A Lamp for Your Path

A Lamp for Your Path
Psalm 119:89-106
June 15-16, 2024

Psalm 119 of course is the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. The theme of the longest chapter of the Word of God is the Word of God itself. How appropriate is that? It's written in a way, as I mentioned before, it's written so as to make memorization easier. Here's what we mean, it's divided into 22 sections because there are 22 Hebrew letters of the alphabet. There's eight verses in each section, and each of those eight verses begins with the same letter, with whatever letter it is of the alphabet. In English, we would say A-A-A-A, like that, B-B-B, and that makes memorization easier.

As I mentioned before, memorization was really only the first step. It's only when those words become meaningful to you. It's only when you see the value of the wisdom of those words, the heart of God in those words, does the Word of God begin to have power in your life. There's something beyond, right? The idea of considering, meditating upon, letting them rest well on your soul. Do you see the heart of God in them?

I remember when I was in Bible college, I spent many, many hours memorizing so many things for tests. I used every memorization tool that you could think of. Flashcards. I would use my fingers. Oh, there's 5 points. I would use 5 fingers. Oh, there's 10 points. It got a little hard when there are 20 points, but you get my idea, right? We're going to have every tool possible. When it comes to the Word of God, oftentimes the best is just to just let it settle upon your heart. Just repeat the words.

One day I was doing this, and I was in Bible college, I memorized large sections of Scripture. I did Romans 6, Romans 8. If you know your Bible, you know these are some amazing chapters. Many chapters of 1st Corinthians. One day I'm just repeating Romans 6 to myself, and that's how you memorize, you just repeat. One day, I'm repeating the words, and all of a sudden, it hit me. Like, "That's a great--" I got to verse 21, and verse 21 says, "What benefit did you gain from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death."

It hit me like, "You know what? That is a great question. What benefit did I gain? See, I looked back on the world when I was in the world, doing the world thing. I didn't gain anything. What benefit did I gain? You're right, Lord. That is a great truth. That is a great point. The outcome of those things was death." See, that's the thing. When you begin to consider deeply, see, when these things become written on your heart, when you begin to consider them deeply, you come to know the heart of the One who sent it.

Really, that's what God desires, is that He wants you to get to know Him. His heart for you is revealed in His word. When you come to know the heart of the One who sent it, when you come to know His love for you, when you open your heart to receive that love, you are transformed by it because love is a transforming power. When you consider how much He's loved you, what He's done, what do you do? What do you say? Because when you see it, you want to just say, you want to do, you want to love Him in return.

See, God knows that what you love is of no small matter. What you love is of everlasting consequence. The psalmist here gives us a master class in the transformation of the soul. That is the glory of this chapter. The transformation, the revival of the soul. When you read God's Word, and when you meditate upon it with a joyful spirit, with a delighted heart, you are adding the word of God to your soul. Word by word, precept by precept, rock by rock, brick by brick. It is a construct of what God is building in your life because God's Word is active. God is alive and God's Word will transform your life.

I. May God’s Word be Settled in Your Heart

See, the psalmist is giving us not just a master class on God's Word, but a beautiful understanding about the beauty of God's Word settled upon your heart. It's meant to be personal, it's meant to be applied, it's meant to be lived, and we will see that when we look at these verses. We're going to start. Let's read it. We're going to start in verse 89. "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations. You established the earth and it stands."

He's making a great point here. "You establish Your word and it stands. They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants. And if Your law, if Your word had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them, You have revived me." Great truth. "I am yours. Save me." You get a sense here that he's got difficulty, troubles, turbulence happening in his life is one of the undercurrents of the psalm. "I'm yours." He understands this relationship. "I am yours. Save me, God, for I have sought your precepts. The wicked, they wait for me to destroy me, but I will diligently consider Your testimonies."

