Psalm 119:17-24

The Word of God is our Compass and Guide

Have you tried using a compass?

I tried using a compass when I was in High School - Boys Scout

Compass is very important when you travel in a place that you are not familiar - or you are a stranger to that place.

In the same way, we Christians are strangers or aliens on earth- verse 19.

this is the context. The psalmist is saying that the Earth is not our home. We are just passersby. We need a compass, a guide to traverse and to find the right road to travel.

That compass is the Word of God.

I. Request for God’s grace and intervention (v.17-18)

a. Deal bountifully - be good,

result: That I may live - the psalmist’s expressed dependence to God.

b. Open my eyes - allow me to see the truth from the lies, allow me to see the the right path.

Illumination - the work of the Holy Spirit.

result: Obedience (behold)

II. The Necessity of God’s Word (vv. 19-20)

a. I am stranger on earth - recognize the reality that we are not to identify ourselves with the world, we are not to conform to the ways of the world.

the world does not obey the commandments - it is full of traps, lies, false promises, disappointments, disobedience.

b. His longing is the Word of God - do not hide your commandments, my soul is crushed for longing.

III. The Necessity not to conform to the World (vv. 21-22)

a. God will rebuke those who are disobedient.

b. He is treated with hostility by the people who are conformed to the world - reproach - pagpakaulaw, contempt or pagtamay

IV. Focus on God to Direct You (vv. 23-24)

a. Focus not on rulers and authorities (v.23)

God’s word is superior than those earthly rulers.

b. Delight in God’s Word (v.24)

Let the Word of God guide you, counsel you, direct you in everything that you do.