Psalm 119:106

We come now to the second verse of this octave of Psalm 119 entitled Nun.

Psalms 119:106  I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.

If you want to know what the psalmist’s religion consisted of, it can be summed up in this single statement:  I will keep thy righteous judgments.  God is not only the Judge of all that we do, He is also the Judge that decrees what we ought to do.  Therefore, God’s decrees or commandments of what we ought to do are called judgments.  And since whatever God commands we should do is right, His commandments are called righteous judgments.  Now it was the determination of the psalmist to keep those righteous judgments.  That was his religion. 

The psalmist was so in earnest about the practice of his religion that he bound himself to it with an oath: I have sworn, and I will perform it. 

Swear – To make a solemn declaration or statement with an appeal to God in confirmation of what is said; to take an oath.  To promise or undertake something by an oath.

You might find yourself shying away from such a notion.  You fear making a vow and not keeping it.  And well you should fear.

Ecclesiastes 5:4  When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

5        Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

But notice what the psalmist is swearing or vowing to do.  He is swearing to keep God’s righteous judgments.  Now whether you swear to do this or not, you are bound by the commandment of God to keep His judgments.  Even if you do not swear to perform this duty, you will be held responsible to do it and judged if you fail to do it.  There is no way out!

Ecclesiastes 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

John 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

To what purpose is it then that we should swear that we will keep God’s righteous judgments?  The purpose is that it adds support to our resolve if we back it up with an oath.  Our nature is so prone to err that we need to bind it to the service of God everyway that we can.  The more resolved we are to keep God’s judgments even to the point of swearing to do so, the more likely we are to keep them.  It is as Stephen Charnock expressed it:  “Resolution in a weak man will perform more than strength in a coward.”  It honours God to take our obedience so seriously that we even swear to perform it.  If we swear allegiance to our spouse, or to our country, or to a cause, why should we not swear allegiance to our God?

In fact, it is a delightful thing to swear to keep God’s righteous judgments.  You will find the Lord very willing to support you in your solemn resolution.  Consider this from the experience of the nation of Judah in the days of King Asa, when they swore to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul:

2 Chronicles 15:12  And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

13  That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14  And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

15  And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.

Perhaps you are experiencing some unrest in your life.  Consider that this unrest may be there because you haven’t really become that earnest and resolute in your service to God.  You are holding back from the Lord and He is holding back from you.

“But,” you ask, “what if I fail to keep one of the righteous judgments I swear to perform?”  You will.  But God’s righteous judgments make provision for those times of failure if you repent and return to the Lord.

Job 33:27  He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;

28  He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.

29  Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,

30  To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.

Isaiah 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Ezekiel 18:23  Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

1 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.

When you swear to keep God’s righteous judgments, you are swearing to keep His commandment to repent when you sin.  In swearing obedience to God, you swear to deal with any sin in your life that He brings to your awareness through His chastening or instruction. 

Job 34:31  Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:

32    That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

Such an attitude toward sin and such a resolve to overcome it delights the heart of God and invites His abundant mercy.

Lastly, we, who are the children of God, owe it to the Lord to swear our allegiance and obedience to Him because of His benefits toward us.  And so much the more is this so when we consider the benefit of the eternal salvation that He has granted us in and through the gift of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  The words of David express what should be the resolve of every redeemed soul:

Psalms 116:12  What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

13  I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

14  I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

15  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

16  O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

17  I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

18  I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,

19  In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 119:105

I am now ready to delve into the next octave of Psalm 119 bearing the title of the Hebrew letter Nun.  From what I can gather, this letter is pronounced like our word noon.  As I am writing this I am having some difficulty coming up with a comic twist on this sound.  Perhaps it is because it is late in the afternun and my wits are winding down with the day.  Ooooh!  It seems that with each letter my comic relief is becoming more of a burden than a relief.  Perhaps I had best get on with the Biblical instruction.

Psalms 119:105  ¶NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

This world is a dark place.  Its inhabitants sit in darkness.  When our Lord came into this world, He was a light shining in that darkness.

Matthew 4:16  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

John 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5        And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

If all is dark about us and we have no light to guide us, then we stumble about not knowing where we are going.

