MY FAVORTE PSALMS
PSALM 119: A LIGHT UNTO MY PATH
DR. JIM DIXON
JULY 1, 2012
PSALM 119:11, 105
The 119th Psalm is the longest psalm in the Bible. It is, in my opinion, the greatest of the psalms. It is, most scholars would agree, the most well-crafted psalm. It’s just beautifully crafted. The 119th Psalm consists of 22 stanzas. Each stanza represents a different letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The first stanza represents “aleph,” the second stanza represents “beth,” the third stanza represents “gimel,” the fourth “daleth,” and so on as it goes through the Hebrew alphabet. Each stanza of the 22 stanzas has eight verses. This is an acrostic poem. The theme of all 22 stanzas and all 176 verses is the Word of God. The theme of this psalm is the Word of God.
There are eight Hebrew terms that are used as titles for the Word of God in this psalm. The first is “torah,” the second is “edot,” the third is “mitzvot,” the fourth is “mishpatim,” the fifth is “piqqudim,” the sixth is “huqqim,” the seventh is “imrah,” the eighth is “dabar.” These eight Hebrew terms are used again and again, and all are titles for the Word of God. You might be thinking, “How can the Scriptures, how can the Word of God have eight different titles?”
Each of these eight Hebrew terms bring out a different aspect of the Word of God. “Torah” means “law” or “instruction.” It is used of the Word of God written. It is used of the Decalogue, the Pentateuch. As Christians, we understand that both the Old and the New Testaments are “Torah,” divine instruction. “Mitzvot” means “command” or “commandment.” We know that the Word of God contains His commandments; the Word of God is the commandments of God. The word “mishpatim” literally means “ordinance.” The Word of God are His ordinances. The root word of “mishpatim” is “mishpat,” which means “justice” or “righteousness.” We go to the Word of God, and we understand righteousness, we understand justice. The Word of God is God’s definition of righteousness and justice. The word “imrah” means “the word of promise.” The Word of God contains the promises of God.
The word “dabar” means “word of power,” “word of creation.” The Bible is “dabar.” In fact, this word, “dabar,” is also a title for Christ in the Bible. It is used in John 1 in the Hebrew translation of the Greek New Testament. The title given to Christ there is “Ha Dabar,” the Word. This is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek word “logos.” “In the beginning was ‘Ha Dabar,’ the Word was with God and the Word is God. The Word was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, without Him nothing was made that has been made.” We understand this title. The Word is a word of power. It refers not just to the Son of God, but also to the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures contain the power of God. The Hebrews always taught that God created by His Word. God created the universe, the cosmos, the galactic systems by His Word. He spoke the universe into being. “Dabar,” the word of power. That same power is descriptive of the Holy Scripture. The Holy Scripture is His word of power.
Today, we look at the Word of God. There are really, in this 119th Psalm, two supreme thoughts repeated over and over again. The first is this: the Word of God is light. By this we mean “truth.” The Word of God is truth. A question should be posed and thought through for every one of us here today. That question is this: do you believe the Bible is truth? Do you believe the Word of God is light? Where do you get your light? Where do you get your truth? Where do you find enlightenment? Does it come from the culture? Does it come from academia? Does it come from your parents? Does it come from the newspapers? Does it come from the television? Where do you get light? Where do you get truth?
We are proclaiming today that the Word of God is light, the Word of God is truth. This must be your source of truth. When the Bible says, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,” we understand that His light guides us as we walk through our days and years. As we live our life here in this world, His light guides us.
Recently, in Israel, archeologists found a ring as they were digging in the ruins of an ancient city. They were surprised because it was a big ring. It seemed to be too big for a human finger. There was no NBA in those days, no NFL, no Super Bowl rings. This was a big ring. They also noticed that on the top of the ring was a small oil lamp. They came to understand that this ring was actually a toe ring, a ring that was to fit over one of the toes, perhaps the big toe on your foot. As you walked, this little lamp would give you light to see the next step.
