Psalm 119:97-104

⁹⁷Oh how I love your law!
   It is my meditation all the day.
⁹⁸Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
   for it is ever with me.
⁹⁹I have more understanding than all my teachers,
   for your testimonies are my meditation.
¹⁰⁰I understand more than the aged,
   for I keep your precepts.
¹⁰¹I hold back my feet from every evil way,
   in order to keep your word.
¹⁰²I do not turn aside from your rules,
   for you have taught me.
¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste,
   sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴Through your precepts I get understanding;
   therefore I hate every false way.

Just when you think the Psalmist had said everything he could say about the Word of God…he comes out with more gold. He just keeps digging deeper and deeper – a seemingly inexhaustible supply of gold to lay in front of our eyes – it’s almost like he really wants us to understand what he sees!

For me, the verse before this passage, v96, was the climax of the psalm so far; “I have seen a limit to all perfection; but your commandment is exceedingly broad“. In other words, if you were to compare the Word of God to that which is ‘perfect’ – were there even such a thing in this universe – the ‘perfect’ thing would appear to be bounded and limited compared to the Word of God. That changes everything. If we were to get that, and I pray that we would, we would say what the Psalmist goes on to say here in today’s passage;

⁹⁷Oh how I love your law!
   It is my meditation all the day.
⁹⁸Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
   for it is ever with me.
⁹⁹I have more understanding than all my teachers,
   for your testimonies are my meditation.

It makes sense doesn’t it? This here is the natural response of a heart that has beheld the infinite wonder and glory and riches of the instruction, wisdom and word of God. He loves it. He exclaims his love for it. It is his meditation all day, it sits on his mind, and makes him wiser and more discerning than all around him. We are to be people of the word - the word that is all about Christ, and so ultimately, we are to treasure and meditate on Christ as revealed in the word - for he is the Word. Then we will indeed have understanding and wisdom. Any lesser response to v96 is simply unthinkable (but so common in my life).

 ¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste,
   sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴Through your precepts I get understanding;
   therefore I hate every false way.

How sweet are the things of this world to my taste! Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through the world I get understanding, therefore I love every false way. Don’t you feel these verses grating against your conscience? I certainly do. What is the sweetest, most delightful object of pleasure and joy in your life? What could you listen to, or sit in front of, or do, in place of anything else in the world? For me, it is not the bible. It is not God’s very words entering my mind. 

But there is no other way to get understanding, and there is no other way by which we will come to truly hate those sinful false ways which we feel deep down should be hated, but aren’t. So what are we waiting for? Become a man or woman of the Word, of Christ revealed in Scripture, the very words of God, sweeter than honey, giving life, understanding, discernment and wisdom to all who would come and read it.

What am I waiting for? Most of the time, I’m waiting for an excuse to leave it sitting there on the coffee table. 

Who is strong enough to turn this worldly heart of mine towards it daily and constantly?

Praising and loving the Christ to whom I pray,

Matt.

Psalm 119:89-96

89Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. 90Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. 91By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants. 92If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. 93I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. 94I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts. 95The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies. 96I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

Here’s what I’ve noticed recently; my view of God’s Word is way too small. Too flippant. Too wishy washy. And I think there’s a chance yours might be too, at least in comparison to the Psalmist. In a Psalm all about the word of God, the precepts and commandments of God, and the law of God – this little section elevates it the highest point so far - we have here a crescendo of praise for the Word of God. So, how does the Psalmist go about painting his impression of God’s word? This is what he says of it;

It is eternal. “Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (v89). What God says, stays said - forever. It is firmly fixed, like a giant rivet in a bridge, so is the word of God bolted in and firmly fixed in the heavens themselves. It is not about to move. When God speaks, he does not speak rashly or without thought – no, he says things that he knows he will be accountable to for all eternity, more than that – which will account for all eternity. For as we will soon see, nothing that is, was not brought into existence by his eternal word.

It is faithful. “Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast” (v90). Closely connected to the fact that God’s word is never-fading, is the fact that it is never-failing either. The earth itself, which was established by His word (as Genesis 1 makes clear), is a testament to this, it stands fast, so does his promise. We can be sure that God’s word and promise to us in Christ will be brought to completion, for the faithfulness of God’s word endures through all generations – including yours.

