A Look at Psalm 119:43
Does your life reflect your words?
Psalm 119:43 “Do not snatch the Word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in Your laws.”
This verse is dealing with hypocrisy. David is saying that anyone who fails to walk their talk does not deserve to be a steward of the truth of God’s Word. He said,
“I have put my hope in Your laws.” David so believed God’s Word to be true that he patterned his life according to it. He maintained the customs (laws) of God. Thus when he spoke, his words were true.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, had the Word of truth snatched from them because they did not walk their talk. They were hypocrites. They may have spoken the Word of God but there was no life-transforming truth in their words because they broke the commands of God for the sake of their traditions (see
Matthew 15:3).
God’s Word proves to be true when it actually shows forth as evidence in a life. If a person preaches that God can deliver another while they are in need of deliverance themselves, their words lack truth and persuasiveness.
Proverbs 16:23 says, “A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.”
That is what David did not want taken from him. He wanted the Word of truth (persuasiveness) to remain. To insure that it would, David patterned his life after the laws of God.
Are your words true? Do you tell people to do things that you haven’t done? Do you say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Do you tell people to stop doing the very things you are still doing? God never offers solution without sacrifice. In other words, God never asks us to do anything that He hasn’t done Himself. When Jesus tells us to turn from sin, it is because He turned from sin. When He tells us to love our enemies, it is because He loves His enemies. When He tells us to turn the other cheek, it is because He turns the other cheek. The reason Christ’s Words are so powerful and persuasive is because He speaks the Word of truth from His heart.
Let me encourage you to take some time to meditate on this. As you do, ask God to give you the “Word of truth.”
Continued
