“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations” (Ps 119:89-90).
There it is, lying on the table. At first, it may seem like an ordinary volume. But when you peek inside, you are looking right into the heart and mind of God! There’s nothing else like it. So what are we to do with God’s Word? Psalm 119 has some wonderful suggestions. First, we will need to “learn Your righteous judgments” so we can “keep Your statutes” (vv 7-8). “Keep,” by the way, occurs 25 times in the psalm and “kept” adds seven more. We are to “heed” it (v 9), and hide it in our hearts (v 11). We have every reason to “delight” in it (8x), “meditate” on it (7x), “cling” to it (v 31), and “love” it (v 48). We should even sing it (v 54)! It should not only affect my “heart” (v 2), but also “my feet” (v 59) when I “walk in His ways” (v 3), my “lips” when I “have declared all the judgments of Your mouth” (v 13), my “eyes” when I “see wondrous things from Your law” (v 18) and when I “turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things” (v 37). “My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love” (v 48). That’s total involvement! And what will God’s Word do for me? Among many other benefits, it will “cleanse” me (v 9), “teach” me (v 12), “revive” me (v 25), “strengthen” me (v 28), “enlarge” me (v 32), “comfort” me (v 50), and “uphold” me (v 116). There is so much more in this psalm, but let me leave you with four delightful word pictures to consider. The Word is enjoyable: “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (v 103). The Word is enlightening: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (v 105). The Word is encompassing: “You are my hiding place and my shield” (v 114). And the Word is enriching: “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure” (v 162).