A Lamp and a Light

Psalms 119:105-112

נ NUN

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

106 I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.

107 I am afflicted very much;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.

108 Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,
And teach me Your judgments.

109 My life is continually in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.

110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.

111 Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.

112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.

God’s word is like a lamp in the darkness of night to keep my feet from falling and my steps sure going forward, and like the light of day from the brightness of the sun which illuminates far beyond my immediate path, into the distance and all around.  His word provides such all- encompassing light to my walk (Proverbs 6:23) in this life with guidance to see what is right before me, as well as the bigger picture and plan seen all around us.  We need such illumination to avoid traps of the wicked one we come across without warning under the next place our foot may tread down on or into, and we likewise need to see the road ahead to plan by good preparation of habit and resolve to walk in the path of righteousness, not straying off it.  His word reveals both what we need for the next steps we take and the longer trip along the way like Pilgrim in The Progress; we need to know pitfalls and side paths to avoid them, and we need to know where we stand at each moment.  Only God’s light can show us both.  In preparation, we follow the example of the psalmist to first determine ahead of time to keep God’s word.  Then in our affliction we might not fall, but be revived with life from above and within according to His Spirit’s work of guidance and enabling.  This is walking by the Spirit according to His word (Galatians 5:16, Romans 8:13).  We offer ourselves as living sacrifices to our Lord by submitting ourselves to His word and will, seeking to be taught by Him that we might see where we stand and down the road where we are journeying.  We know He holds our lives in His hand of goodness and grace moment be moment, and we learn from Him according to His word with this comforting truth, even when the wicked who oppose Him and we in Him bring us under siege.  We do not stray from His word lighting our way, whether in darkness with limited view, or in broad daylight with a more clear vision.  It is His words of testimony to grace and guidance which give us confidence and continuous joy (Jeremiah 15:16) because He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light of grace in Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6, 1 Peter 2:9)!  Therefore, we align with the psalmist to bend our hearts to do all God tells us in the scriptures, even to the end of life here, living in the light as He is in the light, who guides our every step.  Amen and amen!