People immediately thought of Psalm 119:105, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” There is some sense where you could think of the Bible that way, as just giving you light for each day, light for each step. We know that such a ring was a rare thing. There were not many people that used a toe ring. They also know that they probably didn’t work very well. They might have even been a little dangerous with all the hot oil that would have been in the lamp.
When we speak of light, when we speak of the Bible as light, or when we speak of Christ as light, we are talking about something much greater than a toe lamp. We are talking about truth itself, truth that is to be proclaimed to the nations, truth that is to cover the earth, truth that is universal and absolute. In John 8:12, Jesus makes that incredible declaration while standing before the Temple in the city of Jerusalem, “I am the light of the world.” What an amazing statement! “I am the light of the world.” He made that declaration in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles in the city of Jerusalem.
He made that statement in the context of the night of illumination. When the vats were brought into the Temple Mount and filled with oil, and the great candelabras were lit, the whole city of Jerusalem was flooded with light. Children stayed up all night and played in the streets. Everything was lit all night long. In that context, He said, “I am the light of the world.” His light is a light that is great. It is meant to cover the earth and the cities of the world. He is light. That is the same light that we think of when we think of Holy Scripture. It is divine light. It is truth.
When we speak of the Bible as truth, we really mean two things. First of all, we mean that it is moral truth. Secondly, we mean that it is theological truth. You might say to yourself, “What is the truth that God gave us the Bible for? Is it scientific truth?” Certainly, there is scientific truth in the Bible, but that is not really why God gave us the Bible. It is not given to us primarily as some scientific text. You might think, “Well, is it historical truth?” Yes, there is historical truth in the Bible. Indeed, of all ancient literature, nothing is more historically helpful than the Bible. But again, God didn’t give us the Bible primarily as a historical text.
God has given the Bible to mankind primarily as moral and theological truth, so that we might have an understanding of His will for us in terms of faith and practice—faith being our theology and practice being our morality. The Church of Jesus Christ, for the better part of 2,000 years . . . and all the framers of the Reformation—from John Calvin to Martin Luther to Zwingli—said that the Bible is the infallible rule of faith and practice. With regard to faith and practice, the Bible is without error. I believe that with all my heart. With regard to faith and practice, the Bible is without error. With regard to morality, the Bible is without error. With regard to theology and doctrine, the Bible is without error. Do you believe that? So much is at stake. Where do you find moral truth?
Every society has some understanding of moral truth. Every society has some kind of criminal justice system. People are tried, convicted, and incarcerated on the basis of the violation of some moral standard. Just this past week, here in our country, the brother of Bernie Madoff confessed his complicity in the crimes of Bernie Madoff. The younger brother Peter Madoff has confessed his guilt; he will surely be convicted and incarcerated. Bernie Madoff perpetrated the largest ponzi scheme in the history of our nation. He pilfered billions of dollars from thousands of people. He has been sentenced to 150 years in prison. He is 74 years old. He certainly is not going to serve out his 150 years.
Every nation has moral boundaries beyond which you cannot go. “Thou shall not steal.” It is in the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. But the morality of Holy Scripture goes deeper. There are certain moral standards that cannot be legislated by society. There are certain moral standards that are just between you and God. The Bible doesn’t simply say, “Thou shalt not steal.” The Bible says, “Thou shalt not covet.” You might even say that God is meddling here; He is looking at the inward person. He is looking at your heart. He is looking inside my soul. It is not just that I shouldn’t steal—if I steal, I will be liable to the authorities as well as to God—but I also shouldn’t even covet. And only God knows what we’re coveting. God is looking in your soul; He is looking in your heart.
Of course, the Bible doesn’t just condemn sexual misconduct, the Bible condemns lust. God looks on the inside. Our Lord Jesus said, “You have heard it said of old, ‘Thou shall not commit adultery.’ I say to you, ‘Whoever looks upon a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart.’” You cannot police these things. God looks inward. There is a standard of pure morality in the Bible. The real question is do you believe the Word of God is light? Do you really believe the moral standards of Holy Scripture? Do you make any effort to submit your life to the Word of God? Or do you get your moral standards from society?