These who are against me, they will not dissuade me. For I have seen a limit to all perfection or an end, but Your commandment is exceedingly broad. In other words, it has no end. It is without limits. Then verse 97. Oh, I love verse 97. "O, how I love Thy law. It is the meditation of my life all day." I mentioned before, it reminds me of a song I learned, and it just resonates. Whenever I'm reading Psalm 119, I read it over and over. I come to that verse, I'm reminded of that song. I just go through the hallways singing that song. "Oh, how I love Thy law."

It just rolls off your heart. It's just like there is the heart of the psalmist, right there. "Oh, how I love Thy law. It is the meditation of my heart." Notice then, "For Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies. And they are ever mine. They are mine. I have more insight than my teachers. For Your testimonies are my meditation." Something happens there. I understand more than the ancient. Because I observe Your precepts. I observe them. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, so that I may keep Your word. I treasure it. I want to keep it. I will keep my feet from the evil ways.

I have not turned aside from Your ordinances. For You Yourself have taught me. This is a great understanding. The spirit of the living God. When you meditate, when you consider, when you let the word dwell upon your soul, God Himself, by His Holy Spirit, is teaching your soul. Then he says, I love verse 103, "O, how sweet are Your words to my taste." Ah, they are pleasantness. Of course, this is a spiritual analogy. "O, how sweet are Your words to my taste." I love them. They taste wonderful to me. "Yes, they are sweeter than honey to my mouth. From your precepts, I get understanding. I hate every false way."

Then verse 105, very famous. "For Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." What great words. What a great psalm. Much to be applied to our lives. Starting with the very beginning, there in verse 89, where he's making a point that must be applied spiritually. May God's Word be settled upon your heart. Notice verse 89. "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout generations. You established the earth, and it stands. You established Your word, and it is settled forever." See, it means God's Word is everlasting. It means that it is infinite in nature. It is God's Word in the beginning, and it will be in the end.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. It is the foundation on which God has built His heart for us." Isaiah 40:8, very similar word. "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." What great declarations. Now, the idea is to make it personal. If God's Word is settled in heaven, then let God's Word, is meant to be settled upon your heart. Let it be settled upon your heart well.

See, many people are disturbed within themselves. Many people, they are in turmoil in their inner bearing, their inner man is in trauma. They lack peace. They're insecure, fearful. They doubt themselves. Easily offended. When God's Word is settled within you, it settles over all of these insecurities and fears, and doubts. Let God's Word be settled. Let God's truth reign over the lies, and the fears, and the insecurities that have established themselves in so many people's lives, that have created so much doubt, and so much turmoil. Let God's Word settled in heaven then let it be settled upon all of those things, for God speaks a better word. When God speaks up better word into the fears and the insecurities, you are free.

I love the declaration of faith that Paul gives to us in 2 Timothy 1:12, where he says, "For I know in whom I have believed." There is that wonderful God's Word is settled upon my heart, this thing is settled with me. God, he says, "I know in whom I have believed, and I am persuaded, I am convinced that he is able to keep that which I have entrusted to him until that day." That is a glorious declaration of faith that God's Word be settled. God has a better word to speak over all the fears, and the insecurities, and the doubts. God will heal. That's what He says.

A. Let the Word of God dwell within you richly

Paul says a very similar thing in the New Testament, is the New Testament understanding, "Let the word of God dwell within you richly," he writes. See, God gives the riches of the treasures of wisdom and the principles through His word, and those principles are given to guide our lives, to build your life upon them. Jesus said, that it is the abiding in His word. When those of you who said He abides in that word, and thus His word abiding in you He says, that is what makes us His disciples.

God sent Jesus as the word of God, and the word of God was sent with power. We know that the word of God is power itself. Hebrews 4:12, "The word of God is living, active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit of joints and marrow able to judge the very thoughts and the intentions of the heart." Let God's Word be settled over all. That God's Word would reign, and then speak a better word.