Through it God masters the world. “By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants” (v91). The heavens and the earth came into being by his spoken word, his ‘appointment‘ – and so they continue to remain to this day. The sun did not rise this morning because it ‘always does’ – no, it only rose because God appointed that it should and would, for the sun is his servant (or the rotating earth is his servant, whichever you want to look at it!) We must not get into thinking that God set creation off like a clock, and only intervenes when he desires to, or when he wants to ‘do miracles’. Rather, we must hold to the teaching that all things, at all times, are held in their exact place by his appointment. And last time I checked, you make appointments by your word. So it is with God; he masters the world and makes it subservient to his every desire; all by his word.

It is the psalmist’s delight and salvation. “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts. The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies” (vv92-95). Do we, like the Psalmist, consider the law and word of God the one single thing that saved us? Do we pick up our bibles and think, ‘the only flotation device in the universe for drowning sinners’? It is very simple. If the law of God is not our delight, we perish. If we forget the precepts of God, we do not have life. If we do not seek the precepts of God, and give our lives to him – we will not be saved. If we do not consider the testimonies of God, the wicked one will destroy us. The Psalmist is not choosing ‘one of many paths’ in these verses, he has chosen the one single path to life – the word of God. If you think otherwise, then tell me this - how did you become a Christian if it were not through the reading, seeking, preaching, teaching, revelation or remembrance of the word of God? Where else is the gospel of Jesus Christ found?

It is infinitely large. “I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad” (v96). This really is the only proper conclusion to the above facts. The Psalmist, looks back on what he has just written, and compares the word of God to everything else. You can’t go any deeper or further than this comparison. The word of God vs. everything else conceivable. Here’s the result. Even that which is ‘perfect’, in the world, in the universe, in the lives of mankind – it has a limit. But your commandment is exceedingly broad. Everything you can conceive of in the universe, even that which is ‘perfect’ has a limit, in comparison to the boundless and all surpassing greatness of the word of God. Let that sink in for just a moment. That. changes. everything. Re-evaluate that little black or brown book sitting on the table over there. It contains the most valuable, eternal, faithful, saving and inconceivably massive entity or message in the entire universe. And you have it sitting right there, translated in your own language. What are you going to do when you get up from this computer? 

Heavenly Father, my view of your word is so small. I treat it so insignificantly, as just a part of my day, often not at all in my day. Please forgive me, and teach me now by your word presented, in part, here. Thank you that your word is eternal. Thank you that your word is faithful. Thank you that your word upholds the world, my breath, my future and my past. Thank you that your word is my salvation. Father, help me to say with the Psalmist that your word is my delight, that I might, with him declare that everything else I can conceive of in comparison is limited – but your commandments are boundless beyond comprehension. I ask then father, that you make the study of your word my delight, my food, my daily bread. Send my eyes and thought and tongue constantly back to your word and constantly singing its praises to all the world. I pray this that the eternal Word, Jesus Christ, might be glorified through me. Amen.

Asking myself why I am so blind and dumb to miss the best thing in all the universe,

Matt.

Psalm 119:81-88

⁸¹My soul longs for your salvation;
   I hope in your word.
⁸²My eyes long for your promise;
   I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
⁸³For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
   yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
⁸⁴ How long must your servant endure?
    When will you judge those who persecute me?
⁸⁵ The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
   they do not live according to your law.
⁸⁶All your commandments are sure;
   they persecute me with falsehood; help me!
⁸⁷They have almost made an end of me on earth,
   but I have not forsaken your precepts.
⁸⁸In your steadfast love give me life,
   that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

I thought it would be good to return to Psalm 119 for a few posts – I should have thought it would be  ’fantastic’ to return, for this passage is simply awesome.

You’ve heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” – I want to change it to, “When the going gets tough, the tough get praying”. We read here in this passage, a desperate prayer of deep trust. That sounds a little contradictory, but it is not. The Psalmist is clearly in the midst of some serious suffering, “They persecute me with falsehood; help me! They have almost made an end of me on earth…”  (v86-87) – thus, the desperation. But it is a desperate prayer flowing out of a deep seated trust in his God, for he always sets his suffering within an immovable framework of trust in God. At every point he is pained, or at loss, or desperate – he falls back on God. Let me demonstrate what I mean by unpacking the verses;

^81“My soul longs for your salvation” - The Psalmist longs to be freed from his bondage to decay on earth – like a thirsty soul in a desert, he longs for the oasis of God’s life giving salvation. What do I do at these points in my life? Usually I grumble or complain, or lose my hope and joy. What does the Psalmist do? He places his suffering within an immovable framework of trust in God, and says, ”I hope in your word.” I turn to your promises, I hold on to your words. I turn my eyes from the devastation of life, to the unshakable foundation of your word.

