Psalm 119: God's Word on Display. Pt. 13
Good Morning. The country road pictured below shows some thick reddish dirt and dust. Today we will see that the Psalmist is cast down in the dust as he cries out to God for help. Sometimes life leads us down a dusty, seemingly barren road yet God can use times like that to mature His children. I pray that we are open to the dirt road experiences of life as readily as we embrace being on a smooth paved road.
Psalm 119:25-32 25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word. 26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes. 27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. 28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word. 29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously. 30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me. 31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
Here is our next section of 8 verses from this wonderful Psalm about the Word of God. The Psalmist has 7 prayer requests in 8 verses so we need to pay attention to what he is asking of Jehovah.
He is worn out and stuck in the dust on a hot day with no relief in sight.
Psalm 119:25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.
What a picture the Psalmist paints. His soul, his inner man with all its thoughts, emotions and logic is wallowing in the driest dust of a hot summer afternoon. It is as if he has fallen over with heat stroke and is baking under the hot sun as powdery dust seems to suck the life right out of his soul.
My great grandmother used to live way out in the country on a small farm. All the family would load up in the car and drive to see her often on a hot July day. The road leading to her home was all gravel and the instant that we turned on it the car raised a mighty white plume of dust into the air. Naturally, as a little boy I loved the spectacle. But, it was hot, dry and dusty and that dust clung on everything that it touched.
Does your soul ever feel this way? Dry, parched, out of energy and hopeless? Remember, we have a relentless enemy always on the prowl seeking out ways to attack us. When we are in the heat of the battle as a Christian we can feel just like the Psalmist is feeling in this text. Therefore, how he prays offers a key for us when we feel like our soul is cleaving to the dust.
He asks Jehovah to quicken him according to His Word.
The word "quicken" means to revive something that is dying. It means to refresh someone who is completely worn out. It means to make alive something that was dead. The word is often used in connection to resurrection power of Christ and to the regenerating work of God's Spirit in the heart of man.
This is a powerful word and his prayer is very simple. He cries out to the One, True God of heaven who can raise the dead, revive the troubled soul and convert sinners to Jesus Christ.
He knows that he is in trouble. He does not tell us much detail about what caused this calamity to overwhelm his soul but we know that the Psalmist often cries out to Jehovah when the enemies of God attack him. He does mention lying in the text so someone could have been lying about his integrity or falsely accusing him of doing something he did not do.
He reminds God that he has faithfully served Him.
Psalm 119:26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
The Psalmist is careful to bring before the God of Glory the fact that he has been a faithful witness. He has a pattern of telling other people about the right ways of Jehovah. He tells us that God Himself heard the Psalmist being a good witness.
He makes his second prayer request that the LORD would teach him His statutes. A statute is a legislative decree of God that is binding upon all people on the earth. It is from a Latin word that means to firmly set something in place.
The Psalmist wants Jehovah to teach him all about His statutes so that he can continue to instruct others in the right ways of God.
He seeks understanding so that he can talk about his Glorious God
Psalm 119:27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
His 3rd prayer request is that God will make him understand the way of His precepts. His reason is clear. He wants to talk about the wonderful works of God. Usually when we see a phrase like that it can mean talking about all Jehovah did since leading the Hebrews out of Egypt by the hand of Moses. It might also go all the way back to His majesty on display at Creation.
His heart is heavy and he calls for strength according to God's promises.
Psalm 119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
His thoughts loop back to the beginning of this section where we found him floundering in the dry dust. His heart refers to the inner man where the emotions, thoughts, will and logic reside. The word "melteth" is the idea of his strength leaking out like a tire that loses air slowly. It can also mean the loss of emotion through crying until there is nothing left inside.
The Psalmist pleads the promises of God. He asks for strength according to His Word. When we pray it is good for us to remember how the Psalmist prayed. This world is full of strife, hatred, trouble and trials. We will inevitably get caught up in life's storms and this is when we need His strength the most.
He prays that the lying would be removed from his presence.
Psalm 119:29-30 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously. 30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
The way of lying refers to those around the Psalmist who had a life pattern marked by lying. Israel constantly fell into idolatry and would that not be the greatest lie of all? Teaching that lifeless lumps of metal, stone or wood that cannot speak, move hear of feel, are "gods?" Again, lying takes many forms but idolatry would be the most wretched lie a false prophet could propagate among the people of God.
He circles back to his own way of life. He has chosen the way of truth because he has totally given himself to the Word of God. He brings out the sure judgments of God and places them before him so that he can understand them and rest in the fact that God will do what He says He will do.
He asks that Jehovah spare him from shame.
Psalm 119:31-32 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
The Psalmist gives us another colorful illustration of his love for scripture. He says that he has "stuck" to the testimonies of God. The word stuck is the idea of a drowning man clinging to a life rope with all his might and energy. It is like a man falling off a high cliff and just before it is too late a helping hand arrives to pull him back to safety. It is like the grip of a soldier on his sword during battle that for hours after combat had stopped he could not let go of his sword.
He asks that Jehovah will not put him to shame and by that he means that God honor His word and magnify His name in all things.
He commits to fully following the ways of God's commandments and he knows that when he does Jehovah will enlarge his heart. His love and devotion to God will increase and his understanding of Jehovah's word will grow.
Points to Ponder...
Psalm 119:25-32 25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word. 26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes. 27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. 28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word. 29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously. 30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me. 31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
Here is our next section of 8 verses from this wonderful Psalm about the Word of God. The Psalmist has 7 prayer requests in 8 verses so we need to pay attention to what he is asking of Jehovah.
He is worn out and stuck in the dust on a hot day with no relief in sight.
