Boys and girls the world over seem to love to play the game of Hide-and-Seek. I can still remember some of the wonderful hiding places we had as boys at home. I can also remember the times when Mother used to hide candies in our home, and then allow us to hunt for them until we found them.
But I want to speak to you today about hiding something that is very, very important. If you will turn to Psalm 119, and read verse 11, you will find these words: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”
These words were written by a very wise king, King David, and you will notice that there are three special points to be found in the verse.
What have I hidden? Where have I hidden it? Why have I hidden it?
1.“What have I hidden?”
It is not man’s word, but the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever. Truly this is a treasure worth hiding. No thief can steal it, no moth can corrupt it. We cannot set too high a value upon the Word of God. We usually hide something that we value a great deal, so that no one else can get it and spoil it. Just down the street from where I am writing this story there is a big bank, and inside that bank there is a huge vault. This vault is protected by great steel doors and bars. Inside the vault are hidden things which men and women consider to be of great value. But, I have heard of vaults being broken into by robbers, and the valuable things have been stolen. But King David considered the Word of God of such value that he hid it in his heart. I hope that the reader of this paper will value the Word of God above everything else, and accept it as God’s own message of love to him, and truly hide it within his heart.
2.“Where have I hidden it?”
It was not in his head, or in his memory, but in his heart. Would the heart not speak to us of something that we love very dearly? This is the right place to hide the Word of God. I am sorry to say that I have been in homes where people have had to hunt in vain to find a Bible. Sometimes no Bible could be found at all, and sometimes it could be found hidden away at the bottom of a drawer. But oh, how happy I am to go into a home where the father and mother, and boys and girls, love the Word of God, and have it safely hidden within their hearts. You can almost tell when they begin to speak about the Word of God if it is very precious to them. For, they have found out from its pages that the Lord Jesus Christ loved them, and died for them to wash away their sins. Again, may we urge you to accept the truth of the Word of God in your very heart, as being God’s message to you.
3.“Why have I hidden it?”
For a very important reason. “That I might not sin against Thee.” It is not so that you and might have new ideas to talk about, or show off about. It is not in order that we might argue about the Bible. King David did not care about any of these things, but he knew that God, who watched him all day long, hated sin; and because David loved God, he wanted to walk in a way that would please Him. He knew that the Word of God would guide him in a way that would please the Lord. Therefore, he prayed that the Word of God might be hidden in his heart. Dear reader, if you truly belong to the Lord Jesus, then may we encourage you to read your Bible, to hide its words within your heart, and to pray that they may be used to keep your feet from a path that would not be pleasing to the Lord.
ML 10/28/1956