In Your Word I Delight
In Psalm 119:137-144, the verses reveal that the testimonies of the LORD are righteous because they are given by a righteous God. In these eight verses, the word righteous and righteousness appear five times and the word upright appears once. Verse 137 begins the stanza by stating that God in His very nature is righteous: “Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright are thy judgments.” Therefore, any word that comes from God is going to spring out of His righteous character. God is always right; therefore, He is right in His commands and testimonies.
Verse 140 reads: “Thy word is very pure; therefore thy servant loveth it.” From a fountain of pure water nothing impure can come. So, the Bible is a pure book because it comes from our righteous Lord. The psalmist stated that he loved the Word of God because of its righteous and pure character. What a blessed Book it is!
“Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful” (v. 138). Think of it – the Word of God, without editing and revision, is faithful and never changes.
“… thy law is the truth” (v. 142).
“The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting” (v. 144).
When men and women write books, they need to be edited, proofread, corrected, retyped, and probably retyped again. Not so with God’s Word. It came out of His righteous character. There will be no future revelations to invalidate what has already been written. His Word is “very faithful” (V. 138), “truth” (v. 142), and endued with everlasting righteousness (v. 144).
Therefore, the psalmist revealed what God’s Word meant to him. He loved it (v. 140); he delighted in it (v. 143); and he claimed it so that he could live by it (v. 144). Though trouble and anguish would come, the psalmist knew he could turn to the Word and have help. He knew he needed the Word and its commandments in order that he might really know the delights which could come into his life. With an understanding of the Bible, he knew that he could live to honor the Lord.
May the Bible be our delight also, as we live each day.
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My Bible
Author Unknown
This Holy Book I’d rather own
Than all the gold and gems,
That e’er in monarch’s coffers shone
Than all their diadems.
Nay, were the seas one chrysolite,
The Earth one golden ball,
And diamonds all the stars of night,
This Book outweighs them all.
Ah, no, the soul ne’er found relief
In glittering hoards of wealth;
Gems dazzle not the eye of grief,
Gold cannot purchase health.
But here a blessed balm appears
To heal the deepest woe;
And those who read this Book in tears
Their tears shall cease to flow.
Thou truest friend man ever knew
Thy constancy I’ve tried
When all were false, I found thee true,
My counselor and guide.
The mines of earth no treasures give
That can this volume buy;
In teaching me the way to live
It taught me how to die.