Daily Bible Nugget #258, Psalm 119:11

The Nugget:

Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

My Comment:

Saints hide the Scriptures in their hearts (The New Topical Textbook, subtopic under the main topic “The Scriptures,” page 240). “Saints,” as you likely know, are in the Bible identified as ordinary believers in the Bible. I believe much potential spiritual growth is lost or unrealized because many Christians do not hide God’s Word in their hearts. I think the most efficient way to hide God’s Word in the heart is to actually memorize it word-for-word from the Bible. I think it is best to memorize verses from a more literal Bible translation. I am used to memorizing verses from the King James Version. I have not tried memorizing from any modern English versions, though I make enough use of them in my own Bible study that I remember their wording for certain verses. I find that modern English versions (like the NIV) are revised periodically, so the verse I once knew about in that version has been changed in its wording in the new revision. So to avoid that confusion for myself, I stick to the King James or Authorized Version. But for those who want to memorize Scripture in a modern English version, give it a try. The ESV (English Standard Version) or the NKJV (New King James Version), and even the NIV (New International Version) are all possible choices. One good reason to hide God’s Word in your heart is specified by the Psalmist in this verse: “that I might not sin against thee.” That is reason enough, though you may be able to think of many more. My elderly friend Uncle Frank years ago memorized the whole New Testament. He told me he did that so he wouldn’t have to fumble through his Bible when teaching about the Tabernacle in the Old Testament and the meaning of the Bible types he found in it, types related to New Testament truths. I memorized many verses so I would be prepared to share the Bible’s message when I was without a hard copy of the Bible. If you are looking for a good list of verses to memorize, I presented the whole list I shared with my high school Sunday school class as Daily Bible Nuggets near the beginning of this series of Bible Nugget posts I’ve been making. In any case, Psalm 119:11 would be a good verse to start with. It has been said that God’s Word will keep us from sin, or sin will keep us from God’s Word.

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 627 for Psalm 119:11.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 672 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Psalm 119:11.

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

Psalm 119:11. Thy word. [Heb. imrah, S#565h. ver. Ps 119:38, 41, 50, 58, 67, 76, 82, 103, 116, 123, 133, 140, 148, 154, 158, 162, 170, 172. Ge 4:23 (speech). Ps 12:6 (the only place where the plural is found)] ver. *Ps 119:97, 105, 125. **Ps 1:2. **Ps 37:31. *Ps 40:8. Dt 6:6. 11:18. 32:46. *Jb 22:22. **Jb 23:12. *Pr 2:1, 10, 11. Is 51:7. **Je 15:16. 20:9. Lk 2:19, 51. Jn 5:38, 39. **Col 3:16. 1 J 2:14. hid. T#1070, T#1088. ver. Ps 119:98. +Dt 6:6. 11:18. **Jsh 1:8. 1 S 21:12. Je 31:33. Ezk 3:3. Lk 8:15. 2 Cor 3:3. in mine heart. Ps 37:31. 40:8. Pr 3:1, 3. 4:4. 16:23. Ezk 3:10. Da 7:28. Mt 12:35. Lk 1:66. 6:45. 8:15. Jn 15:7. 1 J 2:14, 24. 3 J 1:3. that I. ver. Ps 119:16, 133, 165. Ps 18:21-23. *Ps 19:11, 13. Dt 4:9. Jsh 24:22. 1 Ch 28:8. Ne 13:3. Pr 3:23. 6:22. +*Jn 17:6, 17. 1 Cor 15:34. Ep 6:17, 18.