The Power and Perfection of the Word of God

The Power and Perfection of the Word of God

Psalm 119:89-96

Main Idea: We can rely on God’s Word because it is powerful, perfect, and permanent.

In 1978, in the city of Chicago, the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy gathered to draft a statement concerning the Bible’s inerrancy and infallibility. The statement contains nineteen articles of affirmation and denial, and it is preceded by a “Short Statement” of five propositions:

1. God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God’s witness to Himself.

2. Holy Scripture, being God’s own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it affirms; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises.

3. The Holy Spirit, Scripture’s Divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.

4. Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God’s acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God’s saving grace in individual lives.

5. The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible’s own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church. (Records of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy)

These statements find biblical warrant throughout the Bible. They have the support of Jesus (Matt 5:17-18; John 10:35; 17:17), Paul (2 Tim 3:16), and Peter (2 Pet 1:20-21). They also have the support of the songwriter of Psalm 119, who repeatedly speaks of Scripture as that which comes from the “mouth” of God (vv. 13,72,88) and is “forever,” “firmly fixed in heaven” (v. 89), and “without limit” (v. 96).

Psalm 119 is the “Word of God” song from verse 1 to verse 176. However, in stanza Lamed (?) it soars to new heights in its praise of the divine Word. This Word is eternal, and it knows no bounds or limits. The Word’s authority is settled in heaven. Therefore, its authority should be settled on earth as well! Three overarching themes guide our study of these eight verses.

God’s Word Is Powerful and Perfect because It Is Eternal

Psalm 119:89-91

Isaiah 40:8 teaches us, “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.” In the first three verses of stanza Lamed, the psalmist begins with a strong affirmation of the eternal and abiding nature of the Word of God. God’s Word reflects the nature and character of our God, something we also see in creation. There is a permanence to the acts of our God. We serve a God who can be relied on today, throughout all generations, and forever.

The Word Is Sure (119:89)

The great Reformer Martin Luther is reported to have said of Holy Scripture, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me. The Bible is not antique or modern. It is eternal.” Luther’s words echo verse 89, where the songwriter declares, “Lord [Yahweh], your word is forever; it is firmly fixed in heaven.” There is an eternal quality to the Word of God, a quality that will never change. It is sure and settled in its eternal and abiding nature. To put it in popular parlance, the Word of God is here to stay; it is not going anywhere! It is firm, fixed, and forever. Its abiding nature could not be more sure and certain. We can rely on it today, tomorrow, and forever.

God Is Faithful (119:90)

The psalmist connects the “forever” nature of God’s Word to God’s “faithfulness” that “is for all generations” (lit. “to generation and generation”). He then makes a further connection to creation, something God brought into existence out of nothing by his word (Gen 1). Ross puts it well:

“You have established the earth, and it stands fast.” God’s work is dependable, because God is dependable; and the permanence of the earth, which he created, is an emblem and guarantee of his faithfulness. (Psalms, 540–41)

The firmness of creation reflects God’s faithfulness, a faithfulness that is as sure tomorrow as it is today. By his word, God created all things, and by his word, he sustains all things. Colossians 1:16-17 provides a fitting commentary on this verse:

For everything was created by him [Jesus], in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.

Creation Is the Lord’s Servant (119:91)

Verse 91 reinforces the truth of verse 90; then it adds to it. Following the ESV at this point, “By your appointment they [the heavens and the earth] stand this day” is parallel to “you established [created] the earth, and it stands fast.”2 Your creation, O Lord, is fixed and permanent. But then the psalmist adds, “For all things are your servants.” What a beautiful picture this provides. All of creation is

standing by to do the will of the sovereign, as attendants might present themselves before their King (Gen 43:15) with the sense of becoming servants to a lord (1 Sam 16:22). . . . All of creation exists because of obedience to God’s Word; all of creation, therefore, exists to do his will. (Ross, Psalms, 541)

Spurgeon sums up the matter well: “Both great things and small pay homage to the Lord. No atom escapes his rule, no world avoids his government” (Treasury, 316).

God’s Word Is Powerful and Perfect because It Gives Life

Psalm 119:92-95

Afflictions, opposition, pain, persecution, and suffering are often the experiences of God’s children. They are things we can all expect, things that should not surprise us. This biblical truth exposes the damnable lie of what is called “the prosperity gospel,” a gospel that is no gospel at all. With its promise of health and wealth to all who have the faith to claim it, the prosperity gospel provides an unrealistic and untrue portrait of the Christian life. This was not the experience of Paul, Peter, James, and John. It was not the experience of the Lord Jesus either. Hard times will come. And when hard times do come, what must guide us in our response?

God’s Word Should Be Our Delight (119:92)

God’s Word brought a smile to the face and a song to the heart of the psalmist. It is his “delight” (CEV, “happiness”), something he meditated on, memorized, and sang. Had God’s Word not held this precious place in his heart, he had no doubt “I would have died in my affliction” (cf. vv. 67,71,75). The CEV renders it, “I would have died in misery.” When people tried to destroy him (v. 95), the psalmist found delight in the Lord’s Word. In his pain and suffering, God’s Word brought him joy! He loves God’s instruction. It kept him going.

