thoughts of faith and hope, thoughts of all that is possible and all that is good. No wonder that King David hated vain thoughts.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:114, “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” In the first part of this verse King David says that God is his hiding place and his shield. Where can you go when the circumstances of life come against you or when people come against you because they have the wrong spirit or the wrong attitude: go to the Lord. You can hide from your troubles and from your enemies by being safely within the all powerful and all loving Savior. The Savior Jesus will also be a shield for you. We are in a war, a spiritual war. A shield is a very important defensive piece of armor. A soldier without a shield will not last long in the battle. God is our shield. He will protect us. We know that is so because the Word of God tells us. The Word of God gives us many promises. That is one of the many benefits of trusting in Christ. We know what the future holds: God fulfilling His promises. No matter what or who is against us, we have a sure hope. We know that the Word of God will be fulfilled.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:115, “Depart from me, ye evil doers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.” These two things go together: the right kind of separation from those who do not want to serve God and dedicating yourself to do God’s will to obey His commandments. Christians must be leaders, not followers. If you follow the wrong people, you will fall into a pit with them. It says in Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the council of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

The Bible says in Psalms 119:116, “Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.” If God does not keep His Word, then we have no hope. The point is that God will keep His Word. We might have to learn to wait upon the Lord, but He will move, and He will provide, and He will do that which He hath promised. We will bear fruit if we are not weary in well-doing.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:117, “Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.” If God does not hold you up, you will fall. David knew it. In order to be in the place where God will do that, make sure that you are rightly related to the Scriptures “continually.” You do not need the Bible once in a while: you need it continually.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:118, “Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit is falsehood.” The Word of God is truth. The Word of God tells us all about Jesus, and it tells us all the things that God wants us to know. Those who go away from God’s Word have chosen to go into falsehood whether they know it or not. And it will not end well for them. God has given us His Word so that we will benefit, and so that we will not be trodden down.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:119, “Thou putteth away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.” The judgment is coming. Things are going to happen just like the Bible says they will happen, and that means that it will not end well for the wicked of the earth. Because of the Word of God, we know how things are going to turn out for the wicked. That is why we pray for them and hope to be good witnesses for Christ so that the Spirit might use us for them to see their need of turning to the Savior. Notice the word “dross” in describing what will happen to the wicked. Dross is what is left over after something is burned. The fires of hell await the wicked.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:120, “My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.” God is the God of the whole earth. God can do anything with His mighty power. God can move mountains, cause continents to sink into the sea, and destroy entire nations, not to speak of what He can do to individuals. God is the holy Judge of the whole earth. Should God decide to judge any part of the earth or all of the earth, then all hell will break loose. We can read about some of His judgments in the Word of God. In one of the judgments God destroyed the whole world by a flood except for one family. In another judgment God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and every soul in them with fire and brimstone. In another judgment God brought ten plagues upon Egypt including the most terrible of all: the death of the firstborn. And God brought judgment upon His own people when He allowed Babylon to destroy Jerusalem, killing and capturing and scattering the people of the Promised Land. You might want to tremble and fear before the judgments of God. You might to turn to Christ while you have time and opportunity.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:121-122, “I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors.[122] Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.” King David spoke of his “oppressors” and of the “proud” who oppressed him. If you serve the Lord, there will be many benefits, but there will also be sufferings at times. The servant is not greater than his Lord. They that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Sometimes it is spiritual oppression. It can come from any source, even those that are close to you. David is doing his part. He is doing what is right: judgment and justice. But David is not thinking what can he do about the oppressors: he is thinking what God can do. David asks the Lord three times to intervene. David prayed, “leave me not,” “Be surety for thy servant,” and “let not the proud oppress me.” To be “surety” for someone means to take responsibility for them and to do things that they cannot do for themselves. We need a lot of that from the Lord.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:123, “Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.” If you use your eyes a lot, they will get tired. Symbolically, David is saying that his “eyes fail” because he is diligently and continually looking for two things: God’s salvation and God’s Word. David is already saved in the sense that his soul is saved because He is a believer in the One True God. We believe in the One True God when we believe in Jesus. But this life is a spiritual war, and there are many situations that we need to be saved from. David was wise to continually look to the Lord for such salvation. That kind of daily salvation from the Lord is tied to the Word of God. If you want to be constantly saved from the things that plague you on this earth, then you must be constantly in the Word of God. David calls it the Word of God’s “righteousness.” By staying in the Word of God, we are reminded of what is right, we are instructed further in what is right, and then hopefully we will do more and more what is right. That is God’s will.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:124, “Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.” One of the things that motivates God’s mercy is His lovingkindness towards us. You can always count on God’s mercy, both because Jesus died for all your sins and because God is so very kind and loving. David knew that he needed God’s mercy. We all do because of how sinful we are. We can walk in fellowship with Christ daily, not because of how good we are, but because He will forgive us our sins daily. Make sure that you know First John 1:9 and put it into practice. