Scripture Daily

Context No. 4074 of 4322 · Psalms

Context · Reflection

Psalms 119:1-16: in context

1Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the LORD’s law. 2Blessed are those who keep his statutes, who seek him with their whole heart. 3Yes, they do nothing wrong. They walk in his ways. 4You have commanded your precepts, that we should fully obey them. 5Oh that my ways were steadfast to obey your statutes! 6Then I wouldn’t be disappointed, when I consider all of your commandments. 7I will give thanks to you with uprightness of heart, when I learn your righteous judgments. 8I will observe your statutes. Don’t utterly forsake me. 9How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10With my whole heart I have sought you. Don’t let me wander from your commandments. 11I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12Blessed are you, LORD. Teach me your statutes. 13With my lips, I have declared all the ordinances of your mouth. 14I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15I will meditate on your precepts, and consider your ways. 16I will delight myself in your statutes. I will not forget your word.

The longest psalm opens with the blessedness of those who walk in God's law, and within it comes one of the practical verses about the power of Scripture in our lives: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. The psalmist has taken God's word deep inside himself, memorized and internalized it, and he names its purpose: to keep him from sin.

There is real wisdom here about how God's word works in us. It is not enough for Scripture to sit on a shelf or even to be read occasionally; the psalmist speaks of storing it up in the heart, hiding it within, so that it is available at the moment of temptation. When God's word is stored in the heart, it rises up to guard us when sin tempts, reminding us of what is right, strengthening us to resist. There is a call here to more than casual reading. To store God's word in the heart, to memorize it, meditate on it, make it part of us, is to arm ourselves against sin. The psalmist did not merely admire God's word; he hid it within, and it guarded him.

Am I storing up God's word in my heart, memorizing and internalizing it, so that it is there to guard me against sin when temptation comes, rather than leaving it as something I only occasionally read?

Sources