^82″My eyes long for your promise;” - The Psalmist, having turned his eyes to the word of God and seen the promises within, now longs to see them with his eyes. I think his response to this longing is significant. He does not ask, “Why haven’t you brought it yet?”, or “Will you ever bring it God?”, or even, “What does this promise look like?” – I think he asks the most trusting question he could ask at this point, “I ask, “When will you comfort me?” It is a question that affirms his framework of trusting God, for he confesses it is God who will bring the comforting, and it is not a question of ‘if’, as though he doubts it is coming, but a question of ‘when’. He is crying out, “How long O’Lord, how long?” (Psalm 6:3). I am always led to ask ”will you comfort me”, inferring that I require the comfort now. But the Psalmist asks ”when will you comfort me” – and I take it he is willing to trust God and God’s timing.

^83″For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke” - I haven’t the foggiest idea what exactly it is like to be a wineskin in the smoke, but it certainly doesn’t sound like a good thing. What does the Psalmist do while he is in this horrible predicament? He does the last thing I usually do, ”yet I have not forgotten your statutes.”

⁸⁵ “The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to your law.” – The Psalmist looks around at the world, and all he can see are insolent people digging holes for the righteous – godless people who forget God and do not live according to his laws. This is exactly what I see. I read yet another depressing Sydney Morning Herald article this morning, bemoaning marriage and purity, and parading the triumph of same sex relationships and pre-marital sex. I wasn’t surprised or shocked about it – it’s just another pixel in the picture of this sinful depraved, and above all, godless man-fearing world. I just get angry. But the Psalmist does something very important at this point. After observing the godlessness of the world, who have abandoned God’s laws, he says, “All your commandments are sure“. They are solid. They are good. They are right. They are not grey or unknown. They are plain, they are sure, and I will uphold them in a godless world.

⁸⁷They have almost made an end of me on earth“  - the Psalmist is under some serious persecution here, much like a great deal of Christians today. He has almost been killed, perhaps even he fears death is soon. What does he do at this soul-crushing, anxious filled, deflating moment? Well, we know one resolution he has made - but I have not forsaken your precepts. That is amazing trust in God. That is what it looks like to place your suffering within a greater framework of trust in God. It is so clear, that he is willing to give up absolutely everything before he gives up obeying God. Are you?

Finally, and most breathtakingly, ^88″In your steadfast love give me life”  – The Psalmist, seeing that death could come at any moment, asks God to give him life – in line with his steadfast love. Is this perhaps a little selfish? Is this not perhaps a little to covetous of earthly things? Isn’t he willing to give up his life for eternity with God? Does this fit with the rest of the picture of this man? It sure does. For look at why he asks God to extend his life – it is for one reason only, “that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.“

His one reason to keep on living, to keep on living his life of suffering and persecution…is so that he can obey God.

That makes God look glorious beyond all measure.

Will you resolve to be like the Psalmist today? Will you resolve to place your suffering, your persecution and all your life, within a greater framework of trusting your good and steadfast God?

Praying that we will,

Matt.
 

  

Psalm 119:73-80

 73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;
    give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
74Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
   because I have hoped in your word.
75I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous,
   and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76Let your steadfast love comfort me
   according to your promise to your servant.
77Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
   for your law is my delight.
78Let the insolent be put to shame,
   because they have wronged me with falsehood;
   as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.
79Let those who fear you turn to me,
   that they may know your testimonies.
80May my heart be blameless in your statutes,
    that I may not be put to shame!

Pride. Pride. Pride. The love of self. Holding yourself up as a thing of great worth. The demand that you be worshipped and served. It kills love, generosity, godliness, kindness, gentleness and purity - and much more. Pride is a great evil, our most basic instinct and comfort – the sin that pervades most of our wrong decisions, and corrupts most of our good decisions! It is almost impossible to do anything godly without falling into pride (including write this post). It is your greatest character flaw – and it is mine too. We are all naturally keen to set ourselves up, against God, as the most valuable thing in the universe. Much more could, and has, been said on it. And while this part of Psalm 119 does not speak of pride – it made me think a lot about it.

It was verses like v74 that brought it to my mind, “Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word”. And v79, “Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies“. We should not for a second doubt the genuineness of the Psalmist, or jump to the conclusion that he’s an attention seeker – but you can see how easily, how quickly, phrases like this can be corrupted by pride. ‘I put my hope in God’s word; those who really fear God will see me and rejoice in me’, or, ‘Let those who really fear God turn to me, then they’ll learn God’s testimonies’. That is the natural, sinful way that will come easy to us – the buck stops at me, the attention stops at me – the praise, glory and attention of others is focused upon me.