Notice what Paul writes in Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell within you richly." See, he's telling us here how the word of God should dwell, richly, pleasantly, delightedly. This is one of the themes that you see running through the entirety of the Bible, but for certain you see this, it's like a fabric woven throughout Psalm 11:9. It's one of the great themes. The word of God has settled upon my heart, but it dwells within the richly, delight, "O, I delight in your word." There's joy that resides. "It's sweet to my taste. It's a delight to my soul."

There's significance in the word being the delight. Let God's Word be settled in heaven. Let God's Word be settled in me joyfully. Let it speak to your life, a better word. Jesus said this in John 8:31-36 that, "If you will continue in my word--" that is to say, if you will stay there, abide in my word, "then you are truly disciples of mine, and then you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." For if you sense that you are free, you are free indeed. Amen. Can we give the Lord praise? That's a glorious truth. "The Son sets you free because you have been abiding in God's Word."

God's Word is abiding in you, and it is settled upon your heart well joyously, beautifully settled upon your heart, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free because it settled upon your soul. See, some people they chase against God's Word. It does not dwell within them richly. It dwells within them begrudgingly, or rebelliously, and if that's the case, it will not transform your life. You'll be resisting the nature of the flesh. It will resist at every point but God sent it for your good that it would dwell upon your fears and insecurities, and it would be settled upon your soul, but our flesh by nature it rebels in its rules. I'm sure I'm shocking you with this news.

Our flesh rebels against rules. It doesn't like constraints. It rebels against authority. As someone sees the word of God like a bossy parent, then that nature man is going to rise up within them and resist it at every turn. That nature in man, that contrarian nature of man, oh, what trouble it makes in our lives. I was thinking of a time when our granddaughter when she was living with us, and she used to get up super early for school. One time as I was saying goodnight to her, knowing that the next day she got to sleep in and that she was really looking forward to sleeping in. I was just teasing her, and I said, "Now, young lady, tomorrow you are not allowed to get up early. You have to sleep in tomorrow."

She said, "Oh, well, what if I want to get up early?" Oh, that's all the contrarian nature, so early does it reveal itself. No, let God's Word richly dwell, pleasantly dwell. I delight in your word for I know it speaks a better word. I know that it speaks to all the fears, all the troubles. It holds the treasures of life. See, at one point, Jesus explained to the Pharisees why they were not like their father Abraham. Jesus said this in John 8:37, "You're not like your father, Abraham, because my word has no place in you." What a great insight. My word has no place, in other words, it ought to have a place.

B. God’s Word will rebuild your life

When God's Word is settled in your heart, it has the place as the foundation. It is that place of glory and honor. Notice Jeremiah 15:16, "Your words were found and I ate them." Again, spiritual picture, "Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart." Notice this out of Psalm 119 when he tells us next, "That God's Word then will rebuild your life." You notice in verses 92 and 93, he says, "If your law, if your word had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts. For by them, you have revived me, you have revived me out of my affliction."

Now, the affliction that he speaks of here came from some time in his past, when he faltered, when he went astray, and God corrected the course. There was an affliction, some difficulty, some trouble that came, because he went astray, because he faltered, but God used that affliction to revive him, so he is experiencing a personal revival. He's speaking to us out of that personal revival. Now, he is experiencing what many people have experienced. Many people in this very room, have faltered, gone astray, and then encountered affliction, and trouble, and difficulty because of that.

Then God used it to turn them around, and now they are experiencing a personal revival. How many people are experiencing a personal revival because God is rebuilding your life? Amen. Amen. Let's give Him glory. Notice the theme is woven into the song, Psalm 119:67, 71 and 75. Notice, "Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word." Notice, it was good for me that I was afflicted. I look back now, and I see it now, it was good. At the time, it was unpleasant. At the time, it was affliction. It was trouble. It was difficult. Now when I look back on it, I see now it was good. For I learned your statutes. I learned your ways. You taught me. In the midst of that affliction, I learned something. It turned me around. It's good. How many people look back, they went astray. They faltered. They were into trouble. Now they look back and say, "You know what, what I went through, God brought that affliction around and it was good. Now I see it it was good." God did it. It was good.