John 11:10  But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

John 12:35  …he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

But thanks be to God He has not left us to stumble about in the darkness.  He has given us His word that is a lamp and a light.

The word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. That is, it provides me with guidance and direction.  It helps me make decisions as to what course to take.  Therefore, unlike one stumbling about in the darkness, I know where I am going and, equally important, I know where I am not going.  The commandments of God’s word mark out the boundaries so that I reject any counsel or decision that takes me outside those bounds.  Just as light brings us relief when we are in a dark place, so do the Scriptures bring us relief when they shine a light on a difficult situation and help us make the right the decision.  I love the way Charles Spurgeon expresses this fact:

“Ignorance is painful upon practical subjects; it breeds indecision and suspense, and these are uncomfortable:  the word of God, by imparting heavenly knowledge, leads to decision, and when that is followed by determined resolution, as in this case, it brings with it great restfulness of heart.”   

I know from personal experience just what Mr. Spurgeon is talking about.

But let us not overlook the first person pronouns of this verse.  The psalmist spoke of my feet and my path.  God’s word was a lamp and light to him individually and personally.  Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and it seemed as if it was written specifically for you addressing your particular need?  It was!  Have you ever heard a sermon that you thought was tailor-made just for you? It was!  God’s word is lamp to your feet and a light to your path. 

As we have worked our way through these verses we have seen the various ways that they testify of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the subject matter of all Scripture (John 5:39).  The reason the Scriptures are a lamp and a light is that they testify of Him Who is the Light.  Indeed, our Lord is the "dayspring from on high" that came into this world “to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79).  Christ is the light that shines through the pages of the Scriptures. 

John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 12:46  I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

2 Corinthians 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

No artist could ever capture and convey light like the Scriptures capture and convey the light of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible presents Christ, a dazzling, glorious light to those who have eyes to see Him. And that light dispels the darkness and shows us the path from here to home.

But this lamp and light will do you no good if you do not heed it and follow it. 

2 Peter 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts….

If you follow the light of God’s word in a given situation, you will find it giving you light for the next situation you face and the next after that.

Proverbs 4:18  But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

But if you fail to follow the light God gives you in His word, you will find yourself in darkness.

John 12:35  Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Proverbs 4:19  The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

When we do not follow the light that is provided, God judges us by turning us over to the darkness of blindness so that we cannot see the light shining before us.  Therefore, beware lest these fearful words be true of you:

John 12:37  But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

38  That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

39  Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

40  He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Isaiah 29:10  For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

11  And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed….

Psalm 119:104

Today’s meditation brings us to the last verse of the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Mem.

Psalms 119:104  Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

In verse 99 the psalmist stated that he had “more understanding than all” his teachers.  In verse 100 he said he understood “more than the ancients.”  In today’s verse he tells us where he got that understanding.  He got it through God’s precepts.

Now just what is understanding?

Understanding - Power or ability to understand (to comprehend; to apprehend the meaning or import of; to grasp the idea of). 

Simply stated, understanding is the ability to “get it.”  How often do we say when we understand something, “I got it.”  What a blessing it is to get it!  For example, equipped with the understanding imparted through God’s precepts believers can understand how the worlds were made. 

Hebrews 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Now this verse says that we understand “through faith.”  That stands to reason since you will not gain understanding from your Bible if you do not believe it.  Think of how many educated people do not understand how the world came to be.  They just don’t get it.  But if you are a Bible believer, you get it!  Through the Scriptures you can understand not only how the world began, but you also understand how it will end.  Through the Scriptures you can understand such things as why there is pain, cruelty, and death in the world; what happens to people when they die; how sinners are saved, what hell is like; and what heaven is like. 

Believers are commanded to understand the will of God.

Ephesians 5:17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Since they are commanded to understand God’s will, it stands to reason that they can do so.  But how do they come to understand God’s will?  Today’s verse from Psalm 119 answers that question.  They gain understanding of the will of the Lord from the Lord’s precepts as laid down in His written word.  By means of those precepts we can understand God’s will as it pertains to the things He wills to do Himself, things such as the eternal salvation of His people, the resurrection of the dead, the eternal judgment of the world, and the bringing in of a new heavens and a new earth.  Then we can also understand God’s will as it pertains to those things He wills that we should do, those things that are our duty to do.

