“The Timeless Word” – Psalm 119:89-96

My, how times change.

Kim and I are going through family photos, trying to cull the herd some and give many to our children. Seeing my parents in their younger days, there were no blue jeans in any of the photos. The cars were large and covered with chrome. Most of the transportation was by train if a person wanted to get to another town.

Then I saw pictures of my growing up days, and things are different. The black-and-white world of the mid ‘50s gave way to the psychedelic ‘60s, and blue jeans were everywhere. Once the jeans became too patched to patch again, they became our cutoffs. Intercity travel was now by airplane or car, though there was still some train travel thrown in for fun.

Coming up to my children’s early years, and things have changed again.

One of the things that was fun to watch change was hairstyles, particularly the women’s. Men’s hair didn’t change much until the Beatles, and then stayed roughly the same until the ‘80s-‘90s. Women’s hair seemed to change every year or so.

Times change, or should I say things change with time. Whether it’s our clothes, our cars, our music, our hair: things change.

And there’s a lot to be said for change. Much of the change is progressive in nature, making the world a better place for more and more people.

In all of that change, though, there is one constant: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. God is eternal. And, as we read in today’s passage, God’s word is timeless. The message of the Bible is still as fresh and relevant as it was when it was first given.

Background

When we think of the Word of God, most of the time, we are speaking of Scripture, the written Word of God. We need to remember, though, that the Bible itself points to a greater Word: The Word that was in the beginning, that was with God and is God. This Word created all thing; nothing was created without the Word. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. We know this from reading John 1:1-14.

Because Jesus is the Word, we know that the Word is creative. That’s why Genesis 1 says, “And God said . . . and it was good.” The Word lived among us, walking in our midst, experiencing what it was to be fully human while also fully God. And the Word was brought to the attention of those whom the Spirit inspired in the writing of God’s written Word.

It is to the written word that the writer of Psalm 119 is focused on. This psalm is the longest in the Bible, and it’s entire focus is on God’s word. The author uses an acrostic method, writing 22 segments of eight stanzas each. Each of the stanzas began with the appropriate letter of that segment. For instance, the first segment was all from the Hebrew letter aleph, the second segment from beth, and so forth.

The writer uses various words to describe the Scriptures. He refers to the Bible as the law, the statutes, precepts, decrees, commands, God’s word, ways, to name a few. Each of the segments of the psalm are focused on the writer’s love and need for God’s word for his life.

Reading the entire psalm, we come to the conclusion that the writer experiences opposition and persecution from those who do not share his love for God’s word. There is no indication that the writer is in exile, so the likelihood is that those who oppose him are fellow Israelites who don’t have the same devotion to God and His laws.

As we look at today’s text, we need to keep in mind the following:

Central Truth: God’s constancy makes His Word eternal.

The eternal Word:

1. Speaks to all generations (89-91)

“Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and I endures. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve You.”

There are some messages that we regard as timeless. The writings of Shakespeare. The Gettysburg Address. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. There are many others we can look back upon and we find inspiration and direction from those words.

There is only one, though, that is truly timeless, and that is Scripture. Look how the psalmist describes God’s word: Eternal, continues, endures. The timelessness of Scripture means that the message found in these words are relevant to our world today. The reason this is so is because people are basically the same. The things we deal with are the same. Granted, temptation seems to find new ways to reach us, but it’s the same temptations we’ve experienced since the Garden of Eden. Sin has always been and will always be our rejection of God.

And that’s why the timeless message of the Bible is so important. This timeless message is described as, “it stands firm in the heavens.” The writer also reminds us that the Scripture and all things serve God.

The Word God gave to Adam and Eve speaks to each generation that comes after them, down to the present generations that now live in our world.

Because God is eternal and never-changing, His word is relevant to this day because it is eternal. Its eternal nature is what makes it relevant to us today and to the generations to come.

2. Preserves our lives (92-93)

“If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have preserved my life.”

There are a lot of laws on the books in the United States. There are federal laws, state laws, county laws and municipal laws. There are administrative laws and legislative laws on both the state and federal levels. There are court rulings on the federal and state levels. There are so many laws in our lives that there is no way we can know all of them. For the longest time, I was told it was against the law in Texas to drive barefoot. That’s not true, but it was held to be true by many.

Laws can make us feel trapped. And yet, surprisingly, the laws that are based on all levels are almost always designed to make our lives better, in some way or another.

The psalmist understood that God’s law was not a restrictive law, but one that leads us to salvation. Centuries later, Paul came to the same realization when he wrote to the Romans. “What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.’ But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death So, then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good” (Romans 7:7-12). What Paul means is that we are made aware of sin through the laws, through God’s word. But we are also made aware of the grace that gives salvation through Jesus because of the law.

The psalmist’s words in v. 92 reflect Paul’s understanding. The writer looks past the word to see the God that gave the word. He finds life not by his commitment to the scripture, but by his commitment to God. God spoke to the psalmist through His word and brought him life and preserved him through the scriptures.

The psalmist is confessing that his love for and trust in God’s word is what has kept him from wandering away from God. By being grounded in the Scripture, the writer could understand when the devil tempted him; he could fall back on the word that “stands firm in the heavens” to sustain him in his fights against the devil. Knowing how important this is to his spiritual walk and his relationship with God, he confesses that God’s word has saved and preserved him.

It is this awareness of the power of God’s eternal word that gives us life and preserves us today. It isn’t the Bible that saves, but God. It is through God’s word that His Holy Spirit guides us and preserves us and draws us close to Him.

3. Is boundless (94-96)

“Save me, for I am Yours; I have sought out Your precepts. The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes. To all perfection I see a limit; but Your commands are boundless.”

How do people influence us? It’s very rare that someone actually dares us to do something we know we shouldn’t do. More often, the influences are subconscious. We work around people who use words we know we shouldn’t; we watch television and movies that include these words, these ideas that we know are not consistent with God’s ways. Our defenses weaken, and we find ourselves under attack to do what everyone else is doing or saying.

That’s the meaning of the psalmist’s words in vs. 94-95. He finds himself under attack from the world around him, and he has come to the realization that God alone can save him, keep him and see him through the daily living that is waiting to destroy us.

In these last few verses, the writer is still praising God’s words, but he is also acknowledging the personal relationship he has with God. “Save me, for I am yours” is as clear a declaration of the personal relationship between God and a person as we can get.

The wicked may be out to destroy us, but we can follow the psalmist’s example and say that we will ponder God’s word to direct us through the times of danger.

According to one of my commentaries, a more accurate interpretation of v. 96 is: “I have experienced an end to every limitation” instead of “To all perfection I see a limit.” Another commentator declares this last verse to be a summary of Ecclesiastes. It is the acknowledgment that nothing lasts forever, but one thing. God’s commands are boundless. This boundless law sets us free in Christ and sets us free from the consequences of sin. This boundless nature of Scripture comes from its eternal nature coming from an everlasting and never-changing God that sets us free to serve Him and fellowship with Him.

Conclusion

When I was told my father had died, my world seem to come to a crashing halt. The only thing I knew to do was turn to the One who is my Heavenly Father. As I poured out my anguish and despair to Him, He reminded me of His promise to always be with me. He pointed me to His Word and the reminder that the word is always with us.

Because the Word of God is eternal and timeless, it is also timely, speaking to us as we need it, restoring us, encouraging us, empowering us. The eternal God speaks through His eternal Word.

That’s why the Bible is still relevant today. Because it is timeless and the One it speaks of is timeless.