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Psalm 19:11b – … And in keeping them there is great reward. (NKJV)
This series of lessons from Psalm 19:7-11 takes a look at the life most Christians want, many talk about and some experience brief glimpses of… but few Christians attain on a daily, consistent, long-term basis. It is a life that is refreshed and re-energized, full of wisdom, joyful, pure and enlightened, consistent and righteous, rewarding and fulfilled.
So far we have learned that:
- God’s law (His rule of action) converts (restores, refreshes) the soul because knowing and keeping His law leads to a fruitful, guiltless life of fellowship with God. (v. 7a)
Today we look at the latter part of verse 7 and how to attain a life full of wisdom. The world offers alot of “junk” that masquerades as wisdom or truth. Even the Church is increasingly infected with humanistic wisdom, pop pyschology/counseling and theological ideas foreign to the plain Word of God. How do we separate Biblical truth and every other “truth”? By finding out what the Lord’s testimony is which according to Scripture makes us wise:
Psalm 19:7b …The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; (NKJV)
If the Lord’s testimony makes the simple (all of us!) wise, then we need to know what “testimony” means in this verse. As Christians we think of testimony as our story of salvation, or as relating the events of God’s involvement in our life. The world thinks of testimony as the version of facts that an individual would communicate about a given event or circumstance. You may find the definition found in our most common dictionary to be interesting (emphasis mine):
Merriam-Webster
- Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin testimonium Decalogue, from Latin, evidence, witness, from testis witness — more at TESTAMENT
Date: 14th century
1 a (1) : the tablets inscribed with the Mosaic law (2) : the ark containing the tablets b : a divine decree attested in the Scriptures
2 a : firsthand authentication of a fact : EVIDENCE b : an outward sign c : a solemn declaration usually made orally by a witness under oath in response to interrogation by a lawyer or authorized public official
3 a : an open acknowledgment b : a public profession of religious experience
- Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin testimonium Decalogue, from Latin, evidence, witness, from testis witness — more at TESTAMENT
The reference to Moses’ tablets and the Scriptures is not found in the newer dictionaries (imagine that!). Notice the two active ingredients: evidence and witness. The evidence of the Lord is sure. The witness or the declarations of the Lord are sure! They are the divine decrees found in the Holy Bible.
The Bible is the firsthand authentication of the facts about Jesus Christ!
The testimony of the Lord is the solemn proclamation and acknowledgment of all that God has done for you and I. “Testimony” includes the idea of a recalling or presentation of the evidence about an event or deed. For Christians it it can be the events surrounding God’s providence in our life, or the declaration of what God has done in general.
Most notably and highest in priority, is the testimony of Jesus Christ, around which the entire Bible is supernaturally engineered by God.
Jesus spoke and enacted only that which He personally witnessed and knew as fact
John 3:32-33 And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. (NKJV)
The last book of the Bible is the revealing of the evidence and facts of Jesus Christ’s return as the Conquering and Ruling King of Kings
Revelation 1:1-2 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. (NKJV)
We will become living testimonies of Jesus Christ
Matthew 10:18-20 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. (NKJV)
While this verse was written specifically to the original disciples sent out by Jesus, it is applicable to us today as Ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ (2 Cor 5.20)
The world will make fun of you and hate you for being living evidence of Jesus Christ
2 Timothy 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, (NKJV)
The primary testimony of the Bible is the evidence, declaration and presentation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Other aspects of God’s testimony include:
- The testimony of God’s faithfulness (Duet 7.9)
- The testimony of God’s mercy (Lam 3.22)
- The testimony of God’s goodness (Rom 2.4)
- The testimony of God’s care (Luke 12.6)
- The testimony of God’s judgment (Ecc 12.14)
- The testimony of God’s supremacy (2 Chron 20.6)
1 John 5:10-13 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record (testimony), that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (NKJV, emphasis mine)
The testimony of God is the dividing line on which one side stands the “simple” (foolish) and on the other side stand the “wise”. All true wisdom starts and ends with God. There is no true wisdom apart from Him.
You have to know God’s testimony in order to be made wise by it.
God’s testimony makes us wise just as God’s law restores us. This leads us back to the same question we asked about God’s law: how do you know what God’s testimony is? Same answer: God’s testimony is found in His Word (the Bible) and you have read it, meditate on it and practice it. His testimony is learned through diligent, consistent, serious study of His Written Word and by asking God in prayer to illumine Truth in your heart.
Psalm 25:10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. (NKJV)
God’s law is perfect; it restores and refreshes the soul. God’s testimony is sure and will make you wise. These are the rewards of a life lived God’s way. Tomorrow we will look at the statutes of God and how they bring us joy.
Lord God, help us to know the testimony of Jesus Christ and to become living testimonies of Him. We ask You to remove our foolishness as Your Word is wondrously illumined in our hearts. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Contemplation: Are you wise or foolish in your own eyes? When you lean on your wisdom, what is the typical result? Do you look for wisdom anywhere except where God says it is to be found? Would you like to know that your life is based on solid, unchanging and dependable wisdom? Is your life a living testimony of God; can people see God’s truth in how you live?
Application: There is only one true wisdom and one true place to find it. Only wisdom found in God’s Word is reliable and sure. There is a saying today that goes “all truth is God’s truth”. Wrong. The only truth is God’s truth, and that truth is found in His Written Word. All other truth or wisdom is only true to the extent in which is grounded, founded and substantiated by God’s Word no matter how many degrees, experts or professionals might be cited as “proof”. Man’s experience and anecdotal evidence do not make truth. Man’s greatest attempts at wisdom are as silly foolishness compared to God (1Cor 3.19). Learn to measure and accept “truth” (preaching, teaching, counseling, psychology, worldviews, religions, etc.) only to the degree that the “truth” in question is found clearly presented in God’s Word. Perhaps some of the “rewarding life” is not yours because you are seeking wisdom from sources other than God.
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?
(seriesid:24)