Keeping What Matters Most
Our family room in Florida was the heart of our home. It’s where we did “life” together; where memories were made. One entire wall of this room was lined with shelves filled with books, photos, scrapbooks, trophies, awards, and diplomas. And tucked behind the closet door of this same room? You guessed it—more of the same!
When we decided to move and downsize, we realized we couldn’t take everything with us. So, we carefully sorted through boxes and shelves, donating some things, giving away others, and throwing a few things out. Yet there were certain items, the ones tied to love, that we simply couldn’t part with. And because they were precious to us, we decided to keep them.
The writer of Psalm 119 understood this kind of keeping. Yet, what he cherished wasn’t a memento or an heirloom. It was God’s Word. This is what he treasured most and was deeply committed to keeping.
Keeping Defined
To appreciate the psalmist’s repeated use of the word keep in Psalm 119, it’s important to understand what he actually meant by it. In Hebrew, the word is shamar—meaning to guard, protect, observe, and watch over. It carries a deeper meaning beyond our English version of simply keeping something.
So, when the psalmist prayed, “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes; and I will keep it to the end” (Psalm 119:33), he wasn’t referring to holding onto God’s Word, as you would an object. Instead, He was speaking of safeguarding it by watching over it diligently.
Why Shamar?
For the psalmist, there was one simple yet profound reason to shamar God’s Word: love. It’s a reverent love for Holy Scripture described throughout Psalm 119 as law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, and judgments.
This distinction matters. Before we can shamar God’s Word, we must first love it. And when we love God’s Word, the natural response is the desire to shamar—to keep it wholeheartedly. This is where the blessing lies and something the psalmist was fully convinced of. Yet it doesn’t stop here. Instead, it just gets better, as choosing to shamar God’s Word also brings wonderful benefits into our lives.
The Benefits
Woven throughout Psalm 119 are many benefits that flow from a life devoted to God’s Word. Yet there are also two specific ones that the psalmist directly tied to the intentional action of keeping God’s Word. They are personal blessing and spiritual understanding.
Personal Blessing
“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart” (Psalm 119:2).
“...Blessing has fallen to me, for I have kept Your precepts” (Psalm 119:56).
Spiritual Understanding
“I understand more than the aged, for I keep Your precepts” (Psalm 119:100).
It’s All About Commitment
Perhaps at this point you’re wondering, “How do I practically keep or shamar God’s Word?” The good news is that the psalmist shows us how to do this. Yet it’s not a formula, an action plan, or a religious checklist. Instead, it’s tied to commitment—the deep commitment to keep God’s Word.
Woven throughout the entire psalm are intentional “I will” statements that reveal the psalmist’s heart posture toward God. The following are just some of them:
“I will keep Your statutes” (v. 8).
“I will run in the way of Your commandments” (v. 32).
“I will keep Your law continually” (v. 44).
“I will hasten and not delay to keep Your commandments” (v. 60).
“I will observe Your statutes” (v. 145).
These commitments remind us that keeping God’s Word begins with a decisive heart—a heart that consistently chooses to diligently keep every word God has spoken.
A closing thought
I feel certain the writer of Psalm 119 would be labeled a radical. Yet, so was Jesus. And as His followers, we are invited to adopt this same radical posture. Yet this isn’t a burden or a duty. It’s an incredible honor–a high calling. It’s the privileged invitation to consistently, habitually, and wholeheartedly keep the entirety of God’s Word.
So, let’s be a people, like the psalmist, deeply committed to keeping God’s Word. Let’s passionately pursue it, allowing it to transform and shape us. And most significantly, let’s live it—so that others can see the truth it proclaims, the love it reveals, and the hope of the Gospel.
Pray
Father, thank You for Your Word—flawless, reliable, and worthy of being kept. Shape my heart to love it and passionately pursue it as the psalmist did. Teach me to guard it, walk in it, and live it out with purpose and commitment. And, as I do, may others see the truth it proclaims, the love it reveals, and the grace and hope it extends. Amen.
Reflect
What is one intentional step you can take this week to deepen your commitment to keeping God’s Word?
Friends, I’d love to hear your experience! Feel free to share your responses in the comment section below, or with me and others HERE!