Psalm 119:23 – Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.
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Psalm 119 is a beautiful celebration of the word of God. David displays for us his love for God in his love for the word of God. It seems, as I read through this psalm, that every single verse grabs my attention and calls me to have a deeper love for God, and to display that love of my Lord by loving his word.
Verse 23 specifically gets my attention for what it says about David’s commitment to and love for the word of God. Even when enemies are spending their time plotting his demise, David will meditate upon the word of God. Simply think about how significant is God’s word to this psalmist. Even when others are planning to attack him, the psalmist does not intend to plan his counter-measures; at least he will not do so until after he has spent his time in the word of God. I think that, for most of us today, we would use the evil plottings of enemies bent on our destruction as a legitimate excuse not to spend time in God’s word. “Come on,” we would reason, “I have to protect myself. This is a matter of life and death.” And I think the psalmist would let us know that time in meditation on God’s word is also a matter of life and death, but it is a matter of more significant life and more significant death than anything that any evil person might devise for us.
Let me ask you, what takes you away from meditation on the word of God? Does your schedule get in the way? Do the actions of others get in your way? Do your pleasures get in the way? Now, think about the words of Psalm 119:23. What got in the Psalmist’s way, keeping him from the word of God. Not even the plotting of men who were out to destroy him could keep him from the word. “Let them make their plans,” says the psalmist, “I will spend my time in the word of God.”
I do not think that we should take this verse of the psalm to mean that we should neglect the duties of life for the sake of meditation. However, I do not think that, for most of our cases, forsaking life duties for scripture is much of a danger. What this verse does call us to is a high priority on the scripture. Let others plot, you spend time with God. Let the devil argue that what you have to do today is so important that you can skip your meditation on the word, but you simply turn to the word, and make it of utmost importance. Yes, if your house is on fire, you can cut off your devotional to run outside. But I think the point of this verse is that, even when you have had to run outside because your house has burned down, meditation on the word of God is still something to which your heart should be drawn as a priority.
Dear Lord, I thank you for your word. It is a joy to have written for us great and wonderful truths about who you are, who we are, and what you desire of us. I pray that you will stir in my heart a desire for your word that is like the desire I see in Psalm 119:23. Let me long for, hunger for, thirst for your word. Let me be committed to meditation on your word, even when the world is busy with other things it deems more important. I pray that you will help me to make time to be with you every day. I pray that you will help me to love that time, and never to find an excuse to neglect it. Make my heart yours, I pray, that I might glorify your name in all that I do.
Pastor Travis Peterson 