“I Hope In Your Word” (Ps 119:113-121)

“I hate the divided mind, but I love Your law.  You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word” (vs113-114)

Our hope is in the word of God, and not ourselves, or any other thing.  He says, “I hope in Your word”.  We don’t hope in will power, but in the word of God and His promises to us.  We don’t hope in sin, the poor reward that it gives, but we hope in God’s word, taking His truth as real, His power as our own, and what He says as the rule of our lives. We are not people who read the word of God, and say, “I hope it isn’t true”, but we LIVE by the word, hoping in the reward that He promises.

Don’t put your hope in man’s word or human ideas.  Put your hope in the bible, the word of God, and the salvation He promises in Christ.  Hope in Him to save you, keep you, and bring you to heaven’s bliss.  Hope in His word when troubled, frightened, or in need because of your sin.  Hope in Him, because He promises hope to all that believe the gospel, promising that our hope, because of His love, will not be put to shame (Rom 5:5-11).

Secondly, we don’t want to be ashamed (Ps 119:115-116). We don’t want to live for the bible, and then in the end, perish.  He says, “Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God!  Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.” We don’t want to trust Him to help us and have no help.  But, believing His gospel, we want Him to fulfill our hope.  It isn’t enough to have hope, as if feeling safe is the same as safety, as if wishful thinking makes something a reality.  No, we want our hope realized, so that we get what we’re seeking.

Earlier, the Psalmist said, “I hate the double-minded, but I love Your law.” He declares that he rejects the life of prayer, and then running off, as if God won’t answer.

You may hope in Christ safely because He won’t fail you.  He is the One who not only keeps promises, but He gives more than we can ask or think. All that we must do is hope in Him, look to Him, and count upon Him, and He will save.

Finally, because God punishes the wicked, we love His gospel and trust in Him (vs117-120).  He says, “You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, For their deceit is falsehood.  You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies.  My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments”.  It is no idle threat that wrath approaches, and believing this, we, like Noah, build the ark, taking steps necessary for salvation.  Of him we read, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Heb 11:7).  We aren’t serving God for nothing: we’re ESCAPING hell and headed to heaven, forever.  The word of God is non-optional, so we put our whole self into obedience.  I’m no nice guy who loves God “just because”. I’m a sinner who FEARS wrath, so I come to Christ the Savior, and being SAVED so freely, I love God.  And, we don’t lose godly fear. The Psalmist continued, “My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments” (vs120).

The fear of God MAKES me and you flee from sin and stop what we’re doing. We’d go into the fire if it didn’t burn.  But, loving Him is the fruit of this fear, so He uses it, to make us follow the word, against our natural self, and against all of the wiles of Satan.

Preach God’s WRATH, so sinners may know His love by experience.