Psalm 119:11 - Appropriate God's Word for Deliverance from Sin.
Psa 119:11; Appropriate God's Word for Deliverance from Sin.
CONTENT; Translation; Paraphrase; Word Study:
Psa 119:11 (KJV) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I
might not sin against thee.
Psa 119:11 (NCV) I have taken your words to heart so I would
not sin against you.
Psa 119:11 (paraphrase) God your words have become my way of
life that I might not sin against you.
Definition of Key Terms
Some eight different Hebrew synonyms are used in referring to
Scripture. These are:
Dabar ("word"), a general term for any form of divine revelation.
Torah ("law"), a teaching, indicating a single command, the
Books of Moses, or all of Scripture.
Piqqudim ("precepts"), detailed instructions given by God as
guardian of His people.
Huqqim ("statutes"), binding laws engraved on a permanent record.
Mispatim ("ordinances"), judgments made by God, containing God's
judgments concerning man's rights and duties.
Miswot ("commandments"), orders given by competent authority.
'Edot ("testimonies"), vivid and unmistakable witnesses to man
of God's will.
'Imra ("promise"), a term often translated "word," suggesting
the trustworthiness of divine truth in any form.
Together these words form a clear picture of the Scriptures.
They are God's authoritative Word, in which we can have complete
confidence, and through which we learn to trust God and to live a life
characterized by godliness. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
"Word" in this psalm is usually translated "promise." [NIV SB]
The often-used term "law" has the idea of teaching, direction,
or instruction. The law is the gracious revelation of what God
wants in order for believers to have fellowship with him. It reveals
who he is. [New Bible Companion]
CONTEXT; Overview; Topic:
Psalm 119 The Word of God
Psalm 119 The Law of the Lord
Psalm 119 A Torah psalm, an alphabetical psalm: It consists of
twenty-two stanzas corresponding successively to the letters in the Hebrew
alphabet. The eight verses of each stanza all begin with the same letter.
This pattern is maintained throughout the psalm until the alphabet is
complete. [New Bible Companion]
CROSS REFERENCES
Psalm 1:2 (KJV) But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and
in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psa 19:13 (KJV) Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous
sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and
I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Psa 19:13 (paraphrase) Keep me from willful sin which if
unchecked will lead to the unpardonable sin.
Psalm 40:8 (KJV) I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy
law is within my heart.
Psalm 40:8 (paraphrase) When God's law is in your heart you
will delight in doing His will.
Psalm 119:97 (KJV) O how love I thy law! it is my meditation
all the day.
Proverbs 2:10-11 (KJV) When wisdom entereth into thine heart,
and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; [11] Discretion shall
preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
Col. 3:16 (KJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in
all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken
unto you.
Proverbs 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart
keep my commandments:
Joshua 1:8 (KJV) This book of the law shall not depart out of
thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou
mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success.
Deu 6:5-9 (paraphrase) Love God with your total being and fill
your heart with His words. Teach God's word to your children until it
lives in them. Make God's word your conversation in the home. Make
God's word your conversation outside the home i.e. at work and in the
community. Make God's word your last conversation of the day when you
retire. Make God's word your first conversation of the day when you get
up in the morning. Consider God's word in every action you
undertake. Consider God's word in every thought you have. Remember God's
word every time someone enters or leaves your home. Remember God's
word every time you leave or enter your home. In other words
acknowledge God and His word in every thought, word and deed from the time
you get up until the time you go to bed.
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are
life.
Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Proverbs 7:1-3 My son, keep my words, and lay up my
commandments with thee. [2] Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the
apple of thine eye. [3] Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon
the table of thine heart.
John 6:51, 54 I am the living bread which came down from
heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of
the world. [54] Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath
eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION
This verse contains the secret of true Christian living. A mere
knowledge of the Word will not keep us from sin, but when the Word is
treasured up in the heart we have the weapons with which to meet and
conquer the wily foe. [SDA Commentary]
Scripture memorization is a defense against sin. Hiding
(keeping) God's Word in our hearts is a deterrent to sin. This alone
should inspire us to memorize Scripture. But memorization alone will
not keep us from sin; we must also put God's Word to work in our
lives, making it a vital guide for everything we do. [Life Application
SB]
To hide God's word in our heart is much more than just
memorizing Scripture; it means to apply and live it. Not just to hear, but
to do. Pro.1:7, Joh.6:51-58, Jam.1:22.
If we hide Gods' Word in our heart by memorizing and meditating
on it, we will find new power to keep our mind and heart clean.