What the Psalmist really hopes, and it’s very rebuking and humble, is that he is see-through. What I mean is that, all the attention and admiration he receives from ‘those who fear God’, i.e., the godly, will actually pass straight through him and travel on further to rest at the altar of God, not his own pride. ‘God, may others look to me and see your testimonies lived out, so that they might live a life that pleases you’. So when you look at the Psalmist doing good, you’re really seeing through him to the God behind him. And so, the Psalmist’s goal in being godly, following God with all his heart, is to be a window to the goodness and greatness of God. He wants others to trust in God! His goal is to magnify the sufficency and satisfaction of follow God and his rules.

So whether you are young or old, do desire to be an example to other Christians. Paul is constantly saying things like Philippians 3:17, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” He doesn’t want the church to imitate him for the end of highlighting Paul’s amazingness – no way! Paul wants them to imitate him insofar as they become more like Jesus - which results in praise to God. We should do likewise. And so, like the Psalmist, we should ask God to make us wiser, more knowledgeble in his Word, more obedient -that we might become models for others to follow. Not so we are held high as models to be worshipped, but to be imitated that the glory might rest on God.

Asking to be built up into maturity so you are followed is a hard thing to ask of God – but it’s only hard because we are so corrupted by pride. Perhaps our real prayer is that we, appropriately, look to amazing examples like the Psalmist and Paul and thank God for them, and asked to be made a little bit more like them. With that in mind, let’s pray through this part of the Psalm;

Heavenly Father,

Just as your hands made me and fashioned me from birth till know, work in me to give me understanding and learning in your commandments. I know Father that your rules are right, and that if I am afflicted by your hand it is all in line with your faithfulness to your promises given me in Christ. Let your steadfast love, your amazing love be my comfort. Thank you that your mercy flowed upon me through Christ, that I am alive – make your law my delight. Bring shame to the insolent, those who wrong your children, open their eyes to their evil and lead them to repentance. May my heart be blameless in your statues, that I may not be put to shame or bring your name into disrepute. Do all this father, that I might cause others to follow you. Keep me from my pride which desires this attention to fall at my feet and not yours. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Stained by pride,

Matt.

Psalm 119:65-72

65You have dealt well with your servant,
O LORD, according to your word.
66Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
68 You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes.
69 The insolent smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
70their heart is unfeeling like fat,
but I delight in your law.
71It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Persecution. Do we know it? Have we felt it? Have I been persecuted? Well, that’s a tough question. But what I can certainly say with the Psalmist is that, “You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word” (v65). I’ve been showered with blessing – Jesus, eternal life, wife, family, friends, financial security, comfort, church, and I have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms right now (Eph 1). And all this, not of my own doing but according to the promises and word of God alone. I think I can say therefore with the Psalmist, “Teach me good judgement and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments” (v66). What an appropriate response to my Father who has lavished all this upon me! Yes, teach me, instruct me, make me wise!

But then comes the ‘a word’. Afflicted.

The ESV had to choose afflicted didn’t it. Such a painful word. There’s a flick of the tongue in there, saying the word almost sounds like a whip being cracked. It’s an ugly word. Suffering is bearable, but to be afflicted…it sounds so attacking and bloody and unprovoked – people don’t ’suffer’ from horrible diseases, they are ‘afflicted’ with them. Pharaoh was afflicted (Genesis 12:17), the people of Ashdod were afflicted with tumours, (1 Samuel 5:6), the numerous sick brought to Jesus were afflicted (Matthew 4:24), the apostle Paul went through countless afflictions (2 Corinthians 4:8), the heroes of faith in Hebrews were afflicted really badly (Hebrews 11:37) – and I can’t help but see my Lord being whipped and scourged with the cat of nine tails and having nails driven through his wrists through flesh and sinews and….(gewh)…afflicted is a horrible word.

And yet the Psalmist thanks God for it, and he does not question his character in response, but rather upholds God as supremely good. He was straying, but the affliction brought him back to God in holiness and obedience (v67), and so he calls the bringer of affliction, God, good, he does good. (v68) This is not a mistake! The insolent, whose hearts are “unfeeling like fat” (golden phrase), they smear the Psalmist’s character with lies, but they do not bring him down. No, he delights in God and his law (v70). And then there are the two verses which blew my mind, and broke my pride;

It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

The affliction was good, because the Word and instruction of God were his greatest treasure. Sit on that for just a second. Watch the implications of such verses run to the corners of your life. To your suffering, affliction, (or lack there of). To your straying and sin, and how the last thing you’d want is affliction to set you straight, because, ultimately, our greatest treasure in life is usually not the Word, but me. This was my prayer after sitting on these verses.

