Store the Word
Will you permit me a rather pedantic moment before we actually get to the meat of this article?
I’ve never had to convince anyone that they should keep their refrigerator or pantry full of food. People know that they need to eat on a pretty regular basis, and so they tend to do whatever they have to do in order to make sure that happens. This usually includes working a job where they get paid, so that they can go to the grocery store (or out to a restaurant) and purchase the nourishment which their bodies require. We human beings do an awful lot of work for an awfully quick meal, don’t we?
Now, I said this was a pedantic moment, because it’s a bit of a kitschy analogy to the memorization of Scripture. Jesus himself (quoting a passage of Scripture from memory) said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 [quoting Deuteronomy 8:3]). In other words, there’s a real spiritual nourishment that comes from God’s word, and from believing in that word and doing what that word requires (John 4:34).
But whereas I’ve never had to convince anyone that they ought to keep bread (or apples or Oreos) in their kitchens, I do have to try and help a great many Christians understand that they ought to keep their hearts full of God’s word -- and that Scripture memorization is the most effective and fruitful way of doing this.
WHY MEMORIZE?
But why Scripture memorization in particular? If we have access to multiple English translations on our phones, and we carry our phones everywhere, then don’t we effectively have an even better access to the storehouse of the Bible than through mere memorization of a few verses and passages?
While it’s certainly a massive blessing to carry the whole of God’s word in our jean pockets, having quick access to the Bible is not the same as baptizing our hearts in it through memorization. It’s one thing to simply read the Bible -- it’s another thing to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). When Scripture can make its habitation in our hearts through memorization, it renovates things and changes the way that we live and move and have our being; it can sink into our bones and become something more than mere data or information; it can, by God’s Spirit, transform us from the inside out.
Psalm 119 is probably the greatest hymn ever written about the word of God. It is breathtaking in its scope (176 verses, making it the longest chapter in the Bible), and mesmerizing in its depth. If you want to more fully understand the role that the Scriptures should play in the life of the believer (and the church and the world!), Psalm 119 is required reading. This psalm alone gives us dozens of reasons to keep the cupboards of our hearts stocked with God’s word -- but here are just two for your consideration.
THAT WE MIGHT NOT SIN
Sin disrupts our relationship with God; it ruins our relationships with one another; it makes the world a terrible and hard place to live in. It stands to reason, then, that we ought not sin. Yet the problem is that we often don’t know what makes a sin a sin, or what God considers sinful. It’s easy to take our cues about what’s right and what’s wrong from the world; but their standards are changing almost moment-by-moment, depending on which direction the cultural winds are blowing. That is a frustrating (let alone exhausting) way to live. So what does our Creator have to say about all this, and how ought we to live in light of such knowledge?
Well, the only way to know this is by knowing God’s word. Psalm 119:11 touches on this point directly: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” One of the gifts of memorizing God’s word (storing it up in our hearts) is that, without even having to “think about it,” we can recognize sin immediately and steer clear of it. As the apostle Paul said, “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2). By faith in Christ we are made dead to sin, so let us live that way -- which we can do all the more when we baptize our minds in the Scriptures.
The result of this will be well worth it, for when we avoid the well-worn paths of sin, our fellowship with God is sweeter, our love for our neighbor grows deeper, and we become more and more conformed to the image of Christ.
THAT WE MIGHT HAVE READY COUNSELORS
But of course, it’s not enough to merely stay away from sin. If, for example, you’re on a road trip and you’re not sure where you are, it’s good to recognize when you’re going the opposite direction of your destination -- but you also need to know how to actually get where you’re going. In a similar manner, you need to know the way to the heavenly Zion and you need a guide to get you there (Hebrews 12:12-13).
Through the word, the Christian gets both the way and the guide. As Psalm 119:24 says, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.” When the words of God are stored up in our hearts, we have ready-made “counselors,” who can speak to us in a moment and keep our feet on the narrow and right path. We need not always wonder how God would advise us to go, if we have his advice always in our minds (Proverbs 3:3-4).
In short, by memorizing Scripture, the Spirit can more readily teach us and help us learn how to live as children of God (Psalm 1, Ephesians 5:17-21).
If you’re ready to start this formative, imagination-sanctifying habit, then I might recommend this article: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/11-steps-to-memorizing-an-entire-book-of-the-bible/
I’ve used a modified version of this approach to memorize almost the entire book of Ephesians, and once I’ve done that, I’ll move on to another book. But if a whole book seems overwhelming, then simply start with some key verses and go from there.
And remember, most importantly of all, that we’re not memorizing the word of God just so that we can know more about it than anyone else. We’re memorizing it, first and foremost, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). In other words, the most important reason that we hide the Scriptures in our hearts is so that we might see Jesus more clearly and love him more dearly -- for that is what our hearts were made for.