[Life Recovery SB]
"The prince of this world cometh," said Jesus, "and hath nothing
in Me." John 14:30. There was in Him nothing that responded to
Satan's sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did
He yield to temptation. So it may be with us. Christ's humanity was
united with divinity; He was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit. And He came to make us partakers of the divine
nature. So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more
dominion over us. God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to
lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to
perfection of character. And how this is accomplished, Christ has shown
us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the
word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. "It is
written," He said. And unto us are given "exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:4.
Every promise in God's word is ours. "By every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God" are we to live. When assailed by
temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the
power of the word. All its strength is yours. "Thy word," says the
psalmist, "have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee."
"By the world of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the
destroyer." Ps. 119:11; 17:4. DA123
God's holy, educating Spirit is in His word. A light, a new and
precious light, shines forth from every page. Truth is there revealed,
and words and sentences are made bright and appropriate for the
occasion, as the voice of God speaking to the soul... The promises spoken by
the great Teacher will captivate the senses and animate the soul
with spiritual power that is divine. There will grow in the fruitful
mind a familiarity with divine things that will be as a barricade
against temptation. The words of truth will grow in importance, and
assume a breadth and fullness of meaning of which we have never
dreamed. The beauty and riches of the word have a transforming influence
on mind and character. COL132
The heart preoccupied with the word of God is fortified against
Satan. Those who make Christ their daily companion and familiar friend
will feel that the powers of an unseen world are all around them; and
by looking to Jesus they will become assimilated to His image. By
beholding they become changed to the divine pattern; their character is
softened, refined, and ennobled for the heavenly kingdom." --6T616
If the truth of God be not deep-rooted in the heart, you cannot
stand the test of Temptation. There is only one power that can keep us
steadfast under the most trying circumstances,--the grace of God in truth.
YI 11-10-86
There are many hundreds of thousands of books in the Library of
Congress in Washington, D.C. Books on countless subjects, by countless
people over hundreds of years. Some of those writings have been the
seed bed for philosophies, political parties, religious movements and
more. The writers have come and gone; most are no longer remembered.
God's Word is remembered because it IS His Word, and it WORKS. The
sad thing is, many of us don't pay any more attention to God's Word
than to any other book. In the Bible are the tools to enable every
believer to lead a victorious life. But day after day, the Bible sits
unopened. We must take that Word, read it, think about it and so devour
it that it feeds us. Memorize it! That Word transforms our thoughts
and actions. Christian, take it today and feed on it and put it in
your heart, that you might not sin against Almighty God, and partake
of the victorious life! [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]
We tell Sarah, at nine, how important it is to keep her dental
appliance in her mouth. Somehow she can't grasp the fact that it is either
this, or wear metal during her teen years. Sarah is like the "young
man" of this verse. She is too inexperienced to have gained wisdom,
or be able to judge the future consequences of present actions. How
the young need a guide to life's good!
In a sense each of us is "young." None of us has the wisdom to
make right moral choices on his own. And so in grace God gave us His
Word to live by. He did not intend to restrict or limit us, but to
guide us along paths that assure blessing.
We then are faced with a single basic choice. Will we or will we
not "stray from Your commands"?
If we are to remain safely on that path, we need to hide God's
Word in our hearts (v. 11), recount His laws (v. 13), rejoice in
following His statutes (v. 14), meditate on his precepts (v. 15), and
never neglect His Word (v. 16).
We tell Sarah, "Trust us. Keep your appliance in your mouth, and
you'll have no regrets in the future." For Sarah too there is only one
issue. Do what we say, no matter how little she wants to at various
times.
Perhaps Psalm 119 can be viewed as the psalmist speaking to you
and me as Sarah's mom and I speak to her. "Trust God," he said.
"Concentrate on knowing and doing God's Word. If you do, you can be sure.
Your future will be bright." [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
What's the best way to renew your mind when you've fallen away?
The crucial thing we must do to renew our relationship with Christ
is maintain a regular daily devotional life. In order to become,
and remain, close to God, you need to read your Bible and pray every
day. Don't lose the habit of regularly feeding your soul on the Word
of God. The Bible says, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I
might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11). If you're struggling with
any sort of temptation, you need more of God's Spirit-more of
Christ-in you. He's the living Word. As you read the Word, Jesus comes
into your heart and mind, and that's what keeps you from sinning. If
you fill your life with the light of Christ, it crowds the darkness
of the devil away. [Pastor Doug Batchelor]
Sin is not necessary. Memorizing and obeying God's Word leads us
to avoid sin. Thus, we bear responsibility when we do not use His
Word to fight temptation. [Disciple SB]
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