⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure?
    By guarding it according to your word.
¹⁰ With my whole heart I seek you;
    let me not wander from your commandments!
¹¹ I have stored up your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.

1) What does the word pure mean in v.9?
It is important to fully understand the words we read. There are places within Scripture that we gain clarity by seeking out the original meaning of a word and confirmation of what we think the word means. According to www.studylight.org,  the original word “pure” means to purify, keep oneself clean, or to be justified. The original meaning confirms what we know of the word pure.

2) How should we seek God?
In v.10, the Psalmist says that “with my whole heart I will seek you”. This means not a portion, or a part, but with every part of our being we should seek the Lord. Our comings, our goings, and everything in between should be committed to the Lord.

3) What’s the purpose of storing up God’s Word?
Knowing truth, according to v.11, guards us against sin. The purpose of putting truth in our hearts and minds is so that we will not sin against the Lord. Knowing His Word gives us insight into how He wants us to live, how He wants us to treat people, and what will glorify Him.

1) What does the word pure mean in v.9?
The Psalmist poses the most basic of all questions that Christians have been asking throughout all of history, “How can I keep my ways pure?” Another way to put it might be, “How can I keep sight of what is holy and not get caught up in this world?” Our guard, our protection, our guide is God’s Word. Living according to His testimonies, His Words are the only thing that truly guard us. Our most powerful defense and most effective offense is keeping His absolute truth and wisdom in the forefront of our minds and as an adornment around our necks. (Proverbs 3:21-24)

2) How should we seek God?
Seeking God isn’t like the children’s game hide and seek. In the game, once you find the person, the game is over. In the Christian life, seeking and finding God is just the first step. After we find Him, there is a lifelong process of continual discovery and inquiry with heart and head. Seeking Him out is not temporal and partial, but rather continual, eternal, and all encompassing. It means dying to self so that we may decrease and He may increase. (John 3:30)

3) What’s the purpose of storing up God’s Word?
“That I may not sin against you” is what the Psalmist states as our purpose for storing up God’s Word. At the most basic point, knowing and utilizing God’s Word in our life sheds light on the dark places and makes us more like Him in our actions and thoughts. Where we would normally default to hateful words, there is forgiveness and love. Where we would seek first our self, we seek Him. Where we lose sight of our blessings and have discontented hearts, we find contentment. God’s word having a dwelling place within our lives develops Christian character that seeks Him and His ways first rather than defaulting to the dead, old self of the past.

Don’t miss today’s other Journey Study, Feasting On Truth!
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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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