Notice, I know, oh Lord, your judgments are right and that it was in faithfulness that you did that, that you afflicted me. See, God knows how to rebuild. He knows that in order to rebuild that there are times when he must first afflict in order to correct the course. God will correct the course, because he knows that the course that you're on is going to lead you into a path of destruction. God says, "We got to turn this one around." You got to turn this thing around. He brings those corrective afflictions even.

One of the best illustrations I think of that is a story that Jesus told in Luke 15. It's the story of the prodigal son. For the story of the prodigal son is that God turned this young man around and used the affliction. Notice the story, a certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me." He divided his wealth between them, and not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey to a distant country.

There he squandered his estate on loose living, on world living, on the parties, the whole thing. He had a lot of money. He had his share of the estate. He spent it all on the world, on party living. When he has spent everything, a famine, a severe famine occurred in that land and he began to be in need. He went and attached himself to one of the citizens of the country who sent him into the fields to feed swine. This is the worst job a Jew could ever have feeding pigs.

You think it can't get any worse, but it is worse because then he is envious because the pigs have food. He says, he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating. He wanted pig food, and no one was giving anything to him. That's the point. It says in the story, he came to his senses. God used all of that. He came to his senses, and he said, "How many of my father's hired men have more than enough food, and I'm dying here in my hunger. I will get up, and I will go to my father."

See, God used the affliction of the famine, and all the circumstance of everything turning against him. Couldn't find a job. Finally, he finds the worst possible job that a Jew can have feeding swine or pig. Then he's envious. He wants the pig food. God used all of that, all of that turmoil, all of that affliction to turn his heart toward his father. God will do the same. It's good. He's a good, good father. He knows you got to turn this thing around.

Then the story shows us the heart of the Father, that when you turn this thing around-- God, the story is so beautiful. It says in Luke 15:20-24, "And he got up and he came to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him." Something arose, he felt compassion and he ran toward his son, embraced him, and kissed him. I love that part of the story. It suggests to us that the father had been watching for thy son. How many times had he come out, and watch down the road? No, not today. Then again he would come, "No, not today. My son. My son. What's happening with my son, my son."

Father's know, you know this heart. You know this heart. "My son, my son, my son. What's happening to my son?" One day he looks and he sees someone on the road. Is that my son? "My son," and he says he runs, he runs. The heart of the father is so beautiful in this story. He says he embraces him and kisses him. Now, that's very meaningful because I submit to you, do you know what this young son smelt like? I submit that he smelt like pig manure.

When that father, he ran towards his son and embraced him, he went, "Oh wow. What? You stink. What have you been doing?" That's not what I read. He embraced him, smelly swine manure and all, and kisses him. Then the son has his speech ready. "Father, I sinned, I sinned against heaven and in your sight. I'm no longer worthy to be a son." In other words, "I'm not coming here to be restored as a son, because I'm not worthy of that. I am asking just for a job. I'll sleep in the barn. I'll sleep with the servants. I just need a job.

I'm not worthy to be your son. I just need a job. I'll sleep in the barn. Then his father says to his servants, quickly, quickly, now bring the best robe and put it on my son. That swine smelling son, put a robe over my son. Quickly put a ring on his hand. The ring, the family, the crest. The ring of authority, put it on his hand and sandals for the smelly feet. For this son of mine was dead and has come to life again. The son of mine was lost and has been found.

It's a glorious story that God will use all of the trouble, and all of the affliction to turn this thing around. When you turn this thing around, he is the one who will run down the road and embrace you and welcome you home. Amen. It's a glorious story. Amen. Would you note then, and any of you who have been through this know that there needs to be next a rebuilding. Those who go astray, those who have faltered know that they often suffer great damage to their soul.

