The Treasure of God’s Word
Psalm 119:1-16
June 1-2, 2024
The theme of the longest chapter, the longest Psalm in the Bible, the theme is the word of God. How appropriate is that? It's not just a Psalm about the word, it's about the applying of God's word in your life. Really, it's meant to be personal to see what God would do in your life as you apply the word of God to it. We know that's the case because we see how it was written to be memorized.
Here's what I mean. The Psalm is divided in 22 sections. In fact, a lot of your Bibles you'll already see they have those sections already divided for you. Each section is according to the Hebrew alphabet, in order of the Hebrew alphabet, Alef, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, Heh, et cetera, all the way down. In English, it would be A, B, C, D. Each section is eight verses. Now, what's interesting is that each section has eight verses that each begin with that letter of that section.
The first section is Alef, A. Every verse begins with that letter, A, A, A, A, A, next one, B, B, B, B, B. You can see how much that is a great help to memorize the whole of the Psalm. Memorization is really only the first step. There's more. What I mean by that is there is something beyond memorization. It's when you take those words and then you write them upon the tablet of your heart. When you come to know the heart of the one who gave it to you, when you come to see the glory in it, when you take hold of them, when the pillars of faith then become the truths of God, that become the construction of God's character and glory abiding in your soul, these shoes become knitted into the fabric of who you are. That's what God meant.
I've had the privilege of teaching God's word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter for 34 years. To prepare a message, I will read those chapters or those verses over and over and over. It's one of the things I say to young pastors today, before you ever go to a commentary or a word study or go anywhere else, you take that and you read it over and over and over until it's written on your heart.
I tell you, having done that now for 34 years, then I'm the one who's blessed. It has changed my life. I see that the words of God are changing me. The deep things of the word are calling to the deep places of my life. I see truths I've never seen before. I see the beauty and the glory of the Lord in His word. What I have come to see is that the word of God is alive. It's living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and it will transform your life. That's what God intends for it to do in your life as well. Amen. Can we give God praise and glory? That's what God wants you to do. Amen.
Now, it's also interesting to see 176 verses that He uses so many different words to describe the word. For example, there's the law used 25 times. It was a reference to the Torah, which would be the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, the first five books in your Bible that would be called the law 25 times. Then there's the word, the word or davar and it literally means the spoken word of God.
He talks about the judgments. Literally, He's a judge of all the earth, and He judges with righteousness. His judgments are right. Testimonies, 23 times He uses that word just in the Psalm alone, God is a witness giving a testimony. In fact, we have the Old Testament, the New Testament. That's the testimony of God. Then there's these statutes. Now, we don't use that word very much in our modern language, we use it in legal matters.
For example, in our state, we have the Oregon Revised Statutes. These are the laws that govern those who abide in our state. Then you have the precepts of the Lord. These are very specific directions or directives, do this or do that. Many different ways that the word of God is described so that you can see the fullness of it and to meditate upon it. There's so many places in the Psalm that speaks of meditating on the Word.
It reminds me of the famous pastor and Bible commentator Matthew Henry. I think many of you who have studied God's word and looked into commentators at some point have probably read Matthew Henry's commentary. When he was a young boy, he said that his father pressed upon him and all of their children, all of his siblings, that they were to take one verse from Psalm 119 and meditate on it all day.
That would be their verse of the day. Memorize it, meditate on it, and then the next day the next verse, and the next verse. Still doing, they would memorize and meditate on Psalm 119 twice every year. He said, "Now, if you'll do this, if you'll memorize and meditate on this Psalm, you'll fall in love with all the rest of the scriptures." For He says, "All grace grows as love of the word of God grows in your life."
It was certainly true in Matthew Henry's case because he went on to become one of the most prolific Bible commentators who ever lived. You meditate upon God's word and it transforms your life. You come to understand the heart of the one who sent it. It becomes like you're adding it like food to the soul, like a treasure of the heart. God's word is alive, it's doing that transforming power in your life when you take hold of it and meditate upon it.
Verse 97 of this Psalm, I love how it says there in that verse, "Oh, how I love thy law. It is the meditation of my heart." Now, I love the way it's said right there. Oh, how I love your law. There was a song I used to think it was very famous, but when I asked people, have you ever heard this song? No one raises their hands. But I love this song. Oh, how I love thy law. Anybody heard this song? It's a great song. Thank you.
