This is the second entry in this series on Psalm 119, which will examine each of this psalm’s stanzas. Every set of eight verses in this acrostic writing is tied to a particular letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
BETH
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
“With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
“Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
“With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
“I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
“I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
“I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word” (Psalm 119:9-16)
Two monumental questions often pop up in the minds of Christians. No. 1: How do I get right with God? No. 2: How do I stay right with God? The psalmist gives us answers to those questions within the first three verses he has written here. Not surprisingly, both answers center on our relation to the Word of God.
First, the writer addresses the matter of cleansing. Let’s face the fact; sin is a reality for human beings. As the psalmist will tell us further along, our souls cleave to the dust. The natural flesh craves satisfaction. We stray, and we pay. Consequences result when our choices are wrong. Therefore, God provides the way for washing. The Hebrew verb structure reveals “cleansing” as a constant need for the believer, and the expectation is that this will happen again and again. Another idea expressed here is that instances of “cleansing” vary in extension because failures are different.
His “Word” answers our sin. The Hebrew text indicates that “word” refers to a principle uttered, and this highlights our need to hear preaching. Although it has been discounted by some, preaching remains a primary commodity in God’s economy. Bible preaching fixes people. Those who would be cleansed must hear something from the Lord, and He still speaks through pulpits. Powerful messages from men of God should be taken to heart.
The “way” theme begun in verse 9 continues in verse 10 where the writer appeals for help from God. With the understanding that his heart has been made whole, the psalmist offers a prayer for discernment. Detours present themselves in our lives. The temptation to wander weighs on us sometimes, and we must ask the Spirit to empower us in Truth. With lives of worship, our hearts draw nearer and nearer to Him.
The answer to question No. 2 – How do I stay right with God – comes in verse 11. The hiding of the Word of God in the heart fortifies it for the temptations faced. In Luke 9, Jesus told the disciples to let His sayings sink deep. Those men and women were soon to face challenges to their faith as members of the early church and Christ wanted them to understand just what it would take for them to stand strong. Treasure what God teaches you. Store up the truth and allow the Spirit to develop resources for obedience within your heart.
Knowing God’s Word keeps us from going against Him. Our sin is against God and against God alone, as David made clear with his deep cry of repentance in Psalm 51: “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (Psalm 51:4a). Yes, our wrongs do wrong people. We hurt others, and we have to make apologies and sometimes restitution. Ultimately, however, our sin strikes at God. It quenches the relationship He desires to have with us by creating distance that does not have to be there. We forfeit moments of joy and fellowship and it is all so unnecessary because He has given all that we need to stay right with Him.
What we read next is praise for God and a cry for instruction. Can you see the real beginnings of wisdom? The fear of the Lord starts to come through in the psalmist’s words. “Blessed” represents an expression of awe and it is as if he is on his knees as he pens these things. Boldly standing before the throne of grace with a “whole heart,” the writer imperatively expresses himself. “Teach me” he commands the Lord, and it is a definite, specific command. It is a command in the mood of Isaiah 45:11:
“Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.”
Knowing just what we need to be kept from sinning, we may ask God to provide that essential, personal communication for our lives. “Speak specifically, Lord, for You alone know me and You love me and You will love me until the end.” We may pray prayers such as this and believe He will answer. May we never hesitate to go right to our Source. Truth tells us to do this and to do it often.
After this big request, the writer spends the next four verses boasting to God about himself. And why should he not boast? He is in the presence of his dearest and closest Friend. Avoid the temptation to question the measure of humility expressed in these words. This One who knows us best is never offended. He is faithful and just to forgive and He is faithful and just to show us when and where we are off. Dare to speak boldly before the Lord and leave the correction to Him.
Pay attention to how the psalmist spreads out the aspects of his life before the Lord. He presents to God the record of his words, his joys, his considerations, his perspectives, his focus, and his memories.
“I have not been quiet about Your works, Lord,” the writer expresses in verse 13. What he heard from God, the psalmist declared. He relays the communications exactly, accurately, and constantly. The whole counsel of God comes out of this man. He reveals “all the judgments,” all of the Lord’s processes and decisions are being put out there. He understands that where there is no vision the people perish, according to Proverbs 29:18. “Vision” makes reference to the open proclamation of truth. Without the declaration of doctrine, people die. In reading Proverbs, we see wisdom personified in many passages. She cries out to the simple, to the undiscerning. Her words, she confidently declares, are life.
In verse 14, the writer tells the Lord to recognize the gladness with which he walks in the way. He treasures the testimonies, and he stores them in his heart. Better than all riches are the records of God’s works. Real wealth belongs to those who cherish these evidences and we see it in their smiles and laughter and joy. We also see this in their quiet persistence when things are seemingly falling apart all around them.
Bible precepts and Bible pathways form the essence of meditation for the writer. Hearing the Word creates lines of thinking in our memory center, and these lines become easier and easier to follow. This capacity is developed with careful thought. Musing should be a primary pattern in our lives as it was in the lives of great believers such as Augustine, Luther, Spurgeon, Murray, Tozer, and Graham. These men set aside time to ponder the Scriptures, to pray, and to consider the ways of God.
Amid today’s frenetic culture, too many believers take in heaps of amusement. We can be so quick to enter into exercises that distract us from deep thinking. The sad results are these: fragile faith and worldly perspective. The apostle Paul instructs us to speak to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (see Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16). Our minds should be filled with verses and choruses and passages, so that the eyes of our hearts open toward His ways.
Do you have a complaint? Bring it before God, which is what David says to do in Psalm 142: “I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble” (verse 2). “To complain” is one of the meanings for the Hebrew word translated as “meditate” in this psalm. The Bible does speak against murmuring and misspeaking. People tend to talk too much and such talking brings big troubles and much confusion. However, in making our complaints known to God, we are really taking our problems to the only One who can solve them.
The regard we have for the Word, for the preaching of it and for the reading of it, exposes our heart attitudes. Bible meditation conditions our focus and we grow in our attention to the things of God. The heart can learn to observe life with anointed eyes, which is the best definition of the word “delight.” The Hebrew term used in the original manuscript was drawn from the practice of smearing ointment on the eyes in order to gain clearer vision in the dry, Middle Eastern climate.
The spiritual practices mentioned here serve us well. They keep the Word in its proper place of prominence in our minds and hearts. Roots go down deep and soul structures grow strong. Our capacities become well watered and do not wither because we are mindful of Truth. We think with God in the way that Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 32:2:
“My doctrine shall drop as the rain; my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.”