Daily Bible Nugget #263, Psalm 119:99

The Nugget:

Psalm 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

My Comment:

Saints meditate in the Scriptures (The New Topical Textbook, subtopic under the major topic “The Scriptures,” page 240). The Psalmist was able to claim that he had more understanding than his teachers because he meditated upon “thy testimonies,” one of the names given to the Bible. He even claimed more than this: he did not just say he had more understanding than his teachers, but said “than all my teachers.” That ought to be a strong encouragement to everyone to read, study, and meditate on God’s Word in the Bible.

Solomon said that wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. With all thy getting, get understanding (Proverbs 4:7). In Psalm 119:99 the Psalmist tells us how to get that understanding: meditate on God’s Word.

That should tell us something about God’s Word that is quite contrary to what some would have us believe: the Bible claims to be understandable, and it is. The technical name for this idea in theology is the perspicuity of Scripture. Some argue that the Bible cannot possibly be understandable because no two people, or even church denominations, agree upon what it means. They cannot even come to agreement on such supposedly important matters as baptism and the Holy Eucharist.

There surely are differences of opinion on what the Bible means. But when differences in interpretation arise, more often than not, careful study into the Scriptures will resolve the issue. If you will carefully study and meditate upon the Scriptures, God may bless you with an understanding of His written Word that exceeds that of your teachers indeed.

Life is likely not long enough for anyone to satisfactorily resolve every possible difference of interpretation pertaining to what each Bible verse means. Yet, for the issues you encounter, that concern you, careful study will lead to the correct understanding if you make use of the proper Bible study tools. One of the first tools to make use of is a very complete collection of cross references. Cross references guide you to the other passages in the Bible that shed light upon or explain the verse you are studying. The Bible is indeed its own interpreter. The Bible is a self-explanatory, self-interpreting book to a much greater degree than anyone who has not made thorough use of cross reference Bible study might ever suppose.

It is necessary to use cross references for Bible study to learn what the Bible teaches regarding any topic or subject it discusses or mentions. The Bible does not talk about a subject all in one place. To find out what the Bible teaches, you must consider all the passages in the Bible about that subject. A Bible concordance can help you find other verses that use the same word. Cross references go much further, for they trace not just the same word, but the same subject even when it is expressed in different words.

You cannot claim to have thoroughly studied a subject in the Bible unless you have made full use of a good collection of cross references as part of that study. This is where many churches, denominations, religious organizations, and especially false cults, not to mention theological systems or parties go astray. If they have not made a thorough study of all that the Bible presents on a subject, they can be mistaken in their understanding.

You will notice that daily I have presented a subject, made some comments, then furnished for your study the most complete collection of cross references for the verse or verses involved that you will find anywhere. That is part of what it means to do Real Bible Study. If you do this kind of Real Bible Study you too will be wiser than your teachers, because you can be certain that they have not!

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 531 for Psalm 119:99.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 676 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Psalm 119:99.

(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:

Psalm 119:99. I have more understanding. Those who make the written Word of God the object of their continuing meditation and study can arrive at a greater understanding of spiritual things than all their teachers. This shows that the source of knowledge we are to go by is the written Word of God found in the Bible. ver. Ps 119:100, 144. +*Ps 19:7. 107:43. 111:10. *Dt 4:6. 1 S 18:30. Jb 6:24. *Jb 32:8. Pr 1:5. 2:9. +**Pr 4:7. 6:23. +*Pr 8:9. 12:1. *Pr 14:6. 18:15. *Pr 28:5. +*Is 29:24. Da 1:17, 20. 9:2. Mt 7:24. **Mt 11:25. 13:11. Lk 2:47. 11:36, 52. +*Ac 8:30. 1 Cor 14:20. +*Col 1:9. He 5:14. than all. *Dt 4:6, 8. 1 S 18:30. 2 S 15:24-26. 1 Ch 15:11-13. 2 Ch 29:15, etc. 2 Ch 30:22. Je 2:8. *Je 8:8, 9. Da 1:20. *Mt 11:25. 13:11. *Mt 15:6-9, 14. 23:24, etc. *Lk 2:46, 47. Ac 23:3. *He 5:12. teachers. Ps 18:34. 94:10. 144:1. 1 Cor 1:19-21. +*1 J 2:27. for thy testimonies. ver. +Ps 119:14, 24. +*Ps 19:7. 1 K 2:3. Mic 2:7. Ac 8:28. Ro 2:18. **2 Tim 3:15-17. are my meditation. ver. Ps 119:9, +Ps 119:97. +*Ps 1:2. +*Jsh 1:8. Jb 15:4mg. Pr 1:5. +*Ac 17:11. *1 Tim 4:15. James 1:25.