Hidden For A Reason!

We ought to start here with the obvious note that it is His Word, God’s Word, that is hidden away in the heart and not the words of men.  Men’s words have power, but not the ultimate power spoken of here.  They can move and motivate, but ultimately they fall short when we are speaking of making men acceptable to God.  That quality can only be produced by the Word of God.  Once again we are reminded of what this writer readily knows – that the power to please God comes from outside of us, not within us.  That is a central tenet of spirituality – that the capacity to please God originates from outside of us – it is not a natural part of us.

The world tells us differently.  It tells us that all that is needed to solve our problems already lies within us.  All we need to do is look within or seek the answer our heart tells us.  We already know the solution.  All we need to do, they tell us, is to look within and discover the answer that already lies within.

The Bible disagrees.  The answers are not within.  We must seek them outside of ourselves and find the answers in His Word.  This revealed truth serves to give us the information which, in turn, gives us the capacity we lack to solve and deal with whatever issues we face.

“Word” is the generic Hebrew word for speech.  It refers to direct conversation in its commonest form.  It speaks of the communication of one being with another in plain and direct form.  By that I mean that it usually does not refer to hidden or coded communication.  While it may speak of that which is complex or detailed, and not easy to understand, it always is used of communication that is simply to perceive.  It is used of God in the garden, the serpent speaking to Eve in the garden.  Balaam’s ass speaking to him, and a host of other instances.    The emphasis, even in its metaphorical uses is on the clarity of perception and the ease with which the communication is received.

When applied to the Scripture the emphasis holds this two-fold significance.  God has spoken clearly, and that message is easily perceived and understood by any and all who have access to the Scripture.

As has been the case through the Psalm so far, and indeed, is the case in all of the Word of God; the knowledge that is revealed from heaven in the Word is not obtained mystically.  God does not “zap” us and boom! We have knowledge.  It is achieved through objective means.  It must be “hidden” in our hearts if it is to be of any use to us or to God in us.

“I have hidden” translates a word in Hebrew that occurs 36 times in the Old Testament.  It refers to concealing something with a definite purpose.  The reason for that concealing can be either good or evil, depending on the context.  It can refer to hiding treasure or things that need protection and can speak of the value that is placed on a thing.

That is the significance here.  The Word must be apprehended objectively, that is, it must be perceived as valuable by the individual and hidden away, as a treasure or as a thing to be protected and cherished, by the one in view.

As is most often the case in these contexts, “heart” does not refer to the organ that pumps the blood.  It refers to the inner aspect of man that takes in the mind, spirit, emotions, affections, indeed, all of the immaterial part of man’s being.  This is not a physical thing.  We don’t hide the Word in a cupboard or a safe to keep it.  Rather, we take it in, we learn it and master it, as best we are able and incorporate it into our very beings.

The Word must become a part of us – it must become a part of the way we think and act and breathe.  We are not here speaking of just the memorization or the mechanical engagement of the word by physically reading it, but it refers to the results of study, memorization, meditation and the learning of the Word.  This cannot happen in a casual setting.  This is decidedly not a reference to the few minutes most people spend.  The idea communicated here implies far more than that.  Reading a few verses a day, and/or the Daily Bread is a good thing – but it is not what will yield blessing or holiness in our lives.  Only when we cherish the Word enough, valuing it sufficiently to store it away in our hearts, seriously and diligently interacting with it can we expect to reap the results the Word tells us we will reap.

We ought to note that the writer has just finished telling us that he has diligently sought God.  The implication is that that diligence is expressed in his study and hiding away of the Word as well.  It speaks of effort and application over time.  This is not a single or even a short-term thing – rather it speaks of the habit of life.

This is not to say that the interaction we have with the Word on a single basis, a given passage, etc., is not meaningful and beneficial in and of itself.  It surely is.  However, it must go far beyond such casual and convenient interaction with the Scripture if we are to achieve all that God has promised.

We ought also to note that what is in view here is interaction with the Word – not prayer, or other forms of devotive piety.  There are many things that are of benefit spiritually.  Prayer is an essential resource and a tool that is indispensable.  Participation in a local church fellowship is a thing not to be ignored and an essential aspect of our walk.  Service to God, witnessing, giving, etc. are all key ingredients to walking with God.  However, and this is a big however, the study of the Word outstrips them all!  There is nothing more key, more significant or more beneficial than hiding the Word in our hearts.

The verse speaks to one motivation for the study of the Word – that we might be free from sin.  This is note the only reason to study, but it is arguably the most significant.

The aim on sanctification is that we become more like Christ.  A chief aspect of that likeness is freedom from sin.  Men are, by nature, enslaved to sin.  They cannot help but walk sinfully, in rebellion against God.  Regardless of their intent or their motivation, all an unredeemed person is able to do is sin against God.  The process of sanctification is the process of forsaking sin and embracing practical righteousness.

“That” introduces the purpose of the previous phrase.  He hid the Word in his heart with the purpose of preventing sin against God.  The one serves the other.  It was not simply a matter of deciding not to sin.  In order to accomplish the goal of refraining from sin – it was necessary for the writer to “do” something.

Paul describes this process as putting off and putting on.  We are to put off the old man, and put on the holy habits in its place.

“Might not sin” translates a Hebrew word that carries the classic idea of missing a mark and bearing culpability for the miss.  The classic illustration is that of the archer who misses the mark or target that was the point of aim.  The idea speaks to the result of hiding the Word in the heart.  He hides the Word in his heart, studying it and taking it in diligently with the aim that it do its work and prevent sin.

The work the Word does is a work inside the individual.  That “I” might not sin against God.  It is a personal work.  It is a particular work and it is a specialized work.  It is a personal work in that it is not done in the Christian population as a whole, but in individual Christians one at a time.  This is not a sacramental thing or a matter for group cooperation.  This is a work that God does by means of His Word in each Christian as that Christian submits himself to the Word.  At its root, sanctification is an individual matter, not a group sport.

It is a particular work in that it is a work designed with the individual it is done to in mind.  His particular needs and requirements in mind.  We might also call this a personalized work.  God does in the life of the believer that work which is uniquely designed for that specific person.

It is a specialized work in that it is a work that only the Spirit can do and that He does only by means of the Word.  There is no other means that God uses to sanctify His children.  He sanctifies by means of the truth, and His Word is truth.

Lastly, we need to note that the sin that is avoided here is sin against God.  No believer desires that His God be offended.  No genuinely saved person is content to do that which God finds despicable.  The concern of the writer is that he not sin against his God – and the Word is the chief means that the believer has to assure that this happens.

Referring back to Stowall’s book and the definition of ministerial success – we come to purity – an area of grave failing and concern to me.  I have a weakness in this area that plagues me and, from time to time, draws me down into sin.  This is definitely an area, personally, where I need work.

On the other hand, in regard to the congregation, I have an impeccable record.  I have not done anything to blemish my reputation with the people to whom I minister.

I surely need to continue to strive to overcome this issue and move forward.  While it may not be a detriment to my public ministry, it is definitely a hindrance to God’s ability to use me.