“How Can a Young Man Keep His Way Pure?”

Psalm 119 contains 176 verses arranged in twenty-two stanzas. The entire psalm is dedicated to the praise of God’s word. The second stanza begins with a question: “How can a young man keep his way pure?” (Psalm 119:9). As we might expect, the answer to this question is found in the word of God.

Of course, the answer to this question is not limited in application to young men. It is profitable for all of God’s people. So let us examine this passage and see how we can keep our way pure before God.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word” (Psalm 119:9-16).

David mentioned eight things we can do to help keep our way pure.

Keep God’s Word

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word” (Psalm 119:9).

In trying to answer the question about keeping one’s ways pure, many people look in the wrong places for the answer. We cannot look to ourselves because “a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). We cannot look to our peers or else we may find ourselves following “the masses in doing evil” (Exodus 23:2). We cannot always look to our parents as there are times in which one must observe “all his father’s sins” and “not do likewise” (Ezekiel 18:14). If we are going to keep our way pure, we must keep it “according to [God’s] word.” Of course, this necessarily includes more than just hearing God’s word; we must actually put its teachings into practice (cf. James 1:22).

Seek God Wholeheartedly

“With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments” (Psalm 119:10).

We must not divide our allegiance between God and anyone or anything else. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24). Though Jesus specifically mentioned wealth as competing for our allegiance, anyone or anything that would rival God for a place in our hearts would be included in Jesus’ warning. We must be wholly devoted to the Lord so that everything we say and do is in His name (Colossians 3:17).

Treasure the Word in Your Heart

“Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11).

The King James Version says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart.” This is not a superficial or emotional reaction to the word of God. Nor is it a purely academic or intellectual response. Treasuring the word of God in our hearts goes much deeper than either of these – it affects our very being. The wise man said, “From [the heart] flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Hiding God’s word deep within our hearts is a safeguard to protect us against sin. How? Sin is a choice. To keep from sin, we must consciously look for the “way of escape” that God has promised for each temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). His word helps us find this way of escape.

Desire to Learn of God’s Word

“Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes” (Psalm 119:12).

Before saying, “Teach me Your statutes,” David blessed God. The implication is that he desired to learn the Scriptures not to be entertained or to satisfy curiosity, but because they were from God (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16). In this way the Bible is different from every other religious book or teaching in the world. Even though the psalmist already knew God’s word (evidenced by the fact that he was writing a 176-verse psalm praising God’s word), he desired to continue to learn more. This must be our attitude as well – to continue to learn of God’s word – that we might “grow in…knowledge” (2 Peter 3:18) and “not drift away” from what we have already learned (Hebrews 2:1).

Teach God’s Word to Others

“With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of Your mouth” (Psalm 119:13).

Thus far in our text, the psalmist has already demonstrated an excellent attitude in desiring to keep the word of God (v. 9), seek God wholeheartedly (v. 10), avoid sin (v. 11), and keep growing in the knowledge of God’s word (v. 12). But the psalmist was not keeping all of this to himself – he was telling others of God and His word. We must talk about God and His word as well by preaching the word to others (Acts 8:4) and being ready and willing to answer any question that someone might have about the reason for our hope (1 Peter 3:15).

Recognize the Value of God’s Word

“I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches” (Psalm 119:14).

David compared the testimonies of God to “all riches.” He was not saying that God’s word is equal to earthly wealth. Instead, he was contrasting his joy for God’s word with the joy that man commonly has for the riches of this life. David made it clear later in this psalm that the riches of this life are nowhere close to being equal in value to God’s word. “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (Psalm 119:72). “Therefore I love your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold” (Psalm 119:127). God’s word is “more desirable than gold” because of the “great reward” that comes from one keeping it (Psalm 19:10-11). We must recognize the same value of the word of God today. Without it, there is no salvation (Romans 1:16; John 6:68). For this reason alone, God’s word is more valuable than anything of this life.

Meditate upon God’s Word

“I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways” (Psalm 119:15).

We must do more than simply hear, learn, and strive to practice God’s word. Though all of these are important, we must also meditate upon His word. David wrote, “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). Meditation upon God’s word is necessary for proper spiritual growth. David went on to say, “I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:99). Paul said we must “dwell on [those] things” which are pure and right (Philippians 4:8). Of course, determining what is pure and right must be done according to the word of God.

Delight in God’s Word

“I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word” (Psalm 119:16).

Our strongest desire must be to know and practice God’s word. If it is, we will not forget it. If we wish to keep our way pure before God, we must delight in His word. This passage shows us how to do it.