“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
—Psalm 119:105
GOD’S LAW IS central in the psalmist’s mind as he writes Psalm 119. This is clear by the many different words he uses throughout the psalm that refer to God’s law: “Thy word, Thy testimonies, Thy ways, Thy commandments, Thy judgments, Thy precepts, and Thy statutes.” But regardless of the word he uses, the psalmist has in mind the Law of God as his inspired, inerrant, infallible guide along the dark pathways of this world because God is the all-knowing, all-wise, and all-perfect God, who alone knows the end from the beginning. He alone can tell us what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong. God alone can infallibly instruct us from the past and tell us what will happen in the future.
GOD IS ALSO sovereign over all our enemies, and He knows what lies ahead on our pathway and what tactics the enemy will use against us. Just think about Ephesians 6, the full armor of God, and the flaming arrows of the Wicked One. God alone can guide us in this fallen world. Therefore, God’s Word is the only dependable and trustworthy guide because God is perfect, dependable, and trustworthy. God does not and cannot lie (Heb. 6:18), but always speaks truth.
WE MUST ALSO understand that if the Word of God is our lamp and light then we must confess that nothing else can guide us and we must not look to anything else. But how often do believers turn to the world’s ideas and to the advice of the world’s “specialist” to learn how to make correct ethical decisions? This sinful world is a stumbling block of darkness on the pathway in which we walk. We cannot depend on the wisdom of this world to give us guidance because the wisdom of this world is foolishness (1 Cor. 3:19). The way of the world is to call good evil and evil good. Only the Word of God is sufficient and dependable to guide us in every area, aspect, and relationship of life. This doesn’t mean that we can’t turn to other believers for advice, but it does mean that only when others give us counsel based on the Word of God will that counsel be true, reliable, and worthy to be followed (Psalm 1).
WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have troubles in your marriage or with your family? The Word of God is your reliable, trustworthy guide. Do you struggle with certain sins in your life: pornography, lust, lying, coveting, stealing, or dishonoring parents? The Word of God alone is our reliable and trustworthy guide that gives us direct commands against the temptations we face and assures us of the grace needed to obey God’s commands. Do you have questions about what job to take or who to marry? The Word of God gives us specific principles in making these important decisions. Look to God’s Word this day and always as the only lamp that can give us light in this dark world of sin.
Tuesday Encouragement: September 17, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
