With the arrival of a new year, we are often resolute to make changes and so we make resolutions about diet or exercise or relationships or habits or any number of things. Some resolutions result in real change and others, well, not so much. It seems that the roads are busier with runners in January than they are in March and bathroom scales are probably stepped on a lot more in the first half of the year than in the second half. Nevertheless, commitments for improvement are commendable and can yield a lot of wholesome fruit. With that in mind I want to give a brief challenge to encourage members of Brackenhurst Baptist Church to resolve to grow in our commitment to God’s revealed word in 2025. We might call it a resolution to take more seriously God’s revealed rules. Let me explain.
Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and, in fact, is the longest chapter in the Bible. Its 176 verses focus on the centrality of God’s word in the life of God’s people. Interestingly, these verses are divided into 22 stanzas of eight verses apiece. Each stanza is in the form of an acrostic, following the order of the Hebrew alphabet. For example, the first stanza of eight verses has the heading “Aleph,” which is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and each of the eight Hebrew lines (verses) begins with the letter aleph. The next stanza is marked “Bet” (sometimes written “Beth”), the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each Hebrew line begins with that letter. Likewise, the third stanza uses “Gimel” and so on until the last stanza, headed by the last of the Hebrew alphabet (“Taw”). One could conclude that God desires his people to grasp that his word covers (for English speakers!) the A–Z of life. God’s word is comprehensive and sufficient for everything the believer needs for a life of godliness.
It is said that many Jewish children learned their alphabet and how to read by means of Psalm 119. Perhaps this is what Paul was partly referring to when he wrote to Timothy, “From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings” (2 Timothy 3:15). Regardless, the length and arrangement of Psalm 119 is such to warrant the conclusion that our triune God wants his people to saturate our lives with his self-revelation in his word.
One of my favourite early preaching series at BBC was a total of twenty-two sermons through this psalm. The eldership did this again several years ago. I am inclined to do it again! After all, God’s word is essential for knowing God and essential for living for God. Knowing God’s holiness, and pursuing his holiness, is what the Christian life is all about (John 17:3ff). Therefore, let me encourage you to resolve that 2025 will be a new year of diving into, digging into, and devoting ourselves to God’s revelation. As we do so, we will grow in our appreciation of God’s rules, which he reveals for our good.
Recently, I was reading through Psalm 1119 and was struck by v. 30: “I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.” In fact, I underlined it in red as I thought and prayed, “Lord, I choose this way of living. Help me to utilise the help you offer in ‘your rules.’”
Rules. Generally, we are averse. And when Christians speak about “rules” the word “legalism” gets bandied about. But God’s rules are for our benefit. God’s rules provide boundaries protecting us from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
A few months ago, I was at the Mall of the South and two ladies were smoking at the entrance, standing in front of the “No Smoking Permitted” sign. I pointed this out to them and received the caustic reply, “This is South Africa!” I assume they meant, “We don’t have to obey rules in South Africa.” (Were they perhaps assuming by my American accent that I was unaware where I was?) A recent debate on our street WhatsApp group centred on fireworks. It was mentioned by someone that no one should be setting these off on New Year’s Eve because it is illegal. Most were supportive, but one individual claimed that he “owned his house and what he did on his property was his business. Therefore, no one was going to tell him what he could and could not do. Essentially, he was saying, “I have chosen the way of unfaithfulness and I reject the rules set before me.”
Though this was a disappointing response, I am reminded of my own need to recommit myself to choosing the way of faithfulness and therefore to choose to love God’s revealed rules—and to therefore live by them.
Jesus Christ was incarnated to save rule-breakers from our just condemnation. Because he chose the way of faithfulness, he also chose to keep God’s holy rules. Thank God he did! Because Jesus was sinless, he was able to die in our place while crediting to us his rule-keeping righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). When we believe on him, not only are we declared to be rule-keepers, we also now desire to keep God’s rules. We desire to be faithful to God’s self-revelation as given to us in his word. That is a wonderful meditation with which to begin a new year.
Practically, commit to setting aside time each day to read God’s word. Meditate on it. Perhaps memorise a portion of it. Pray for the Spirit’s enablement to obey it. And look for ways to share with others what you are learning.
In short, brothers and sisters let us be resolute and say, “I have chosen the way of faithfulness.” And therefore may 2025 be a year of loving, learning, and living out God’s righteous rules.
Doug