Psalm 119: 97-104, Sweet Scripture
Introduction: Verses 97-104 are the 13th of the psalmist’s original 22 divisions in “Psalm 119.” Remember that each section has 8 lines, each beginning with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet, so this week, we’re at the thirteenth letter מMem. The poet continues the theme of the significance of God’s Word in our lives.
I.Verse 97: “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.”
A. The Hebrew word translated meditate can also be translated reflect or devote.
B. The proof of the psalmist’s love for God’s Word is his devotion to it; he does more than just read it and check it off of his good-deed-for-the-day list. His study is deep and purposeful, and he continues to chew on it throughout the day as he faces his daily battles.
II. Verses 98-100:
A. God’s Word has amazing effects on His disciple; it makes “me wiser than my enemies… I have more insight than all my teachers… I have more understanding than the elders.”
B. The reason he is wiser than his enemies, teachers, and even the elders is because “Your commands are always with me…for I meditate on your statutes…for I obey your precepts.”
C. Wisdom cannot come from this world; it can only come from God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, so like the poet, we must dedicate ourselves to keeping His Word always with us, meditating on it, and most important, obeying it!
III. Verses 101, 102, and 104: “101I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. 102I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me…104I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.” The closer we walk with the Lord, the more He teaches us, and then our feet naturally begin to veer away from every evil path; in fact, our understanding leads us to hate every wrong path as the psalmist proclaims.
IV Verse 103: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
A. This is one of my favorite metaphors in the Bible; I’ve always felt that God uses this comparison because if there’s one thing that we get excited about, it’s delicious food! Think about how giddy you are when you know your favorite food will be included in the next meal. My mouth salivates at the mere thought of garden tomatoes or my mom’s fried chicken (good grief, I’m honestly salivating). The writer explains that’s how enthusiastic he is about God’s Word. How wonderful to wake up and be that excited about digging into God’s Word!
B. Remember, the Word was made flesh in Christ Jesus, and we’re not to separate the Word from the Speaker. King David makes the connection when he commands, “Taste and see that the LORDis good,” and Jesus himself declares in Matthew 4:4, “Itiswritten: ‘Man shallnotlive onbreadalone, but on every wordthatcomes from the mouth of God.” He further explains in John 6:51, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Lord,
Give us
a craving
for Your Truth,
for You.
Thank You
for the Bread of Life
that You gave
for the world!
Amen and Amen