Psalm 119: Focus On God's Word Pt. 76 Learning From God To Tell Others About Him

Psalm 119:25,26  DALETH. 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. 

In the first two verses of this eight verse section of Psalm 119, we learned about being downcast in our soul and cleaving in the dust. 

We learned about various reasons why this may happen to us. We also learned that God may allow affliction, trials or trouble in our lives in order to bring us to this state. 

We may have unconfessed sin in us that we need to confess and forsake. We may suffer when we live a godly life, for the world hated Jesus Christ and it will hate us too. 

We may have external afflictions from family problems, financial hardship, health issues or friends who betray us. All of these situations can cause us to cleave in the dust.  

His good purpose in permitting hard times in our lives is so that we cry out to Him for help and comfort. Jehovah will hear us and send help. He will revive and restore us when we cry out to Him. 

Then the Psalmist teaches us the value of living a transparent life before God. We confess and forsake our sin so that we can receive cleansing and enjoy close communion with our Creator.

He also teaches us to boldly ask God to teach us His house rules. The indwelling Spirit of God will teach us and guide us into all truth. He will help us understand what God says to us and what He expects in our response to His word. These are very good things for each believer. 

Learn from God to tell others about His wonderful works. 

Psalm 119:27  Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. 

This verse builds upon the previous request of the Psalmist who asked Jehovah to teach him the house rules of heaven, so that he might live a God pleasing life. 

The Psalmist is more concerned with his spiritual duty before God than he is about worldly success. His request comes first and is followed by his reasoning why God should grant his petition. 

He is asking for the fruit of divine illumination from the Spirit of God. In Psalm 119:18 the Psalmist prayed for God to open his eyes so that he could see, grasp and understand wonderful things in the law of God. 

Thus, his prayer for Holy Spirit derived illumination to understand the ways of God's holy precepts. 

His duty is to talk about the wondrous works of God. This is why he needs heaven's help, so that he can see and marvel at all God has done, is doing and promises to do. 

The phrase "make me to understand" means receiving spiritual discernment and grasping in the mind the wonderful things of God. It means having our minds engaged as God teaches us and sends His light into our hearts. 

The word "talk" means meditating, studying, pondering the truths of God's precepts to the point that we speak of them and sing about them. 

I would point out how often the Psalmist makes a request similar to this one in Psalm 119. He does not clamor for visions and voices from heaven. No, he is content to sit and learn as God leads him into understanding the scriptures. 

What is the Psalmist really seeking after? It is to gain spiritually sound and saving knowledge of gospel truth, for he has found them to be a blessing of infinite worth to his soul. Therefore, he cannot ask God too many times for help to understand, retain and apply Bible truth.

He seeks sound knowledge so that his heart will be centered upon Jehovah and firmly settled, grounded in Divine truth. This is the only way that a believer's heart can submit to God and not be led astray by every wind of false doctrine.

You have seen and can find ample data to support that many "professing" Christians claim to know Bible truth but they are not settled in their beliefs and are often following error.

Sound and saving knowledge settles our heart. 

2 Peter 3:14-16  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15)  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16)  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 

Peter describes believers who are rooted and grounded in their faith. They are looking for the return of Christ, patiently waiting as they work for Him until He does return. He also alluded to Christian's who suffered for the cause of the gospel, being joyful in the face of adversity.

Then, Peter spoke about some of the hard things, the gospel complexities that Paul wrote about. He pointed out that some people were unlearned and instable in their faith, so they "wrested" the scriptures. 

Because these people were not grounded and settled in the Word, their ignorance led to an unstable soul, a heart that was not settled or grounded. The idea of "wresting" the scriptures means to twist and torture them into saying something that God did not intend them to say. 

Those who practice twisting the scriptures into a lie are headed on a path leading to destruction. 

Continue firmly planted on Christ, the solid Rock.  

Colossians 1:23  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 

The word "continue" means to tarry or stay in the place of spiritual blessing. The Psalmist told us where this place is. It is sitting at the feet of God and being taught truth and application by His Spirit. 

The word "grounded" means building or resting on a firm, solid foundation. This is the idea of building your home on the solid rock of Christ so that when the floods of life come, you will stand safe and secure (Matthew 7:24-27). 

The word "settled" means stationary, sedentary, not moving or firmly anchored. It is only found 3 times in the New Testament and is translated "steadfast" two times. It means being  constant, firm or resolute. Not fickle or wavering.

Paul concludes his exhortation to continue in the faith through being grounded and settled, by telling us not to be moved away from these things. 

All of this truth is why the Psalmist is requesting for Divine illumination from God, being taught and led by His Spirit. He does not ever want to waver in his faith. He does not want to neglect his spiritual duties or ignore the privilege of worshipping Jehovah in Spirit and in truth. 

Sound and saving knowledge brings full assurance of faith in Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:2,3  That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3)  In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

When our faith is grounded and settled our hearts find peace, joy and comfort. We are knit together in the love for God and for one another. 

The Psalmist seeks knowledge and wisdom from God because this fills his heart with a full assurance of Jehovah's saving grace. This assurance comes from gaining a better understanding as God leads us along in studying and meditating on His Word. 

Sound and saving knowledge causes our soul to obey God's Word.

John 8:31,32  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32)  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

Jesus taught us that we must continue in His Word. All that He said and did we must continue meditating on and thinking about. Consistently continuing in the things of Jesus Christ is a mark of a true disciple of our Lord. 

He will make known His truth to us. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth and bring things back into our minds, helping us remember truth at a moment in which we need to share it with someone (John 16:4-15). 

Thus, we are freed to live under the weight, authority and dominion of God's Word. It frees us from being enslaved to sin so that we can walk in newness of life. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

I pray that the Spirit of the Living God will help us see these beautiful spiritual realities. I pray that we will crave His teaching of truth to us as much as the Psalmist sought it. 

This will bring us peace, joy, and a full assurance of faith in Christ, so that we might have courage to live out the truth of the gospel and tell others about Jesus Christ. 

We learn from God to tell others about His glory and great salvation.

We learn from God so that our hearts and souls might be resolute and settled, anchored to His truth, no matter how chaotic the world becomes. We stand safe upon the Rock.

We learn from God so that we can see our spiritual duty to live in humble obedience to His wonderful Word.

Bob