The Word of God: A Light to Guide Me

The Word of God: A Light to Guide Me

Psalm 119:105-112

Main Idea: Trust and obey God’s Word as your ultimate guide because it will sustain you in affliction and bring you true joy.

The fourteenth stanza of Psalm 119, stanza Nun (?), begins with a verse many of us memorized as children: “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” The verse is memorable because it is powerful. Whether by day or by night, whether in good times or bad times, God’s Word is God’s gift to show us the way we should walk and the path of life we should follow. H. C. Leupold says it well: “He that uses it [the Word] faithfully learns where to set his foot as he walks along the slippery paths of this life. He need not stumble or fall” (Exposition, 846).

This stanza is filled with the various ways the psalmist sees the Word and responds to the Word. When he is afflicted (v. 107) and the wicked seek to trap him (v. 110), the Word of God will give him life (v. 107) and bring joy to his heart (v. 111). Indeed, the Word of God is his “heritage forever” (v. 111), and he is determined to “obey [God’s] statutes to the very end” (v. 112). Because God’s Word has faithfully sustained us in the past, we can trust it to sustain us in the future, even to our last dying breath. Therefore, the children of God can say, “We will follow your Word (vv. 105-106), we will trust your Word (vv. 107-110), and we will delight in your Word (vv. 111-112).”

I Will Follow Your Word to Be My Guide

Psalm 119:105-106

During Oprah Winfrey’s 2008 commencement address at Stanford University, she said to the graduates, “Feelings are really your GPS system for life. When you’re supposed to do something or not supposed to do something, your emotional guidance system lets you know” (“Oprah Talks to Graduates about Feelings, Failure and Finding Happiness”). Although Ms. Winfrey’s advice is well intended, she is incorrect. Feelings rise and fall. They come and go. Feelings are not always an accurate barometer of reality. Sometimes they are flat-out wrong. The psalmist knew there is only one reliable and trustworthy GPS system for life: the Word of God. He makes two strong affirmations concerning the Word in verses 105 and 106.

I Trust It to Lead Me (119:105)

God’s Word and only God’s Word is “a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” The Message reads, “By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.” There was no electricity in the ancient world. Traveling, especially at night, was dangerous and treacherous. Spurgeon writes,

Having no fixed lamps in eastern towns, in old time each passenger carried a lantern with him that he might not fall into the open sewer, or stumble over the heaps of [dung] which defiled the road. This is a true picture of our path through this dark world: we should not know the way, or how to walk in it, if the Scripture, like a blazing [flame], did not reveal it. (Treasury, 342)

As a lamp by night and a light by day, God’s Word guides and directs us. It leads us to walk in a way that pleases our Lord Jesus. The god of this age, Satan, may blind “the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor 4:4), but our God, by his Word, will lead us to Christ and show us how to walk like Christ. By the Word, we can think like Jesus and live like Jesus. This is the power of God’s Word!

I Swear to Obey It (119:106)

The psalmist believes this Word, and he will trust this Word forever, “to the very end” (v. 112). Therefore, he says, “I have solemnly sworn to keep your righteous judgments.” Oaths in the Bible are a serious matter. In Matthew 5:34 Jesus warns against frivolous oath taking. So there is nothing frivolous in the psalmist’s words. He trusts the Word of God and the God of the Word, and he will covenant to obey it, “to keep your righteous judgments.” God’s rules, his decisions or judgments, are described as righteous. They will lead us to make right choices, good choices, and godly choices. They, not our conscience, our feelings, or the laws of man, will teach us what is right and what is wrong. James Boice is right: “The Bible is a light for our moral path. The path is dark because the world is dark, but the Bible clarifies the issues and shows us how to walk through the darkness” (Living, 105).

I Will Trust Your Word to Give Me Life

Psalm 119:107-110

The Bible never says that those who follow Jesus will avoid the pain and sorrows of life. Second Timothy 3:12 is clear: “All who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” And James 1:2-3 adds that we should actually “consider it a great joy” when we face trials because “the testing of your faith produces endurance.” Real life will involve real problems, real difficulties, and real afflictions. When they come—and they will—how should we respond?

I Will Trust the Word When I Am Troubled (119:107-108)

The psalmist is going through a tough time. He is not just afflicted; he is “severely afflicted.” His trials are great, even life-threatening. This is not the first time he has been here (vv. 67,71,75), and it will probably not be the last. Does he turn inward, have a pity party, and sing, “Woe is me?” No! He turns to the Lord and prays, “Lord, give me life according to your word.” The idea is for the Lord to revive him and renew his life so that he may “keep [the Lord’s] righteous judgments” as he has sworn.

