013 Loving God’s Word

Psalms 119:97-104

November 6, 2011

I have to say that tonight we look at my favorite stanza of this 119th Psalm.

We certainly find value in every line, but this one just jumps to me.

For here we find our Psalmist simply giving an account

Of his great love for the word of God.

If indeed these stanzas build upon one another,

It seems that the victory he experienced last week

Has spilled over into doxology this week.

You may remember that our Psalmist

Has been dealing quite a while now with affliction.

And we have seen him with almost every conceivable emotion.

He has questioned it…

He has fought it…

He has embraced it…

He has appreciated it…

He has asked for it to leave…

He has even reached despair over it…

But last week we finally saw him conquer it.

(92-93) “If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me.”

That certainly was a rejuvenated man.

That certainly was a victorious man.

Now, as we noted, his affliction wasn’t gone.

(95) “The wicked wait for me to destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.”

His affliction wasn’t gone, but he had found victory in the middle of it.

And he gave sole credit for that victory to the word of God.

It was God’s law that kept him from perishing.

It was God’s precepts that revived him.

And it is apparent that he is not yet finished

Testifying to his high esteem of God’s word.

For tonight we have a stanza purely devoted to his love for God’s Word.

And certainly loving the word of God is essential in our lives.

You may remember when we talked about the Anti-Christ

While studying 2 Thessalonians.

Listen to what Paul said about people who don’t love the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

There, love of God’s word is equated with salvation.

Jesus indicated the same:

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

And you may remember that love for God’s word

Was one of the chief distinctions of the early church.

Acts 2:41-42 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

It is easy to say that a chief characteristic of the children of God

Is that they love the word of God.

And in reality, this is obvious.

How can you claim to love God if you don’t care to listen to Him speak?

And so love of God’s Word is basic.

And that is precisely what our Psalmist is.

He has a tremendous love for God’s word.

In fact he begins by saying, “O how I love Your law!”

And that phrase is very insightful.

He doesn’t just say, “I love Your law”, but “O how I love Your law!”

It is almost as if “love” isn’t a strong enough word for him.

He loves it immensely.

He loves it exceedingly.

His love for it is immeasurable.

He can’t seem to put a limit on it,

Nor can he seem to be able to express it fully.

I just love it soooo much!

And that is a refreshing statement to us.

We live in a day where God’s word may or may not be loved.

But we certainly live in a day where if you talk about God’s “law”,

It most certainly is not.

Even in the church, people have grown

To attach a negative connotation to the “law” of God.

It sounds condemning.

It sounds judgmental.

And today everyone wants to put the emphasis on grace and blessing.

So talk about precepts all you want.

Talk about Scriptures if you must.

But if you talk about “law” that is most certainly negative.

BUT THAT IS REGRETTABLE.

Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."

Romans 7:12 “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

God’s law is God’s word. It is good.

It is perfect.

It should be loved.

And that is precisely what we hear from our Psalmist.

And so tonight, let’s see what it looks like to love God’s Word.

The Psalmist will show you what it means to love the word of God.

#1 THE EXPRESSION OF HIS LOVE

Psalms 119:97

We already saw that the Psalmist loves the word of God,

But here he even shows us what it means to love God’s word.

HOW DO YOU EXPRESS LOVE FOR GOD’S WORD?

“It is my meditation all the day.”

This is actually one of my favorite words in regard to the word of God.

You can’t just read God’s word

And you can’t just listen to God’s Word being read.

If you want the full effect, you have to meditate on it.

Proverbs 2:1-6 “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

I tend to believe that Proverbs 2:1-6 is the pinnacle passage

On how to study the Bible.

Notice all the words he uses in regard to the way we treat God’s word.

“RECEIVE my words”

“TREASURE my commandments”

“MAKE your ear attentive”

“INCLINE your heart”

“CRY for discernment”

“LIFT your voice for understanding”

“SEEK her as silver”

“SEARCH for her as for hidden treasures”

The writer of Proverbs is clear about

How the search for wisdom should be conducted.

He treats it as though it is a fine jewel.

I’ve always pictured it as a fine jewel buried beneath the earth.

If a miner is going to find it he will have devote himself to the process.

Not all nuggets just sit right out on the surface.

To find some, you have to dig for them.

It takes work, it takes diligence, but the reward is certainly worth it.

Well, reading the Bible requires the same kind of diligence.

In this book, not all the jewels just sit right out on the surface.

Some are buried deep within.

Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

And to begin to learn the things He would reveal

Requires extreme diligence.

You are all aware of the fact that the Scriptures are appraised.

