The way to understanding

All of us would like to grow in wisdom and understanding. And in this passage, we see how we can do so.

The psalmist writes,

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.

I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.

I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts. (Psalm 119:98–100)

How did he become wise? By not only knowing God’s word. By not only meditating on God’s word. But by obeying God’s word.

So many people know God’s word and yet show no understanding. They know what God has said, but they insist on living their own way, and because of that, they end up getting in trouble.

But the psalmist wasn’t that way. He treasured God’s word in his heart and let it change him. He started to love the things that God loves and hate the things God hates. (103–104, 127–128)

More than that, he made God’s word the standard for his life. It was the lamp to his feet and the light for his path (105).

In contrast, he stayed away from the advice of those who were evil and tried to avoid them altogether (113, 115).

And as I’ve mentioned before, he kept a humble attitude before God, both striving to learn from him (125, 133, 135, 144) and leaning on his strength that he might obey what God had commanded (133–134).

Why did he do all this? Because of what he found. What did he find?

Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
and your servant loves them…

Your righteousness is everlasting
and your law is true. (140, 142)

In other words, when the psalmist put God’s word into practice, when he tested the promises and commands of God, he found God and his word to be true.

How about you? Are you a person of understanding? Have you put into practice the things God has commanded? Have you found God to be true in your life?

Only when we do so will we find true wisdom.