God’s Word Should Never Be Forgotten (119:93)

In a bold declaration of loyalty flowing out of a heart of gratitude for the Word of God, the psalmist proclaims, “I will never forget your precepts.” When he is hurting and in trouble, he will remember and recall the Lord’s Word. The idea is that he will think about it and obey it. Why should we go to the Word when such occasions arise? The answer is clear: “For you have given me life through them.” By God’s Word our lives are preserved and revived. He renews and reinvigorates our lives by his powerful and perfect Word. The life-giving power of God’s Word is a recurring theme in this psalm (vv. 25,37,40,50,88,107,149,154,156,159). It should be a recurring theme in our lives as well.

God’s Word Saves Us (119:94)

This psalmist affirms his devotion to the Lord: “I am yours.” This affirmation provides the basis for his short, simple prayer: “Save me.” Because he belongs to God and God belongs to him (cf. v. 57), he can cry out with confidence for his deliverance, his rescue. In context, it is clear that he needs to be saved from the wicked of the next verse. The songwriter knows only God can save him, so he wisely goes to the right person. The fool looks for salvation and deliverance through others when God alone can save.

God’s Word Sustains Us (119:95)

Verse 95 reveals the source of the affliction he referred to in verse 92. It is “the wicked” who “hope to destroy me.” Verse 92 informed us they came close to succeeding. However, they were no match for the Word, here described as God’s “decrees.” Spurgeon paints a beautiful picture of what verse 95 is telling us:

They [the wicked] were like wild beasts crouching by the way, or highwaymen waylaying a defenseless traveller; but the psalmist went on his way without considering them, for he was considering something better, namely, the witness or testimony which God has borne to the sons of men. He did not allow the malice of the wicked to take him off from his holy study of the divine word. He was so calm that he could “consider”; so holy that he loved to consider the Lord’s “testimonies”; so victorious over all their plots that he did not allow them to drive him from his pious contemplations. If the enemy cannot cause us to withdraw our thoughts from holy study, or our feet from holy walking, or our hearts from holy aspirations, he has met with poor success in his assaults. (Treasury, 317)

God’s Word Is Powerful and Perfect Because It Has No Limits

Psalm 119:96

Verse 96 concludes and summarizes stanza Lamed. Old Testament scholar Derek Kidner says,

This verse could well be a summary of Ecclesiastes, where every earthly enterprise has its day and comes to nothing, and where only in God and his commandments do we get beyond these frustrating limits. (Psalms, 426–27)

Two main thoughts make up this final verse.

God’s Good Creation Still Has Its Limitations

All the perfections of God’s good world have their limit and come to an inevitable end. Empirical observation and consideration (“I have seen”) make this self-evident. In context, the word “perfection” carries the idea of completion, “finished—and finished means finite, and therefore not at all perfect as an infinite God is perfect!” (Wilcock, Psalms, 207). Creation, in a real sense, has a relative perfection being the product of an absolutely perfect God. Note that, in contrast with the pantheistic worldview, there is a major and clear distinction between God and what God has made.

God’s Good Word Goes beyond Perfection

The Message paraphrases verse 96 as “I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can’t contain your commands.” This is a helpful rendering of the verse. The final phrase of this verse contrasts with the first phrase. Creation is marked by limited and relative perfection. God’s commands are marked by an unlimited and absolute perfection. They are forever and eternal. They go beyond any perfection this world and life may offer. To use the image of Matthew 7:24-27, the perfections of the world are but shifting sand, but the perfection of the Word of God is a solid rock that will endure forever. In response we must ask ourselves, “Where am I standing today? Where will I be standing tomorrow? Where will I stand for all eternity?” The choice is ours. The wise choice is easy to see.

Conclusion

This stanza affirms the preexistence and eternal nature of God’s Word. Before God’s Word was written down in time, space, and history, it already existed. The New Testament affirms the same truth, but it does so differently. It speaks in light of the incarnation of the Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1,14). The written Word and the living Word both stand forever. Both are eternal. They existed before time began, and they will continue when time is no more. What marvelous gifts from God are his twin Words!

Reflect and Discuss

1. How can God’s Word be eternal? Why is the eternal nature of his Word important?
2. How can you regularly use the teaching that the firmness of creation is “an emblem and guarantee of God’s faithfulness” to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness?
3. What are some past ways God’s Word brought you delight in your trials?
4. If God does not guarantee material prosperity or personal comfort, then how can the psalmist claim to find “delight” and “life” in affliction?
5. The psalmist calls for God to save him based on his relationship and his obedience. Why are both important for those who call on God to save them?
6. Are affliction and persecution always the means Satan uses to destroy Christians? Why or why not?
7. Why is God’s Word central to the Christian life? Would you describe it as central to your life?
8. If God’s Word brings the types of promises the psalmist describes, why is it still difficult for many Christians to read and memorize it? What can you do to encourage others in their love for God’s Word?
9. The psalmist describes the firmness of creation and God’s Word at the beginning of the psalm. How does this affirmation shape the rest of the psalm?
10. If God’s Word lacked one of the three qualities (powerful, perfect, permanent) discussed in this stanza, would your ability to depend on it change? How so?