Psalm 119 BETH

Continuing through the longest psalm in scripture, we come to the next set of verses, 9-16. In verses 1-8, we read that if we live a life that is undefiled, and we walk in God's commands and statures, we will be blessed in the Lord. How can we do this? We live so en drenched in sin that it is hard to walk in any kind of spiritual and physical purity. Thankfully, the psalmist knew this, so the very next passage of this chapter show us how to live a life that is pure.

"How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart, I have sought you;
Oh let me not wander from your commandments!
I have hidden your word in my heart.
That I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O Lord!
Teach me your statutes.
With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of your mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
I will delight myself in your statutes;
I will not forget Your word."  -  Psalm 119:9-16

In order to live a life of purity, we must know the word of God on a very deep level. We cannot be only surface deep Christians and expect to withstand heavy attacks form the enemy. We must hide the word of God deep in our hearts, not to keep it buried there, but to be able to pull it out whenever and wherever the Devil tries to trip us up. It reminds me of Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness. In case you aren't familiar with the story, it goes something like this: Jesus had just been baptized by John the Baptist. Upon coming out of the water, the Holy Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove and a voice from Heaven declares," This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased"- Matthew 3:17. Immediately, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness alone for 40 days. This time was spent with Jesus praying and fasting, and the scriptures say that at the end of the 40 day period, Jesus was getting hungry. It is at this time that Satan comes into the picture. He tries to tempt Jesus with 3 different trials of the flesh, doing anything he can to trip up the Son of God in order to make his sacrifice later on the cross insufficient. With each temptation Satan thrown toward the Son of God, Jesus blocks them all not with a legion of angels, like he easily could have done. Instead he uses scripture, God's holy word to combat the devil's attacks. Jesus had the word of God hidden in his heart, for such a time as this, so that when the enemy charged, his defense was ready and he was able to remain faithful to God.   

The psalmist makes it very clear in this passage that if we want to stay pure, God's word has to be at the center of our very being. Without the strength that comes from studying God's word and building up your spiritual armor, the attacks of the enemy are going to bring you to your knees.

"With my whole heart, I sought you; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!"

Seek God with your whole heart and when the enemy chooses to attack, you will be ready to fight back and watch as God helps you to hold your ground and not back down.

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a journey through the Psalms