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Psalm 119:11 - How To Hide God's Word In Your Heart.

Psalm 119:11 - How To Hide God's Word In Your Heart.

Psalm 119:11 (KJV) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I 
might not sin against thee. 

CONTEXT

Psalm 119: Meditations on the Excellencies of the Word of God. 
[Remnant SB] 

INTRODUCTION

   The theme of this unique psalm is the Word of God. Every 
verse except five (84, 90, 121, 122, 132) refers to God's Word, what 
it is and what it can do in your life if you let it. The 
arrangement is also unique. There are twenty-two sections of eight lines 
each, and the lines in each individual section begin with the same 
letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eight lines begin with Aleph, 
the next eight with Beth, and so on through all twenty-two letters. 
This may have been a device to help people memorize the psalm. 
   The writer had a great love for the Word of God and was 
persecuted because he obeyed God and opposed sin. Most of the verses are 
either prayers for God's help or affirmations of the writer's faith in 
God's truth despite his difficulties. Meditating on this psalm ought 
to make you love and treasure the Word of God more and obey it more 
willingly. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe] 

Psalm 119 contains ten different names for the Word of God: 
word, law, saying, statutes, way, commandments, path, testimonies, 
precepts, and judgments. Each name indicates what the Word is and how we 
should respond to it. The writer pictured the Word of God as water (v. 
9), treasure (vv. 14, 72, 127, 162), a companion and counselor (v. 
24), a song (v. 54), honey (v. 103), light (vv. 105, 130), and a 
heritage (v. 111). Meditate on these pictures and see what they mean to 
your personal life of faith. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by 
Warren Wiersbe] 

COMMENTARY

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 Bible Commentary] 

   The Bible has the power to change our lives and protect us 
from spiritual harm. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that Scripture is 
"God-breathed," which means the Holy Spirit inspired the human beings who wrote 
it, and God himself invested their words with his own breath and his 
own life.  
   We need to be careful not to let the Bible become a 
substitute for God, as though his presence and voice can be reduced to 
words on a printed page. It is possible to study Scripture diligently 
and yet miss God, as the Pharisees did. But it isn't possible to 
know God as fully as we are capable of knowing him without studying 
Scripture. We encounter God with certainty through his Word. [NIV Once A 
Day Bible re Psa. 119:9-16] 

   Meditation means "to think deeply and continuously about 
something." For a Christian, this means remaining in the presence of God and 
pondering each truth He reveals about Himself until it becomes real and 
personal in your life. This takes time. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus 
accused certain would-be followers of calling Him "Lord" and yet never 
doing what He told them (Lu 6:46). They had the correct truth in their 
heads, but it had never translated into obedience. When you meditate on 
Scriptures, the truth moves from your head to your heart and results in 
obedience. As the Psalmist said: "Your word have I hidden in my heart, That 
I might not sin against You" (Ps 119:11). 
   When you know God's Word in your mind but not in your heart, 
it means that you have learned the principles and concepts and 
doctrines of God, but you have not come to know Jesus personally. You can 
reject a doctrine, or ignore a concept, or challenge a principle, but 
it is much more difficult to ignore a Person. You can have 
Scripture in your mind and still sin against God. There are those who can 
recite long passages of Scripture and yet live ungodly lives. However, 
you cannot have Scripture fill your heart and continue to sin 
against God. When God's truth is allowed to touch the deepest corner of 
your soul, the Holy Spirit will transform you into the image of Jesus 
Christ. Don't just read your Bible, meditate on God's Word and ask Him 
to change your heart. [Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and 
Richard Blackaby re Psa. 1:2] 

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] 

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] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2004/20041110-1418.html

EXCELLENT SERMON ON THIS PASSAGE BY PASTOR DWIGHT NELSON:

http://media.pmchurch.org/mp3/Sermon050903.mp3

LIVE BIBLE PROPHECY SERIES - REVELATION TODAY: 

http://revelationtodaylive.com/live [live streaming +/- download]