Psalm 19 Part 4 Wisdom From God's Word Transforms Us

Psalm 19:7-8  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 

In our last post we began to see how the Psalmist extolls the glory of the scriptures and he continues to do so in the next few verses.

After speaking of the law of the LORD and His testimonies, David now speaks of God's statutes and commandments.

The word "statute" is fairly broad and means mandates, precepts or rules given to any person to guide them in the path God wants us to walk on.

Therefore, statutes include the whole law of God and our obedience is not a suggestion but rather a command for compliance from God.

The verb form of the word statutes has the idea of God's word being set in place over us, to give us wholesome oversight.

In fact, this Hebrew word is only translated "statutes" in this Psalm.

In every other place the same word is translated "precepts" (21 times in Psalm 119) and "commandment" in two other places.

A "precept" refers to any commandment or directive from God intended as an authoritative rule of action 

A precept especially applies to the ten commandments which are meant to regulate our moral conduct.  

Psalm 119:4  Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. 

We can see that God has set up or established His Word as an absolute authority over all mankind.

God's Word contains guard rails to keep us from falling into sin.

He blesses us by telling us about sins to avoid so that we live a clean life and do not inflict harm on ourselves or others by sinning.

He blesses us by telling us things we must do in order to be rightly related to Him and in order to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. 

Our duty is to seek God with all our heart, and to sit under the full weight of His commandments.

2 Timothy 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

We are to be diligent in studying the precepts or statutes of God so that He can bless us as we learn to obey them.

There is a sense of urgency similar to the apostle Paul when he commanded Christians to study the Word of God.

There are so many wonderful benefits from studying the scriptures and in this case, doing so prepares us to stand before God as His approved and worthy workmen for His kingdom purposes.

Psalm 119:15  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 

The Psalmist lets us know that we must learn to meditate in the precepts of the LORD. 

We must learn to read them repeatedly until we have a good grasp of what God is saying to us.

We must spend time thinking about God's statutes and precepts and then we must seek help from the LORD so that we can live in obedience to His guidance.

Psalm 119:27  Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. 

God sends His Spirit to live in the believer's heart at the moment we are regenerated. 

We receive the new heart and new spirit God promised to give to all who repent and believe the gospel (See Ezekiel 11:19-21; 18:31; 36:26-27).

The Spirit of God is the divine author of the scriptures and He is also our teacher, guide and instructor in the Word.

He will help us understand truth from God and will help us live in accord with what God says to us (See John 14:15-18; 16:7-15; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16).

Psalm 119:40  Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. 

As we read and learn the statutes and precepts of God we will develop a longing for them, a yearning inside us to read them again.

We learn of the holiness and righteousness of God as we read and study His statutes and precepts.  

All of the Word of God has the power to quicken, enliven and revive our soul, such that we can worship God with our whole heart and serve Him with renewed zeal.

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

As we study and learn the statutes and precepts of God, we are filling the reservoir of our heart with His truth.

This protects us from spiritual error and strengthens us to stand against heresy or in Israel's case, stand firm against idolatry.

Psalm 19:9  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 

By reading the scriptures, spending time studying them, thinking about what God is saying and even memorizing them, a right fear of the LORD is created in our heart.

This means having a reverence for God and a respect for Him that far exceeds anything else in life. 

It means remembering who God is and that He is always present with us, before we think, speak or act.

It means learning to live in accord with His commands because they are good guard rails for us and they help us live for His glory.

The idea of the fear of the LORD being clean points to the cleansing and transformative power of God's Word.

Scripture is intended to teach us teaches to fear the Lord. 

Scripture gives us a full description of rightly worshiping God, which instills the fear of God. 

Scripture instructs and  powerfully engages our inner man in Christ so that we are enabled to serve the Lord with reverence and godly fear.

All of scripture's profound impact upon our heart is cleansing us from the filth and corruption of the cultural depravity that surrounds us.

The pure doctrines of scripture point to the blood of Christ, which cleanses us from all sin, and to the righteousness of Christ that He promises to give to each sinner who repents and trusts Him for salvation.

Psalm 19:10  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 

The phrase "More to be desired are they than gold" refers to all the truths in the Word of God and to all the doctrines of the Gospel.

As we grow in our faith in Christ, His Word becomes sweeter and more treasured than any type of worldly wealth.

Psalm 119:72  The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. 

The Psalmist loves the Word of God so much that he cannot put a price upon their value, except to say that the law of God is better for him than having unlimited supplies of gold or silver.

Proverbs 8:8-10  All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. 9  They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. 10  Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. 

King Solomon was guided by God's Spirit to write Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

This man to whom God gave abundant wisdom tells us that our speech can be cleansed when we seek knowledge and wisdom from God by studying His Word.

God promises to give instruction, wisdom and understanding to all who seek it.

We previously noted how the Spirit of God has a specific ministry to the believer in Christ, to help us grasp what God is saying, and to strengthen us to obey it.

Psalm 19:11-12  Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. 12  Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 

Thus, David tells us that by his own experience and walk with the LORD, the scriptures warn us about sin and error.

The scriptures bring joy, satisfaction and blessing to us when we keep God's Word in our heart by constantly reading the Bible and meditating on what God says to us.

The answer to the first question is that no one can understand our errors or our tendency to sin, like God does, and He shows us this truth in His Word.

God has always provided a way of salvation and His Word tells us how a sinner can be cleansed of his or her sins, and be restored to God by faith.

Psalm 19:13-14  Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 14  Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. 

After being blessed and even overwhelmed by the glorious truths God's Spirit caused him to write, King David ends this Psalm in prayer.

He asks that God would restrain him from committing presumptuous sins against Him. He asks God to protect his inner man and be his shield against temptation and the fiery darts of the Devil.

The last verse is urgently needed for all Christians living in the information age.

It seems that many fools have platforms on social media and incessantly blurt out the hateful, hurtful, depraved things that lurk in their hearts.

All of this corrupt speech pollutes our minds is we listen to it or read it.

Thus, David prays that all the words he spoke and all the meditation and thoughts of his heart, were set on things above, and would be acceptable in the sight of God.

May we crave to have the same view of God that David had, so that we might worship Him in the beauty of holiness.

Bob