9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word 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 declared all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Psalm 119:9-16 continues with an even deeper desire to pursue Christ in His Word. The psalmist understands the his only hope in finding joy in this life is by abiding with and walking in the Word of God. As we see in Psalm 119:1-2, there is much blessing to be found in keeping the commands of God.
The outline of this stanza is similar to verses 1-8. There are declarations of fact made about God, which are followed by commitments from the psalmist. Verses 9-12 are declarations about the Greatness, Trustability and Joy found in the Word of God. Verses 13-16 are commitments to walking in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called. When we recognize the Supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ, this should always result in conviction to conform your life to be more like Him.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
The palmist begins this stanza with the understanding that we cannot pursue Holiness outside of the Word of God. We are commanded by God to “Be Holy” for He is Holy, and this is only possible by living our life according to the Word of God. Often this verse is used in accordance with “sexual purity,” which is not wrong, but it is short-sighted. Any sort of sin against God is an impure act of the will — not just sexual sins. As we are in our sanctification process, we still struggle with gossip, anxiety, coveting, idolatry, anger, obscene talk and lying. All of these things are impure. And the psalmist reminds us that as we learn what it means to “put off the old self” and to “put on Christ,” we must guard our lives according to His Word. Simply put, if we walk in the way of the Lord, then our decision-making will reflect that.
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
The psalmist is pleading with the Lord to “let me not wander from your commandments.” Understanding that there is no hope outside of the commands of God, the psalmist is making a declaration that the Word of God is trustworthy. He understands that on this path that we are to walk as believers, it is the Word of God which shines light on his direction. Notice that it is imperative to seek God with your “whole heart.” If you are not seeking God with your whole heart, then you will continue to wander away from the commands of God.
11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Once again the psalmist is proving that the Word of God is trustworthy. It is worthy of being trusted. This idea of “storing up your Word” has to do with meditating on and memorizing Scripture. This verse is John 14:26 in action — “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring your remembrance all that I have said to you.” When we memorize Scripture (store it up in our heart), then the Holy Spirit will bring that Scripture to our mind as we are walking daily. This is how we continue to Walk in Wisdom.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!
The psalmist says that there is much joy in the Lord. Then he asks God to “teach” the commands of the Lord to him. We understand that this teaching is done through God’s Word. God has spoken. And if we want to know more about the attributes of God, we will find them in His Word. If we want to know about the character of God revealed to us, we can find this in His Word. If we want to understand the purpose of life, we can find this in His Word. All that we need to know to accomplish the will of God for our lives is found in the Bible. The Word of God is sufficient for our sanctification.
13 With my lips I declared all the rules of your mouth.
The psalmist moves to his response to the facts above. Because the Word of God is Holy and Trustworthy, and because there is much joy found in the blessings of God, the psalmist will herald the Truth. When you are reading and studying the Bible, there is but one reaction and it is to be an Ambassador for Christ. When your life has truly been transformed by the Gospel, there is an urgency inside of you to make God known.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
As opposed to veering off of the path that is provided to us by the Word of God, the psalmist seeks to guard his life according to the Word of God. We understand from Psalm 1 that there are two options: Walk/Stand/Sit with the sinner or Delight in the Word of God. Those are the options that we find in this life. There is more delight to be found in the Word of God than what any amount of riches can afford you. Choose to find joy and satisfaction in the commands of God.
15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
Because of the Truth found in the Word of God, the psalmist commits to meditating on the precepts of God. We can see this command to God’s people in Joshua 1:6-9 (as well as all over Exodus and Deuteronomy). And then he says that he will “fix his eyes on your ways.” Notice the similarities to verse 6, “having my eyes fixed on your commandments.” To “fix your eyes” on the ways of God is to be resolved before you even begin walking. This is to “set your mind on the things that are above” (Colossians 3:2).
16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Note the last two verses in this stanza are the commitments that are made as a result of recognizing the King of kings. The psalmist is saying “I will” do the following things because God has changed his life. Not only will he “meditate” and “fix his eyes” on the way of the Lord, but he says that he will “delight in” and “not forget” the Word of the Lord. The point here is that before the believer begins to walk, he is resolved to “meditate” and to “fix his eyes” on the Lord and continue walking with his eyes on Christ. And this will bring much “delight” to the believer, which will be a conviction for him to “not forget” the ways of the Lord as he is tempted to turn to the left or turn to the right (verse 10).
