PSALM 119:105-112 NUN This section begins with probably the best known verse in the psalm, v.105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Spurgeon comments, We are walkers through the city of this world, and we are often called to go out into its darkness; let us never venture there without the light giving Word, lest we slip with our feet. Each man should use the Word of God personally, practically, and habitually, that he may see his way and see what lies in it. When darkness settles down upon all around me, the Word of the Lord, like a flaming torch, reveals my way. How do you use the Word of God? When I was a younger Christian I used to use it to argue with But, you know, there is a difference in defending the truths of God s Word and using it as stick to beat your opponents in order to win points. Matthew Henry understood the purpose of the Bible as did Spurgeon; he said, The Word of God directs us in our work and way, and a dark place indeed the world would be without it. The commandment is a lamp kept burning with the oil of the Spirit, as a light to direct us in the choice of our way, and the steps we take in that way. Through the Word of God we discover Him to be always faithful unto His people. In turn, - in the covenant relationship, - God expects His people to be faithful to Him also. Put quite simply, faithfulness is an evidence of faith and Paul tells us, Rom. 10:17 faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, and II Thess. 2:13 we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. When we say we love someone our love is demonstrated by our devotion to them; in the same way, when you say your faith is in Christ, the evidence of that faith is your faithfulness as it is borne out in your witness and in your testimony. You could say from now until your face turns blue that you love Christ, but the evidence is demonstrated in the measure of devotion to Him that you show to others. In this section the psalmist emphasises at least four areas of this kind of devoted faithfulness in the life of the believer. Faithful Feet v.105
Faithful Words vv.106-108 A Faithful Memory vv.109-110 A Faithful Heart vv.111-112 2 FAITHFUL FEET v.105 Feet take you where you want to go. The destination your feet are travelling is determined by the direction you want to take. If you want to go to Dunfermline, you will take the road to Dunfermline not the road to Dundee. Already the psalmist has made a conscious decision: v.32 I will run the way of thy commandments v.35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. This path is illuminated by a special work of God s grace in His Word, v.130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. None of us can see the whole route at one time, - we cannot see over the next hill or round the next bend but the Word of God is the lamp that shows the light along the path we tread. How does it do that? I have a decision to make and it might influence the rest of my life How can God s Word show me God s will so that I would make the right decision? Firstly, God will not lead you along a path His Word commands you not to travel. God will not lead you on a path that contradicts His Word. Secondly, when you look at the examples of how God called and led people in the Bible, He brought about clear circumstances that guided His people along a particular path. Thirdly, He gives you an inner peace and contentment so that you know the road you are travelling on is His way for you to go. You need not necessarily see bright lights or any of the fancifulness people expect nowadays it is simply a quiet confidence that God is leading you. It does not have to be anything particularly major that you need to seek His guidance on; surely each and every one of us ought to ask Him on a daily basis what His will is for our lives today What happens when sometimes we rush and take a direction that does contradict God s Word? That is a difficult question to answer except for this, - get off that road immediately and get back on to the road which is obedient to God s Word.
3 You cannot expect God s blessing when you are travelling along a path that is in disobedience to His Word. We are supposed to live in an age of enlightenment, but really the Bible says we live in a dark world. And surely that is why we need the light of God s Word shining ahead on the path before us. Obedience to the Word, then, keeps us walking in the light, I Jn. 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Faithful feet take us along the road God has set before us FAITHFUL WORDS vv.106-108 Making vows to the Lord is a serious matter. It sometimes concerns me when a preacher at some large meeting calls upon the people to make such vows. It is a serious matter to make to the Lord when you have not fully considered their implications. Yes, I would love you to make vows to the Lord but, at the same time, it is a truly personal thing and one that no-one can force upon you. And when you say to the Lord that you are willing to do anything for Him anywhere in this world you are bound to Him through that vow. However, that is no excuse for not making vows to the Lord. Everyday you get out of your bed you ought to make vows to Him King David sang, Ps. 61:8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows. What you say to the Lord, be sure to measure your words! Don t promise Him anything you have no intention of keeping. When you make Him a promise you must keep it! He will hold you to that promise even more than your earthly friend would hold you to it. Lord, I promise You if You get me out of this predicament I ll serve You better and the Lord gets you out of that predicament but there is no change in your commitment to Him Well, remember this, Lk. 12:48 unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. When you came into membership of this fellowship you made promises are you keeping them? When you became a believer in Christ you made a commitment has your commitment progressed, or has it slipped back?
4 You say with your words you love the Saviour but what does how you live your life say? Even in our prayers our words and the way we say them is not primarily for the purposes of others to hear, but when we talk to God we ought to be truthful otherwise it is hypocrisy and no better than the Pharisee in the temple opening his voice loud so that all can hear him. After we have prayed, are we available before God to be a part of the answer should He have it to be worked out that way? Surely the highest use of our speech is in the worship of the Lord, - Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, - and surely what we say is like an offering sacrificed to Him and the offering has to be pure, unblemished and from the heart. What was a freewill offering? A freewill offering in the Old Testament dispensation was a voluntary offering given by the people of God. It was an offering quite apart from the sacrifice such as the bull of the sin offering or the firstfruits of the harvest for the grain offering. When you sing to God are the words you are offering to Him faithful words as the Redeemed of the Lord in Heaven would sing them? Do they capture the feelings of your heart as a loving child to our Father in Heaven? Are they faithful words? If, - as we believe they are, - worship is the highest use of our language, then to be careless in worship, - both public and private, - surely must mean to commit a grave sin against God. Faithful feet that take us along the path that God lights up for us; faithful words in our conversations with Him A FAITHFUL MEMORY vv.109-110 When many of us were growing up even in school we were taught memory verses from the Bible. Many of us still remember them all these years later. When we were in college in Paris we were taught every week to remember verses from the Bible and we had to say them in class. Away back in the days of the psalmist he would not have had a Bible at home so he had to listen carefully to the reading of God s Word and remember what he had heard, - such concentration he had to use! It was an art that has almost vanished today. Today, one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to bring God s Word to our remembrance, Jn. 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever
5 he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. That means we need to listen to it and take it to become a part of us. In this way the psalmist understood God s Word to be a lamp unto [his] feet, and a light unto [his] path to direct him through the minefields and the darkness of this world. A FAITHFUL HEART vv.111-112 Surely this is where it all comes from as Jesus said, Mt. 6:21 where your treasure is, there will your heart be also and what a treasure God has given to us in the gift of His own precious and infallible Word! Someone has described the Bible has a deep and glorious mine, filled with all types of treasures and we must make time to dig them out. It is not just my job as a pastor, but it is your task too. Dig, - and dig carefully! - for yourself to find the treasures God has for you in His Word and then keep them in your heart. Solomon wrote, Prov. 2:4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. If you just stay on the surface or simply try and survive on the pickings other people have dropped the treasures will not be as precious to you as had you gone and dug for them yourself. Mining is hard work, but it is joyful work when you drill into the Bible as the Spirit guides you and you find the treasures He leads you to. And then He takes the treasure He has helped you to find and He invests it in you to God s glory and you enjoy the benefits. Sometimes God takes the treasures and with them He puts us through difficult situations in order for us to appreciate them more and with them He cleans us out so that the treasures would find a precious restingplace to His glory. Once your heart is set upon obeying His Word, your life is on the right course. CONCLUSION In other words, the Bible is not a Book to sit on a shelf and to be taken down once every week to go into a church building. Instead the Bible directs our travelling (Faithful Feet), it accompanies the way we speak (Faithful Words), it takes over the way we think (A Faithful Memory), for it guides us from the very centre of our being (A Faithful Heart). May it be so, to God s glory.