David’s testimony is contained in this verse. He sets forth his reverence for the word of God; (to esteem means to prize; to set a high value on). David had a high regard for Scripture and this influenced his reception of God’s truth. He received the totality of God’s word at face value. Because God said it, it was so. History is replete with those who have believed that they had the intellect and the ability to determine whether or not certain precepts in the Bible were true or false.  A.G. Clark made this relevant comment circa 1945, “There are many moderns who change the word of God by adding to it, or omitting some important part of the context. Such are consciously or unconsciously tools of Satan. We are specially warned against satanic emissaries professing to be messengers of light who misapply God’s word and often use such phrases as ‘In light of modern discovery’ and ‘In the interest of progressive knowledge.’”  These “scholars” are cast in the mold of Saul, who rejected the word of the Lord and reinterpreted it for his own purposes. This was never the attitude of David, a man after God’s own heart. 

Next we observe his test for all of life, “I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right.” His resolution was absolute. Every decision, every difficulty, every duty was examined as to its rightness in respect to God’s word. There is no better way to approach life than to resolve to make the Bible the guide by which you will plot your course. This too is easily seen in the tragic mistake Saul makes by rebelling against the Lord’s command. The trajectory of his life was forever altered. He becomes a man afflicted with depression, envy, hatred, and a desire to murder his greatest ally. Conversely, David’s life was on the ascendancy. Time and time again he demonstrated his resolve to obey God’s word even when it would have been seemingly more expedient to do otherwise. It was his reverence for God’s word and his resolve to always be governed by it that brings us to our final observation. His tolerance for error was a hatred for “every false way”. When we love God’s word, we will hate all that seeks to undermine it. This may be “politically incorrect” but it is biblically correct. May we stand with the Bible and against “every false way”. Amen.