DALETH. My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word. I have declared my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes. Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wondrous works. My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word. Remove from me the way of lying, and grant me Your law graciously. I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me. I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame! I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart.

The one who goes through life without God’s word as an intimate guide is nothing more than a walking dead man. There is no hope, there is no real joy, there is no lasting purpose. Sure, there may be happy days, there may be fun times, there may be things to do – but to live life without God’s word at the center of life is to not live at all. There is so much more that God has for us, if we would but turn to him.

Solomon’s perusal of the things which this life brings brought a recurring word, “...vanity...” Twenty-eight times in this book summarizing various aspects of life, the writer concluded that all was vanity – that is, all that we might pursue in this life. He concluded, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.” (12:13). Walking through life without God’s word as our guide, requires that we either amble about in superficial folly, taking no thought for the morrow, or, it will bring helplessness and sorrow which will swallow us up. Either way, we are not truly living.

Notice the writer’s request of the Lord, “Revive me according to your word.” Only by partaking of the bread of life can we expect to have unsurpassable life. God is the author of life, and His word has been supplied to men as the instruction by which life is to be led. Nothing can jumpstart those who are living dead but the word of God. And once it has revived life, the word becomes in us a source of life upon which others can feed and also receive the blessings of God.

Having come to the Lord, and laying down our old ways before Him, He will give us new direction – He will teach us His statutes. The path the Lord has established for us to walk upon is so far superior to the way which we have walked ourselves. His precepts reveal to us the wonderful works of God. It is no surprise to me that many who are wise with this world’s wisdom reject the existence of God, and seek to uphold the theory of evolution. They have unfortunately appealed to a lesser wisdom, a wisdom which is complete foolishness before the wisdom of God. When we comprehend God’s words, we see clearly those things which once were clouded to us, not only regarding the creation of the world, but also regarding the meaning of life. We are thus able to meditate on the glorious works of our Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Friend and Judge.

Were it not for the strength available to us through the Word of God, there are situations in life where our strength would utterly fail us, bringing nothing but despair. Recall, the apostle Paul confidently declared, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Php 4:13). It had nothing to do with Paul’s own might, but all to do with what the Lord was able to accomplish through him. Again, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “...not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God...” (2 Co 3:5). The wonderful thing about the power of God is this – “...when I am weak, then I am strong...” (2 Cor 12:10). Our own power will fail us, there is no question. We need the Lord, but know, we can have the utmost confidence in His might. He is the Almighty!

The Psalmist pleads, “Remove from me the way of lying...I have chosen the way of truth...” These “ways” go in opposite directions. Two things could not be more different than these. The way of truth is the way of God. Jesus spoke to His Father, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (Jn 17:17). Truth is that which is absolutely correct; that which can never be in error, that which is right, honest, upright. Truth sets man free (Jn 8:31-32), and gives hope of eternal life (1 Peter 1:22-25).

On the other hand, lying is a tool of the devil, in fact, Jesus speaks of Satan as the “father” of lies (Jn 8:44), for “...when he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar...” Again, “...there is no truth in him....” Friend, we need so much to lay aside the way of lying, to have it removed from us, and never to return to it again. It is the way of damnation, as all liars will go to hell (Rev 21:8). I get so frustrated when I hear folks justify telling a lie by calling it a “white lie”. Frankly, I don’t care what colour you call the lie — be it white, black, pink, green, orange, perhaps even blue with yellow dots all over — a lie is a lie, and it will ALWAYS result in the condemnation of the one who promotes it. Indeed Lord, “...remove from me the way of lying: and grant me Your law graciously.”

Having begun in the way of righteousness, how close should we keep the word of God to ourselves? The writer declares, “I cling to Your testimonies...” The Hebrew word qbd (dabaq) has here been translated into various English words; “cling” (NKJV), “stuck” (KJV), “adhered to” (YLT), “cleave unto” (ASV). It is the same word found in Genesis 2:24, where a man is to “...be joined to his wife...” How close a bond is made? The next words reveal, “...they shall become one flesh.” Friends, we need to become “one flesh” with the Lord’s will. It should be as though the Scriptures are glued to our very soul! We cannot help but speak the word of God, because it is part of who we are. If we do so, know for surety, we shall not be ashamed, for the Lord will be happy to be called our Father, and to receive us into glory.

Know this, the more we get into God’s word, the closer bond we establish with this holy book of God; the more capacity the Lord will give us to receive and live according to it’s precepts. God has supplied each of us with different abilities and gifts, some more, and some less, than others. In the parable of the talents, Jesus demonstrates the need for us to use whatever it is that God has given us, to work with it, and if we do, there will be an increase. Trust that God will enlarge your heart. The more we commit ourselves to serving Him, the more studious we are toward His word, and the more opportunities we seize to speak of His word to others; the more God will bless us with opportunities to manifest our love for Him, the more He will grant us understanding of His will, and surely, more doors of opportunity and boldness to speak will come our way.

What must we do then, to reap this fantastic favour in the site of God? Simply this — determine that we will “...run the course...” with regard to His commandments. That is, that we will seek to know His way, and will apply in every aspect of our lives His instruction. We serve a God who seeks to bless us as His people. Too often, we keep ourselves from so many wonderful things which God has in store for us, simply because we fail to completely lay aside our own way, and conform to His. Let us be the clay in the potter’s hand. May we allow God to mould us into His image, obedient children, seeking to be holy, as the Father is holy (1 Pe 1:13-16).

Click here for this week's Answering The Atheist
Has there ever been a just, righteous, good or perfect person? Some passages say no (ie. 1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 14:3; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23, etc.), but other passages say yes (ie. Genesis 6:9; 7:1; Job 1:1, 8; Luke 1:6; James 5:16; 1 John 3:9, etc.). Is there a contradiction?