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Once you are forgiven, then what do you need? You need to learn more about the Word of God. You need to be taught, and God is the Teacher. He might use a human being, but God is your Teacher. Invite the Teacher to teach you.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:125, “I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.” Many people do not have an understanding of the things of God. The only ones who do have an understanding are the servants of God. The beginning of spiritual understanding is to know the Lord Jesus as Savior, and then to identify yourself as a “servant” of God. Jesus is you Leader. You are submitted to His will. You do not want to do your own will. If you have such an attitude, then you can ask the Lord to give you understanding of His Word. Many people do not understand it very well: maybe because they are not servants.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:126, “It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.” It is definitely time for the Lord to act and to do something about the sinfulness of the world. All believers think that. We know the Lord could come back any day. The world is certainly evil enough for that to happen. It is time. They have turned away from God’s Word. They have taken the Word of God out of the schools, out of the public square, and out of their lives. It is time for this age to end. But God is very merciful, and He does not want anyone to perish, and so today there is one more day for people to repent and to turn to Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:127, “Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.” Once again King David compares the Word of God to great riches, to gold. And of course, we know what is more important: the Word of God. Do you think the Bible is more important than money? Decisions that you make throughout your life will prove it out. For example, will you go to a Christian college where the Bible is used and taught every day in the classroom and in the chapel services, or will you go to a secular college where the Bible is not referred to all except perhaps to mock it from time to time. Will you make it a priority to find a good Bible-teaching church to be a part of so that you and your children can hear sound teachings from the Word of God on a regular basis in the church: the only organization that Jesus established?

The Bible says in Psalms 119:128, “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right: and I hate every false way.” This is another verse that shows how important is the Word of God. Notice the phrase “all thy precepts concerning all things.” We need all of the Bible. It is all true, and there is a lot of truth there. It will take a lifetime of study just to learn some of it. I think it will take eternity to learn all of it. The Bible teaches us about “all things.” That is, all the things that God wants us to know and all the things that are important to know. If you are not in the Bible learning these things by the Spirit and putting them into your life, then you will be going down a “false way.” If you hate the false way, then you will turn to the Bible because that is the only other option.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:129, “Thy testimonies are wonderful; therefore doth my soul keep them.” Do you claim that God’s Word is wonderful? What you actually do will prove the truth of that statement. Keep His Word and that proves that you love it.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:130, “The entrance of thy words giveth light: it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Open up the Word of God and you will find light and truth to instruct your soul and your mind. A person with no wisdom and no understanding will be on the way to becoming a very wise person as long as they open up the Word of God and do it consistently. It is one of the many values of the Bible.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:131, “I opened my mouth and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.” This verse is another way of saying how much David desired and sought out the scriptures. How much do you desire to hear and learn the Scriptures? One way to demonstrate that longing is to organize your life so that you always include ways to be in the Word of God. Being a part of a Bible teaching church would help a lot. Having your own Bible reading each day would help too.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:132, “Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.” No matter how determined we are to serve the Lord and to stay in His Word by the priorities that we set in our lives, we are still dependent upon His compassion to us and His mercy. Thankfully, because Jesus suffered and died for our sins, there is always more than enough mercy available. God makes judgments and decisions as He watches the actions and thoughts of people. One of the things that God is looking for is love for Him. Jesus said that is the most important commandment. Look for reasons to love the Lord and His name, and strive to increase in your love for Him.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:133, “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” God’s Word is truth, and it is a high standard. Your “steps” refer to everything that you are doing each day. God’s Word is the standard that we strive for, but we are weak and sinful. We cannot do it without the Lord’s help. Iniquity is everywhere and we are easy targets for it. We need the help of the Lord.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:134, “Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.” In this verse King David says that He needs God’s deliverance from enemies in order to be able to keep God’s Word. One reason for this is because so much can go wrong in life that we could be totally overcome by the oppressions, the sorrows, the attacks, the disasters, the diseases, and the deaths. We need blessings from God and help from God to be able to serve Him. By the way, we can count on that very thing happening. David wrote in Psalm 23:2-3, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.[3] He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

