Psalm 119:43

Ronnie W. Wolfe

This is not to say that God would actually take his word of truth out of our mouths, but the psalmist is expressing his true love and tender feeling toward the word of truth; and he pleads with God to leave the word of truth in his mouth.

Also, he is asking God, I think, to help him to remember his word even though he may grow old and have a tendency to forget God's word. These words are so sweet, so tender, to challenging, so comforting that he does not want them to leave him.

As time goes by, I tend to forget the parts of God's word that I have set to memory. Perhaps the psalmist is asking God to retain those portions that he has put to memory so that he can easily access the word in his mind.

The reason is that the psalmist has hoped, or has his hope, in the word of truth. There is hope nowhere else. It is the hope of our sanctification (John 17:17; Psalm 119:11). It is the hope of our continual perseverance, since tradition takes away that hope (Mark 7:13).

May God ever keep his word of truth in our mouths that we may publish it everywhere we go! May he bless it with his power and settle it in the hearts of believers for their assurance and their faithfulness to do God's will. 

Psalm 119:40

Ronnie W. Wolfe

We should all "long after" these precepts, because they are our guide, our strength, our comfort. Oh, yes, how strong our desire should be to know and obey God's word! The psalmist said in Psalms 42:1 As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Then Peter, a man who learned through much hard experience, says in 1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

But then we are to grow in grace and knowledge of the word (2 Peter 3:18) that we might be fed with meat and not just milk:  1 Corinthians 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

 While longing for the precepts of God, his word, the psalmist pleads strongly with God to quicken him. Reference to the Hebrew language tells us that this is Piel Imperative, which means that this is a strong command to God, not that the writer is being God's boss, but that he is reflecting the strong promise of God that he will indeed quicken the soul that longs for his precepts. This quickening is not regeneration but a keeping alive, as God has promised to all of his children:  Proverbs 12:28 In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.

The Chosen Word Laid Before Us

Psalm 119:30
Ronnie W. Wolfe

In our verse for today the psalmist says that he has chosen "the way of truth." The way of truth is found in Scripture, our Bible. It is found in no other writings on the earth.

In this "way of truth" there is:

• Cleansing, verse 9
• Rejoicing, verse 14
• Understanding, verse 27
• Running, verse 32
• Teaching, verse 33
• Quickening, verse 37
• Refraining, verse 101
• Hating of the false way, 104, 128  

The judgments of God (our Bible) are laid before the psalmist to remind him consistently of "the way of truth."

Let us lay before us the word of God so that we can be consistently reminded of his word, his truth, and his way, for we soon forget his precepts, his commandments, his statutes, if we do not lay them before us.

Priests of the tabernacle had God's precepts on their forehead and arm to remind them constantly of their duty to keep God's commandments.

Let us keep the Scriptures close to us physically that we may refer to them often, mentally, that we may use them as needed for our defense against the world, and spiritually that we may be strong in the work of the Lord and have his strength, which is also our comfort.