9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
10 With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
11 Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O Lord;
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have told of
All the ordinances of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
[e]As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts
And [f]regard Your ways.
16 I shall [g]delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget Your word.
Verse 9 poses an apt question, though we could also ask, “How can any man or woman keep their way pure?” Then apply all these things to your life, follow God’s word, do not wander from His commandments, etc. The importance of these things, or the magnitude of them, is illustrated in several verses: 11, 14, and 16.
In the first, if we want to avoid disobedience, we need to “treasure” God’s word in our hearts. Not just store it, or read it, or think about it, but treasure it. Think of your most prized possession, or perhaps something you really, really, really would like to have. Now apply that zeal to God’s word.
Even more in verse 14, the psalmist tells us to rejoice in His testimonies, as much as in all riches. The literal phrasing is “As over all riches”, but perhaps that wasn’t poetic enough. He’s raised the stakes just a bit here. But maybe it is easier to think in the original terms, “as much as in all riches.” Think of all the riches you could ever want, and how excited you would be. Now imagine rejoicing that much over God’s promises. Because they are better, and you should rejoice even more.
And indeed we must rejoice even more if we hope to keep our hearts pure and our feet on the right path. Once more, though not as lofty, verse 16 encourages us to delight in God’s statutes. Again, whatever you delight in, it should be as nothing compared to God’s commands for your life. His way IS life, and our very breath and sustenance.
Do you delight in God’s word, do you treasure what He has said? How much? If you’re not delighting in His word, I encourage you to slow down. Drink it in, and let Him fill your heart once more with His peace and understanding. Stop rushing to and fro, like “chasing after the wind”. There’s no joy in that, but in Him, there is “fullness of joy”. Yeah, that’s a lot of joy, in the words of the old song, “joy unspeakable and full of glory… O the half has never yet been told!”