Thursday, January 11
Walking and Talking His Word
Psalm 119:41-48
WAW
41 Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD-- Your salvation according to Your word.
42 So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I have hoped in Your ordinances.
44 So shall I keep Your law continually, Forever and ever.
45 And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.
46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love.
48 My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, Which I love, And I will meditate on Your statutes.
Psalm 119:41-48 is the sixth stanza of this psalm, and every line or verse begins with the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet “WAW”, in the Hebrew Bible. Over the years I’ve been asked the question, “Why did you go to Liberty University?” In this section of Psalm 119, I found a great answer! I would reply, “I have Scriptural reason for going there. Psalm 11:45 says, “And I will walk at Liberty, for I seek Your precepts”. I went there because I was seeking God’s truth, His Word, His principles, and I wanted to know His plan and purpose for my life!” I would tell Dr. Falwell, and others there, that this should be the theme verse for our university and be used to encourage students to attend our great school! When we read and meditate on these eight verses we can say in our English language, “WOW”! These are awesome verses that should impact both our walk and our talk!
In these verses we hear several voices, and it begins with God speaking to us (v. 41). He does this, of course, as we read His Word and meditate on it. He speaks in love and in mercy, and even the warnings come from His compassionate heart. The Word of God is the expression of the love of God to us (33:11) and it should result in love from our hearts to the Lord, to His people, and to the lost. God's Word shares God's promises, and promises always imply future hope. Scripture is "the word of his promise" (1 Kings 8:56), and all His promises have their realization in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). The Scriptures are also "the word of this salvation" (Acts 13:26), for the Word declares that Jesus is the only Savior, and we can trust in Him. What a wonder that God has spoken to us! (Heb. 1:1-2). Are we listening?
But while God is speaking, the enemy is also speaking (v. 42). We have learned that the writer of this psalm was oppressed by enemies who lied about him, slandered his name, and even threatened his life. Our main weapon against these attacks is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17), for only God's truth can silence the devil's lies (Matt. 4:1-11). We need God's truth in our hearts, not only to keep us from sin, but also to equip us to answer those who oppose us or ask us why we believe as we do (1 Peter 3. 15).
God's people speak to the Lord (v. 43). Like Nehemiah, we can send up "telegraph prayers" to the Lord right in the midst of our work and our battles (Neh. 2:5; 4:4; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 13:14, 22, 31). When we are confronted by the enemy, the Lord will not give us words we have never pondered from the Scriptures, but His Spirit can remind us of what we have read and learned (John 14:25-26). The writer connected God's Word with his mouth, because the word "meditate" in the Hebrew means "to mutter." The ancient Jews spoke the Word audibly as they meditated and prayed (Josh. 1:8).
Our lives speak for the Lord (vv. 44-45) if our "walk" agrees with our "talk." The best defense of the faith is a transformed life that is compassionate toward others. Our obedience to the Lord and our loving ministry to others (Matt. 5:13-16) demonstrates the reality of our faith far better than anything else. Because we know and obey "the word of truth" (v. 43), we are able to enjoy freedom from the bondage of sin (v. 45), for it is the truth that makes us free (John 8:32; James 1:25; 2:12).
Finally, God's people speak to others (vv. 46-48). If we truly love God and His Word, we will not be ashamed to share the Word even with important people like kings (vv. 6, 80; Rom. 1:16; Phil. 1:20; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2:15; 1 Peter 4:16). When we delight in the Word, love it, and obey it, sharing the message with others comes naturally. To witness means to tell others what we have seen and heard concerning Jesus Christ (Acts 4:20) and what He has done for us.
As satisfied believers we will be be an awesome witness to others when our walk and our talk match up with God’s Word!
God bless!