1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”

And yet God gives us His Spirit that we can understand these things.

But we must work at it.

Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

And so we know Bible understanding requires work and diligence,

Just like a miner extracting a precious jewel.

BUT HOW DO WE MINE?

The answer is meditation.

We read, read, and re-read.

We contemplate.

We listen

It is Read, Contemplate, Think, Pray, Question and Apply…

You roll it all up into one and we call it meditation.

There is so much depth to the word of God

And meditation is the key to begin to unearth some of that depth.

Psalms 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.”

Furthermore, meditation is an expression of love.

Remember when you met the love of your life?

· Some facts were on the surface (name, looks, etc.)

· Some facts required a little more digging.

· Some you are still trying to dig out.

BUT YOU DO IT BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM

So it is with God’s word.

The Psalmist loves God’s word and he expresses that love by meditation.

He loves to fill his mind with what God has said.

The Expression of His Love

#2 THE EXPLANATION OF HIS LOVE

Psalms 119:98-100

We already know that the Psalmist has a great love for God’s Word,

A love so deep that he meditates upon it continually.

A GOOD QUESTION AT THIS POINT WOULD BE WHY?

You could say, “I love my wife”.

Someone could say, “Why?”

And you would have to give explanation as to why she is worth loving.

Well that Psalmist tells you here why he loves God’s Word.

And the simple answer is because it makes him wise.

And wisdom is of great value!

Proverbs 3:13-18 “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast.”

Wisdom is vitally important in this life.

We desperately need it, and we greatly desire it.

And the Psalmist loves God’s word because that is where he finds it.

In fact he gives examples of what he means.

1) God’s Word makes me Craftier than the Enemy (98)

When we talk about being crafty or cunning,

The Scripture paints this to be the chief characteristic of the enemy.

He is slick, he is smooth, he is cunning, he is stealthy

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

The enemy is crafty.

And yet “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies.”

It is of tremendous value to be a step ahead of the enemy.

It is extremely important to know ahead of time his plan of attack.

When I know God’s Word, I am a step ahead of the game.

I am wise, and I am ready for the enemy.

“For they are ever mine.”

In other words, I am wiser than the enemy because I own God’s word.

I have not only received it, but there is a level of ownership to it.

MAYBE YOU HAVE A VERSE LIKE THAT,

THAT YOU HAVE PROVEN AND NOW CALL IT “YOURS”.

That is what the Psalmist said.

He has believed God’s Word and it makes him craftier than the enemy.

2) God’s Word makes me more Knowledgeable than the Scholars (99)

The chief example of craftiness is the enemy.

The chief example of knowledge is the scholar.

· They have devoted their lives to studying and learning and lecturing.

· They have degrees and awards and accomplishments.

· They have solved problems and answered riddles.

· They are revered as knowledgeable.

And yet the Psalmist says, “I have more insight than all my teachers”

I may not have a great education, like they do,

But I am not ignorant nor am I slow to understand.

There is a wisdom in me that is not of man.

There is an education in me that is beyond worldly.

Remember Paul?

Galatians 1:11-12 “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Remember the Apostles?

Acts 4:13 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

Even Jesus

John 7:15-16 “The Jews then were astonished, saying, "How has this man become learned, having never been educated?" So Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”

I am not knocking education,

But it does not equate with the wisdom found in God’s Word.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS"; and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS."

And the Psalmist understood that.

I can’t go and debate physics with a professor at Texas Tech,

But that does not mean I am not wise.

Man’s education may explain how laws of the universe affect us,

But man’s education has never answered who wrote those laws.

The best answers man has are an explosion and a monkey.

The Psalmist says God’s word gives him knowledge.

“I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.”

I get it because I meditate on it.

I don’t just sit on the surface.

And so meditation is not only an expression of love,

But is also a means of knowledge.

3) God’s Word makes me more Experienced than the Aged (100)

The Enemy is the pinnacle example of Craftiness.

The Scholars are the pinnacle example of Knowledge.

But if you want to see the pinnacle example of experience,

You go to the aged.

And there is tremendous value in talking with them.

Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair.”

Leviticus 19:32 'You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.”

Job 12:12 "Wisdom is with aged men, With long life is understanding.”

Certainly there is a wealth of knowledge and experience there.

But notice what the Psalmist says: “I understand more than the aged,”

That is quite a statement.

· I am more crafty than the enemy.

· I am more knowledgeable than the scholar.

· I am more experienced than the aged.

HOW?

“Because I have observed Your precepts.”

A person used to say to me all the time, “Wisdom comes with age.”

