God's Word Is Settled In Heaven

Psalm 119:89-104

Lies.  They seem to be all around us these days.  We get them from the politicians who are trying to get reelected.  We hear them from the advertisers on the TV and radio. Sometimes bosses even want their workers to lie in order to make a sale or to cover up something they don’t want leaked out.  Lies come from leaders, neighbors, teachers, parents, children, spouses. We even have to often question the veracity of the newspapers and the evening news on TV. Who can you trust?  Our psalm reading this week is a portion of the longest psalm in the Bible. We can find an answer to that question in our passage, so let’s take a look.

In our opening verse our psalmist declares that God’s Word is settled in heaven (vs 89).  It is firmly established in heaven, so we can rely on it as being the truth. God’s Word, the Bible, is true from cover to cover.  His Word does not lie, like we see many people do. Today we see that some people aren’t even hesitant to lie under oath. Giving “one’s word” doesn’t mean anything anymore.  That is not the case with God. His Word is His bond. We can trust that God will not lie. He is not just truthful, He is Truth.  Thus we can completely rest on His Word, the Bible, as being completely truthful.  It is anchored in heaven. If we have a circumstance or problem that is in direct opposition to God’s Word, agree with God and believe His Word.  If our emotions tell us something different than what God says, believe His Word. It is the truth.

Acting solely on emotions or feelings puts a person at the mercy of Satan.  He uses deception and half truths to trap victims into sin. In contrast to that, wise people will seek God’s truth to guide them through life.  It is important to be able to discern between the truth and Satan’s twisted version. As we have seen, the Scriptures are the only sure, dependable source of truth.

All throughout Scripture, we read of how important it is to gain godly wisdom and understanding, and to strive to be a wise person. Our section of Psalm 119 tells us that reading and studying God’s Word is the one sure way to gain wisdom and understanding (vs. 98 - 100).  God’s Word makes us wiser than our enemies (vs 98). When they come against us, if we trust Him and His Word, God will bring us deliverance. God’s Word will also make us wiser than our teachers if they are ignoring or discarding His truth (vs 99).  The same is true of people older than ourselves. It is right and correct that we should always show due and proper respect to our elders, if for no other reason than that they have gained more life experience than we have, and should know more. However, if they do not hold to, follow, or believe God’s Word, than we are wiser than they are (vs 100).  True wisdom is more than just gaining knowledge and book learning. It is applying the knowledge we gain to all of our life. Just because one has various university degrees doesn’t make one wise. True wisdom comes from allowing what God teaches us to guide us throughout our life.

We also read in this passage how God’s Word is sweet, sweeter than honey to us (vs 103).  Honey is a true, natural sweetener. There is nothing artificial about it. It is also very nutritious, and also has healing attributes.  Throughout history it has been very desirable. God’s Word and its truth are even more desirable than honey was to people in the past.

Do we want the truth?  Do we want wisdom and understanding?  Do we want something sweet and wholesome in our life?  I’m sure we all do. Look to God’s Word, the Bible, for He will never lie.  We can depend on Him.