Lamps and Vows
Psalm 119:105-112
Verses 105-106 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow Your righteous laws.
We have arrived at the fourteenth stanza of our song about the Word of the Lord and it starts with one of the most popular Bible verses about the law.
Many of us learned verse 105 as children. Artwork bearing this scripture often includes a picture of a beautiful pathway that was being lit by an antique looking lamppost. While that makes a sweet and comforting image, this is not what the psalmist had in mind when he penned this song. He most likely had a much darker picture in his head. Something where you couldn’t even see that there was a path due to the extreme darkness.
The song writer understood that without the light of God’s instruction he would be stumbling around in the darkness of the world trying to make a path on his own. He knew that the only way to know how to live God’s way was to rely on the law of God. He couldn’t look to those around him to know how to live a righteous life, only God could share that information.
We should see the light of God’s Word in the same way. We shouldn’t look for the light around us but use the light of His law to reveal the truth of everything around us. This knowledge about the truth of God’s Word is what brought the psalmist to the point of making a vow to follow God’s law. Vows are not something to be taken lightly and the psalmist understood that and accepted the weight that this vow about obeying the law would bring.
To promise God that he would obey all of the laws that He had given meant that the psalmist was choosing to examine every thought and action in the light of God’s holiness. It wasn’t just knowing the law at face value but was committing to seeing God’s plan for life through the law. This is what the man of song was really vowing to, a life that was lived step by step for God.
We, too, live in a world of darkness. There are many sources of faux lighting but only God and His law show the true light. There are those that try to make us believe that God is behind their way of thinking but what they are pushing actually goes against God and His ways. This is why we need to vow to be intentional about knowing God’s Word and obeying it. Comparing everything to the light of His law.
Making It Personal
How has the light of God’s Word revealed paths of darkness in your life? How committed are you to obeying God’s law? Does your life reflect that?
Making It Personal Kids
How are Jesus commands like a light? Have you ever promised Jesus that you would obey His rules? How important is it to keep that promise?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for giving us the light of truth to help us navigate through the darkness of this world. Please help us understand the need to be fully committed to You. We want to follow You, Father, use Your Spirit to guide us. In Jesus name, amen.