The Bible says in Psalms 119:135, “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.” David did not think that he had arrived already and that he knew everything that he needed to know. David was wise enough to know that he was always just a student of the Word of God, and that there was always more to learn and more to know. The Word of God is unfathomable. Never think of yourself as a great teacher of the Word. Always think of yourself as a student of the Word. And ask the Lord to teach you more.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:136, “Rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law.” Of course, when you get this far into Psalm 119, you realize one very important truth: David loved the Word and he knew how very important the Word of God was for everyone’s life. Knowing this, the sad thing is that there are so few people who want to obey God’s Word. In our country many churches do not use the Word of God like they should. They took the Word of God out of the public schools. They have taken it out of the public square for the most part. Many people have the wrong priorities and they are no longer a part of a good Bible teaching church. Cry and weep for the people. The spiritual strength and the spiritual wisdom have left the land because the Word of God has been left out.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:137-138, “Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments.[138] Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.” Of course, God is righteous. Everything that He does is right. His judgments are right. His decisions are right. God does not make mistakes. Everything fits perfectly into His great plan for the world and for every person’s life. The reason that the Bible is also righteous is because the Bible came from God. God “commanded” that the scriptures be written and so they were written. God commanded that the scriptures be copied and transcribed and thus preserved for every generation, and so they were. If you want to know the mind of God, and if you want to know the teachings that are true and righteous, you will find them in the Bible.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:139, “My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.” We can see the mistakes that others have made. They did not love the Word of God. They did not study the Word of God. They did not remember the Word of God, and thus they do not have the Word of God on their mind. They are interested in something else. But we are not going to make that mistake. We are going to be like King David and have great zeal towards the Word of God.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:140, “Thy word is very pure; therefore thy servant loveth it.” The word that is translated “pure” comes from a verb that refers to making something pure through the refining process. In other words, think of fine gold. It has been refined by the fire and therefore there are no impurities in it. It is pure gold. That is the Word of God. The Word of God is pure. There are no impurities, no imperfections, and no mistakes in the Word that God has given to us. You can find falsehood and imperfection almost anywhere, but not in the Word. That is why David loved it.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:141, “I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.” Some of us do not amount to much in life as far as the size of our ministry is concerned. And because of that or for other reasons, some of us are despised by man and not held in high regard. But God sees things that man does not see, and God loves every Christian work. God uses each one according to His purpose. Jesus did say, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” A small church of two or three is just as much a church as a larger one. What is important is that we be faithful to the Lord and to His precious Word. Whatever happens to you, do not forget the Word. Love it, meditate on it, and stay with it always. That is an important part of serving the Lord Jesus. God wants to look down at you from heaven and see you faithful to the Word. He will make your ministry as big as He wants it to be.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:142, “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.” A key word in this verse is the word “everlasting.” How long will God’s Word be righteous: forever. That is because “truth” lasts forever. Truth is eternal. Something that is true today will always be true. For example, in the law Moses wrote the words by the Spirit, “Thou shalt not lie.” Those words were true before Moses wrote them in the law. Those words are true because they are in the Bible. And those words will always be True. That is one of the unique characteristics of the Bible compared to all other books. Other books are easily outdated. For example, a medical book in a hundred years could be greatly outdated with many inaccuracies based upon new discoveries and better understandings of medical science. But one hundred years from now the Bible will be just as true as it has always been.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:143, “Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.” We see this theme often in the Psalms and in the Bible. Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.” But no matter how many troubles we have, we can be overcomers through faith in Christ. Jesus died for our sins. Jesus is King. Jesus can do anything. Jesus is coming back to fix all the problems of the world. Jesus has given us the Bible so that we can go to it frequently and enjoy the truth and enjoy the wonderful teachings.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:144, “The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.” The Word of God is eternal, and goodness is eternal. Those are reasons to be good students of the Word of God and to ask the Lord for understanding of His Word. Righteousness is everlasting. The opposite of that is death. All other paths lead to death. Only righteousness leads to life. That is why through faith in Christ, we are given righteousness as our standing and our position before God. God wants us to have eternal life, and to have that, we must have righteousness. Always do the right thing. When you do the right thing, you are aligning yourself with eternity. When you do the wrong thing, you are aligning yourself with death. The same is true about the Bible. The Bible is a life-giving source as long as God gives you understanding. No wonder that Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” You do not have life the way it was meant to be lived unless you have understanding from God of His precious Word.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:145-146, “I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes.[146] I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.” Why do Christians sin? There is no excuse for sin. No one should sin. Here is one of the main reasons that anyone sins: they want to. If you and I really wanted to serve Christ with the “whole heart,” we would cry out to Him just like David did, and we would be resolved to obey His commandments. If you sin, it is your fault and yours alone. Your sins show the condition of your heart.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:147-148, “I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.[148] Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.” What do you do with your early morning hours and with your night time hours? If you follow King David’s example, the first things you have in the mornings are prayer and Bible. You need the Lord throughout the day, and so you are not getting off to a very good start if you start the day without Him. You nee the Lord and His Word at night too. Before you go to bed, and any time you awaken in the night make sure that you meditate (think about) God’s Word. How else are you going to love the Lord with all your mind?

