The Psalm of the Word (Part 15): Consistency

I hate those who are double-minded,
But I love Your law.

You are my hiding place and my shield;
I wait for Your word.

Depart from me, evildoers,
That I may observe the commandments of my God.

Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.

Uphold me that I may be safe,
That I may have regard for Your statutes continually.

You have rejected all those who wander from Your statutes,
For their deceitfulness is useless.

You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross;
Therefore I love your testimonies.

My flesh trembles for fear of You,
And I am afraid of Your judgments.

(Psalm 119:113-120)

This lesson will focus on the theme of consistency. Though the word is not used in these verses, the concept certainly is. If God’s word was not consistent, we could not trust it or follow it. But because it is consistent, it provides us with protection, sustenance, and safety if we follow it.

The Law of God is Consistent

“I hate those who are double-minded, but I love Your law” (Psalm 119:113).

The King James Version appears to convey a different meaning than what we see in the New American Standard. It reads, “I hate vain thoughts” (KJV). Typically when we think of something that is vain, we think of it being useless or futile. Yet the word means to be divided in mind or a skeptic. It describes one who is not fully convinced of something and has doubts about its reliability.

The psalmist did not contrast “those who are double-minded” with other men who were not double-minded, but with God’s law. Why? Only God’s law provides the perfect contrast from the double-mindedness of men. Consider the problem of double-mindedness:

• It makes one unstable. “A double-minded man [is] unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). In contrast, God’s word provides stability. The psalmist wrote earlier, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).
• It is associated with impurity. James wrote, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). In contrast, we can “keep [our] way pure…by keeping it according to [God’s] word” (Psalm 119:9).
• It prevents one from committing to follow God. Before his showdown with the prophets of Baal, Elijah challenged the people: “‘How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people did not answer him a word” (1 Kings 18:21). God’s word requires us to choose one way or the other. David wrote, “From your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104).

Understanding these things should cause us to love God’s law. In the next point, David explained further why we should love and appreciate God’s word.

God’s Law Provides Protection, Sustenance, and Safety

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word” (Psalm 119:114).

“Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope. Uphold me that I may be safe, that I may have regard for Your statutes continually” (Psalm 119:116-117).

There is value in consistency. We are often willing to pay more for vehicles that do not break down and computers that will not lock up. One of the reasons why God’s word is valuable is because of its consistency. It consistently provides us with protection, sustenance, and safety.

God, through His word, is a shield for us (Psalm 119:114), providing solid, impenetrable protection. The wise man wrote, “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5). Part of the armor we are to put on as Christians is the “shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16). God provides us with protection, but we must hold the shield before us to enjoy that protection. It is useless if we do not use it.

God’s word provides sustenance for us (Psalm 119:116). The King James Version said, “Uphold me according unto thy word.” The word of God provides support that we may lean upon. We can “stand firm” as we have “girded [our] loins with truth” (Ephesians 6:14). “The word of His grace…is able to build you up” (Acts 20:32). But we must lean upon His word to be supported by it.

God’s word also provides us with safety (Psalm 119:117) – not just from attacks (Psalm 119:114), but also from the troubles of life. The word of God provides a solid foundation for us. Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the wind blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25). But the key for us to enjoy safety from His word is to hear and obey His word.

God’s word is consistent. It will not leave us vulnerable, without support, or without a foundation. But we must follow His word to enjoy these benefits. We must wait for it (Psalm 119:114), not be ashamed of it (Psalm 119:116), and regard it (Psalm 119:117). In all of this, we must follow God’s word “continually” (Psalm 119:117). If we fall, we cannot blame God or His word; we can only blame ourselves.

We Must Guard Against Evil Influences

“Depart from me, evildoers, that I may observe the commandments of my God” (Psalm 119:115).

Paul warned about the danger of having evil companions. “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). This corrupting influence grows over time. Rarely do we follow along with the evil influences around us immediately. Therefore, temptation is persistent. This is why Potiphar’s wife did not leave Joseph alone after he first refused her advances. Instead, “she spoke to [him] day after day” (Genesis 39:10). Despite the persistent temptation, Joseph did not sin (Genesis 39:11-12). However, that is not always the case. That is why Paul gave the married Christians in Corinth the following instruction about their sexual relations with one another: “Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Corinthians 7:5). The reason why this instruction was given was because any temptation – not just the temptation to commit sexual immorality – can seem to get stronger over time. The longer we put ourselves in a position to be tempted unnecessarily – such as when we surround ourselves with evil companions – the more likely we will sin.

Attitudes about sin in any society will change over time. In our society, it was not that long ago that homosexuality was a shameful practice that was mostly kept a secret by those who practiced it. Today, homosexuality is accepted by many – even to the point now that same-sex “marriage” has been declared legal in all fifty states. While attitudes in society may change, God’s word is consistent (Psalm 119:89). Homosexuality is declared to be sinful throughout the Bible (Genesis 19:4-13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10). The popular opinion of our society does that change that.

Rather than allowing the world to influence us toward evil, we are to be separate. Paul wrote, “‘Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Not only are we to be separate, we are to be different by following God’s word. Peter, in quoting from the Old Law, wrote, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16; cf. Leviticus 19:2).

God Rejects and Removes the Wicked

“You have rejected all those who wander from Your statutes, for their deceitfulness is useless. You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies” (Psalm 119:118-119).

These verses mention two things that God does with the wicked. First, He rejects them. The wicked do not enjoy the protection, support, and safety that the righteous enjoy (Psalm 119:114, 116-117).

Second, God removes the wicked. He did this once in the days of Noah. “The the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” So He determined to “blot out man…from the face of the land” (Genesis 6:5, 7). This happened when He sent the flood: “All flesh that moved on the earth perished…all mankind…all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth” (Genesis 7:21-23). Other examples of God punishing the wicked are found throughout the Bible. But just as God “destroyed” the world “with water” during the days of Noah, he will later destroy the earth with “fire” (2 Peter 3:6-7, 10). Therefore, we must be sure we are not among the wicked, but instead “be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14).

Who are the wicked? This is an important question since we know that God rejects and removes the wicked. Society’s definition of this may change. Isaiah condemned those who “call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). People do the same thing today. God’s definition of good and evil does not change. To avoid being labeled as “wicked,” we must conform to His will.

We Must Fear the Lord

“My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments” (Psalm 119:120).

The Hebrew writer said, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). We must fear the Lord because He has the power to destroy us. Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

However, having a fear of God does not mean that we are frozen in terror before Him. We are to fear Him and obey Him. The wise man wrote, “The conclusion is, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Because God’s word is consistent, we can have confidence as we follow it. The wise man wrote, “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence” (Proverbs 14:26). As we fear and obey Him, we can have confidence (but not overconfidence or arrogance) as we stand before Him because we know the standard that He has given – the standard that we are striving to follow – will not be changed against us in the end. God will keep His word; we do not need to worry about that. We just need to obey Him. John wrote, “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 2:28-29). If we live righteously according to God’s standard, we can stand before His judgment seat in reverence, rather than in terror.

Conclusion

God’s word is consistent. We do not need to be double-minded when it comes to following it. Focus wholly on His word. Follow His word in singleness of mind and strive to do this consistently.

This entire series is available in paperback. Click on the link for more information – The Psalm of the Word: A Study of Psalm 119.