This past week, Barb and I went back to our denomination’s General Assembly in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church is the denomination with which we are affiliated. I was very privileged to be a part of those who helped form the denomination in St. Louis in 1981. We have a wonderful denomination. It is a great fellowship of men and women who love Christ and who seek to serve Him. We had a great General Assembly at the First Presbyterian Church there.
We went a couple of days early because we had never been to Louisiana. Barb and I went with Gary and Judy Fields. Judy is my administrative assistant and Gary is an elder emeritus. They are good friends of ours. We went down to New Orleans for a couple of days, never having seen it. It was an experience. We went through the garden district. It was beautiful. We went down St. Charles Street and saw the mansions. It was like stepping back in time to another era. We went through the French Quarter. There are restaurants everywhere. The food is so bad for you. I can’t imagine how anyone lives past age 50 there. They have these po boys, and they are everywhere. A po boy is really just a bunch of fried food, slapped with mayonnaise, and stuffed in a French roll. That can’t be good for you, but it tastes good. Then you top it off with a beignet, which is a French donut that consist of flour and butter. It’s deep fried and rolled in powdered sugar. It is a kind of health food.
It is a little depressing going around New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina was seven years ago. We took the bus tour, and as we went around the city, they showed us the devastation. Everywhere you looked in certain sections of the city, you saw the tragedy of it all. There are still 10,000 houses that have been condemned and haven’t even been torn down yet. Nobody is living in them. It is so sad.
In the French Quarter, we went down Bourbon Street. We only went a little ways down Bourbon Street because it was really offensive, and it was foul. I hear from people that it has changed a lot over the last few decades. It used to be a place of music, a place for the home of jazz where some of the greatest jazz musicians performed. There were great restaurants. Now, it is just a sex street. It is really tragic. It plays to the seedier side of the human soul. I don’t think any city in the world should allow a street like that. It is just sad. It is kind of like a red-light district.
We had been to Amsterdam earlier this year in conjunction with our Reformation trip. Dutch Franz, our executive pastor, said to me, “Man, Jim, when you get to your room, they have a book there for the tourists visiting Amsterdam. They have these articles defending their worldview. Representing their worldview is an article on cannabis and their liberal drug policies, explaining it to tourists. Then there is an article on the gay community and the gay lifestyle and why they promote it. Then there’s an article on the red-light district, on prostitution and why they endorse it. They went to great lengths to explain their philosophy of life and how they viewed sex as recreational. They said, ‘Once you understand that sex is recreational, everything else falls into place.’ They explain in the article that all three of their major political parties have now come to an agreement that the legal age for sex should be reduced to age twelve. They said this will reduce victims.” What a tragedy.
In the Bible, you have this beautiful view of sex. You know where sex came from? It is from God. God thought the whole deal up. It is all God’s idea, this thing we call sex. It is all God’s gift. It is a beautiful gift from God. It is a gift, and the Bible tells us it is a gift meant to be opened only in the context of marriage. That is what God gave it for. On the physical level, it is meant to be the highest expression of marriage love and the marriage union.
We live in a society that has tainted the gift. We are even redefining marriage. The Bible says clearly that God has ordained and established marriage. God has designed it to bless one man and one woman in a holy matrimony. This is to be the foundational unit in society. It is to provide for procreation and the stability of society. From a Biblical perspective, marriage is the greatest laboratory, the greatest classroom through which we can experience sanctification.
We live in a world where everyone has their own light. The culture thinks the Bible is in darkness, and the culture thinks that it has found the true light in its own light. People think they are wiser than God. Sex is viewed as recreational throughout our society now. People are just living together. People go out on dates and expect to have sex. Pornography is rampant, a multi-billion-dollar industry. It is in every form of technology—not just in magazines and television; it is all over the internet.