It's a meditation of my heart. See how personally makes it? Oh, how I love, oh, how I love thy law. It's a meditation of my heart. See, God had a corner on meditation along before Eastern religions adopted and distorted the meaning of the word. In the Eastern religion, the idea of meditation is to empty one's mind. That's the idea. To meditate is to empty one's mind of all thought.
Well, God's idea of meditation is the exact opposite. No, you ought not to empty your mind. You ought to fill your heart and your mind with truth, with God's word, because God's word is the heart of God and the glory of God. When you fill your life with it you will be transformed by it. That's a great Psalm. We're going to read today just 16 verses, two letters, two sections starting in verse 1.
I. How Blessed are Those Who Seek Him
Psalm 119, "How blessed are those whose ways blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord?" Notice here how many different words just in these verses are used to describe the word of God. "How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart. They also do no unrighteousness because they walk in His ways. You have ordained your precepts that we should keep them diligently. Oh, that my ways may be established to keep your statutes, then I will not be ashamed when I look upon all your commandments. I will give thanks to you with uprightness of heart. When I learn of your righteous judgments, I will keep your statutes. Do not forsake me utterly."
Then the next section is very famous. "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. With all my heart, I have sought Thee. Do not let me wonder from your commandments, for your word, have I treasured in my heart that I may not sin against you. Blessed art thou, oh Lord, teach me your statutes for with my lips, I have told of all your ordinances with my mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies as much as in all riches. I will meditate in your precepts, I will regard your ways, I will delight in your statutes, and I will not forget your word."
Wow. This is glorious. Amazing. What a great Psalm is this. Of course, we'll look at the other verses at the Wednesday service, but I want us to see how much there is for us here to take all of starting at the very first verses where he says, "How blessed are those who seek Him?" Now he begins there by the word blessed. How blessed.
Now, we saw this earlier that when we were studying Psalm 112, that there are two main Hebrew words that are translated into the English blessed. The most common word is the one that we have in our minds. When we think of the word blessed, it's really the Hebrew word Baruch, and it means a blessing that one gives to another. That's the way most people think. When they think of the word blessed, they think of that which one blesses another like when the Lord blesses you.
May the Lord bless you. May the Lord keep you. May the Lord give you peace. May the Lord give you increase. That's the way people think of the word blessing. It's very difficult for them to get anything else in their minds as to what the word means. Here, see, it's a different word. It's the word Esher and it means a deep residing peace. See, it's a condition of the soul. It's like your soul is right with God. You have been dwelling in the presence of the Almighty. You have His glory abiding upon your soul and something is arising in your life. Like there's a wellspring of life arising. Ah, you have a soul like that. You are blessed. That's what it is.
A. Those who are beautiful of soul walk in it
He's describing a soul like that that's blessed. That's why he says then in the very next verse, the next part of that, "Those who are beautiful a soul," that's how we're going to describe that word, blessed. "Those who are beautiful of soul will walk in it." Notice verse 1, "How blessed are those whose way is blameless? They walk in it." Now, when you hear the word blameless, I'm not sure that's the best English word to describe that meaning because it suggests or sounds like the person is perfect, but they most certainly are not.
I think a better maybe translated way would be that when it is well with your soul, then you walk with the integrity of that which God does in the soul. It has everything to do with what comes forth out of the soul. Those who are blessed will walk in the way of integrity. I ask this question, what comes first, the blessedness of the soul or the integrity? Do you walk in integrity and then you're blessed or do you walk in integrity because you're blessed? See, that's the way I would suggest it. God does that work in your soul first. That is what arises in you. It has everything to do with what comes out of you.
When most people think of the word blessed, again, they think of that which comes to them. They get a raise, they get a promotion at work, and they say, "Oh, what a blessing," and it is. They get a parking spot right next to the front door, "Oh, what a blessing that is." I love getting parking spaces next to the front door. I agree. You order french fries and they accidentally put in onion rings. What a blessing that is. That's the way many people think of it, something that comes to them.
No, it means something different here. That those who observe His love, those who walk, those who live by, those who are filled and overflowing, those who delight in the Almighty, something is arising in their soul and they then live out of that. It's like what Jesus said in John 4 when He said, "Those who have the Holy Spirit," he says, "It's like a well of life springing up." Spring up oh, well within my soul for out of that overflow, then life is lived. It changes how you walk. It changes how you live. It changes how you conduct the affairs of your life. It changes how you relate to the people around you.
