Psalm 119:105
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” – English KJV
"נר לרגלי דברך ואור לנתיבתי׃ “
– Hebrew Text
“neyr regel dabar 'or nathiyb” – Hebrew Pronunciation
This is such a short sentence, consisting of merely five Hebrew words, yet it holds mountains of treasure and insight…
The Hebrew word translated as “word” is “dabar”, which is comparable to the Greek word “Rhema”. It means the “spoken word”. This can be seen in contrast to “logos”, which is the written word.
The psalmists are amazed that the creator of the universe, the God of everything, would have the grace and love to actually speak to us. Christians who have a personal relationship with Christ often forget the magnitude of the one we are speaking to in our quiet times…
Most religions do not believe in a personal relationship between the “supreme God” and man. Almost every religion in the eastern world rejects the possibility that the “supreme God” (as they believe in many different gods) would ever communicate with the human race in a personal relationship.
Muslims, for example, believe that people can pray to God, but very few Islamic denominations believe that God has a personal relationship with the believer (even though they may answer “yes” when asked whether they have a personal relationship with Allah). They would often say that God is close to their hearts, or they pray an X amount of times a day, or “we put God before everything”. But none of this shows any personal relationship between Allah and the Muslim. All it shows is that the Muslim reveres and spends time speaking to their god. A personal relationship between a Christian and God is so much more than just speaking and revering Him! A personal relationship with God is a two-way relationship. Not only do we speak to God, but God communicates with us as well!
For a Christian God is someone to run to when scared; God is someone to speak to when we are lonely; God is the one we can turn to when we are weary and tired. God is who Christians turn to for advice; God is the one we turn to when we are sick, the one in who we place our trust and our hope. We speak to Him and He speaks back to us through dreams, prophesy, tongues, events, spiritual senses and even sometimes a voice as clear as someone speaking next to us. No other religion has such a close and intimate relationship with their “deity”. Therefore there is no surprise that the psalmists are amazed at the intimate relationship God has with His people!
Even in the Old Testament times God spoke to His people. The Jews heard God in their quiet times and were absolutely amazed that God actually took the time to speak to a sinful and fallen mankind! We should all realize how amazing it is that God takes the time to meet with every person who seeks Him.
In this verse the psalmist explains the dual function of God’s word.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet…”
The first function of God’s word is to look at ourselves. The lamp that shines on our feet reveals the inner part.
The word of God reveals where we are standing in regards to our Christian growth. It reveals how our personal relationship with God is going. It reveals God’s truth, corrects and rebukes us and teaches us how to live a righteous life.
God wants each of us to be close to Him. The only thing that can separate us from God is our own sin. Sometimes it is difficult to see where sin is festering in our life. It is at such times that God’s word acts as a lamp and lights up the dark corners of our life, revealing the infestation that must be cleansed before we can grow closer to God.
This is not always an easy thing to do. Everyone has something hidden somewhere that they would rather not think about, but in order to grow closer to God and reach our true potential, we must clean these dark corners out. Only when we allow God to reveal these hidden sins can we begin to clean them out, and only then can God begin to heal those areas.
God has a plan for each of us, however, we need God to reach these destinies and God cannot help us if we separate ourselves from Him with our sin! Therefore it is vitally important that we read the Bible every day and seek the Lord with all our heart in order to find our own shortcomings, which allows gives us the opportunity to improve and grow closer to God.
“and a light unto my path.”
The second function is to light our way.
We live in a dark world, where the enemy is waiting for us around every corner. He knows his time is short, therefore he puts greater efforts into his war plans every year. When we go out into this world we need a light that shines on our path.
A light on our path has many functions:
1) It reveals where the path is.
It acts as a pathfinder and compass, allowing us to see in which direction we should go. God often reveals His plans through prophesy, informing the body of Christ where they should focus. On a personal level God reveals to us what He wants us to do or where He wants us to go.
2) It reveals obstacles that lie ahead.
The enemy is determined to throw us off of our paths. He will bring temptation and doubt into our lives to stop us from going where God wants us to go. God’s word shines through the plans of the enemy, allowing us to overcome the obstacles of the enemy.
3) It allows us to see when we have gone astray.
God’s word also allows us to see when we stepped off of our path. Our Christian walk is a lot like a dark pathway. The enemy is determined to take us out and if we do not have a light we could go completely off of the pathway, only realizing it once it is too late… The light is not just a good idea, it is an absolute necessity!
“…my path”
Note that this verse indicates that we are on a path, but what is a path?
A path is a “trodden way” or a cleared way through various obstacles.
The thing we have to understand about a path is that it has already been made. As we know, God has a plan for each of us. So who made this path that each of us are on? God Himself readied the way! All we have to do is walk by faith! It will be shocking when we get to Heaven and God shows us what our lives could have been if we only kept to our path continually…
God already made a way through the obstacles and the real dangers, the only dangers we will face are the ones God allows to remain within our paths. Every obstacle or danger in our road has a purpose, or God would have removed it. As long as we stay on the road He has made, we never have to fear anything, for God is with us and His word acts as a light and guides us through the darkness safely.
What good is a path if no one walks on it? A path has no meaning to us if we only stand still! A path has a beginning and an end. We all start at the beginning, but to get to the end we need to pick up our lamps and walk in that path! How will we ever get to the destination God planned for us if we do not walk that path?
We also need to know that each of us has a unique path. No one else can walk that path, only you can and God is not going to walk it for you! Remember that although God may not be walking your path for you, He would not let you walk it without offering you the things you need to finish the job and that is exactly what Psalm 119:105 focuses on!
So, what is the use of a lamp if we do not pick it up? What is the use of a light on the path if we do not take that path?
God wants to be in a personal relationship with each one of us. He is willing to reveal our weaknesses, so that we can improve. He is willing to light our way, so that we can see where we are going. However, it is our choice whether we are going to walk by faith and by His word, or whether we are going to stumble around in the dark. What will your choice be?
