Delighting in God’s Word (Part 6): Nourishment for the Soul

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Psalm 119:43

Never take the word of truth from my mouth,
for I hope in your judgments.

(CSB)

The most delighting thing about the Bible is that it contains truth.  In a world full of lies and fake news it is delightful and refreshing to have access to words of truth from God.  The words of the psalmist in Psalm 119:43 speak of a heart felt desire for truth with a hope in the righteous judgments of God.  To speak God’s Words from Scripture is to speak truth. 

In Psalm 119:41-48 the psalmist shows a holy and reverent fear of God seeking God’s mercy.  (1)  In the previous eight verses (Psalm 119:33-40) the psalmist expressed a desire to learn and understand Scripture.  Perhaps after encountering the teachings of the Bible, the psalmist realized his personal short comings and begins to realize his need for God’s merciful salvation to escape the righteous judgment of God.  While scripture can provide encouragement, it is also a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12) that reveals our sin and need for the saving blood of Jesus Christ.  In these eight verses we find nourishment for our souls.  In them we find,

1)      A plea for God’s merciful salvation (Psalm 119:41) – After his time of learning from God’s Word, the psalmist realizes what he needs most is God’s love and mercy.  Romans 3:23 reminds us that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s standard in our lives.  Romans 6:23 tells us the penalty for these sins is death.  If the story of the Bible ended there, humanity would find itself in a helpless position.  However, in His loving mercy, God sent his Only Son, Jesus to take our death sentence so we can have eternal life (John 3:16).

2)      Answers to taunting and deceptive words (Psalm 119:42) – Lies and deception have been the mode of operation for Satan since deceiving Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  So effective has this mode of operation been that Satan still resorts to it in an effort to deceive us.  As such we must nourish our souls with a steady diet of truth from the Bible to fight off the deceitful lies of the Devil. 

3)      Words of truth to speak against the lies and deception surrounding us (Psalm 119:43) – When tempted by Satan, Jesus used the Words of Scripture to fend off the attacks of the Devil (Matthew 4:1-11).  Like Jesus, we too can ward of deception and temptation through speaking the Words of truth from Scripture. 

4)      Something trustworthy to obey (Psalm 119:44) – Since God’s Words contained in Scripture are truth, they are something we can obey without any fear of repercussions for following a lie. 

5)      Something we can feely share without fear (Psalm 119:45) – Since the Word of God is truth, we can freely share it with others without fear (2 Timothy 1:7).  The Words of truth in scripture are also what sets us free (John 8:32). 

6)      Words of truth for everyone (Psalm 119:46) – God’s Words are something everyone needs for there is no shame in the truths the Word of God contains.

7)      Something bringing delight to our lives (Psalm 119:47) – The shameless Words of truth in Scripture are something we should delight in and learn to love as we live in a world dominated by lies and deceit.

8)      Something we should praise God for and meditate upon (Psalm 119:48) – We should like the psalmist continually offer praise and thanksgiving to God for His Words of truth and meditate on them often so we do not fall for the deception, lies, and temptation of the world. 

While the Word of God provides absolute truth, it can only be understood as God reveals its truths to us through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14-16).  To become spiritual and gain understanding of the truths in the Bible, we must accept the gracious gift of salvation the psalmist sought for in Psalm 119:41.  While the psalmist was seeking this gift, we can now find it by accepting Jesus as our Savior.  If you have not already done so, I invite you to make Jesus your savior now by praying with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

I now encourage those that prayed with me to begin studying the Word of God in earnest for now you have the Holy Spirit in your life and as such can begin understanding the soul nourishing truths Scripture contains.  May God bless everyone reading this.

1. Spurgeon, Charles. Exposition of Psalm 119:41-48. www.eternallifeministries.org. [Online] Eternal Life Ministries. [Cited: February 18, 2018.] https://www.eternallifeministries.org/psalm119f.htm.