God’s Word Heeded and Treasured

Psalms 119:9-16
ב BETH 

9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.

10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

12 Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.

13 With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.

14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.

16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

This second letter of the long psalm begins with how to purify ourselves in action and thoughts accordingly to the word of God.  We can be made clean by treating the wounds of sin with adherence to the scriptures, a certain remedy for our sickness leading to death.  This means we guard over our walk and keep watch accordingly as we observe His word in the meditations of our hearts and minds.  Our hearts must guide our feet after our LORD to find and know Him more each passing day.  We also continue to pray not to wander off from the whole counsel of the scriptures, for God’s help to hold and guide us by His wisdom and power.  By tucking away His word in our hearts, treasuring and observing both its value in meaning and in application to living, we sin less and are conformed to His image day by day.  This includes hearing, reading, studying, and memorizing the scriptures as often and as much as possible.  Blessed is the LORD God in Christ by His Spirit living in us now to make this truly possible!  Let us therefore pray continually to be taught by God (John 6:45, 1 John 2:27) that we might follow diligently after Him according to His word as we are taught with the inner understanding of the Spirit to know His mind and live by it (1 Corinthians 2:12, 16).  We are taught by Him directly out of the Bible, as well as through others who are taught by Him and teach us, making disciples as they are also.  We then are called to call out these things to others, proclaiming the good news of God’s judgments in Christ from Genesis through the Revelation of Jesus Christ, telling the world around us of His mercy and grace by which we are delivered from His wrath.  These testimonies of God’s word give great joy to both we who speak and the hearers as well.  They are true riches (Acts 3:6) to meditate on in all God’s ways.  We see Him and His working in His word as we mull over it, and are shown much as we cut it straight (2 Timothy 2:15) and delight in knowing and keeping all we are told by Him.  With such deep delight in His word, we are motivated to keep it and not forget what He tells us there.  It is our daily bread to sustain us all; how can we then not remember and run after it to Him as often as possible?  His word is to be treasured and heeded.