We are definitely in a day when it is easy to accuse one another of excesses in many areas of devotion and worship of God. It is often the case that we could hear of someone complaining for what he or she thinks is unjustifiable emotion while another attacks what is perceived as intellectual coldness. And this is just one example where the Church points and attacks, while steering as far away from the perceived excesses as possible.
And the result of such is often that people neglect the good, out of the perception that what he or she sees is excess. What I find interesting, however, is that many times I am sure that the attacks are unjustifiable in themselves, and therefore the “avoidance-at-all-risks” are only allowing the individuals on either side of the accusations to miss out on a full spectrum of worship before our Lord.
One such example of this is with the word of God. There are presently people who are attacking others for loving the word of God to too much of an extent. For example, it might be said in our day, “So and so is treating his bible as if it is God. He needs to put it down and start to worship God himself.” I have come in the past few months of thinking this over to a point that I think needs to be made. I do not think that we have a problem in America in exalting and reverencing the Scriptures to too great of an extent. Now, I am not saying that individuals who love the word and neglect worshipping with deep affection, desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and showing compassion to one another are right in such neglect. I think to do that is wrong. I am saying, however, that such problems do not stem from too great a love and delight in the Scriptures!
One reason I can say this is because all the things I listed (worshipping with deep affection, desiring spiritual gifts, and showing compassion to one another) are things I know to do because I have spent time searching, studying, and delighting in the word. And the idea that people love the bible too much is made obsolete by the way we live. For example, the new Gallop poll says that only 37% of Americans read their bibles at least once a week, and only 16% say that they read it daily. If this is the state of our nation, then I think the last thing we need to try is decrease our love for the word of God. We need to, in fact, increase our love and delight in the word. Martin Luther wrote, speaking of the Scriptures, “What is not loved is easily neglected, for what is not loved is not esteemed, and what is not esteemed is not cared for” (see note 1).
I think that very much describes the condition of the Church (at least in America) today. Therefore, I am going to spend the next few weeks talking about the splendor of the word of God. And today I want to begin by turning to Psalm 119 (see note 2) and talking about battling sin with the word of God.
There is probably no better passage of Scripture for talking about delighting in and esteeming the word of God. The psalmist rejoices, delights, and extols God’s word in this longest chapter of the bible. And his heart in the verses that we have just read is to use the power of the word of God to help him in his battle with sin, and in his striving for purity.
He asks in verse 9, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” And the rest of the passage answers overwhelmingly in pointing us to the word of God. Therefore, I want to use this psalm in answering two questions. The first is, “What are we to do in our battle with temptation?” And the second is “Why will doing these things work?”
Let me answer the first by listing a number of things that we can do regarding the word of God in battling with sin.
The psalmist specifically says in verse 11, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, [for what purpose?], that I might not sin against You.” Therefore, if we are to obey Scripture and not lean on our philosophy over and above Scripture, then we must submit in faith to the truth that we battle sin by treasuring Scripture. But what exactly does it mean to “treasure” Scripture? I think the psalmist answers this in a number of ways as we proceed through the psalm. Therefore, in some sense, the rest of the list could be understood as ways in which we might treasure the word for the purpose of battling sin.
The psalmist says in verse 15, “I will meditate on all your precepts.” Meditation on the word is found throughout this psalm. I would go so far as to say that I do not think there is a higher form of bible study, learning the word, or treasuring the word than meditating on the word of God.
Instead of reading so quickly, mediation demands that you take it, think on it, and let it be as a marinade that seeps down inside your heart throughout the day. I would say the reason many of us do not feel the powerful effect of the word of God in our lives is because we do not do this. The reason we do not feel that the word of God is adequate in counseling is because we do not meditate on it to the point that we ourselves know the effect it can have in our hearts. The reason we might not burn in our hearts when we hear Jesus say to the apostles, “I have food to eat that you do not know about” (because they told him to eat after he had gone a long while without food) is probably because we do not know the filling and satisfying effect of allowing the word to run into our hearts as we meditate on it throughout the day.
Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
But if you are like I often am, you rise in the morning and read, and then you go through the rest of your day blessed because you have read, but you do not necessarily meditate on the word throughout the day. So how do you meditate on the word throughout the day? Let me give you some practical tips of things I am beginning to do. First, I find one verse (or a couple of verses), and I write it down on a note card and put it in my pocket. Then when I get to work, I put in on my computer as my screen saver where it scrolls across. Then when I have a chance to stop, I will pull it out of my pocket and read it and think on it. Or as I stop typing, it pops up on the screen and I read it. If I do these things, I find that by the end of the day I have pretty much memorized the verse (or verses) and I have saturated my heart with it from the time I wake until the time that I go to bed. And on several occasions, it proves to be the very thing that has aided me in counseling or in battling temptation. Therefore, above all else, I believe meditation is a priority if one is striving to treasure the word in his heart.
In verse 15, the psalmist says, “I will … regard [or look upon] your ways.” And I think he means he will simply be reading the word.
We need to make sure that we are making it a practice to read the word. The bible is not the kind of book that you can put down after you have read it. It needs to be something that we are continually reading. Unless you are exposing yourself to the entire counsel of God, then you are not seeing the big picture. Do not wait around a number of years waiting for the pastor to preach through the entire bible. Read it. I think it would be good just to read through the bible at least once a year.
One of the most important factors in me saying that stems from the necessity of sanctification in our salvation. If someone needs to grow in sanctification to make sure of their calling, then how are they going to do it? Ephesians 5:25-26 says, “Christ … loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of the water with the word.” Exposure to the word is one of the main ways that we go about sanctifying ourselves.