The Bible says in Psalms 119:149-150, “Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.[150] They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.” The word that is translated “lovingkindness” can also be translated as mercy. Because He loves us, He is merciful to us. Because He loves us, He died for us on the cross. He certainly does hear us according to his lovingkindness. We do not deserve such a great benefit. We do not deserve any of His benefits. But we do need Him, for one reason because of our enemies. What is the difference between us and the other people in the world? We have faith in Christ and they do not. We have the Word of God and they do not value the Word. We want to do what is right, but they “follow after mischief.” They plan and they plot to oppose God, the Bible, and believers. What do we have? We have the Lord and how merciful He is to us.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:151, “Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.” There may be spiritual enemies near us sometimes, but God is always near us and always with us. Jesus said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” We also have truth on our side, and truth always wins over lying and deceit. Truth will take you to heaven. Truth is powerful because Jesus is Truth.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:152, “Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.” David said that he has been a student of the Bible “of old.” In other words, for a long time he has been reading, and studying, and meditating on the Word of God. And ever since he first started reading the Word of God, David came to one conclusion: this is the Word of God and it will last “forever.” There are many things that substantiate the Word of God: the prophecies come true, it is historically accurate, it is a living book that always applies to your life today. But perhaps the most important thing is that a believer just knows that the Bible is true. The Spirit of God will let you know that the Bible is true automatically once you believe in Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalms 119:153, “Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.” This verse connects being delivered and helped by God with remembering His Word. One reason for this is the fact that the Word of God gives faith, and it takes faith to take hold of the power of God. It says in Romans 10:17, “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” If you do not have enough faith, maybe you need to be in the Word of God more. Once you have faith that Gods loves you, that Jesus is your Savior, and that all the promises of God will be fulfilled in your life, you will see take place what Jesus promised. He promised in Matthew 17:20, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:154, “Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.” David asks for three important things from God, all of which are given to every believer who asks for them. David asks that God would plead his cause because a spiritual war is taking place and we need help in this war. The evil forces are too powerful for us. You do not have to always speak up for yourself. Rely on the Lord and He will speak up for you. The word that is translated “deliver” comes from the word “to redeem.” God is our redeemer because Jesus died for our sins. Because He is our Redeemer, He will deliver us from all the situations in life where we need His help. As we go through the ups and downs of life and the difficulties of life, we often need to be revived. In other words, we need our spiritual life to be renewed. Only God can do that. If you notice any spiritual weakness, seek the Lord and ask for a revival.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:155, “Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.” This describes one of the problems of the world, and why so many are so wicked. It has to do with a lack of the Word of God in their lives. God gave the Bible to all the world. But in order to benefit from the Bible, we must seek to read it and to know it and to live by it. That is one of the reasons to go to a good Bible teaching church. The wicked will not get saved unless they at least hear the most important message of the Bible: the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in Romans 10:14, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:156, “Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments.” God has a tremendous amount of compassion and love. That is one of the reasons that He is so merciful to us through Christ. We certainly need His mercy. We rely upon His mercy and not our own goodness. And thankfully, we can count on God being merciful to us. We also need God to “quicken” us. To quicken means to make alive. David has used this word several times in this Psalm. David is very well aware that he constantly needs the Lord to revive him, or else David will not have spiritual zeal or spiritual vitality. It is a gift from God to have faith in Him and to want to serve Him. Many do not have it probably because they do not seek it the way that David did.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:157, “Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.” The word that is translated “great” in verse 156 is the same word that is translated “many” in this verse. One of the reasons that people do not follow Christ is that they know that they will be persecuted. It is not politically correct to talk about Jesus with honor and respect. In order to keep following Christ and to stay on the straight and narrow way, you must have a great resolve. Your resolve must be greater than the persecutors and adversaries that will come your way. You must love the Word of God, seek it, and stay in it no matter what. To do that you must have your priorities right, and you must have a strong resolve.