Psalm 119:25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.
What a picture the Psalmist paints. His soul, his inner man with all its thoughts, emotions and logic is wallowing in the driest dust of a hot summer afternoon. It is as if he has fallen over with heat stroke and is baking under the hot sun as powdery dust seems to suck the life right out of his soul.
My great grandmother used to live way out in the country on a small farm. All the family would load up in the car and drive to see her often on a hot July day. The road leading to her home was all gravel and the instant that we turned on it the car raised a mighty white plume of dust into the air. Naturally, as a little boy I loved the spectacle. But, it was hot, dry and dusty and that dust clung on everything that it touched.
Does your soul ever feel this way? Dry, parched, out of energy and hopeless? Remember, we have a relentless enemy always on the prowl seeking out ways to attack us. When we are in the heat of the battle as a Christian we can feel just like the Psalmist is feeling in this text. Therefore, how he prays offers a key for us when we feel like our soul is cleaving to the dust.
He asks Jehovah to quicken him according to His Word.
The word "quicken" means to revive something that is dying. It means to refresh someone who is completely worn out. It means to make alive something that was dead. The word is often used in connection to resurrection power of Christ and to the regenerating work of God's Spirit in the heart of man.
This is a powerful word and his prayer is very simple. He cries out to the One, True God of heaven who can raise the dead, revive the troubled soul and convert sinners to Jesus Christ.
He knows that he is in trouble. He does not tell us much detail about what caused this calamity to overwhelm his soul but we know that the Psalmist often cries out to Jehovah when the enemies of God attack him. He does mention lying in the text so someone could have been lying about his integrity or falsely accusing him of doing something he did not do.
He reminds God that he has faithfully served Him.
Psalm 119:26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
The Psalmist is careful to bring before the God of Glory the fact that he has been a faithful witness. He has a pattern of telling other people about the right ways of Jehovah. He tells us that God Himself heard the Psalmist being a good witness.
He makes his second prayer request that the LORD would teach him His statutes. A statute is a legislative decree of God that is binding upon all people on the earth. It is from a Latin word that means to firmly set something in place.
The Psalmist wants Jehovah to teach him all about His statutes so that he can continue to instruct others in the right ways of God.
He seeks understanding so that he can talk about his Glorious God
Psalm 119:27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
His 3rd prayer request is that God will make him understand the way of His precepts. His reason is clear. He wants to talk about the wonderful works of God. Usually when we see a phrase like that it can mean talking about all Jehovah did since leading the Hebrews out of Egypt by the hand of Moses. It might also go all the way back to His majesty on display at Creation.
His heart is heavy and he calls for strength according to God's promises.
Psalm 119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
His thoughts loop back to the beginning of this section where we found him floundering in the dry dust. His heart refers to the inner man where the emotions, thoughts, will and logic reside. The word "melteth" is the idea of his strength leaking out like a tire that loses air slowly. It can also mean the loss of emotion through crying until there is nothing left inside.
The Psalmist pleads the promises of God. He asks for strength according to His Word. When we pray it is good for us to remember how the Psalmist prayed. This world is full of strife, hatred, trouble and trials. We will inevitably get caught up in life's storms and this is when we need His strength the most.
He prays that the lying would be removed from his presence.
Psalm 119:29-30 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously. 30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
The way of lying refers to those around the Psalmist who had a life pattern marked by lying. Israel constantly fell into idolatry and would that not be the greatest lie of all? Teaching that lifeless lumps of metal, stone or wood that cannot speak, move hear of feel, are "gods?" Again, lying takes many forms but idolatry would be the most wretched lie a false prophet could propagate among the people of God.
He circles back to his own way of life. He has chosen the way of truth because he has totally given himself to the Word of God. He brings out the sure judgments of God and places them before him so that he can understand them and rest in the fact that God will do what He says He will do.
He asks that Jehovah spare him from shame.
Psalm 119:31-32 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
The Psalmist gives us another colorful illustration of his love for scripture. He says that he has "stuck" to the testimonies of God. The word stuck is the idea of a drowning man clinging to a life rope with all his might and energy. It is like a man falling off a high cliff and just before it is too late a helping hand arrives to pull him back to safety. It is like the grip of a soldier on his sword during battle that for hours after combat had stopped he could not let go of his sword.
He asks that Jehovah will not put him to shame and by that he means that God honor His word and magnify His name in all things.
He commits to fully following the ways of God's commandments and he knows that when he does Jehovah will enlarge his heart. His love and devotion to God will increase and his understanding of Jehovah's word will grow.
Points to Ponder...
- Are you stuck in the muck of this life's dust and grime? Turn to Jehovah to be revived.
- When we have faithfully served Jehovah we can tell Him of our service confident that He knows what we do and why we do it.
- When our hearts are burdened and our energy is leaking out call upon Jehovah because He will strengthen us according to His promises.
- When living in a culture drowning in lies and deceit, it is good to ask Jehovah to keep us from lying and being deceitful.
- Like the Psalmist, we will be happiest when we choose to walk in the right ways of God.
We have some more blessings from Psalm 119 to think about and apply in our own lives. Sometimes we will run out of steam and be face down in the dust like the Psalmist but our recourse is to call upon Jehovah for His quickening work because that is a prayer that He will honor.
Our heart may reach the breaking point but Jehovah will strengthen us. May we have a good testimony of being a faithful servant to Jehovah so that we can speak of it in our prayer to the God who already knows our motivation and service.
Even if the whole world is teeming with lies, may we be truth tellers and faithful witnesses of what God has said. May we find Christ to be the chief focus of our lives.
Bob
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