That encounter with the world brings great damage to the inner man, the soul, and that has got to be rebuilt. That's got to be restored. There needs to be a rebuilt soul within spiritually. Psalm 119:37, "Turn my eyes away from looking at vanity," emptiness. That's what a word means, emptiness. Those things you have they mean nothing. Turn my eyes away. I see it now. Now, I understand those things, they have no meaning. They mean nothing. Turn my eyes away and revive me in your ways. For I see it now, but reviving me in your ways is then the building. Step by step, brick by brick, precept by precept, adding, adding God's Word.

II. God’s Word will Establish Your Way

See, if your word had not been my delight, I would've perished there in my affliction, but I will never forget your precept. For by them you have revived me. You are rebuilding me. For notice then what comes next in the Psalm, that when God's Word is settled in heaven, and when God's Word is settled upon your heart, that God's Word will establish your way, it will establish your way. It's a theme that runs, is knitted through the fabric of the Psalm. Notice verses 27, 29 and 30, and 32, where he says, "Make me understand the way of your precepts."

There is a way. A better way, a higher way. I want to know what they are, make me understand them. Notice, remove the false way. It's there, it's in, it's there, remove it. Notice, "For I have chosen the faithful way, and I will run the way of your commandments for you will enlarge my heart." These are great words right here. Make me understand that way. Remove the false way, for I have chosen the faithful way. There comes a time to choose. There's a path, there's a journey. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

There comes a time to choose what way will you live your life. He said, "I went astray, I know the faltering of life. I'm done with that. Turn my heart away from emptiness. That means nothing to me now. I have chosen the faithful way because I see down the treasure of it. I have chosen the faithful way." I love this, I will run away of your commands for I know that you will enlarge my heart. There's a great beautiful understanding, you'll enlarge. God will increase your capacity. He will build his word to increase the capacity of your soul.

When he adds the treasure of his word he is adding, building, by adding truth and glory to your soul and writing upon your heart. This is establishing the way of God in your life. We need this because when a person comes to faith in Christ they bring a lot of the old life with them. They came out of the world, and though they have trusted Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, they got a lot of work to do. For they brought a lot of the old ways, the old thinking, the old-- you got to put off the old description.

It says put off the old and put on the new old practices, old ways, old emotions, old way of thinking. Those things were there first, and for many people, it's that which was most familiar. It's easy to fall back on that which is familiar, but those ways were hurtful ways to you and to those around you. God wants to have his word be settled upon your heart, that God would speak a better word. That God's Word was settled over all of the doubts, all the fears, all of the insecurities, all of the anxieties of the old way. Bring truth to bear.

Isaiah 43:17-18, "Do not call to mind the former things. Do not ponder things of the past. Behold I will do something new. Now it is springing forth. Will you not be aware of it?" Will you not be aware of it? This is what I am doing now. I am doing this work. It will spring forth into that which is new. Don't call the mind the former things, don't ponder the ways. The way you used to think, the way you used to be, don't ponder them. I'm doing a new work. Let my word be settled over all of it. I'll speak a better word.

See, so many people they fall back, they long back. Reminds me, of course, of Israel when they were in slavery and oppression. Those 400 years in Egypt, and then God miraculously by the intervening hand of God through Moses set them free from that slavery and oppression and brought them out of Egypt. Setting them free from Egypt, and setting them free from the old way of thinking are two different things altogether. God set them free but they kept thinking back of their old life and longing to go back.

Maybe you've heard the expression you can get people out of Egypt but you can't get Egypt out of people. Or at least it's very hard, that's what happened to them. Numbers 11:5-6. "Oh, we remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt, another place free in Egypt. Oh, we remember the cucumbers and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic." Oh, don't you remember the good old days? Did they forget? They were the ones that were crying out to God. They were the ones, "Save us God out of his oppression. God save us out of all this affliction, out of all this trouble," and now they forgot?

A. Wisdom will increase

If God's Word is settled upon your heart, he will keep adding, and building and will enlarge the capacity of your soul. God will speak a better word over all of the old ways. Old ways of thinking, God will settle His word over it all. Let your word be settled upon my heart, God. Then it says He will enlarge my way. Notice, even wisdom of life, wisdom will increase. Again, it's a fabric that you see even in these verses. Notice 97 through 100, 102, "Oh, how I love thy law, it is my meditation all day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies."

