Psalm 119: God's word on Display. Pt. 14
Good morning,
This will be our last lesson on Psalm 119 for now. We will begin a character study tomorrow morning on Peter in the New Testament.
There is much we can learn from these characters, so have a great day to you all!
Psalm 119:33-40 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. 35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. 36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. 37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. 38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear. 39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good. 40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.
In this section of Psalm 119 we find that the Psalmist makes 9 specific requests of Jehovah and he promises to rightly respond to God's Word 5 times.
He asks the LORD to teach him and to grant him understanding. He asks God to lead him in right paths and to give him a heart that always seeks the Word. He asks the LORD for help in turning his eyes away from vain things and that He would send His reviving power into his heart. He asks the Lord to establish His Word in his heart.
He tells Jehovah that he will keep the ways of God until the day that his life over. He is committed to following the path marked out by Jehovah's Word.He pledges to keep and observe the holy law of God with his whole heart.
He expresses his delight for the scriptures and his dedication to teach others to rightly fear and reverence the Lord. He expresses deep love and longing for all of God's Word.
Teaching and understanding lead to whole heart response to God's truth
Psalm 119: 33-34 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
The word "teach" has a lot of energy behind it. The word is connected with shooting, throwing, or casting an object in addition to instructing by giving direction and pointing things out along the way.
He wants to learn the "way" marked out by the statutes of God because man's ways are deviant and variable but the ways of God are ceaseless and unchanging. He asks for understanding because God's Spirit can show him the things of God and give him discernment so that he knows what they mean and how they apply to his life.
The Psalmist promises to keep them to the end. He will guard the truth that God teaches him as if it were the most valuable possession he ever had. His whole heart or mind, emotion and will are involved in keeping and observing these things.
Strength to walk on the right path and fresh delight
Psalm 119:35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
His next request of Jehovah is that God will "make" him go in the path of His commandments. The word "make" is a word that means leading in a march like an army following its commanders. "Path" is a word that means a well trodden way.
In the moral sense it is a path in our lives that shows where we walk in obedience to God's commands. It also shows where we stray from His path in disobedience. The Psalmist tells us that when we follow the Lord's leading on the path of His commandments then we have found the place of blessing.
A heart to turn away from wickedness and reviving when needed.
Psalm 119:36-37 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. 37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
Two more requests are brought before us. He asks God to incline his heart toward the things of God and away from covetousness. The word "incline" means to pull or exert enough force to change direction. The Psalmist recognizes his own weakness and begs God to turn his heart heavenward so that he is not having a fixed gaze on earthly things.
Coveting means wanting something that God says "No" to or desiring something that belongs to someone else. Marketing efforts are designed to make us think that we just have to have the latest thing instead of being content. Godliness with contentment is great gain.
The idea of asking God to turn our eyes away from vain things is the same as asking to have our heart inclined toward the things of God and away from being covetous.
This is a lifelong battle for the believer as the flesh lusts after things that will not satisfy and the indwelling Spirit fights against it in our hearts. (Galatians 5:13-17). This is why he asks for that quickening, reviving refreshing power of God upon his life. He knows he is in a battle and that he can become weary in well doing because his own strength is insufficient.
The Word established, a revived heart and basking in God's good things.
Psalm 119:38-40 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear. 39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good. 40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.
The word "stablish" means to raise something up and to plant it firmly so that it is fixed and immovable. In this case it means he is asking God to cause His truth to take deep root in his heart so that he reverently fears the Lord and trusts in His Word.
His reproach is taken away for God has made him clean. Therefore the Psalmist can say with confidence that the judgments of Jehovah are good. He longs for these things because they are good for him. He finishes this section by asking for quickening power from God.
He gives an encouragement to any born again Christian today facing the battle on many fronts. We may face a battle of being married to an unbeliever or we may be swamped by financial issues. Some of us may be dealing with rebellious children or struggling with work issues. Health problems also complicate our lives.
Yet, our All Wise God knows our needs and He knows what hurts us or what causes us grief and anxiety. When the circumstances of life seem like they are piling up on us we must look up to the God of Heaven. He will send His reviving power and grace to us to help us stay in the battle.
Points to Ponder.....
This will be our last lesson on Psalm 119 for now. We will begin a character study tomorrow morning on Peter in the New Testament.
There is much we can learn from these characters, so have a great day to you all!
Psalm 119:33-40 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. 35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. 36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. 37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. 38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear. 39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good. 40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.
In this section of Psalm 119 we find that the Psalmist makes 9 specific requests of Jehovah and he promises to rightly respond to God's Word 5 times.
