If you’ve not read Why the Word – Psalm 119 Part 1, you may want to start there and then come back here when you finish. In that post, I cover what Psalm 119 has to say about the many benefits of having the Word of God (the Bible) be a large part of your life. In Part 2, we’ll look at all the things the psalmist did that caused him to reap those rewards.
Right, the benefits don’t just appear out of the blue. As is true with all of God’s promises, we do our part and God responds. First things first: It becomes quickly apparent, when reading Psalm 119, that condition of the psalmist’s heart had everything to do with His relationship with God and His Word (AKA “the teachings,” “the precepts,” etc.). That’s where we need to start as well.
In other words, why are you getting into the Bible? Is it because you think it’s a requirement for Christians? Would you feel guilty if you didn’t? Or are you digging in because you’re hungry, because you want more of God and understand that getting close to God requires getting close to His Word? Think about your motivation, because motivation matters.
Having covered that, there is a lot to Psalm 119. It was a challenge, deciding how to handle the massive amount of information it contains. I’ve opted to follow the same course here as I did with Part 1, sticking primarily to bullets supplemented with verse references and a few, select quotes. The verses quoted are in the New Living Translation.
So what did the psalmist DO?
- Ask God’s Help – He asked God to teach him, to open his eyes, to help his understanding, to make him eager and hungry, to teach him good judgement and give him knowledge, to give him discernment and the ability to follow… and more. (Verses: 12, 18, 26, 27, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 64, 66, 68, 73, 108, 125, 144, 169, 173)
- Be Anchored in the Word – Verse 61: “Evil people try to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to your instructions.”
- Be Faithful to the Word – Verse 30: “I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations.”
- Believe the Word – Verse 66: “I believe in your commands…”
- Delight in the Word – (Verses: 16, 70, 77, 111, 174)
- Desire the Word – Verse 20: “I am always overwhelmed with a desire for your regulations.” Verse 131: “I pant with expectation, longing for your commands.”
- Do What’s Right – Verse 121: “Don’t leave me to the mercy of my enemies, for I have done what is just and right.”
- Don’t Fellowship with Evil-minded people – (Verse 115)
- Don’t Reject the Word – (Verses: 53, 102, 110)
- Don’t Wander Away from the Word – (Verses: 21, 51)
- Follow the Word – Verse 1: “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD.” (Also verse 173)
- Hope in the Word – Verse 147: “I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.” (Also verses: 43, 74, 81)
- Keep the Word – (Verses 4, 31, 33, 87, 100)
- Know the Word is Eternal – Verse 152: “I have known from my earliest days that your laws will last forever.”
- Learn the Word – Verse 7: “As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should!”
- Let the Word Guide You – Verse 105: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
- Let the Word Help You – (Verse: 175)
- Live by the Word – (Verses 30, 34, 98, 112, 157)
- Love the Word – (Verses 97, 113, 140, 159, 163, 165, 167)
- Meditate on the Word – (Verses 15, 23, 27, 52, 55, 78, 95, 97, 99, 117, 148)
- Obey the Word – Verse 94: “…I have worked hard at obeying your commandments.” (Also, verses 2, 9, 22, 34, 40, 44, 55, 56, 57, 60, 67, 69, 83, 88, 101, 106, 109, 115, 119, 129, 134, 145, 146, 166, 167, 168)
- Praise Him for the Word – (Verses 164, 171)
- Read the Word with Expectancy – Verse 131: “I pant with expectation, longing for your commands.”
- Rejoice in the Word – (Verses 14, 143)
- Remember the Word – (Verses 11, 16, 93, 141, 153, 176)
- Revere the Word – (Verses 120, 161)
- Search for Him Wholeheartedly – Verse 2: “Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.”
- Seek Unity – (Verses 63, 79)
- Self-assess – Verse 59: “I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws.”
- Sing the Word- (Verses 54, 172)
- Speak the Word – (Verse 13)
- Strive for the Word – (Verses 10, 32, 45)
- Study the Word – Verse 15: “I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.”
- Talk About the Word – (Verse 46)
- Thank Him for the Word – Verse 62: “I rise at midnight to thank you for your just regulations.”
- Treasure the Word – Verse 162: “I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure.” (Also verses 72, 111, 127)
- Trust the Word – Verse 42: “Then I can answer those who taunt me, for I trust in your word.”
Near the top of the list is “Know the Word is Eternal.” It was this very revelation that woke me up to the necessity of getting into the Bible. We will literally live by the Word of God for eternity, and I want to enter into eternity prepared for that life! With this understanding, I dove into the Word of God and have never looked back. Nothing compares to reading God’s Word with an open heart and having Him speak truths to your spirit.
“In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.”
This is John 1:1, and if you continue reading you learn that The Word is Jesus. Do you really want to know Jesus? Get to know the Word!
If you want some help getting started, or just want to experience how I dig into the Bible, check out my book, Experiencing the Bible, on Amazon. It’s currently available in paperback and ebook, and an audiobook is in the works.
If you’ve never truly experienced the Word, you have no idea what you’re missing!
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C