Psalm 119:12-16

GOOD MORNING! "Blessed art thou, O LORD:" the Psalmist writes by Holy Spirit direction, "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." [1]

Several times in the New Testament we read: "I would not have you to be ignorant," then there follows careful details of some truth that we could not discover for ourselves, truth that we are to receive by faith.

Is it not a characteristic of our day to doubt that there is a knowledge of spiritual truth available to the sons and daughters of man? Oh to be sure, our generation is well up on the knowledge of natural things. In fact, we often feel that we "know it all."

Yet when it comes to spiritual reality, we have tended to depend on those who profess to have a higher access than we can claim. We pride ourselves on our cleverness, smartness, sophistication. We are the most-read, though not the best-read people in history. Our civilization is rich in smartness and stupidity at the same time. We know a lot about things, but we have a vast ignorance about God's will and way for His creation.

What is the value of all our knowing, if we are ignorant of the truth as it is set forth for us in God's word? Tragically, many of us are like the football player who ran ninety yards to make a touch-down, but it was at the wrong goal!

To deny the Holy Bible, to minimize our sinfulness, to reason away our LORD'S bodily resurrection, to deny the fires of hell, and to ignore the Sovereign LORD God, to whom we are, all of us, accountable, is to be taking the broad road that leads to destruction.

Who is truly without knowledge? That one who is not sincerely searching God's word that testifies to us our LORD and Saviour JESUS CHRIST; "to whom we owe our life and breath and all the joys we have."[2]

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."[3]

Would you really understand the times? Then become a student of the word of God. None of those who believe the word of God needs to ask, "What are we coming to?" Believers of the word of the Living God; yea, every one who lives by these holy precepts; who delights in the statutes of the LORD, who does not forget God's word, knows with a blessed confidence that all of our tomorrow’s are in God's hand.

Blessed is the man whose delight is in the word of the LORD, who meditates continually in the Scripture of truth. Delight in the word of God, the Bible, is a sure sign that it has taken effect in the heart and upon the life. "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies. ... I will not forget thy word."

"I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches." For whatever riches are good; God's word is better. Riches are desirable as a means of obtaining the necessities of this life, but God's word supplies the eternal necessities of the soul! Riches are a way of gaining personal pleasure, but God's word gains the highest joys. Riches are used to secure improvements, both personal and social; but God's word is by far the best education, for " Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. "[4]

Truly there are some things that ought to be forgotten; but there is one thing that needs to be constantly freshened in the mind and in the heart, "I will not forget thy word."

O holy Book of truth Divine!
Eternal as thy Maker's name.
Through countless ages of decline,
Thy glowing truths have stood the same.[5]
AMEN.

[1] Psalm 119:12-16
[2] Unknown source
[3] 1 Corinthians 2:14
[4] Job 28:28
[5] F. E. Belden