Psalm 119:41-48

  What are your values? What principles, moral standards or code of behavior do you value? What personal value system guides your decisions and influences your words, actions, and lifestyle?

 In Psalm 119, the psalmist made it very clear   that his values were based on the Word of God. In this 6th stanza of Psalm 119, verses 41-48, he revealed why he values God’s Word.
 




41 Your mercies never fail; let them light on me O Lord,
    And Your salvation according to Your word.
42 So shall I have an answer for the one who reproaches me,
    For I trust in Your word.
43 And do not rob me of the power to speak the truth,
    For my hope is in Your ordinances.
44 So shall I keep Your law continually,
    Forever and ever.
45 And I will walk in freedom wherever I go,
    For I have studied Your precepts.
46 I will speak of Your testimonies before kings,
    And will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight in Your commandments,
    Which I love with all my heart.
48 I will welcome Your commandments,
    And I will meditate on Your statutes.
 
In verse 41, the psalmist asked God for His never failing mercy and salvation which are promised in His Word. He knew that if he stood tall on God's Word, as a saved man and upheld by His mercy, he would have an answer for anyone who reproached him. He did not need to fear disapproval or criticism from mere men, for he trusted in God’s Word and claimed the promises he found there. Confidently, he asked God for the power to speak the truth without shame, even before kings (119:43, 46).
 
Do you see in these verses how important, how valuable, God’s Word was to the writer of Psalm 119? He put his trust  in God’s Word (119:42) and his hope was in God’s ordinances (119:43). He studied God’s precepts (119:45), he spoke of His testimonies and was not ashamed (119:46), he welcomed God’s commandments and delighted in them (119:47-48).  He spent time meditating on His statutes (119:48). Remember that these terms the psalmist used -- ordinances, law, precepts, testimonies, commandments, and statutes -- are all different Hebrew words that refer to God’s Word (see 10.9.16 blog). Every part of God’s Word was valuable to the psalmist because that is where he found his answers, his hope, his courage, and his delight.
 
God’s Word was so valuable to the psalmist that he promised to keep it continually, forever and ever (119:44). How valuable is God’s Word to you? Are you determined to keep it? To what extent are you determined to keep it? Do you keep it only conditionally, when it is easy, convenient, and acceptable to your peers? Or are you like the psalmist, determined to keep God’s Word continually, forever and ever? When you follow the example of the psalmist, you will walk in freedom wherever you go (119:45), you will take delight in God’s Word, and you will grow to love it with all your heart (119:47). Is God’s Word valuable to you? If it is, I hope you will want to embrace it, build your life on it,  and share it - unafraid and uninhibited - with whoever crosses your path.
 
This year I have felt a new freedom and joy in wishing everyone I meet a Merry Christmas, as though a restraint of political correctness has been lifted.  And as those words, Merry Christmas, pass my lips, my heart has felt a renewed desire to share the meaning of Christmas and the value of the gift that was given -- our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 
Merry Christmas!! May the words and the valuable meaning behind them be your inspiration for 2017,
Suzie

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