Powerful people harass me without cause,
    but my heart trembles only at your word
(Psalm 119:161).

Though the Psalmist is harassed by powerful people, he is not moved because he serves someone greater. He trembles at God's command, which trumps every other command or threat. When you fear God, you will not fear men. As Paul wrote, "If GOD is for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31). It might be said, "If God is for you, who cares who is against you!" This applies not just to people but also to your circumstances. Are you in a tough spot? Then, consider this one thing: Are you walking with God? If you are, then God is with you and will support you. What is your circumstance anyway? It is fleeting as everything is in this life. Who cares! Face it like a man, whether ease or hardship, life or death, because God is for you! "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things!" (Romans 8:32). Jesus said, "Don't fear those who can only kill the body but not the soul. Fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell" (Matthew 10:28). Fear God! And boldly live! Unless God wills it, nothing can harm you. You are immortal in the center of His will!

Every one of the 176 couplets in Psalm 119 contains a term that reflects God's Word, whether it be "word", "commandment", "ordinance", "precept", "statute", etc. It is as if the psalmist is saying, "How precious is Your Word, O Lord; Let me express it in 176 ways!" Psalm 119 is also an alphabetical acrostic that follows the order of the Hebrew alphabet in eight-verse pericopes with every verse in each pericope beginning with the same letter of the alphabet. For example, to express it in English, it would be something like:

(1) A praise of God's Word;

How glorious it is;

(2) Always a treasure;

Are Your commandments, O God.

(3) Any good in me;

Your truth is right there leading  me.

... for eight verses (1) - (8) ... then...

(9) By every measure;

There is nothing to compare with Your statutes;

(10) Both the righteous and the wicked,

They wil be judged by your laws.

(3) Break my heart, O Lord

On the anvil of your truth.

--- for eight verses (9) - (16) ... then the next set of eight would begin with C's, then the next eight with D's, all the way to Z. 

It is as if the psalmist is saying, "How precious is Your Word, O Lord; Every letter expresses its worth many times over!" 

The message is clear. It parallels the message of the holiest text of the Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, which teaches that every follower of God should meditate on God's Word always and everywhere. 

Friends, do not treat God's Word as something secondary. May it be your primary task, interest, and concentration. Let it guide your plans and actions. Remember, it is only by His Word that we have come to know the Lord. Apart from His Word, we would be lost in our ignorance and sins. In our generation of fake news and all manner of deceptions and destructive strategems of men and Satan, God's Word is the only sure anchor of truth to lead us to wisdom, salvation and every blessing.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).

Light is a well-known metaphor for God's Word. Where there is darkness, there is risk of great harm, whether obstacles or pits or other dangers. Without light one cannot find one's way or follow the right path. Without light one cannot identify what is good or what is harmful. Light is, therefore, critical to life. This is how the psalmist considers God's Word.

He takes the metaphor further to see God's Word not simply as light but as a guiding light. Light reveals everything without discrimination, but a guiding light shows the right way or the best way. So, even though there are many ways to live, God's Word shows the right way, even the best way. 

Friends, I am reminded again today why some fifteen years ago I committed to make daily time in God's Word my top priority. What does "top priority" mean? It means I will forgo entertainment, but I will not forgo my time in God's Word. It means I will forgo work, ministry, family time, sleep, and meals, but I will not forgo my time in God's Word. As the Lord taught, "Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4).

There are many good books to read but only one great book. Many books may be helpful but only one book is essential. Every book has its flaws, but one is flawless. Outside of this one book, the quality of other books rises or falls by their alignment or departure from this one book. There is no other book about which God says that it alone is sufficient for all godliness. This one book is the Bible, the Word of God. Paul writes,

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word. (Psalm 119:25).

Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways (Psalm 119:37).

Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness (Psalm 119:40).

Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth (Psalm 119:88).

I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word (Psalm 119:107).

Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your ordinances Psalm 119:149).

Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word (Psalm 119:154).

Great are Your mercies, O Lord; Revive me according to Your ordinances (Psalm 119:156).

Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness (Psalm 119:159).

Of the nineteen times the word "revive" is used in the Bible (NASB), fifteen of those times are found in the Psalms. And of those fifteen times, nine of them are found in Psalm 119. And in all of these nine verses, the revival is said to be "according to Your Word". 

There is much preached about revival, especially on how there needs to be a revival in the church. People go to revival meetings. People pray for revival. Yet, while ministers and people look for revival in some kind of extraordinary experience, the Bible clearly says that true revival is rooted in God's Word and is even produced by God's Word. Revival is not some emotional experience created by entrancing music, mindless repetition, and unusual outbursts; rather, it is a transformation of mind and will that comes from exposure to and understanding of God's Word. 

Do you want to experience revival? Meditate on God's Word. While it is true that the Holy Spirit brings about transformation and sanctification within the believer, it is also true that the Holy Spirit is not Someone we control or direct or command at will (cf. John 3:8). So we cannot order the Spirit to fill us. The Scripture does not say, "Fill yourself with the Spirit," but rather we read, "Be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).