B. Those who seek Him find blessing
When your soul is something arising of God in your life, there's something arising of God's glory. God is doing that. That was just beautiful in your soul. Well, then what comes out of you is a blessing to the people around you. You walk in that integrity. You walk in that life which God is building. That's why, notice the next phrase, "Those who seek Him find that blessing." How blessed are those who seek Him with all their heart?
Now, the theme is the seeking. God wants you to seek Him. Something happens in the seeking. Now you seek that which you desire. Everyone does. You have desires. You are seeking things. You are making moves in your life. You have strategies. You have ideas of things that you are seeking for, things you want. He says, "There is a priority." When you see what God would do in the soul, first and foremost, seek that treasure. Seek that in your life first for you will become like that which you seek. It will transform you. Your desires will transform who you become.
Notice what God wrote in Jeremiah 29:13, very famous verse where He said it this way, "You'll seek me and you'll find me when you search for me with all your heart." Now, in that verse, what is that which is found? What is the result of the seeking? He says, "You will find me when you search for me with all your heart." It's God you found. That is the treasure. That is the wellspring. That's the glory of the soul. That's that treasure which you seek. There is something that happens in the seeking. God wants you to seek.
Jesus said a very similar thing in Luke 11. Notice in verses 9-10. Jesus said it this way. "I say to you, ask." Now, He's speaking here of the presence of God in your life. You'll see it as we read the whole of it. I say to you, ask. I want you to ask. He says, "I say to you, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you'll find. Knock and it will be opened unto you. For everyone who asks, receives, and to him who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened unto you." You seek and you'll find God. There is something that happens in the seeking.
Then Jesus added this very interesting analogy, Luke 11:11-13. He says, "Now, suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish," which would be common." "Dad, I'm hungry. Can I have a fish?" In the Sea of Galilee, that's what would be common to have for lunch. "Dad, I'm hungry. Can I have a fish?" Now, he would not give him a snake instead of a fish. Now, would he? No. If he asked for an egg, "Dad, can I have an egg?" He wouldn't give him a scorpion. Nobody would he? No.
If you then being evil or in other words of the world know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him, you want more of the Lord in your life? You want more of God to move upon your soul? You want a wellspring of life? Ask Him. There's something in the asking. There's something in the seeking. That's why.
Notice this in verse 6 he says, "Then I will not be ashamed when I look upon your commandments." That is such an interesting thing. Do people feel shame? Some do. Yes. That reminds me of the way James, the writer of the book of James, said it. He said that the word of God is like a mirror. Now, when one looks into it, then it reveals the condition of the soul. When one looks upon the word of God, it reveals the condition, the need, the necessity. It reveals. It shows it all.
That's why some people don't like the word of God. They don't like to look at the word of God. Some people are not even comfortable holding the word of God. "Oh, would you hold my Bible?" "Would you like to read some of it?" "Not really." Some people don't like the word of God at all. Why? Makes them uncomfortable. They know that it would remind them of their lack of the corruption that is abiding in their soul. They'll feel the conviction of it. They feel the shame of it. They don't want that.
That's why James wrote it this way, James 1:23-24, "If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he's like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror, and then once he has looked at himself, he goes away and he is immediately forgotten what kind of person he was." A person looks in a mirror because they want to see what needs to be changed? They want to see it. They want to know what it is so they can fix it. They want to make the adjustment.
Something wrong with my hair. Something wrong with my teeth. Something wrong with my face. I want to know what it is. Can you imagine a person saying, "Oh, I don't like mirrors? I can't stand mirrors because they're always showing me what's wrong with my life." Really you don't want to know if there's something in your teeth. "No, I don't like it. I don't like to be reminded of that." No. No, we love mirrors. We have many mirrors in our life.
You get up in the morning, what's the first thing you do? Look in the mirror. Got to ascertain the damage that happened the night before. Go look in the mirror. Then women have special mirrors for the makeup. Got to do it right, right? Then there's a mirror by the door so that right before you leave the house you can just make sure. Then you get in your car and there's a mirror and people carry mirrors with them. I bet there's a lot of mirrors in your purses right now. No need to even raise your hand because I know.
You go to the bathroom, there's a mirror. Because we want to know. See, we actually love a mirror. We want to know. Something's wrong? I want to know what it is. That's why James wrote, continuing he says in James 1:23-24, "If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer." I read that verse. Next one, James 1:25, "But the one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of God, the word, the law of liberty and abides by it not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer, this man is blessed in whatever he does." This one is the one who's blessed.