The psalmist writes, “Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.”
There is much more to knowing the power of Scripture in your life than just understanding the flow of the argument made by the author. The Pharisees had read and “understood” much Scripture. But Jesus can tell them that if they had read what Moses wrote, they would have known of him. I do not doubt that they were doing all the right methods, but they were not discerning spiritual things that could awaken their hearts. That is something only the power of God working through his Holy Spirit can do. Therefore, as you read, ask God to teach you and burn these things into your heart. Otherwise, you will fill your head with knowledge. But all such knowledge does not meet its end if it does not produce in your heart deep affection for God. Therefore, read and meditate on the word that you may know truth, and then beg God with everything in you, “Please do not let my heart be unmoved by this!”
The psalmist begins our passage asking, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” and he answers saying, “By keeping it according to Your word.”
There is no way that we can truly examine our hearts unless it is by the word. Now I know that is a bold statement, but I believe it to be true. One might say, however, “But I can just tell in my heart.” And, I would say that such is okay at times. However, there is a possibility that your heart can deceive you. Genesis 6:5 and 8:21 say that the intent of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil continually from his youth. How can we then trust our heart?
Paul warned Timothy of such deception, and then exhorted him to read the word. He wrote, “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15-16). That is the context of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 where Paul then writes, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Paul’s answer to our risk of being deceived by our own selves was Scripture. Compare your life to it. It will often reveal your sin.
Twice the psalmist keys into his delight in the word, writing, “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as all riches” and “I shall delight in Your statutes.”
Enjoy and delight yourself in the word. As you are reading and meditating, your goal is to find your soul happy in the word. This, I will point out later, is going to serve as probably your greatest weapon in battling sin. You have not fully treasured the word in your heart if you have not found your soul happy in it. George Mueller wrote in his autobiography:
I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished … I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it (see note 3).
Pleasure your soul with the word of God daily. Fight each day to find your joy in him, using his word as a channel for that.
Verse 16 says, “I shall not forget Your word.”
I believe that this should happen with much meditation, but I want to mention it because I think it is crucial that this is something that we are incorporating into our lives. We will not be able to quote Scripture, as Jesus did in his temptation if we have not committed it to memory. Memorization of the word will be your sword with which you will fight in your time of temptation.
The psalmist also requests of the Lord in verse 10, “Do not let me wander from your commandments.”
After you’ve read, meditated, memorized, delighted in, and compared your life to the word, and you see how you are to live, ask God to give you the grace to be obedient to it. Jesus instructed us to pray, “Do not lead me into temptation, but deliver me from evil.” Ask God to keep you from sin. Ask him to strengthen you in the fight for purity and holiness. Because when it comes down to it, it is only by his grace that you will live worthy of his calling. And as you request this, rise and go in faith, believing that he will grant such grace to you. His grace has come to you; believe that his grace will be with you.
Finally,
In verse 13, the psalmist says, “With my lips I have told all the ordinances of Your mouth.” I think it is of great benefit that we speak the word—to others and to ourselves.
As you speak the word of God to others, it will keep it fresh on your mind. However, if you are treasuring the word in your heart, it will naturally pour forth from your mouth. The Scripture says, “The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart” (Matthew 15:18).
In times of temptation, verbally speak Scripture to yourself. There are several times that I tell myself, “No, Scripture says …” Martyn Lloyd-Jones said that we need to learn to preach to ourselves instead of always listening to ourselves (see note 4). And I think what he means is, for example, when you wake up and your body tells you, “I’m too tired to get up and delight myself in the word,” don’t listen to yourself, preach to yourself on the treasures and delight of the word of God. Preach to yourself; do not simply listen to yourself.
And now, let me tell you why treasuring the word in these ways will allow you to battle temptation. I will list four reasons—very briefly.
1) Because sin proceeds out of the heart (i.e. Mark 7:21-23—“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”) treasuring the word there will battle possible sin right at its root.
2) Because you are delighting in the word, you will be experiencing your greatest fulfillment of pleasure.
Sin is always pursuing pleasure in something other than God. However, as you are delighting in His word, and feeding your soul with the bread of life, then you will not need to cry out for any greater desire. And as you do, you will be able to fill your heart again with it. Because the heart is always searching for delight either to be found in God or in sin, is why I think that Paul not only tells Timothy, “Flee from your youthful lusts,” but also tells him, “And pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). The answer to battling sin is not to try to deprive your heart from delight, but to give it its greatest delight, which will come through meditating and rejoicing in the word of God.
3) As you treasure the word, you will be reminded of truth in the midst of lies. All temptation is a lie. Much like the serpent telling Eve in the garden that she would surely not die if she ate of the fruit. Satan is a deceiver. Memorizing and speaking the word, however, will allow you to renew your mind to the truth, which will allow you to know transforming power (Romans 12:1-2).
4) Finally, treasuring the word in your heart will allow you to battle the sins that are internal, such as certain lusts, covetousness, and greed. Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God is “able to judge the thoughts and intentions of your heart.” Therefore, as you hide it in your heart, it will be like holding a chisel inside of you that will be constantly chipping away at anything that does not conform to it.
May we be people of the word. Treasure it in your heart, even as the psalmist, that you may not sin against God. “How can a young man [or woman] keep his [or her] way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.” May we be able to pray, “Your word have I treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
O God, grant us the strength to worship you with our lives, living according to your word!