Do not miss what follows this plea for life. Yes, the Lord must save him. But he will not sit idly. In an act of worship, he will present to the Lord “freewill offerings of praise” (cf. 50:14; Heb 13:15). Further, he prays that the Lord will “teach me your judgments” (“rules” ESV). Once again, he calls on the master Teacher to be his instructor (vv. 12,26,29,33,63,68,99). Exaltation and edification are the powerful one-two punch the Lord uses to revive our souls and enable us to victoriously face the most severe afflictions. “Life without light, or zeal without knowledge, would be but half a blessing” (Spurgeon, Treasury, 343). The psalmist wants all of the Lord, especially when he is hurting.

I Will Trust the Word When My Life Is in Danger (119:109-110)

The affliction the psalmist suffers is almost certainly the result of persecution. We see this when he says in verse 109, “My life is constantly in danger” (“I hold my life in my hand continually” ESV), and in verse 110, “The wicked have set a trap for me.” He has lived a life of faithfulness for all to see. The wicked hate the way of the righteous and have tried to ensnare him. However, they will fail. Note the beautiful Hebrew parallel in the second lines of verses 109-110:

I do not forget your instruction. (v. 109)

I have not wandered from your precepts. (v. 110)

The second idea reinforces the first. Because we think a certain way, we will love a certain way, even when our life is in danger. God’s Word, which we love, informs our mind and lights our path. It shows us where to go, and we will not stray from its path. After all, it is the path of life. All other paths lead only to death. Proverbs 14:12 remains true: “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.”

I Will Delight in Your Word until the End

Psalm 119:111-112

The last two verses of stanza Nun have an eschatological ring. They look forward and reflect on “some of the blessings that come from living a life committed to obeying the Lord” (Ross, Psalms, 553). The value and worth he ascribes to the Word of God are impressive. He stakes his entire future on it. The Scriptures are his personal promised land. Hassell Bullock puts it nicely: “In that inherited land of the Torah life, joy is the tone of existence” (Psalms 73–150, 365).

The Word of God Should Be the Joy of My Heart (119:111)

The psalmist boldly declares, “I have your decrees as a heritage forever.” This is the language of Canaan and the promised land. God’s Word is eternal, and its promises are “more sure than the inheritance of the land of Canaan” (Ross, Psalms, 553). Such an inheritance brings pure joy to his heart. Obeying the Word always does. It is not drudgery. It is not a pain. It is not enslaving. It liberates us, sets us free, and thrills our souls. The idea of ever walking away from or walking back on his promises is not even a consideration. They are his inheritance forever. They are the joy of his heart forever as well. He treasures God’s Word. He loves God’s Word.

The Word of God Should Be My Never-Ending Reward (119:112)

The theme of the heart continues into verse 112. Because the Word of God is the “joy of my heart” (v. 111), “I am resolved to obey your statutes to the very end” (v. 112). James Boice sums it all up well when he writes,

In the ending of the nun stanza, we see again that the psalmist was a practical person. The last statement is one of fierce determination: “My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end” (v. 112). The reasons he will keep God’s decrees to the very end are those he has identified in this stanza. He wants to keep God’s decrees because he will be able to live a God-pleasing life, he will understand the nature of true righteousness, he will possess a divine perspective on suffering and will triumph in it, he will be able to worship God rightly, he will not be turned aside from obedience to God’s law by any physical danger, he will not be distracted by the snares of evil men, and he will have a heritage that will last forever. (Living, 110)

Such a treasure of blessings is its own reward and blessing. It is a glorious inheritance that is eternal and can never be taken from us. This is how God’s Word will guide us. This is where God’s Word will take us. What an inheritance! What a reward! This world can offer nothing like this. It never can. It never will. “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever” (Isa 40:8).

Conclusion

Proverbs 4:18-19 teaches us,

The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

shining brighter and brighter until midday.

But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;

they don’t know what makes them stumble.

The written Word points us to the living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). If we follow this theme throughout Scripture, we can understand why the apostle John would write, “If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Our world is a terrible world of darkness. God’s Word, however, is a wonderful world of light.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why are feelings not always the best indicator of what you are supposed to do? Does this mean we should discount our feelings? Why or why not?
2. In what ways can God’s Word be a guide for your life on the issues that it does not directly address?
3. The psalmist commits himself to keep God’s judgments. How can making a prior commitment to obey God help you obey when you are in the middle of a decision?
4. What type of “life” does God’s Word bring to those who are physically and mentally afflicted?
5. David responds to his affliction with praise. What in Psalm 119 can help you understand why he does this?
6. Who else in Scripture responds to affliction with trust in God and his Word? How can their response encourage us?
7. Does holding Scripture as “the joy of your heart” require that you have a certain feeling every time you read Scripture? Why or why not?
8. How can you properly evaluate whether God’s Word is the joy of your heart? How can other Christians help you evaluate your heart?
9. What should Christians expect to happen when they suffer if God’s Word is not already their joy?
10. Are Christians ever in danger of loving God’s Word without loving Christ? How can you know if this is happening?