That's why here in Psalm 119, he writes that the one who seeks God with all of his heart has found what his soul desires. He has found the longing of his soul. So much so that he says God has done a work, a spring of life is springing up within me so that when I look upon the law, I'm not ashamed. I know that God is doing something beautiful. I know that God is doing something glorious. I'm not ashamed. It doesn't mean a person's perfect. God is doing a work and it's a progress of work. There's still much to be done in our lives. I'll just raise my hand for me because I know it's all true for all of us.
There's still much that God is doing in our lives. When God is doing something beautiful upon the soul, there is a wellspring of life that you cherish. You can look upon the law, the word of God, and not be ashamed. In fact, He says "And I will give thanks to you with uprightness of heart." God has built out, God has constructed that in you. See notice, He doesn't say that you go and you fix your life up.
You go and you build this. You go and do this. He doesn't say it that way. He says, "You abide in the nearness of God and a wellspring of life will arise in your soul. Something beautiful of God will arise in you. “God built that.” God will construct the character of God, the integrity. He will build it that you can walk in it.
II. A Young Man Can Keep His Way Pure
That's why the very next section starting with the Hebrew letter B or Bet is so powerful. A young man can keep his way pure. Notice verses 9 and 10. "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it by guarding it according to thy word. For with all my heart I have sought you. Do not let me wander from your commandments." Now notice, it's very interesting that he specifically addresses a young man in this verse. He doesn't say how can a young woman keep her way pure or a young boy or an old man or an older woman keep her way pure. Notice how he did that. You can say old man, but you got to say older woman. Better be respectful.
Why does he say how could a young man keep his way pure? Because the challenges of a young man to keep his way pure are greater, frankly. Now everyone will face the challenge of his flesh wanting to be the master. Everyone will face this challenge, the flesh wanting to be the master, but if a young man keep his way pure then anyone can. See, there are unique challenges facing a young man. There are many things against him.
Firstly, his boundless energy. Now, I'm talking here about someone who may be 15 to 21, 15 to 22. Oh, I remember those years very well. Oh, the boundless energy. I can eat anything I wanted and never gain weight. I could run everywhere I went. I started lifting weights when I was, I think, I don't know, 18 or 19. Within a year I could deadlift 450 pounds. Notice how I threw that in. Oh, I could put that in my sermon. That's cool.
Oh, the vim and the vigor. Oh, I remember those days so well, the vigor of those days. Now today, I raked the leaves and I needed a two-hour nap. Changed. See, being young, being a young man, it makes you think you're bulletproof. It makes you self-confident, self-assured, self-sufficient, which leads a young man to do foolish things. Couple that with a lack of experience and a lack of wisdom and it's a formula for disaster because they think they know everything.
Oh, I'm not done. Then there's the raging hormones of a young man that pulls him into great temptations. That sexual energy outpaces his emotional and spiritual maturity. Oh, how can a young man keep his life pure? By keeping it according to God's word. If that young man could only understand the priority of the soul, of what God would do in the soul, it would keep him from all of the pitfalls that have regularly crashed so many lives of people when they're young.
Oh, what a tragedy it is to see a person when they're young and they crash their life, and then they're going to spend years rebuilding it. How much better it would be to take hold of a great truth such as this. How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to God's word? Oh, if they could only understand. When I see a young man or any young person really, when I see someone young, I think, oh what potential. Oh, what God can do. If you could only understand this.
I tell you I wish I understood this when I was that age. Anybody want to add their years to name it? Oh, I wish I understood. It would have kept me from so many troubles. I see a young person, oh what potential they have. If they could just understand what the soul means. The soul is the most important aspect of who you are. I'll tell you what, a young man or a young woman or anyone who's young takes hold of this.
A. Treasure God’s Word in your heart
Oh, what God can do in their life. Oh, what doors would open, what great things they could do, but so many of them spend years rebuilding the crash. That's why it's such a good word. Then he adds in the next phrase, ah, then treasure God's word in your heart. Notice verse 11, "Your word have I treasured in my heart that I may not sin against you." See the word treasured here. This is a great word. The word treasured in Hebrew means to store up or to value greatly. Really, they are both aspects of the same great truth.
Your word have I treasured. I have stored them up and I value them greatly for what they will do in my life. The priority of the soul is such that when you store up, see, when you meditate upon, when you add the word of God unto your soul, you are storing up that word of God into your life. You're writing it upon your soul. You're treasuring it because of the greatness of its power and its strength. That you can then understand that life can be lived out of that wellspring of life.