Heavenly Father,

You have indeed dealt well with your sinful servant. Colossians 2:9 says that all the fullness of your deity dewlls in Christ, and we have been filled into Him. What more do we need, or can we possibly gain other than Christ? We have been given so much, a debt we could not, and cannot repay. A debt that will only store up greater and greater glory and praise for Christ in the eternal ages to come. Thankyou Father. But I only take the good with joy. Affliction is an evil to me, I resent your rod of rebuke. Forgive me. May I treasure your Word, your promises, and my relationship with you so much that I can, with the Psalmist, look on affliction as joy, rejoice that it has been granted that I should suffer for the sake of Christ, as well as believe in him. May I be like the man who sold all he had in this world, in this life, and bought the field with the treasure of great value. As unappealing as it sounds to my sinful nature, may I greet affliction with great joy, that I might be taught and live a life worthy of the gospel to which I was called.

In Christ’s glorious name, Amen.

Humbled with you,

Matt.

Psalm 119:57-64

 57 The LORD is my portion;
   I promise to keep your words.
58I entreat your favor with all my heart;
   be gracious to me according to your promise.
59When I think on my ways,
   I turn my feet to your testimonies;
60I hasten and do not delay
   to keep your commandments.
61Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
   I do not forget your law.
62At midnight I rise to praise you,
   because of your righteous rules.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you,
   of those who keep your precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love;
    teach me your statutes!

It’s possible to read parts of Psalm 119 like this and think, “Gee, this guy is full of himself!” Even when the wicked ensnare him, “I do not forget your law” (61). At midnight, this guy gets up to praise God (62). He says he, “Hastens and do not delay to keep your commandments” (v60) – and much more of the same. He really does put us to shame, and as an Australian with built in tall poppy syndrome-itis, it’s easy to think, “Get off the high horse – you can’t be that perfect mate! You’re a fraud!”. Or something like that.

The real issue is not a theological argument over whether this Psalmist is actually as flawless as he says he is (he does say how rotten he is elsewhere in the Psalm), and the real issue is not whether he should have written with more humility or something like that. I think the real issue is whether we can face the fact that this guy is in love with God. This is a love song. Can we face up to a guy who’s obsessed with keeping God’s law, yet isn’t a legalist, but a lover?

When you’re in love with someone, you listen to them and delight to please them (v57). When you’re in love with someone, that person garners your attention with ease (v59). When you’re in love with someone, they become a priority (v60). When you’re in love with someone, time is secondary (v62). When you’re in love with someone, you love to be with those who also love your beloved (63). And you can’t wait to hear them speak again (v64). The whole Psalm is a love song.

The Psalmist isn’t a goody two-shoes trying to self-justify himself in God’s eyes by running after a works based salvation. He can’t help what he says, because he’s in love. Anyone who’s been in love know what I’m talking about. You’re actually not talking yourself up - you’re talking up the person you love. And so is the Psalmist. If he causes us to have guilt over our (lack) of love for God, that is not his fault - he can’t help but delight in God. And I believe God has given us this Psalm (among other reasons), to make us look back at ourselves and ask, “well…do I?”

Struggling with you,

Matt. 

  

 

Psalm 119:49-56

49Remember your word to your servant,
   in which you have made me hope.
50This is my comfort in my affliction,
   that your promise gives me life.
51 The insolent utterly deride me,
   but I do not turn away from your law.
52When I think of your rules from of old,
   I take comfort, O LORD.
53 Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
   who forsake your law.
54Your statutes have been my songs
   in the house of my sojourning.
55I remember your name in the night, O LORD,
   and keep your law.
56This blessing has fallen to me,
   that I have kept your precepts.

