DUNCAN/How I love your word, O Lord

If you have your Bible, I’d invite you to turn with me to Psalm 119. The psalm is broken down according to letters of the Hebrew alphabet. We have twenty-six; Hebrew has twenty-two. So, there is a section of eight verses for each of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. If we were looking at this psalm in a Hebrew printed text, we would see that each of the lines of each of the stanzas of the psalm begins with a particular letter of the Hebrew alphabet. That’s how the psalm is organized.

This psalm is a psalm about the Word. It is a reflection in the Word about the Word. And what I want to do is ask and answer three questions: Why should we value the Word of God, how should we value the Word of God, and what result does it produce in our lives? 

The Value of God’s Word

Why should we value the Word of God? Because the only way that we can know God is by His Word. He has, in His good pleasure, not only spoken to us through prophets and through apostles but especially through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh. The Word should be valued because it is the way that we know God, know the way of salvation, and know the way of life. When you read through this psalm at first glance, it might seem repetitive, but with a closer look, you realize that the psalmist is not just repeating himself at a superficial level, but he is meditating on what the Word of God is at a profound level. 

But the psalm not only tells us why we should value the Word of God, it gives us specific ways as to how we can value the Word of God. First, we can value the Word of God by studying it. We seek Him through His Word, we do this wholeheartedly, we look into His Word, and we learn its judgments — That’s how we show that we value God’s Word. 

Second, we follow it. We obey that Word. Look at verses 1, “Blessed are those whose ways is blameless who walk in the law of the Lord.” And later in verse 3, “Those who do no wrong but who walk in His ways.” It’s not just about learning the Word; it’s about living the Word. We obey the commandments. There is an experiential aspect to knowing the Word of God and one way that we show that we value the Word of God is to obey it.

Third, we store up the Word of God. We hide it in our hearts. Look again at verse 11. “I have stored up Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” And this of course especially deals with the matter of meditating on the Word of God and memorizing the Word of God, treasuring it so that it begins to control the way that we think and live.

Fourth, we show that we value the Word of God by declaring it. Look at verse 13. “With my lips I declare all the rules of Your mouth.” That is, we declare the Word of God; we don’t just keep it to ourselves, we share its message. We declare it to others. The study of the Word of God so burns in our hearts that we must speak about it.

And lastly, we rejoice over it. Look at verses 14 to 16. “In the way of Your testimonies, I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statues; I will not forget Your word.” So, it is not simply a matter of study, it’s a matter of delight. We rejoice over it. We find delighting in it to be inescapable. These are the ways that we show how we value the Word of God.

What The Word of God Does

But what does the Word of God do when we abide by its truth and store it up in our hearts? First, the Word of God brings blessedness. Look at verses 1 and 2. “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.” He’s saying if you really want to know true, deep happiness in this life, the Word of God gives that. The tempter will say in your ear and in your heart, that if you want to be happy you must do what you want to do. The Word of God says that the way to be happy is to do what God wants you to do. That’s where real blessedness is.

Second, it’s not only connected to blessedness, but it brings protection. Look at verses 9 and 11. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word. With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments. I have stored up Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” How do you combat the temptations and sinful desires of your life? The psalmist gives us the remedy — Meditation, study, and embrace of the Word of God because it does what? It protects you.

Third, it brings freedom. Verse 45, “I shall walk in a wide place for I have sought Your precepts.” Now that’s an interesting verse, isn’t it? The psalmist is saying, “If you want to experience freedom, you must love God’s Word. You must obey God’s Word. You must study God’s Word. That’s the only thing that really gives you freedom.” Why? Because in the Bible, freedom is not you getting to do whatever you want to do. Freedom is wanting to do what God made you to do and wanting to be what God made you to be. So, the Bible gives freedom.

Fourth, it gives direction. Look at verse 105 with me. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” We’ve talked about the aspect of it being light and a lamp but what’s that for? To guide our way. We live in a perplexing world. What we ought to do is sometimes dark to us and the Word of God provides direction. It provides guidance.

Lastly, it gives us discernment. Look at verse 130. “The unfolding of Your words gives life; it imparts understanding to the simple.” I love to be around people with discernment and good judgment because I like to hear their counsel, their wisdom about issues in my life, issues in my vocation, issues in ministry — Anything. People who don’t just study the Book but live by the Book. They view life’s struggles through a Biblical lens, and they’re not easily distracted by the world. Therefore, if we wish to live lives glorifying to God — Lives of service to the Lord Jesus, we must begin where the psalmist did — The Word of God.