That's why Jesus wrote this in Luke 6:45, I love this verse that Jesus gives us here. I love quoting it and I submit to you that Psalm 119 and Luke 6:45 are interlaced, they're knitted together. Jesus said this, "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart will bring forth what is good." Now, this is Psalm 119. The good man, the blessed one, in whose soul there is arising a wellspring of life.
The good man out of the good treasure of his heart because he's been storing up the good treasure of the word of God, the heart of God, the truths of God, the principles of God. He's been storing him up of great value to him and it's a wellspring in his life. He says that will bring forth what is good. No, then he gives of course the contrast, the opposite that an evil man out of evil treasure will bring forth what's evil. You store up evil things, you put evil things, you put poison and dark things, and then that's what's going to come out.
For He gives a principle, for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. The mouth speaks, the life is lived from that which fills how important then it is of what you store, what you treasure, what you add to your soul. The life is lived. The mouth speaks for that which fills when you treasure God's word, when you store God's word, it becomes the treasure the wellspring of life. God's word will reveal his glory, and you'll see. See when you abide there in that place where you treasure and store up God's word you will see God will open your eyes to glory. You'll see that which is beautiful on your soul.
I'd submit to you that once you see it, how beautiful is this, this wellspring of life that you'll see sin and the world very differently than you saw it before. When you see it from their perspective of glory, when you see it from this perspective of light, it will change how you see it. For God sees it as it is. God sees it as it is. In fact, Jesus said this in Luke 16:15 Jesus says, "That which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God." Oh, the world in the sight of men. No, they think that's saw something. Highly esteemed. Oh, highly desired by the flesh.
B. Delight and rejoice in the Word
God says, "You cannot see. You cannot see, that thing is detestable. You cannot see it? Are there skills in your eyes? You cannot see it. This thing is poison. This thing will destroy." God says, "That thing will destroy you and I want to build in you. I want to build that which is beautiful." That's why the way this part of the Psalm finishes is so beautiful. He says, "Delight and rejoice in the word of God." There's a necessity in the rejoicing. There's a necessity in the delighting. Something happens there in the delighting, in the rejoicing of it.
That's why worship is so important in the life of a believer because when the soul is giving God praise and glory, something beautiful is happening there. The delight to the soul to dwell in that place of honoring God in worship. That's why, like tonight, we're going to gather, in the night of worship we're just going to-- I'll tell you what, the Holy Spirit of the living God is going to meet us in his place tonight. The Holy Spirit, I love this church. This is a worshiping church.
There's a hunger and desire for the things of God here. I'll tell you what, I know many pastors and they would love to have a church like this. We call for that prayer. You guys come and it's for real. We're going to have prayer, it's for real. People come to worship, people come to pray, and the Holy Spirit is going to delight it. There's a necessity in the delighting, Notice how he says it, verse 14. "I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies as much as in all riches." That's a big word. I have, I rejoiced, I will meditate on your precepts. I will regard your ways. I will delight in your statutes. I will never forget your word.
See, many do not understand the value of the treasure of what God's word is upon the soul. It is wisdom. It is glory. It is life and wellspring arising wisdom that will transform and bless. That's why what Job says is so powerful. Job 28:13-18, he says, "Man does not know the value of such wisdom. Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as his price. The acquisition of wisdom is far above that of pearls."
Meaning do not understand. Oh, you can only understand, God is saying through his word that when you delight in the Almighty, when there is a wellspring arising in your soul, you feel the pleasure of God upon your soul and it will transform you. Oh, I want a soul like that. I want a soul like that.
Father, thank you. Thank you for your word that reveals to us the beauty of who you are, what you've done in us. God we want that in our soul. We want our souls like that, that there would be a wellspring of life. God do that in us. Do that, that is our prayer. Do that in us. Church, how many would say that to the Lord today? Do that. I want a soul like that. Do that in me, oh Lord. I want my soul. Oh, let there be a wellspring of life, I want that. I want a soul that abides in the glory. I want you to build that construct of glory, of integrity, of the character of God.
I want to speak out of that. I want my life to be lived out of that. Let there be a wellspring of life arising in me. Church, how many would declare that to the Lord? Would you just raise your hand as a way of declaring it and giving God glory for it? Just raise your hand. God thank you. Thank you for everyone who says yes and amen. Do that in me, let there be a wellspring of life arising in my soul. Do that which is beautiful, transform me, show me the integrity of it I want to walk in it, I want to abide in it. Do that in me Lord in Jesus powerful name, and everyone said, can we give the Lord praise, and glory, and honor? Amen. Amen.