By The Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Read: Psalm 119:169-176

The Rev. Ron Purkey

“Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: give me understanding according to thy word. 170 Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word” (Psalm 119:169-170).

Is the Bible really Gods word? Yes! The Bible, unique among books, has transformed countless lives and swayed whole cultures. After looking at the evidence, we can say without a doubt that God has spoken and that, yes, the Bible is truly God’s word. What can we do with the Bible?

1. We can love the Bible (Psalm 119:97, 159): The way you treat your Bible is the way you treat Christ. To love him is to love his word. The word is a delight (verses16, 24, 16, 35, 47, 70) and not a disappointment; we rejoice to read it (verses14, 162).

2. We can prize the Bible (Psalm 119:72, 128): To hold the Bible in high esteem is the mark of a true believer. It should be more precious to us than any earthly treasure.

3. We can study the Bible (Psalm 119:7, 12, 18, 26-27): At least 12 times the psalmist prays, “Teach me.” The Christian who daily studies his Bible will be blessed of God. Bible study is not always easy, for it takes the “whole heart” (verses 2, 10, 34, 69, 145).

4. We can memorize the Bible (Psalm 119:11): “The best book, in the best place, for the best purpose!” is the way G. Campbell Morgan explained this verse. All ages need to memorize the Word, not children and young people alone. Joshua was not a youth when God commanded him to memorize the law (Joshua 1:8). Jesus was able to quote Scripture when he faced Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).

5. We can meditate on the Bible (Psalm 119:15, 23, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148): Meditation is to the soul what digestion is to the body. To meditate means to “turn over” God’s Word in the mind and heart, to examine it, to compare Scripture with Scripture, to “feed on” its wonderful truths. In this day of noise and confusion, such meditation is rare but so needful. Meditation is impossible without memorization.

6. We can trust the Bible (Psalm 119:42): We trust the Bible about everything, because it is right about everything (verse 128). It is true and can be trusted wholly. To argue with the Bible is to argue with God. We test every other book by what God says in his book (the Bible).

7. We can obey the Bible (Psalm 119:1-8): To keep the word is to obey it, to walk in its commandments. Satan knows the word, but he cannot obey it. If we know God’s truth and fail to obey it, we are only fooling ourselves.

8. We can declare the Bible (Psalm 119:13, 26): As we obey, we should also witness to others about God’s word and tell them what the Lord has done for us.

Read Ron Purkey’s Bible study outlines free at rcpbibleoutlines.com. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.