TEXT: Psalm 119:9-16

SUBJECT: Exposition of Psalm 119: Beth

I hope this evening to continue our study of Psalm 119. Its order is not easy to discern, but its "big idea" is. It is a tribute to God's Word. The inspired poet loves the Word and wants us to join him in its celebration. Shall we? God give us the grace to do so, for Christ's sake. Amen.

This second stanza opens with a vital question to which a short, but full, answer is given, v.9: "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word".

The question makes two assumptions. It assumes that "a young man" is responsible for his "way" of life. He is not the product of his environment; he is not the victim of society. A bad home, for example, does affect his life, it does not, however, determine it. The verse also assumes the possibility of "a young man cleansing his way". He needn't live as a victim of other people's malice or bad example. With Divine grace, his life--as bad as it has been or is--may become "something beautiful for God".

The "cleansing" is in [God's] Word". The Scripture is purifying in its effect. Many believers identify this "Word" with the Law. I don't. The Law, Paul argues, tends to stir up rebellion. In him--a religious man--it "produced all manner of evil desire" (cf.Romans 7:8). It is not the Law, therefore, that "cleanses", but the Gospel. Paul says so in II Corinthians 7:1: "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God". John agrees: "He who has this hope, purifies himself even as [God] is pure". Peter sums it up, reminding his legalistic friends what God did for the Gentiles, i.e., "purified their hearts by faith".

This "Word" will disinfect the grimiest life. A "blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man"--Paul--will testify to that. But it doesn't "cleanse" anyone unless he "takes heed according to" it. Unless he reads it, meditates on it, and believes it.

Is yours an "unclean" way of life? Are your thoughts impure? Are your words unwholesome? Are your actions unethical? If so, it's because you're not in the Word of God. Or maybe you're in it but rarely. Or perhaps you're in it but superficially. Or you're in it proudly or stubbornly. There is no substitute for the reading of God's Word and meditation on it. Yet hours of thoughtless reading per day will do you no good. And reading without faith will do you much harm. Therefore, you (and I) must "Receive (or welcome with open arms) the implanted word that is able to save [our] souls".

The fruits of this "life in the Word" will be obvious. Vv.10-16 provide a partial list.

1. There is a desire for holiness that issues in fervent prayer. "With my whole heart I have sought You; let me not wander from Your commandments". Here is a holy distrust of oneself. Unlike Peter who boasted, "Though I should die with You, I will not deny You", this man cries

"Prone to wander,

Lord I feel it;

Prone to leave the

God I love".

The weakness pains him, to be sure. But it does not dispirit him. Rather, it causes him to depend more fully upon God's grace and pray more passionately for it.

In short, the "cleansed way" is not the way of self-sufficiency. It is the way of dependency. Dependence on the One who is "able to save to the uttermost those who come to God by Him..."

2. The Word of God is put to practical use. "Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You". To "hide [it] in [your] heart" is to meditate on the Word. The goal is holiness. Not being smart; not winning arguments; not preaching sermons. I know a pastor who spent many hours each week in the study of God's Word. His meditation was obvious each time he took the pulpit. But this man was living a double life--having an affair with a woman on the church staff. He was in the Word, but not putting it to practical use. The Word that might have saved him, therefore, only adds to his condemnation.

It is easy to judge him. But how about you? Why are you in the Word? To keep up with your schedule? To win arguments? To inflate your ego? To find loopholes? These are not good reasons to be in the Word. You're to be in the Word to become holier.

"Sanctify them through the truth;

Your Word is truth".

3. You find yourself bursting out in spontaneous praise. "Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes". I can't find any logical connection between this verse and the one preceding it. I think I know why: there is none. The man is so charmed by the Word that he impulsively praises its Divine author. Like the Apostles, he "cannot but speak the things he has seen and heard".

4. You aren't ashamed to speak God's Word in public. "With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth". The key word is "all". We must be eager to evangelize the lost; to edify the saved; to rebuke the scoffer; to comfort the mourner; and so on. Our Lord once said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". Is your conversation full of God's Word? If not, it may be because you haven't "taken heed" to it.

5. The Word is very precious to you. "I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your law".

If someone wrote you a check for ten million dollars, how would you feel? Elated? I think so. Would you show your joy or conceal it? Would you think about the money from time to time or forget all about it? Well, if you're "taking heed" to God's Word, you'll feel just that way about it. The Word will become supremely precious; it will occupy your every spare moment; it will intrude itself into your every thought. Forgetting it--even for a day--would be unthinkable.

Is money more precious than the Word of God? No Christian would say that. But do our convictions go deeper than our words? If so, we will "rejoice" in it; "meditate" on it; "contemplate (or peer into)" it; "delight" in it; and "not forget it".

Daily exposed to "the pollutions of the world", you and I need cleansing. Deep and regular washings. God has provided a detergent in His Word. It will make us "whiter than any fuller can whiten". But it, like other soaps, will do us no good unless applied to the stain. Are we willing to rub the word into the grimy parts of our lives? If we do--under the blessing of God--they'll come clean.

Is someone stained by sexual lust? Is someone stained by stubbornness? Is someone stained by a love for money? Is someone stained by gossip? Is someone stained by resentment? Rub the Word into that stain! It will come out!

May God apply His Word to my dirty spots--and yours--for Christ's sake. Amen.