Our generation has a serious issue with suffering. We’ve tacked along with our world and declared all suffering to be evil, unacceptable and certainly not of God’s design. Accordingly, our faith is comprimised at even the slightest breeze – ‘How could God let this happen’? The greatest evil today is when someone dies young, ’They had so much ahead of them’. We have such weak, self-centered theology on the issue, and so when trials come, it’s no surprise we often become weak, self centered Christians. The glorious exceptions I’ve seen have been when Christians my age have pressed on harder, through and after suffering. They see the design of God in suffering, and rejoice! That’s what happens when God’s glory is your goal in the good days and the bad days. It’s when Chrisitans press on joyous through suffering that Christ is exalted, and lifted up to be seen by all to be the most satisfying, the most fulfilling and the most real. He is exalted by our hope in Him through suffering. Discontentment in suffering is sin, because it points the finger back at God and says, ’You are not good, you are not loving to me’ – which is untrue.      

The Psalmist brings glory to God his saviour by pressing on in his faith in God even when times are tough. He says he’s afflicted, utterly derided by his enemies, and yet he has complete satisfaction and comfort in God’s promise to him, “Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life” (vv49-50). Far from giving in to the derisions of the wicked, he rightfully continues to stand against them, “Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked who forsake your law” (v53). His unfailing rock in the times of trouble are God’s statutes and his glorious name (vv54-55). He does not point the finger back at God in suffering, as many Christians do today. He prays only that God would continue to bless him - and ’blessing’ to him, is that he would keep on listening to God and keep doing what he says (v56). Now that’s a huge rebuke to our generation, and to me.

Heavenly Father,

I confess that I am too self interested. When trials come, I cannot say they are pure joy as James commanded us. I often point the finger back at you and revolt. Accordingly, Christ is not honoured as satisfying or reliable in my life, so please, forgive my sin. Father, open my eyes to see suffering as part of your design in my life. May I embrace it as a chance to show the glory of Christ to all around me, and may it cause me to hold tighter to your commands and promises, that you might give me great blessing by giving me the strength to do what you have said. Thank you for saving me by the suffering of Christ in my place. In his name I pray, Amen.

Fighting for joy in suffering with you,

Matt.

 

Psalm 119:41-48

41Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD,
   your salvation according to your promise;
42then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
   for I trust in your word.
43And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
   for my hope is in your rules.
44I will keep your law continually,
   forever and ever,
45and I shall walk in a wide place,
   for I have sought your precepts.
46I will also speak of your testimonies before kings
   and shall not be put to shame,
47for I find my delight in your commandments,
   which I love.
48I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
   and I will meditate on your statutes.

I couldn’t help but reflect on the links between my last post on Romans 1:16-17 and this section of the Psalm. If you missed the last post, I lamented over the times I am ashamed of the gospel – which is the very power of God to save. Today I had a silent chuckle at the irony (and awesomeness!) of now coming to this next part of Psalm 119. Praise God for his good provision!

Do you want an “answer for him who taunts” you? (v42) Do you want to keep the “word of truth” in your mouth? (v43) Do you want to “speak of your testimonies before kings and not be put to shame“? (v46) Surely this is what we must do with the gospel! This part of the Psalm is so appropriate in light of Romans and the call of the gospel. So, what must we understand and pray with the Psalmist so as to be bold witnesses?

The Psalmist believes all of this comes from God giving us his “steadfast love“, our “salvation according to your promise” (v41). It is the sure knowledge and experience of the love of God and the promises of God that make us strong and passionate to answer the taunters and speak before the Kings (and workmates, friends and schoolmates). Of course that’s true. If we are afraid to proclaim the good news – it’s usually because the love of God towards us, assuring and comforting us against all opposition, doesn’t feel real or dependable. The promises and hate of men are much more tangible and powerful in those situations, and that’s why they win.

So pray. Pray for real, unshakable faith in God’s ridiculously good promise of eternal life. Trust in his complete sovereignty. Jesus pretty much says in Matthew 10, “Don’t worry about the persecution – you can only be killed!” You can take risks for the gospel if you remember how eternal (and better) your safety net is.

And look to the love of God, unshakably declared for all to see on the cross. Look there at the heart of your faith, and the heart of the universe. Read of God’s steadfast love in the gospels and NT. Meditate on it, refill the tank, then go out boldly with the love of God in your hand to give to others.

Praying that with you,

Matt.

Psalm 119:33-40

33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared.
39Turn away the reproach that I dread,
for your rules are good.
40Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life!

In this section, the Psalmist petitions God to make him more focused on God, much as he has, and will again in this longest of all Psalms.  His heart longs to be more holy, he wants more of God, he wants to obey, he knows it’s his delight (v35). We need to hear verses like that. Where is your delight found? In the path of God’s commandments? Do you really believe that God’s “rules are good”? (v39). The world says such things are nonsense, but the Psalmist knows better. He knows where fullness of life is found and so he prays,  and why not pray with him today,

Lord, turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. In your righteousness, give me life! Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain. Lord, my heart is full of selfish desire, my eyes always look at worthless things. Turn my eyes to you, give me understanding. Confirm to me your great promises in Christ, that you may be feared above all the gods of this city.
In Christ’s name, Amen.