Ecclesiastes 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Those things that God has specifically commanded us in His word to do or not to do are clearly His will for us.  Then there are those situations that we face where the Scriptures have not spelled out in so many words what we should do. But the Scriptures give us general principles to apply in such situations. The Lord has given us liberty in many things so that we may do what we want as long as we use that liberty according to Biblical principles (Romans14:14-15, 20-23; 1Corinthians 10:23). God does not have an exact blueprint for us to follow for making decisions in those areas where there is no law telling us what to do or not to do. But as long as our decisions are within the framework of Biblical principles, any decision we make is acceptable to God. We are safe so long as we keep ourselves within the commandments of God and do not step over the lines they draw.  So if you want to understand what the will of the Lord is, betake yourself to reading your Bible and attentively hearing it taught.

Now the understanding the psalmist gained through God’s precepts had this effect:  therefore I hate every false way.  That’s every way that is not the right way.  This lines up with the definition of the fear of the Lord given in this verse:

Proverbs 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

All true religion can be summed up in that single expression “the fear of the Lord.”  It is interesting that true religion is defined by hate.  True religion consists of hating “the evil way,” yea, of hating every false way, as today’s verse puts it.  You can tell a lot about a person not only from what he loves, but also from what he hates. 

Note the definition of hate.

Hate - To hold in very strong dislike; to detest; to bear malice to.

Hate is a very strong emotion.  The believer that possesses the understanding imparted by God’s precepts and that possesses true religion, does not have a casual, nonchalant attitude toward evil.  He bears a “very strong dislike” to it.  He detests it.  He hates every false way.  He hates evil in whatever form it occurs be it mental, emotional, verbal, physical, social, professional, political, or religious.  He hates evil wherever it occurs whether in society, in media, in government, in religion, or even in himself.  And if someone does not hate every false way, that is a sure sign that he does not get it!  He has not yet attained unto the understanding that can only be had though thy precepts. 

This brings us to the conclusion of this octave.  I shall take a short break.  But, God willing, I will be back with more.  Yes, mem, I promise I’ll be back, if God permit.

Psalm 119:103

The child of God has two natures, a physical nature and a spiritual nature.  The physical nature has the fives senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.  The same may be said of the spiritual nature as today’s meditation confirms.

Psalms 119:103  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

The psalmist speaks of his spiritual sense of taste.  The physical sense of taste cannot taste words of Scripture as it tastes bites of food.  The child of God who possesses this spiritual sense of taste finds a sweetness in the Scriptures that exceeds the sweetness of honey.  Hence, the psalmist describes God’s words as sweeter than honey to my mouth!  The word how in this verse is an exclamation expressing the degree to which he found God’s words to be sweet.  They were so sweet that they were sweeter than honey of which there is nothing sweeter to the natural taste, for “what is sweeter than honey?” (Judges 14:18).

Now every word of God can be sweet to the taste of a child of God.  Of course, God’s promises of eternal life, heaven, grace, mercy, forgiveness, restoration, strength, and help are sweet.  The prophecies of Scripture are indescribably sweet as they confirm our faith in God and His word.  They signal to believers that they have indeed chosen the right path for their life.  The commandments of God are sweet since they provide us with the guidance we need to handle the various situations of life.  If the commandments are obeyed we discover their sweetness in that they enhance the quality of our lives both for ourselves and for others.  But the curses of God’s word are also sweet.  Those curses show us a God that is faithful to keep His word.  If the Lord were to forego a curse He has threatened, then He might just as easily forego a blessing He has promised.  It is sweet to know that the Lord will do all that He has spoken.  Such a God is worthy of our fear and trust.  It is especially sweet when God’s words show us that those curses were borne for us by our Lord Jesus Christ so that we may be free from them.  And it is sweet to know that those curses will be heaped upon our enemies so that the evil they devise against us will meet with a certain end.  Any and every part of the Holy Scriptures is a honeycomb dripping with sweetness if we understand it in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But observe!  It is the tasted words of God that are sweet.  You don’t taste food unless you ingest it in your mouth.  Neither will you taste the words of God unless you ingest them by reading them, studying them, and hearing them taught.  Furthermore, we discover the sweetness of honey by experiencing it for ourselves as we taste it and eat it.  So it is with God’s word.  As we experience it through learning it and obeying it, we find its sweetness.  As the old saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding.”  And experiencing the sweetness of God’s words, we can no more be persuaded that they are not sweet than we could be convinced that honey is bitter. 