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:158, “I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.” We have seen this theme already in this Psalm. There are many people in the world who do not have faith in the Lord Jesus. Therefore, they do not value God’s Word and do not try to keep it. Believers are very well aware of that fact. It bothers us, and we do not like it. And so we pray and we hope to be a witness and a testimony for Christ. But that is the way it is in this life. At least we know that God has the power to bring a revival. At least it will not be like that in heaven. Everyone will know Him, from the least to the greatest.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:159, “Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy precepts.” What do you love? The things that you love will define who and what you are as a person. Make sure that you love the Lord Jesus, and make sure that you love the Bible. We love the Lord because He first loved us. If we ask the Lord to revive us (quicken us), then we know that He will do so, not because we deserve His life-giving force to animate our lives, but because He loves us and he wants the best for us. There is nothing better than being born-again and being a spiritually minded Christian with a lot of zeal to serve the Lord. That zeal is a gift from God. Seek it.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:160, “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” Perhaps David was thinking of Genesis 1:1 when he wrote this verse. The word “Genesis” means “beginning.” The first verse of the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Those words are true, and every word that follows is true all the way to the end of the Bible. That is why it says near the end of the Bible in Revelation 22:18-19, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:[19] And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Since the Bible is true, it is righteous. That means that it is good. That is why we call it the Good Book. If you want goodness in your life instead of evil, trust in Christ, and read every word of the Bible and live by it as best you can by God’s grace with the understanding that He gives you. How long will the Bible be true and good? The Bible will be true forever.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:161, “Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.” If you are resolute and determined to serve the Lord, those who hate you and persecute you will not in any way keep you from the Word of God. You will stay in the Word of God. You will continue to visit the Word of God and keep your appointed times to read and study and hear the Word of God at a good Bible-teaching church.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:162, “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.” If you really value something, then you are extremely happy when you obtain it and it comes into your possession. You see that happen when someone comes into a lot of money unexpectedly, such as winning the lottery. Do you rejoice because you have the Bible, knowing how valuable it is? Treasure the Bible, love it, and recognize how fortunate you are to have it. David did.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:163, “I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.” If you hate lying, then you will love the Bible because the Bible is truth. We should hate lying. Lies are from the devil. Lies will send you to hell because the greatest lie is that you are not a sinner and that you do not need Jesus as your Savior. We should also hate lying because God commanded us, “Thou shalt not lie.” We should hate lying because lies cause great damage both to others and to our own reputation and character.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:164, “Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.” Seven is sometimes used as a number of completeness in the Bible. Your day is not complete unless you praise God in the day. Christians are told to praise God continually. Praise is a little foretaste of heaven. We will be praising Him in heaven continually. It says in First Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice evermore.” Seven times a day would be a good start. We certainly have a lot to praise Him for. We can praise Him for who He is, we can praise Him for coming to die on the cross, we can praise Him for the Spirit who touched our hearts and brought us to faith in Jesus, we can praise Him for eternal life and forgiveness of sins, we can praise Him that we know how it is all going to turn out under King Jesus, we can praise Him for answer to prayer, we can praise Him for His great eternal love, and we can praise Him for all the blessings that He has given to us all the days of our lives. The list goes on. Here is what David praised God for: His “righteous judgments.” The Word of God is good. You might look at the world and see a lot of evil. Here is where you will see only good: the Bible.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:165, “Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.” The Christian life is often compared to a war, a spiritual war. Many things can come against a Christian to be obstacles to us, but the Word of God will give us many advantages. If we love the Word, it will help us to have peace even in the midst of this war. The Word will tell us the promises of God, and the love of God, and the power of God. He has power over the spiritual enemies too. If we love the Word, we will have peace thinking about all of its wonderful messages to us.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:166-168, “LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.[167] My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.