Do you really believe the Bible is moral light? It is not easy because, if you believe the Bible and you really believe this is moral truth, you are not going to agree with society on everything. You are not always going to be politically correct. You are going to be out of step with a lot of culture on a lot of things. We are supposed to love people, even those people who disagree with us, hate us, judge us, and call us names. We are supposed to love them all, but be faithful to the Word of God. The Bible is light. It is “a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.” It is truth. It is not just moral truth; it is theological truth. It is where we find our doctrine; it is where we find our faith.
A few years ago, I was invited to the office of the president at Denver Seminary for a meeting. Dr. Craig Williford was the president of the Seminary at that time. Mark Young is the President today. Both of them are great men. Craig Williford asked if I would come. Dr. Blomberg, who is a part of the biblical studies department and a wonderful friend to our church, was also in the meeting. We had representatives of the Mormon Church there, representatives of the highest levels of Mormon leadership. There was a professor of theology from Brigham Young University and a member of the council of seventy out of the Mormon Church. They had a signed document from the twelve apostles of the Mormon Church, a signed document from the president of the Mormon Church. They wanted to discuss theology with us. They wanted to correct what they said where misconceptions about Mormon theology.
Where do Mormons get their theology? Where do they find their theological truth? They have four documents. They have “the Book of Mormon,” “the Pearl of Great Price,” “the Doctrines and Covenants,” and “the Journal of Discourses.” You can pour through those documents and see what you think. They claim to have the truth about Jesus Christ. What a crazy idea. Those four books were all crafted in the 19th century and beyond. “The Book of Mormon” was plagiarized by Joseph Smith from a variety of sources. They have already proven that the tribes that are described in “the Book of Mormon” never existed.
In the Bible, you have testimony to the life of Jesus Christ from the 1st century. Think about the fact that half of the New Testament is written by the Apostle Paul who was inspired by the Holy Spirit and who met Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road. Think about the fact that the Apostle Paul knew the Apostle Peter. Think about the fact that the Apostle Paul knew the Apostle James, the great head of the Jerusalem Church. Think about the fact that they all met together at the Jerusalem Council. Think about the fact that Paul was writing from AD 45 to about 65. Think about how close that is to the life of Jesus. Then think about people writing 1,800 years later and claiming to have the real scoop. People are so gullible; it is just amazing to me.
I want you to know that you can trust the Bible. It is the Word of God. It is light—moral and theological light. The Bible says, “In the last days, people will depart from the truth”—both morally and theologically. “People will no longer endure sound teaching. Having itching ears, they will accumulate teachers to suit their own liking. They will turn away from listening to the truth. They will wander into myths.” I think those are the days we are approaching.
There are people now in some of the major denominations such as the ELCA, the UMC, and the PCUSA that are actually questioning the cross. Can you believe that? There are Christian periodicals that have come out denying the cross because it was violent. They say that a loving God would never ever use anything violent. So, they deny substitutionary atonement. They deny that Christ died on the cross for me and for you. They deny that He took the sin of the world upon Himself. They deny it all because they think that it is too violent. They don’t even understand the gravity of sin and the depth of the love of God. They say a Christian is simply somebody who wants to follow Christ’s example. You cannot take the cross out of the gospel. Why do we have communion? Why do we take the bread and the cup? Why do we celebrate His body broken and His blood shed? I never thought I would live to see the day when there would be such apostasy in the church of Jesus Christ.
We have a member of our church named Arthur Blessit. Arthur is a great guy. His whole life has been a ministry of preaching the cross. He carries the cross in nations all over the world. Arthur has carried the cross in 320 nations of the world. He just reached 40,000 miles up at White Horse in the Yukon. He is here at church when he is in town, but he is gone a lot. He has carried the cross in jungles and across deserts. He has been incarcerated and thrown into prison 24 times for carrying the cross. He ought to get frequent flyer for all those miles carrying the cross and preaching everywhere about the cross.
Jesus died in my place; He died in your place. By His grace, He will forgive you if you will but believe. This is truth. It is theological truth. It is light, theological light. We live in a world of darkness. This is the beautiful statement of Psalm 119: His Word is light.