I would respond, “It comes with fear of the Lord”.

Psalms 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.”

The Psalmist knew that “fear of the LORD” (obedience)

Is what produces wisdom.

Certainly there is a manner of wisdom that comes from age,

Namely that which we know as experience.

But there is a wisdom even greater than that

Which only comes from God, through obedience to His word.

TURN TO: JOB 28

God has a wisdom that even experience cannot give you.

It is the wisdom of obedience.

And so now we see why he loves God’s Word so much.

It makes him wise.

His Expression of Love, His Explanation of Love

#3 THE ENDURANCE OF HIS LOVE

Psalms 119:101-102

I love the way he states this first phrase.

“I have restrained my feet from every evil way,”

WHY?

“That I may keep Your word.”

Notice also that he used the word “restrained”

That is to say that if given free reign

His feet would have naturally gravitated down the ways of evil.

The natural inclination of the human heart

Is to rush into sin and gravitate toward evil.

That is why Paul said:

1 Corinthians 9:27 “but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

That is why the writer of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

And the Psalmist sees the need as well.

He has to restrain his feet, he has to overcome temptation

If he wants to be obedient.

And yet that is a struggle worth enduring because he loves to obey.

Furthermore we see an endurance in this struggle.

(102) “I have not turned aside from Your ordinances”

Regardless of the struggle…

Regardless of the temptation…

He has committed not to disregard God’s Word.

WHY?

“For You Yourself have taught me.”

AND THERE IS THE KEY TO IT ALL

He loves it because it is God’s Word

He endures because God said it

“You Yourself have taught me.”

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

This is what makes God’s word worth the effort.

IT IS GOD’S WORD

· We don’t follow this book because it is fun – we are not pleasure seekers

· We don’t follow this book because others do – we are not men pleasers

· We don’t follow this book because it is history – we are not historians

· We don’t follow this book because it works – we are not pragmatists

· We don’t follow this book because it is easy – it is not

WE FOLLOW THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT IS WHAT GOD SAID!

The God who created the world…

The God who will judge the world…

THAT God said these things, and that makes them more valuable to us

Than any other written word known to man.

And for that reason we not only love it, but we meditate on it,

We obey it, and we keep obeying it no matter what.

That was the attitude of our Psalmist.

His love of God’s word had endurance.

And it must, for “love bears all things”

We know he loved God’s word because he refused to leave it.

The Expression of His Love, The Explanation of His Love, The Endurance of His Love

#4 THE ENJOYMENT OF HIS LOVE

Psalms 119:102-104

Don’t you love the imagery?

“How sweet are Your words to my taste!”

See, he does love God’s word.

And his love is a commitment.

But it is not as though God’s word is hard to love.

It is not like those who commit to love God’s word have a difficult task.

God’s Word is easy to love.

It is sweet to the taste.

“Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Proverbs 24:13-14 “My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off.”

That is good advice.

Here the Psalmist would say, God’s word is good, so read it.

1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light”

Point being, it is not hard to love God’s word, just read it.

If you will meditate upon it, you will understand.

Someone could say, “I don’t know if I would like so & so”.

Well, get to know them and see. You do and find that they are great to get to know.

That is even more true with God’s word.

It is a blessing.

It is sweet to the taste.

The Psalmist loves loving God’s word.

(104) “From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.”

The point there is he loves the right way (God’s Word) so much

That he actually hates everything that opposes it.

It is a hate that is born out of his love.

If you love life, you hate murder.

If you love marriage, you hate divorce.

If you love people, you hate gossip.

If you love God, you hate idols.

If you love truth, you hate error.

And that is what the Psalmist said.

I love God’s Word so much, it is impossible for me to love what is false.

He is in love with the truth of God’s Word.

And the point is that loving God’s word is not a burden to him.

It is not a difficult choice.

He tried it and he loves it.

He loves it because it makes him wise.

He shows that love through meditation and endurance.

And if he were given the option to get out of the commitment, he would not do it.

HE LOVES IT

Let me encourage you to love God’s Word in the same way.

If you don’t know, but you would like to, the path is easy.

Do what the Psalmist did.

(97) He meditated on it

(98) He made it his

(99) He meditated some more

(100) He obeyed it

And that is what allowed him to say it tastes sweet.

Listen if you are truly a believer,

You already have an in born hunger for God’s Word,

It just may be you need to try it.

(it is like being hungry and not knowing it)

Trust me, it will satisfy you and make you love it too.

(I used to not want to read the gospels – until I did)

The same with God’s word.

Get into this book and see why the Psalmist loved it so much.

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”