[168] I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.” These three verses all have the same theme: putting into practice the things that we read in the Bible. The Bible is not just a book to be read and learned, but it is also a book to be obeyed and followed in our lives. David said that he has, “done thy commandments,” “kept thy testimonies,” and “kept thy precepts and thy testimonies.” Verse 166 ties the keeping of God’s commandments to “salvation.” That is because anyone who comes to Christ for salvation is not just asking for fire insurance, but is also desiring to start following Christ. In verse 167 David ties keeping God’s commandments to “love.” How much do we love the Lord and love His Word? That will be shown by how much we keep His Word. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Verse 168 ties the keeping God’s commandments to the idea that God sees and knows all things. He is Judge. He brings consequences to actions. Be careful. Do what is right in order to get the good consequences in life according to God’s will for you.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:169-170, “Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word.[170] Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.” These verses mention two things that David cried out to God for: understanding and deliverance. We understand why someone would cry out to God if they are in a difficult or dangerous situation and they desperately need help from God, but how many cry out to God with a similar intensity for understanding? Solomon, David’s son, asked for wisdom and he became the wisest man on the earth. Christians are told in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

The Bible says in Psalm 119:171-172, “My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.[172] My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.” These verses tell us two things that David said he would do with his speech as a result of the Word of God. First, he would praise God. If God has taught you His Word, you are blessed above most of the people on the earth. Most people are in darkness, and do not have the light of Christ. Most Christians have been fooled by the devil into not making God’s Word a high priority, and therefore most Christians and even some pastors do not know the Word of God like they should. David knew how blessed he was that God had given him understanding of the scriptures. David also spoke to man about what he knew. David spoke of God’s Word. What do you speak about? If you know something, then tell others what you know. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” “If any man speak, let him speak as of the oracles of God.” How will other people know the truth unless someone tells them?

The Bible says in Psalm 119:173, “Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.” Everyone makes choices. David chose to make the Word of God an important part of his life. That is why you must find a good Bible-teaching church. That is why you must include reading, memorizing, and studying the Bible as a part of your life as much as you can. But no matter how many good choices we make, we know that we still need a lot of help from the Lord Jesus to follow His commandments.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:174, “I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and thy law is my delight.” God’s salvation involves more than the salvation of the soul. It also involves the salvation of the life on this earth from all the things that could destroy it, such as getting out of the will of God, making bad decisions, falling into sin, losing one’s testimony, or not living by faith. One way to help you stay on the straight and narrow path is to make sure God’s Word is your “delight.” Love the right things, and you will stay close to God. Love His Word. If you do not love His Word, you will fall away. There are many other things in the world that might occupy your heart. Be careful.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:175, “Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.” One of the most important things for a Christian to do is to “praise” God. Christians are told to praise God continually. It says in First Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice evermore.” It says in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice.” If you have the right kind of faith, you will be able to rejoice like that. But we all need help from God to be revived spiritually, and we need help from the Word to build up our faith. If we gain that kind of favor from the Lord, and if we are in the Word of God, the result will be that we will praise Him for His power, His truth, His love, His forgiveness, and for everything.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:176, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.” This is the last verse of the wonderful Psalm 119. In this Psalm David has declared his great love for the Scriptures. He is dedicated to the Scriptures: to reading them, to understanding them, and to put them into practice in his life. He constantly prays that God will help him put them into practice. David values the Word of God more than anything. And yet David can only conclude that he has easily wandered away from what he should have done. He had not kept the scriptures like he wanted to. He wandered away from the straight and narrow path like a sheep that is lost and is in danger to be destroyed. David stayed humble because he stayed in the scriptures. The scriptures reminded him that he was a sinner, constantly in need of the grace and mercy of God. That is why Christians rely on daily forgiveness in order to stay in fellowship with Christ. As it says in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” David did not allow the knowledge of his constant sinfulness to keep him from the scriptures. David kept the Bible as part of his life no matter what. And so he said, “I do not forget thy commandments.”

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Copyright; 2020 by Charles F. (Rick) Creech
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