The outline of this stanza is similar to verses 1-8. There are declarations of fact made about God, which are followed by commitments from the psalmist. Verses 9-12 are declarations about the Greatness, Trustability and Joy found in the Word of God. Verses 13-16 are commitments to walking in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called. When we recognize the Supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ, this should always result in conviction to conform your life to be more like Him.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
The palmist begins this stanza with the understanding that we cannot pursue Holiness outside of the Word of God. We are commanded by God to “Be Holy” for He is Holy, and this is only possible by living our life according to the Word of God. Often this verse is used in accordance with “sexual purity,” which is not wrong, but it is short-sighted. Any sort of sin against God is an impure act of the will — not just sexual sins. As we are in our sanctification process, we still struggle with gossip, anxiety, coveting, idolatry, anger, obscene talk and lying. All of these things are impure. And the psalmist reminds us that as we learn what it means to “put off the old self” and to “put on Christ,” we must guard our lives according to His Word. Simply put, if we walk in the way of the Lord, then our decision-making will reflect that.
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
The psalmist is pleading with the Lord to “let me not wander from your commandments.” Understanding that there is no hope outside of the commands of God, the psalmist is making a declaration that the Word of God is trustworthy. He understands that on this path that we are to walk as believers, it is the Word of God which shines light on his direction. Notice that it is imperative to seek God with your “whole heart.” If you are not seeking God with your whole heart, then you will continue to wander away from the commands of God.
11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Once again the psalmist is proving that the Word of God is trustworthy. It is worthy of being trusted. This idea of “storing up your Word” has to do with meditating on and memorizing Scripture. This verse is John 14:26 in action — “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring your remembrance all that I have said to you.” When we memorize Scripture (store it up in our heart), then the Holy Spirit will bring that Scripture to our mind as we are walking daily. This is how we continue to Walk in Wisdom.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!
The psalmist says that there is much joy in the Lord. Then he asks God to “teach” the commands of the Lord to him. We understand that this teaching is done through God’s Word. God has spoken. And if we want to know more about the attributes of God, we will find them in His Word. If we want to know about the character of God revealed to us, we can find this in His Word. If we want to understand the purpose of life, we can find this in His Word. All that we need to know to accomplish the will of God for our lives is found in the Bible. The Word of God is sufficient for our sanctification.
13 With my lips I declared all the rules of your mouth.
The psalmist moves to his response to the facts above. Because the Word of God is Holy and Trustworthy, and because there is much joy found in the blessings of God, the psalmist will herald the Truth. When you are reading and studying the Bible, there is but one reaction and it is to be an Ambassador for Christ. When your life has truly been transformed by the Gospel, there is an urgency inside of you to make God known.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
As opposed to veering off of the path that is provided to us by the Word of God, the psalmist seeks to guard his life according to the Word of God. We understand from Psalm 1 that there are two options: Walk/Stand/Sit with the sinner or Delight in the Word of God. Those are the options that we find in this life. There is more delight to be found in the Word of God than what any amount of riches can afford you. Choose to find joy and satisfaction in the commands of God.
15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
Because of the Truth found in the Word of God, the psalmist commits to meditating on the precepts of God. We can see this command to God’s people in Joshua 1:6-9 (as well as all over Exodus and Deuteronomy). And then he says that he will “fix his eyes on your ways.” Notice the similarities to verse 6, “having my eyes fixed on your commandments.” To “fix your eyes” on the ways of God is to be resolved before you even begin walking. This is to “set your mind on the things that are above” (Colossians 3:2).
16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Note the last two verses in this stanza are the commitments that are made as a result of recognizing the King of kings. The psalmist is saying “I will” do the following things because God has changed his life. Not only will he “meditate” and “fix his eyes” on the way of the Lord, but he says that he will “delight in” and “not forget” the Word of the Lord. The point here is that before the believer begins to walk, he is resolved to “meditate” and to “fix his eyes” on the Lord and continue walking with his eyes on Christ. And this will bring much “delight” to the believer, which will be a conviction for him to “not forget” the ways of the Lord as he is tempted to turn to the left or turn to the right (verse 10).
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Devoted to Teaching | Acts 2:42"All This Is From God" | 2 Corinthians 5:18Battle For The Truth | Jan HusThree Elements of Prayer Taught by King Solomon | 1 Kings 8:22-30Time To Act, Reflecting On A Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones SermonExploring 2 Corinthians 5:21Exploring Isaiah 40:7-8Sin Separates Us From God
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The Transformative Power, Profundity and Promise of the Simple Gospel, part 1The Transformative Power, Profundity and Promise of the Simple Gospel, part 2The Transformative Power, Profundity and Promise of the Simple Gospel, part 3The Transformative Power, Profundity and Promise of the Simple Gospel, part 4
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