I need to pray this prayer. You need to pray this prayer. This generation needs to get serious about holiness, and needs to understand where true life is found. So pray, for the glory of Christ.

Fighting for holiness with you,
Matt.

Psalm 119:17-24

Psalm 119:17-24

17 Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word.
18Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
19I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!
20My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times.
21You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
who wander from your commandments.
22Take away from me scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your testimonies.
23Even though princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24Your testimonies are my delight;
they are my counselors.

This Psalm continues to be a strikingly personal prayer for the psalmist. We are getting glimpses into his own personal relationship with God. What makes it even more interesting is to remember that this is a relationship before Christ. However, that doesn’t mean the psalmist is living cursed under the law, because it is sections like this that reflect the true life of faith – the life of a Christian. Notice how the Psalmist leans on God as his strength to do good and follow the law, and the motive for doing so, “Deal bountifully with your servant (NT language), that I may live and keep your word” (v17). He asks God to “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (v18). He isn’t looking inwardly for his justification, but leaning on God, providentially, and unknowingly, leaning on the grace stored up in Christ, before the ages began. He sees himself as “A sojourner on the earth” (v19), a servant who will “meditate on your statutes” (v23). This is the life of faith – not looking inwardly for a self-righteousness by works, but looking God-ward for a righteousness he gives in love.

And so we must ask if we can sing along with the Psalmist today. Why do you want God to deal with you bountifully? So you can be more comfortable? Get a raise? Be free of sickness? If so, your motives are the wrong way round. The life of faith in God, through Christ, asks God to deal with them bountifully, to the end that “I may live and keep your word” (v17)- that God would get the glory. That means, saying with Paul, “…It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not at all be ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21). Is your soul consumed with longing to follow God’s commandments, to see him glorified in your life by holiness? Are his testimonies your delight? His promises in the Word your daily hope, your “counselors” (v24)? If not, don’t fret, but ask in faith to your father God that it would be so, that Christ would get the glory, and we would get the grace.

Keep on living by faith, and keep on reading your bible, and saying

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68-69

Matt.

Psalm 119:9-16

9How 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!
11I have stored up your word in my heart,
   that I might not sin against you.
12Blessed are you, O LORD;
    teach me your statutes!
13With my lips I declare
   all the rules of your mouth.
14In the way of your testimonies I delight
   as much as in all riches.
15I will meditate on your precepts
   and fix my eyes on your ways.
16I will delight in your statutes;
   I will not forget your word.

What a relevant question! How can a young man, or anyonethese days possibly keep their way pure? Our path is like a narrow, rickety bridge being buffeted and washed over by gigantic breakers in the most horrible storm. Wave after wave of temptation smash into us as we desperately try to walk along our little bridge in life. The noise of the wind roars in our ears, the stench of the tempest overwhelms us, there is so little rest from it – there is no shelter, no let down. Everything this world says seems to exist to call us into sin, begs us to come and enjoy the fun and pleasures today. “Leave behind your ’purity’! Throw caution to the wind and live!” We are surrounded on every side, derided whenever we resist, hooked by our addictions, plagued by our failures and guilt, we feel weak, hopeless and compromised. (My words are hardly doing justice to our dire situation) – how can a young man, or anyone keep their way pure? How can I keep my way pure?

The great Puritan author, John Owen, warns us of a common, but futile solution;

“Men are galled with the guilt of sin that hath prevailed over them; they instantly promise to themselves and God that they will do so no more; they watch over themselves, and pray for a season, until this heat waxes cold, and the sense of sin is worn off: and so mortification goes also, and sin returns to its former dominion. Duties are excellent food for an unhealthy soul; they are no physic for a sick soul. He that turns his meat into his medicine must expect no great operation. Spiritually sick men cannot sweat out their distemper with working.”

The real solution sounds too simple, and I believe we have heard it so many times that we no longer truly believe it. “By guarding it according to your word…I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (v9,11). The only offensive weapon Paul instructs us to use in fighting our tempter and accuser Satan is, “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). There is no reference to another, in Ephesians or Psalm 119, so to that one we must go. And why wouldn’t we want to?! How else can we fight the false promises of Satan, except by countering his lies with the great truths and promises of God? Where else can we go to fight the false delights of Satan except the treasure house of delights in God?