We are also told that His Word is strength. It is another beautiful statement. “Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee”—Psalm 119:11. Do you have any desire to do a little better when it comes to sin? I don’t mean sin better; I mean sin less. Do you have any desire to sin less? Do you have any hunger or thirst for righteousness? Do you want to be pure? Is there any part of you that wants to be pure in your thoughts and your motives, not just in your behavior? I know we are saved by grace; that is the gospel. If you love Him, there has got to be in your soul a longing to be pure. If we hide His Word in our hearts, that is going to help take us there. It is not just that His Word will provide standards that should guide us, but His Word will give strength when we hide it in our hearts.
The breath of God is powerful. We have seen this before in some of our Sunday morning sermons. The breath of God is powerful. In Genesis 2:7 . . . In the beginning, God breathed on the first couple. God breathed on Adam and Eve. God breathed into their nostrils the breath of life. They became living souls, “nephesh.” They became the power of God—the breath of God imparting the “imago dei.” What an amazing image. Look at the breath of God in John 20. Jesus has risen from the dead, and the disciples are assembled in the upper room in the city of Jerusalem. They are petrified. The doors are locked. They are afraid of the authorities. They are afraid they are going to be arrested. They are afraid they are going to be condemned. They are afraid for their lives.
Suddenly, Jesus just appears in the middle of the room. He says, “Peace be unto you.” Then the amazing statement in John 20: He breathed on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” It was the breath of God imparting the presence and power of God. At Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, the breath of God comes from the heaven like a mighty wind and imparts the presence and power and gifting of God upon the early church. Then you come to 2 Timothy 3:16 and you see the breath of God again, but in a strange place. You see Paul writing that “all Scripture,” the whole Bible, “is inspired of God.” The Greek word is “theopneustos,” “God-breathed.” The breath of God is on this book. I don’t mean to be overly mystical about this, but there is a mystical side to the truth of the gospel and the power of the Holy Scripture. His breath is on His book. If you hide His Word in your heart, I think you are going to feel the breath of God. His breath is on the Word.
We live in a strange world. I think some people have this weird view of the Bible. Some people kind of view it as a magic book; they almost have a superstitious view of the Bible. You have heard of Sam Houston. Many of you have been to Houston, Texas, which is named after Sam Houston. Sam Houston was a great American, the president of the Republic of Texas. When Texas became a state, which he had fought for and longed for, he became a United States senator from the state of Texas. Then, he became the governor of the state of Texas. Incredibly, before all of this, he lived in Tennessee; and in Tennessee, he was a congressman. And he actually served as the governor of Tennessee. He was an amazing man. He died in 1863.
His son, Sam Houston Jr., fought in the Civil War. He was shot in the back, but he didn’t die. In fact, he wasn’t even hurt. Here why: Sam Houston Jr. was carrying a little backpack, and in the backpack, he had his grandmother’s Bible. The bullet went right into the Bible and stopped. According to Sam Houston Jr., when he opened up his grandmother’s Bible, the bullet was stopped right at Psalm 70. The point of the bullet was on Psalm 70:50, “The Lord is my strength and my deliverer.”
Now, I don’t know what you think when you hear a story like that. I have heard a lot of stories like that; I have read a lot of stories like that. I think some of them are probably true and some of them are probably not true. Some are probably partially true. What bothers me is the way it makes people think of the Bible. “What a great bullet-stopper the Bible is!” You can’t have a superstitious view of the Bible. Some people just carry the Bible with them at all times for protection. I am not sure what that means.
Perhaps you have heard of Menilek II. He was considered the greatest emperor of Ethiopia. He ascended the throne of Ethiopia in 1889. There is a picture of him in his royal garb with his royal crown on his head. He has kind of a park-bench beard. He was styling in his time. He was the greatest ruler of Ethiopia in 1889 and beyond. He tried to bring Ethiopia into the modern era. He wanted to be state of the art. He bought six electric chairs from the United States of America. He wanted the penal system to be right up to date. He forgot that they had no electricity in Ethiopia at the time. He wound up using one of the six electric chairs as his throne. He actually ruled from an electric chair.
