“That I may not sin against You” (2)
“Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You” (Psalms 119:11).
If we are a conscientious Christian who believes in Jesus, no one wants to sin against the Lord. But as we see ourselves committing unwanted sins, we often struggle in a swamp of frustration and disappointment amidst guilt. Why are we committing the unwanted sins? Why aren’t we obeying the word of God but commit the unwanted sins against Him? We can find out why in Romans 7:13-25. The reason is because “sin which dwells in me” (vv. 17, 20). The apostle Paul confessed, “Wretched man that I am!” while seeing himself serving the law of sin with his flesh while he wanted to serve the law of God with his mind (v. 25). That is what we are. It is the appearance of not doing the good we want, but doing the evil we hate (vv. 15, 19). What should we do? We must look to our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 25). In the midst of that, we must strive to faithfully take our responsibilities. Its responsibility is nothing but to not sin against the Lord. How is this possible?
In the context of Psalms 119:9-16, in order to treasure the word of God in our hearts so that we don’t sin against the Lord, we must practice four things.
First, we must pray to God.
The psalmist sought the Lord with all his heart (v. 10). The reason is because he didn’t want to wander from His commandments (v. 10). Therefore, he prayed to the Lord and asked, “Teach me your statutes” (v. 12). We must also pray to God for God to teach us His word. We must ask God to teach us His word with humble attitude to learn. Sometimes the word I preached and taught come back to me and pierce my conscience. What I feel at that time is that I have neglected to teach myself. I feel that I have to diligently cultivate the habit of reflecting my heart and life in the word of God, the spiritual mirror. The Lord reminds us that we must teach ourselves very diligently and teach others. I pray to the Lord to be a humble learner. I want to have a good habit of praying to God diligently to receive the teaching of His word.
Second, we must meditate on the word of God.
The psalmist meditated on the Lord's precepts and heeded the Lord's way (v. 15). We don't stay still praying that God will teach us His words. We must yearn for the word of God. We need to be close to the Bible. And we must cultivate the habit of diligently meditating on His word regularly. And we must heed His word. I think it's important to cultivate the habit of practicing QT (word meditation). We don’t end with listening to, reading, and studying His word, but we need training to think more intensively. Through this training, when we meditate on the word of God day and night like a psalmist, we can fight against sinful thoughts with His word in the realm of thought.
Third, we must obey the word of God.
The psalmist proclaimed with his lips all the ordinances of the Lord's mouth (v. 13). We don’t end up learning the Word and meditating on it. We must listen to and follow the voice of the Lord while learning and meditating on the word of God. That is, we must obey the word of the Lord. Then the word is written in our heart and becomes our possession (v. 56).
Fourth and last, we must rejoice the word of God.
The psalmist confessed that he rejoiced in the way of the Lord's testimony, as he rejoiced in all riches (v. 14). When we learn the word of God in prayer and obey His voice in meditation, we experience the joy of the word. When we have the joy of this word, we will not forget the word of God (v. 16). In order for us not to sin against the Lord, we must treasure the word of God in our hearts. In order to do this, we must learn and meditate on His word while praying to God. In such a time, we must obey God's teaching. Therefore, we must enjoy the taste of His word.
Not wanting to sin against the Lord,
James Kim
(While meditating on His word on Monday, the first day of the early morning prayer meeting)