Lastly, this verse gives you a gauge for measuring your spiritual health.  If you do not find the words of Scripture to be sweet, then you are spiritually weak.  Perhaps you are ingesting too much of the sweets of this world and too little of the sweets of God’s word.  If you find the words of Scripture sweeter than the sweetest this world has to offer, then you are spiritually strong.  The more you taste the sweetness of God’s words, the more you will want to taste them.  Go ahead!  Indulge this sweetness to your heart’s content.  Let yourself become addicted to it.  Of natural honey it is written:  “It is not good to eat much honey” (Proverbs 25:27).  Too many natural sweets will jeopardize your health, but not so with the words of God.  God’s words are very health itself.

Proverbs 4:20  My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

21  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

22  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Considering the drag this world and our carnal natures are to our spiritual pursuits, I am not too worried that any of us will overindulge when it comes to the words of God.

Psalm 119:102

We continue working our way through the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Mem.  Remember?

Psalms 119:102  I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.

The thought of this verse dovetails perfectly with the thought of the preceding verse:  “I have refrained my feet from every evil way.”  The psalmist avoided every thing evil by never departing from God’s judgments.  Constant attention to God’s word is the means for refraining from every evil way.  It all boils down to this:  Get away from the Book and your feet will wander in the wrong direction.

Let’s define what it means to depart from. 

To depart from:  to leave, abandon; to cease to follow, observe, or practice.

The psalmist was constant in his obedience to God.  He had laid the judgments of God’s word before him to be his guide and counsel (Psalm 119:30), and he had not abandoned that course.  One of our greatest struggles is to remain constant since our fallen nature is so fickle and prone to go astray.

Isaiah 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

It was Shakespeare who wrote:  “O heaven! were man but constant, he were perfect:  that one error fills him with faults; makes him run through all th’ sins:  Inconstancy falls off ere it begins.”  How sadly true this is.

The psalmist attributed his adherence to God’s judgments to this fact:  for thou hast taught me.  He gave the Lord the credit for his constant obedience.  If a man is truly obedient to God’s word, the cause of that obedience must be traced back to the saving grace of God.  God by His grace gives His chosen people a new heart and a new spirit thus enabling them to keep His commandments and to keep them continually.  This is an inward instruction that the Lord gives to His people.

Ezekiel 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Jeremiah 32:39  And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

40  And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

Titus 2:11  ¶For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world….

Ephesians 4:20  But ye have not so learned Christ;

21  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

An unsaved sinner may keep some of the commandments of God now and then for self-serving purposes, like the scribes and Pharisees who did all their works “for to be seen of men” (Matthew 23:5).  But this is not a sincere obedience that comes from a heart renewed and taught by God’s grace.  This is not an obedience that is constant to do all that the Lord has commanded.

Now if the Lord has taught us by grace in our hearts, then we can hear, understand, and profit from the outward teaching of the word of God. Without this inward instruction of the Holy Spirit the outward teaching of the word of God will never produce genuine faith and obedience. A natural man devoid of a spiritual capacity cannot receive the spiritual things of God's word.  

1 Corinthians 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

So the Lord must teach us first by His grace. Then we are ready to be taught by the men He sends to preach His word to us.  Being taught by God we can answer the call of the preached word to keep the judgments of the Lord always and to never depart from them.

In addition, we have pointed out in previous meditations that human teachers of God’s word are but instruments through which the Lord teaches us.  If we receive their message as a lesson being taught us by the Lord Himself, then we will be far more prone to heed it than if we receive it as a mere lecture by a man.  Thomas Manton said it well: 

“David was taught by his ordinary teachers, and he did reverence them; but that he profited by them he ascribes unto God.  Paul may plant, and Apollos water; God must give the increase.”