Psalm 119:41-48
is the sixth stanza of this psalm, and every line or verse begins with the sixth
letter of the Hebrew alphabet “WAW”, in the Hebrew Bible. Over
the years I’ve been asked the question, “Why did you go to Liberty University?”
In this section of Psalm 119, I found a great answer! I would reply, “I have
Scriptural reason for going there. Psalm 11:45 says, “And I will walk at
Liberty, for I seek Your precepts”. I went there because I was seeking
God’s truth, His Word, His principles, and I wanted to know His plan and
purpose for my life!” I would tell Dr. Falwell, and others there, that this
should be the theme verse for our university and be used to encourage students
to attend our great school! When we read and meditate on these eight verses we
can say in our English language, “WOW”! These are awesome verses that should
impact both our walk and our talk!
In these
verses we hear several voices, and it begins with God speaking to us (v.
41). He does this, of course, as we read His Word and meditate on it. He
speaks in love and in mercy, and even the warnings come from His compassionate
heart. The Word of God is the expression of the love of God to us (33:11) and
it should result in love from our hearts to the Lord, to His people, and to the
lost. God's Word shares God's promises, and promises always imply future hope.
Scripture is "the word of his promise" (1 Kings 8:56), and all
His promises have their realization in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). The
Scriptures are also "the word of this salvation" (Acts 13:26),
for the Word declares that Jesus is the only Savior, and we can trust in Him.
What a wonder that God has spoken to us! (Heb. 1:1-2). Are we listening?
But while
God is speaking, the enemy is also speaking (v. 42). We
have learned that the writer of this psalm was oppressed by enemies who lied
about him, slandered his name, and even threatened his life. Our main weapon
against these attacks is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God" (Eph. 6:17), for only God's truth can silence the devil's lies
(Matt. 4:1-11). We need God's truth in our hearts, not only to keep us from
sin, but also to equip us to answer those who oppose us or ask us why we believe
as we do (1 Peter 3. 15).
God's
people speak to the Lord (v. 43). Like
Nehemiah, we can send up "telegraph prayers" to the Lord right in the
midst of our work and our battles (Neh. 2:5; 4:4; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 13:14, 22,
31). When we are confronted by the enemy, the Lord will not give us words we
have never pondered from the Scriptures, but His Spirit can remind us of what
we have read and learned (John 14:25-26). The writer connected God's Word with
his mouth, because the word "meditate" in the Hebrew means "to
mutter." The ancient Jews spoke the Word audibly as they meditated and
prayed (Josh. 1:8).
Our lives
speak for the Lord (vv. 44-45) if our
"walk" agrees with our "talk." The best defense of the
faith is a transformed life that is compassionate toward others. Our obedience
to the Lord and our loving ministry to others (Matt. 5:13-16) demonstrates the
reality of our faith far better than anything else. Because we know and obey "the
word of truth" (v. 43), we are able to enjoy freedom from the bondage
of sin (v. 45), for it is the truth that makes us free (John 8:32; James 1:25;
2:12).
Finally,
God's people speak to others (vv. 46-48). If
we truly love God and His Word, we will not be ashamed to share the Word even
with important people like kings (vv. 6, 80; Rom. 1:16; Phil. 1:20; 2 Tim.
1:12; 2:15; 1 Peter 4:16). When we delight in the Word, love it, and obey it,
sharing the message with others comes naturally. To witness means to tell
others what we have seen and heard concerning Jesus Christ (Acts 4:20) and what
He has done for us.
As satisfied believers we will be be an awesome witness to others when our walk
and our talk match up with God’s Word!
God bless!
