Today's Reading: Psalm 119:113-176

Promises for Lovers of God's Word

There are over seven thousand promises found in the Bible which God has made to humankind. The word “promise” is found more than one hundred times in the Bible. The genius of the Bible is that everyone who chooses to, can share in these promises of God.

Some of the promises of God are unconditional, which means that God will fulfill His promise with or without our cooperation or us meeting any conditions. An example of an unconditional promise is God’s promise to never again destroy the Earth with a flood. This requires no conditions to be met by humankind – it is something that He will fulfill without prerequisites or stipulations being met by us. On the other hand, some of the promises of God are conditional – they carry an “if-then” type of structure. They require us to fulfill some stipulation in order to receive what God has promised. An example of this is His promise of eternal life, which He has promised to those who fulfill the condition of believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. IF you believe in Him – THEN you will receive eternal life.

Here in Psalm 119:165, we come upon one of the conditional promises of God. It is a dual promise of “great peace” and “not stumbling.” But notice the condition or stipulation found in this promise – it is only promised to those who satisfy the condition of loving God’s law. The Hebrew word for “law” here refers to the manner and principles which God has prescribed for humankind to follow. It encompasses the entire body of God’s instruction found in the Bible, including the Law, the Prophets, the Wisdom Books, the Gospels, and the New Testament writings - altogether comprising His word.

Do you “love” God’s word? The Hebrew word for “love” in this verse is a verb which means; to desire; to breath after; to long for; to delight in. As followers of Christ, our hearts should desire and delight in God’s word. It should be something we take delight in and pursue in our lives. Do you love God’s truth in this way? Do you love His commandments, His precepts, His statutes, His rules, His testimonies, and His instruction? If so, He promises you will have “great peace.” The word “great” means much, many, abounding in. If you love His law, He promises abounding peace in your life.

In addition to peace, He also promises that “nothing can make you stumble.” His word is sure and solid and is the only sure anchor that can keep you from drifting away. If you build your life on the ways of people, or pop theology, or the latest trend, you are sure to be led astray.  But if you build your life on a deep love for God’s law, you will be securely anchored and nothing will ever cause you to drift away.