He asks the LORD to teach him and to grant him understanding. He asks God to lead him in right paths and to give him a heart that always seeks the Word. He asks the LORD for help in turning his eyes away from vain things and that He would send His reviving power into his heart. He asks the Lord to establish His Word in his heart.
He tells Jehovah that he will keep the ways of God until the day that his life over. He is committed to following the path marked out by Jehovah's Word.He pledges to keep and observe the holy law of God with his whole heart.
He expresses his delight for the scriptures and his dedication to teach others to rightly fear and reverence the Lord. He expresses deep love and longing for all of God's Word.
Teaching and understanding lead to whole heart response to God's truth
Psalm 119: 33-34 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
The word "teach" has a lot of energy behind it. The word is connected with shooting, throwing, or casting an object in addition to instructing by giving direction and pointing things out along the way.
He wants to learn the "way" marked out by the statutes of God because man's ways are deviant and variable but the ways of God are ceaseless and unchanging. He asks for understanding because God's Spirit can show him the things of God and give him discernment so that he knows what they mean and how they apply to his life.
The Psalmist promises to keep them to the end. He will guard the truth that God teaches him as if it were the most valuable possession he ever had. His whole heart or mind, emotion and will are involved in keeping and observing these things.
Strength to walk on the right path and fresh delight
Psalm 119:35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
His next request of Jehovah is that God will "make" him go in the path of His commandments. The word "make" is a word that means leading in a march like an army following its commanders. "Path" is a word that means a well trodden way.
In the moral sense it is a path in our lives that shows where we walk in obedience to God's commands. It also shows where we stray from His path in disobedience. The Psalmist tells us that when we follow the Lord's leading on the path of His commandments then we have found the place of blessing.
A heart to turn away from wickedness and reviving when needed.
Psalm 119:36-37 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. 37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
Two more requests are brought before us. He asks God to incline his heart toward the things of God and away from covetousness. The word "incline" means to pull or exert enough force to change direction. The Psalmist recognizes his own weakness and begs God to turn his heart heavenward so that he is not having a fixed gaze on earthly things.
Coveting means wanting something that God says "No" to or desiring something that belongs to someone else. Marketing efforts are designed to make us think that we just have to have the latest thing instead of being content. Godliness with contentment is great gain.
The idea of asking God to turn our eyes away from vain things is the same as asking to have our heart inclined toward the things of God and away from being covetous.
This is a lifelong battle for the believer as the flesh lusts after things that will not satisfy and the indwelling Spirit fights against it in our hearts. (Galatians 5:13-17). This is why he asks for that quickening, reviving refreshing power of God upon his life. He knows he is in a battle and that he can become weary in well doing because his own strength is insufficient.
The Word established, a revived heart and basking in God's good things.
Psalm 119:38-40 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear. 39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good. 40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.
The word "stablish" means to raise something up and to plant it firmly so that it is fixed and immovable. In this case it means he is asking God to cause His truth to take deep root in his heart so that he reverently fears the Lord and trusts in His Word.
His reproach is taken away for God has made him clean. Therefore the Psalmist can say with confidence that the judgments of Jehovah are good. He longs for these things because they are good for him. He finishes this section by asking for quickening power from God.
He gives an encouragement to any born again Christian today facing the battle on many fronts. We may face a battle of being married to an unbeliever or we may be swamped by financial issues. Some of us may be dealing with rebellious children or struggling with work issues. Health problems also complicate our lives.
Yet, our All Wise God knows our needs and He knows what hurts us or what causes us grief and anxiety. When the circumstances of life seem like they are piling up on us we must look up to the God of Heaven. He will send His reviving power and grace to us to help us stay in the battle.
Points to Ponder.....
- It is good to ask the LORD to teach us His Word and that He would grant us the ability to understand and apply it.
- It is good to ask the LORD to help us as we seek to respond with our whole heart to His Word.
- It is good to ask the LORD for strength to walk on the path that pleases Him.
- It is good to ask the LORD for reviving and fresh delight for His Word.
- It is good to ask the LORD to turn our hearts toward Him and away from all wickedness.
- It is good to ask the LORD to cause His word to take deep root in our heart so that we might rejoice in His goodness.
What a blessing it is to learn these truths together from our study of Psalm 119. The Psalmist is a man like we are and he feels the weight of being in the battle. He knows the feeling of weariness and fierce opposition that come when we stand for the Lord. Yet, more than anything else he knows that Jehovah cares for him and that He stands ready to meet our needs when we call upon Him.
May we have hearts that seek after the things of God and that desire to be pure before Him.
Bob
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