This is The Way – Devo Day 39

Mem – Psalm 119:97-104

97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.
101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.
102 I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

Psalm 119:97–104 (ESV)

This stanza is pure praise and celebration. Twice before the psalmist has declared his love for the Word of God (Psalm 119:47–48). Yet here, the phrasing is more passionate, more joyful. His devotion to God and His word has built a love-relationship between the psalmist and God’s Word. It isn’t “I used to love Your law” or “One day I will love Your law.” He describes how he feels about the Word of God right now and it’s not how others should feel about it. No questions about it – he wants everyone to know how he feels about God’s Word.

If you are still reading this devotional series then you probably hope that your love for God’s Word would rise to the level of the psalmist but you can’t make yourself love something. But, you can cultivate your love towards the Scriptures:

• Give it your time (read it regularly)
• Give it your attention (meditate on it)
• Give it a real listen (be open and interested)
• Give it your honor and your obedience (it’s the Word of God)
• Give it your appreciation (value it for all the good it has done for you)
• Give it your trust (depend on it in your daily life)
• Give it your praise (speak highly of it before others)

It is my meditation all the day.

Psalm 119:97b (ESV)

Because the Psalmist loved God’s word, it was natural and expected that he would think about it often. A lover finds it easy to think about, to meditate upon, the one he loves.

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

Psalm 119:98–100 (ESV)

The psalmist’s praise for the Word of God continues with confident assurances that God’s Word has made him wiser than his many enemies and has given him more understanding than his teachers and even the “ancient ones.” In the psalmist day, there was a high regard for the experience and wisdom of the elders of the community, so it is significant that the psalmist says that the Word of God has given him wisdom beyond his years. It’s clear that the psalmist credits God’s Word for his successes and current position.

101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.
102 I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.

Psalm 119:101–102 (ESV)

The Psalmist understood that restraining himself from evil would also help him to understand God’s word better. He could better keep God’s word by keeping from every evil way.

We also see here the personal connection the Psalmist had with God through His word that encouraged his faithful walk. This also demonstrates that God can teach the believer through His word in a direct sense – “for you have taught me.” This does not mean that everything one comes to mind through self-study is correct or from God, and it does not eliminate the need for Bible teachers. Yet it does fulfill what Jesus later said in John 16:13 concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

Pslam 119:103-104 (ESV)

The psalmist understood how the Word nourished his soul, but he expands on that thinking by saying that the word is sweeter to him than honey. In the psalmist day, honey was the definition of sweet. Time spent in God’s word was not an unpleasant duty; to him, it was a sweet experience to be thankful for and relished. The psalmist had very little of God’s word compared to us, perhaps just the five Books of Moses and a few books more. We have so much more riches and sweetness in the Word of God than he did, yet most of us seem to value it less.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
– This is The Way

Pslam 119:103 (ESV)

Questions to Ponder

1. How would you rank your feelings about spending time in God’s Word?
   1. Hate it
   2. Boring
   3. Obedient duty
   4. Enjoy learning
   5. Sweet communion – can’t get enough
2. Which of the psalmist’s boasts concerning God’s Word could you make?
   1. Made you wiser than your enemies
   2. Gave you a deeper understanding than your teachers
   3. Made you more mature than those that have lived longer
3. What could you do to increase your delight in God’s Word? What do you need to do to cultivate that love? When will you start?

If you are just starting and want to go back and read the previous posts in this series