Ah, Lord, make me wise, enlarge the capacity of my heart. I want this, make me wiser than those who are against me. I have more insight than my teachers. "I understand more than the agent for you yourself have taught me." He says you yourself, when you meditate upon, when you consider the word, when it settles upon your heart, God is teaching the way, God is teaching wisdom, and there's enlarging of the capacity," he says. God's Word is wisdom itself and you will increase your heart in the capacity of wisdom.

Notice, in Proverbs 3:13-18. "How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. She, wisdom, is a tree of life for all those who take hold of her, and happy are those who hold her fast." God empowers His word by the Holy Spirit so that it will ignite the soul, so that you have more than just knowledge, you have spiritual revival. That's what God will do through His word. He will bring spiritual revival. He will ignite the soul within that you would desire the wisdom of life to be able to see the insight and understanding of the deeper matters of life. We need to understand the deeper matters of life.

B. A lamp unto my feet

Then, lastly, he says in Psalm 105, "For your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path." This is a great word. The steps of a righteous man are established by the Lord. Jesus said a very similar word in John 8:12. Jesus said to them, "I am the light of the world, and he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life." From a spiritual perspective, the light of life is found in walking in the truth, the word of God. The battle for the soul is won or lost with truth or lies.

See, darkness hides the truth, light reveals the truth. Darkness hides the truth, light reveals the truth. For better or for worse, if you get up in the morning, look in the mirror, you might actually prefer the darkness, but if light reveals the truth at least you can do something about it or at least try to. If you live in darkness, you can't see the dangers that are before you. Some years ago my wife and I visited the Grand Canyon and we were both amazed that the path along the rim on much of the path that goes along the rim there is no guardrail.

There's the path, there's the rim, and there it's down. This is no place to walk in darkness. The dangers of walking in darkness are devastating. We read the story of a man and a son who went to Grand Canyon to go camping, and when they arrived they arrived late, it was dark, and so they set up their tent in the dark. They found a grassy place, and let's set up tent here, so they did. Next morning, they came out of their tent and were aghast to learn that they had been within yards of the rim. Like, "We were walking all through this last night."

See, life is like that. Those who walk in darkness are not aware of the dangers, the darkness has blinded them, and they proceed on with life unaware. You know many people who walk on unaware, blind, until it's too late, they fall in, they falter, crash their lives, but those who delight in God's Word have a lamp to their feet, a light unto their path. God's Word is wisdom itself, insight, understanding into the matters of life. I have chosen the way, the faithful way. God, establish my feet. Speak a better word. Let God's Word be settled upon my heart. Speak a word over all the lies, over all the fears, over all the doubts, over all the insecurities.

Let God's Word be settled upon my heart. I have chosen the faithful way. Lord, we are so thankful. Your word is settled in heaven, then let it be settled in us here now. Church, how many will say that to the Lord? Let the word of God be settled upon me. Let it be settled over all the fears, doubts, insecurities, anxieties. Speak a better word. I know in whom I have believed. I am persuaded, and my God is able. How many would say to the Lord today, I have chosen the faithful way? Be a light to my feet. Pour that word upon my soul. God, enlarge the capacity of my heart.

Let God's Word be settled upon my heart. Let God's Word be settled upon my soul. Let this be settled. Let this be resolved, for I know that your word is a better word, it will speak life to me. Church, is that your heart and your desire? Would you raise your hand unto the Lord as that declaration, "Lord, let your word be settled upon my heart? Speak a better word. Speak over all the fears and set me free. I have chosen the faithful way. God, I delight. Your words are sweet to me. They are settled well upon my heart. They are the delight to me, for I have chosen the way, the faithful way." O God, we love you. We honor your holy name. In Jesus' name, we pray, and everyone said? Can we give the Lord praise?