Many functions performed by the Word of God are occasional (e.g., its services as a hammer or a sword).  Here is one that is perpetual:  “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psa. 119:105).  The great unstated fact underlying this verse is that the world in which we live is dark with a darkness that neither reason and philosophy, nor education and experience, nor common sense and practicality, nor any combination of those attributes can dispel.  There is one remedy and one only for darkness; there is one means only that will illuminate the world in which we live: the Word of God.  Our text is a dramatic example of a key element of Hebrew poetry:  synthetic parallelism.  In other words, the two parallel clauses in our text are not synonymous; each expresses a unique idea concerning the eradication of darkness.  We will briefly examine the clauses in reverse order.

            “A light unto my path.”  One of the features of the inspired Word of God is that it illuminates our way in general.  It provides us with eternal, unalterable truths, principles, if you will, that are inviolable.  “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap” (Gal 6:7); “the way of transgressors is hard” (Pro. 13:15); “walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16); “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Tit. 2:12) are all examples of these general principles, that is, lights to our path.  Nothing man has devised is a sufficient substitute for these and many other God-given truths.  Our salvation, a victorious walk, and a blessed end are all dependent on our seeing the path that God intends us to travel.

            “A lamp unto my feet.”  In addition to pointing out our general direction, the Word of God also guides the willing believer step-by-step.  Isaiah states the same truth in these terms:  “And thine ear shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (30:21).  God has provided us with a book that illuminates our path step-by-step, if we will hold its light up before us.  The history of the saints is fraught with examples, on the one hand, of careless presumption and willfulness that resulted in disaster and of a careful seeking of the will of the Lord regarding which step to take that issued in victory and blessing (see, for example, II Sam. 5:18-25).

While many believers readily acknowledge the former, some quake at the latter.  But the truth is that we need both.  I am told that in years past, it was not uncommon for an eastern traveler who was negotiating a treacherous mountainous path to carry a lamp in his hand and to lash another to his feet.  With the former he could scan the distance for his destination, and with the latter he could see if the place he was about to set his foot was solid ground or a crevice in which he might twist or break an ankle, a rocky spot on which he might trip, or loose gravel that might cause him to slip.  He needed both types of light, and so do we.  Generally speaking, we might tell someone to take the Interstate "north" in order to get from St. Louis to Chicago.  But as anyone who has ever made that trip knows, there are specific Interstates, and various entrances and exits required to successfully get from one to the other.  The light-to-our-path aspect of the Word equates with the general principle (i.e., the Interstate highway system), the lamp to our feet compares with specific applications (i.e., specific Interstate highways, exits, intersections, etc.).  The Lord will be as specific and directive with His Word as we want Him to be.  If all we want to know is that St. Louis is south, He will probably allow us to wander in that direction, and sooner or later, we may actually arrive there.  But if we want His specific leading, His precise directions, He graciously, lovingly provides those as well.  If we err in the way, the fault lies with us, not with Him—or His Word.