Psalm 119.153-160 (6)

Pray Psalm 119.160.
The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

Sing Psalm 119.160.
(Angel’s Story: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
All Your Word is true and all Your righteous judgments will endure.
I will look to You and walk within Your Law forevermore.
O revive us! O revive us by Your Word so strong and sure.

Psalm 119.153-160; meditate on verse 160.

Preparation
1. What did the psalmist say about God’s Word?

2. How much of God’s Word did he include in this?

Meditation
Our text reads literally, “From the beginning of Your Word: truth.” From the time God began to speak His Word, He spoke the truth. Hence, “The entirety” of His Word is true and reliable. Or, as Paul wrote, “All Scripture…is breathed by God and profitable…” because it is true (2 Tim. 3.16).

All Scripture. Not just those parts with which you might be familiar or find precious for one reason or another. To neglect any of God’s Word is to deprive ourselves of truth which can profit us for teaching, reproof, correction, training in righteousness, and good works.

And we need not worry that God might change His mind. All Scripture is for all time. Forever. This is because it partakes of the very essence of God Himself, His righteousness. As God neither changes nor can fail, likewise His judgments reflect His very nature. The Law of God is holy and righteous and good (Rom. 7.12), and it always will be.

All of Scripture, for all time, for all the righteousness we need to partake of the divine essence (2 Pet. 1.4). His Word is profitable, indeed.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“All Scripture…To neglect any of God’s Word is to deprive ourselves of truth which can profit us for teaching, reproof, correction, training in righteousness, and good works.”

King Saul and his son Jonathan, according to 1 Samuel 13, irritated the Philistines by attacking one of their garrisons. It doesn’t tell us why they felt it necessary to do so, they just did. Anyway, the prophet Samuel was supposed to show up at a certain time to bring a burnt offering and peace offerings to the LORD. Saul’s soldiers were getting restless and scattering from him so he thought it would be a great idea if he himself offered the burnt offering. Turns out, as soon as he had finished doing this travesty, Samuel showed up and of course asked, “What have you done?” So, Saul offered a variety of weak excuses with lots of equivocation, and then ended his monologue with, “Therefore I felt compelled…”.

He felt “compelled” to do what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it because he wanted to do it that way. This neglect of God’s Word is what lost him his kingship.

Was he uninformed about God’s Word? I daresay, he knew God’s Word. Maybe even the entirety of it. But he neglected to follow the truth of the Word that he knew. And this changed the course of the rest of his life.

“Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth” (Ps. 119.142).
“You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are truth” (Ps. 119.151).
“The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” (Ps. 119.160).

If we know the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20.1-17), and we know what Jesus said about that Law (Matt. 22.37-40), then we know the enduring truth of God’s righteous judgments (Ps. 119.160). All of them.
We are knowledgeably informed of God’s truth and His desire for us to be correct and corrected in His righteousness. We are without excuse. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1.20).

There is, therefore, no disobedience that we are “compelled” to do. We must never neglect any of His truth for our own purposes; no matter how justified we might feel. As with Saul, it makes a difference in the work we can do in our Personal Mission Field.

John guides us into truthful and useful living: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 Jn. 5.19-21). And keep yourselves in all Scripture: to do it (Ps. 119.112).

For reflection
1. What can you do to make sure you are gaining the benefit God intends from all His Word?

2. What should you do when you feel “compelled” to do something other than what God’s Word requires?

3. What can you do to encourage your fellow believers to have more confidence in the Word of God?

Let us then retain this sense, That from the time when God began to speak he has always been faithful to his promises, and has never disappointed the hope of his people; and that the course of this faithfulness has been so uniform, that from the beginning even to the end his word is true and faithful. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Psalm 119.160

Pray Psalm 119.159.
Tell God how much you love His Word. And why. Ask Him to keep His Word lively in your soul throughout the day ahead.

Sing Psalm 119.159.
(Angel’s Story: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
Lord, consider how I love the precepts of Your holy Word!
All Your Word is truth forever, and your judgments, righteous Lord.
O revive us! O revive us by Your kindness, loving Lord!

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.