If like me, you need to return to your bible in your fight for purity, join me today in this prayer; Almighty God, we thank and praise you for your mighty word. For too long Lord I have neglected it. I do not seek your face or counsel, and I am hopeless at fighting sin and Satan alone. I have failed to guard my way from impurity. Forgive me by your grace in Christ, and return my eyes and heart to your life giving Word. May I say with the Psalmist, “In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statues, I will not forget your word.” Thank you for purifying me by the blood of Christ from all blemish. Strengthen me today to do your will, to resist temptation, and to run to your word. In Christ’s glorious name, Amen.

Struggling for purity with you,

Matt.

    

Psalm 119:1-8

Psalm 119

Aleph

 1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
   who walk in the law of the LORD!
2Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
   who seek him with their whole heart,
3who also do no wrong,
   but walk in his ways!
4You have commanded your precepts
   to be kept diligently.
5Oh that my ways may be steadfast
   in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
   having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7I will praise you with an upright heart,
   when I learn your righteous rules.
8I will keep your statutes;
    do not utterly forsake me!

We live in an age where freedom is idolised, and where boundaries are a great evil. “Cause I’m free, to do what I want, any old time”. That’s what most people think freedom is all about, the allowance to be where they like, say what they like, and do what they like - in other words, give in to your ‘likes’, your pulsations and desires. Anything short of that is evil and restrictive, and…’outdated, religious, laughable’. That’s why the internet is one of the most revered gods of our age. You can watch anything and express your opinions about anything to everyone. And you can buy just about anything. The internet is a faceless, cheap and simple way to have endless freedom and pleasure - that’s what it looks like. But it’s not just the internet, it’s everywhere.

We need to stand back and be simply awestruck and broken by the comparison between our age, and what the bible clearly teaches. It must make us angry. It must make us distraught. It must blow our worlds apart.  

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
   who walk in the law of the LORD!
2Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
   who seek him with their whole heart,
3who also do no wrong,
   but walk in his ways!    

 

This is almost EXACTLY opposite to what our world believes. “Blessed is the man who walks without care for middle age ideas like sin! Who walks in the way he likes! Blessed are those who listen to their own testimonies and beliefs – whatever you WANT to think! Blessed are those who seek after their own hearts, their own dreams, their own desires and delight in them! Blessed are those who are free and unrestricted!”

We have then, before us in life, two entirely opposed pathways to a blessed life. They cannot both be right. If one is right, the other is entirely wrong. If you’re a Christian, that means to stand up for the Word of God is going to hurt, alot.

I’ve been challenged this morning to set myself against the gospel of the world. The supposed gospel of freedom from rules. We must not be deluded. It does not lead to freedom, but horrible enslavement, enslavement to sin, and “the wages of sin is death”. Eternal death, and the stink of death in this life. Satan is loving the current age of lawlessness and freedom, because it is reaping for him a great harvest of slaves (who think they’re free). How shall we stand confidently against the oncoming and growing opposition to the true gospel? We must heed the words of Psalm 119, continuing on.

4You have commanded your precepts
   to be kept diligently.
5Oh that my ways may be steadfast
   in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
   having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7I will praise you with an upright heart,
   when I learn your righteous rules.
8I will keep your statutes;
    do not utterly forsake me!

 

Remember, pray, fix, praise.

(v4) Remember that it is the living, creator God that has commanded we should live by his precepts if we want a blessed life. To live by his laws diligently is not a restriction to be scoffed at, but a call to repent at our lax attitude towards holiness! (v5) Pray that your ways may be steadfast. Long for perfection. It’s not going to happen in this life, but long for it in your prayers, groan and weep for it. Thank God for the perfect, blessed Christ who IS ours, and has stepped in to cancel the debt of our imperfections and sinful ’freedom’. (v6) Fix your eyes on the Word! I need to start listening more to God than to the world. Reflect upon how much time you listen to the world, listen to its false gospel. Who are you listening to more? (v7) Praise your great God. For all the world to see. Worship him on Sundays, worship him on Mondays and every day. Be a living sacrifice, declaring the praises of Jesus Christ to all the world, the true freedom found in the new life of the Spirit – where God transforms our nature, that we can indeed follow his precepts and his laws, to begin living the truly blessed life in Christ.

I’m keen to work all the way through Psalm 119, so please, subscribe and read on! I pray this psalm will transform our thoughts about life, blessing, freedom, the Word, and Christ.