However, we can meditate on God's Word. We can study God's Word. We can apply God's Word to our lives. And as we do this, we are told the Spirit sovereignly sanctifies us with the Word of truth (cf. John 17:17), He fights the spiritual battles for us with the sword of the Word (Ephesians 6:17), and He guides us into every good work by the Word of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Thus, when we fill ourselves with God's Word, we can also be assured of being filled with the Spirit. Thus, we see the following passages from Paul in parallel:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father (Colossians 3:16-17).

Thus, to fill yourself with the Word of God is the way to be filled with the Spirit of God.

Do we want true biblical revival. Let us find it by whole-heartedly devoting ourselves to God's Word. 

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
    for they are my constant guide.
Yes, I have more insight than my teachers,
    for I am always thinking of your laws.
I am even wiser than my elders,
    for I have kept your commandments (Psalm 119:98-100).

These verses inspire me. Growing up, I've always been intimidated by those who were "smarter" than me, more knowledgeable, more witty, and more confident than me. I am naturally an introvert, more comfortable being by myself or with a few close friends than among many people. It is very unnatural for me to reach out to anyone. My personal insecurity was very much a part of why I kept to myself. 

As I recall, from very early on in my Christian faith, these verses were very liberating for me. I did not need to be an expert on everything. I did not need to train myself in this or that, or excel in the things that were popular with people. I did not need to find my worth in those things. 

When I read these verses, they tell me that by simply knowing, trusting, loving, and following God's Word I could be wiser than my enemies, my teachers, and even my elders. In other words, I could stand my ground against any number of people that think they are wiser, stronger, and better than me. Political leaders may have governing authority. Business leaders may wield the authority of money. Religious and academic leaders may carry authority of "position" and learning. Yet, they are nothing next to the authority of God's Word. 

It is by God's Word that the earth and the heavens were created. It is by God's Word that we understand what is right and wrong. It is by His Word that great nations become a byword and insignificant peoples are exalted. It is God's Word that is the beginning and the end of wisdom. God's Word is the final word. It conveys what is most important from the infinite data of historical events. God's Word is life, peace, joy, and eternal hope. Through God's Word we understand truth, exposing the breadth of human depravity and revealing the nature of true love. Before God's Word everyone must bow. 

Therefore, I have made understanding God's Word my supreme obsession. I know that I am nothing in myself, but in God's Word I find my confidence and strength. People will pass away, opinions will change, leaders will come and go, but God's Word endures forever. Upon this rock I stand. 

Friends, I hope that you too will make knowing God's Word your primary preoccupation. I hope you will make His Word your constant companion. I hope you will know it well enough so that you will not waver in the face of "fine-sounding arguments," interesting theories, or emotionally-charged stories that may use the language of Scripture but misunderstand the meaning or that may convey a teaching of Scripture but fail to account for the context. As I have told many of you, people use Scripture to suit their own purposes. 

And I hope that you will also hold me accountable, both in word and deed. I am so happy to hear that a number of you are still diligently seeking God in His Word. It is on this basis we must encourage and admonish each other, not on the basis of emotions, political correctness, unbiblical traditions, or secular psychology. 

Therefore, if you have faltered in your daily meditation on God's Word, I encourage you to come back to it. If you have gotten sidetracked by a family vacation, by an over-indulgence in Korean drama, or even by being busy serving at church, I encourage you to come back to this priority. When you prioritize your time in His Word, it is like sharpening your axe. It is like knowing where to chop, and even knowing which tree to bring down. Failure with respect to God's Word may mean time wasted, effort misdirected, and failure to recognize that every good work that you do is all of God's grace. 

v96

Because I think of God as perfect and limitless I wasn't keen on this verse.  Not knowing how to read Hebrew, I think the 'Bible in Basic English' has a translation that makes more sense to me: "I have seen that nothing on earth is complete; but your teaching is very wide." Compare this with the New Living Translation: "I have seen that everything on earth has limits, but your commands have no limit." Or if the NIV was punctuated differently, it would read, "To all's perfection I see a limit." I suppose I should not be too bothered about this verse since it refers to what the psalmist has seen, which wouldn't apply to God.

v100

I love the effect that basing your reasoning and understanding on God has on decisions.  It seems so contrary to contemporary wisdom but makes so much more sense in the long haul.  From establishing laws (murdering a pregnant woman is legally killing 2, but abortion is nothing) to managing your finances (learning how to manage your money with church offerings, will force you to plan and live with less than your means) to raising children (treat them how God treats us), the Word of God is a complete "how to" book. It takes a little time to study it, but you "get it" more than those who have PhD's ("I am wiser than my elders").

V176

What could the psalmist mean by calling himself "a lost sheep?" Because of the NT I think of lost sheep as one who is elect but not following God.  This is the opposite, called and following, but still lost? as in not under his watchful rod?