By his own testimony, he loved Christ. He believed the Bible to be a holy book. He had a very superstitious view of the Bible. He slept with the Bible every night in his bed. He placed it right by his head as he went to sleep, kind of like Elvis Presley did. If you go to Graceland in Memphis, they will show you Elvis’ Bible and explain to you that Elvis put the Bible in bed with him every night by the side of his face. He felt like the Bible would somehow protect him. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is kind of weird. That is not what the Bible is for.
Back to Menilek II. Whenever he got sick, Menilek II thought he would get better if he took the Bible within him by digesting a few pages. He would tear a page out of the Bible (he had many Bibles), and he would chew it, hoping that he would get better. He once ate the entire books of 1-2 Kings. What a weird view of the Bible.
You have probably heard of Ferdinand VII. Ferdinand VII was the king of Spain. In 1808, Napoleon conquered Spain and put his brother Joseph on the throne. Ferdinand VII was cast down and incarcerated at this infamous place called “the Place of the Skull.” For seven years, from 1808 to 1815, Ferdinand VII was in that cell. They only gave him one thing. What was the one thing? It was the Bible. He was alone with a Bible for seven years. By his own testimony, Ferdinand VII read the Bible hundreds and hundreds of times over the seven years. When he got out in 1815, he re¬ascended the throne; but he wasn’t even a better man. He hadn’t been changed. He hadn’t been sanctified. He hadn’t improved. How can that be if he read the Bible so many times?
The truth is that he didn’t study the Bible, he didn’t submit to the Bible. He turned the Bible into some kind of a statistical sideshow. When they went into the cell where he had been incarcerated for those seven years, they found that he had scribbled on the wall all kinds of statistics from the Bible. There are 33,214 verses in the Bible. He had sat down and counted. He had a King James Version of the Bible, and he had counted the verses, 33,214. How many words are in the Bible? You probably never wondered, but he had a lot of time on his hands. He thought, “How many words are in the Bible?” There are 774,476 words. He wrote that on the wall. How many letters are in the New Testament? Not the letters of Paul and of Peter, but real letters like consonants and vowels. How many letters are in the New Testament? He had that written on the wall: 838,380 letters in the New Testament. He wrote other things on the wall. The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117, the longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9. Then there were minor facts such as this: Ezra 7:21 contains every letter of the English alphabet but the letter “J.” He came out no better than he went in seven years before.
What do you do with a Bible? What are you doing with it? Do you have one on your coffee table? Do you keep records inside of it, family documents, or pictures? Do you have a Bible by your bed? Do you have a Bible in your car for traveling mercies? What are you doing with the Bible? Are you actually studying it every day? Are you seeking intimacy with God? Are you longing to please Him? Are you reading it, thinking about how you can submit your life to the word written there? Do you ever memorize it? Do you ever think of hiding it in your heart?
I thank God for our Awana ministry here at the church on Wednesday nights and our Bible Blast ministry on Sunday mornings. We have kids in Awana and Bible Blast who are memorizing entire books of the Bible. It is absolutely unbelievable! They are hiding God’s Word in their hearts. Have you ever thought of just memorizing a chapter of the Bible? I know it would be work; but once the work is done, it wouldn’t be work anymore. You would know it. It would be ingrained, and you could say it naturally with joy. I think you would feel God’s breath and something of His power.
If you did decide to memorize one chapter, what one would it be? What is your favorite chapter? Is it in the Old Testament, the New Testament? What is it? Would you think about hiding it in your heart and letting God do something special in your life? Let it be a treasure. Maybe after you do that you might think, “There is another chapter I would like to try to memorize.” Hide another treasure in your heart. Maybe you could go radical on us and you will think, “I am going to memorize a book of the Bible.” Pick a shorter one. You can look at Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians—those are all fairly short letters.
The Word of God is light; it is truth; it is infallible, morally and theologically; it brings strength; and it brings God’s breath. If you hide it in your heart, it can change your life, particularly if you are in submission before God and longing to please Him. Let’s close with a word of prayer.