Psalm 119: Focus On God's Word Pt. 79 God Wants Us To Learn Of His Ways!

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. 

We learned how God will teach us valuable lessons when the storms of life assail us. He will use trials and troubles to prove, purify and strengthen our faith. Our response is to look to Jesus Christ our risen Lord and High Priest when we are down in the dust. 

Jehovah promises to send aid and relief to us when we cry out to Him for help. His Spirit and His Word will revive our humbled hearts and renew our contrite spirits. 

When God brings us through a trial we are then equipped to live transparently before Him by confessing, forsaking sin, telling our Father what our dreams and hopes are, and seeking His will for our lives in all things.

Understanding and applying God's Word brings comfort. 

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

So far we learned about understanding God's precepts so that our hearts are made ready to serve our glorious God. This saving and sound knowledge creates genuine love for others such that we want to put them before ourselves. It also purifies our heart so that we truly want to avoid evil and sin.

We also saw that understanding God's holy precepts will create a good work ethic in us and generate a passion for serving Christ. We will be enabled to live with rejoicing, hope, patience and prayer. 

Light from God's Word illuminates the things of God for us to enjoy. We can be blessed by walking in the light of God's countenance as we turn away from being self centered to beholding His glory.

We continue to drill down into why the Psalmist is so passionate about being made able to understand the precepts of God. 

One reason is that it is the grace of God that He will give believers such an understanding of His ways. He does this so that we might understand and apply the direction and comfort of His holy Word. 

Jesus declared all the counsel of the Father for His disciples to grasp.

John 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 

Notice what our Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples. He called them friends, elevating them from the status of servanthood. They were still to be servants of Jesus but He opened up the counsel of the Father for them to understand. 

What the Father declared to His Son, Jesus declared to them. To be taught the mind of God is a greater act of friendship and communion than receiving all the world's treasures. 

Jehovah makes Himself known to us so that we might grow in our love for Him, learn to fear Him and fully trust Him for all things. When we begin to seek and apply this truth, we will be like the Psalmist, crying out for understanding, seeking it as much as others try to gain wealth. 

Study takes urgency, determination and hard work.

2 Timothy 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

Precious metals are rarely found on the surface of the earth. Rather, one must go deep into a mine, diligently digging deeper to find the precious substance. 

Spiritual truth, understanding, knowledge  and wisdom are gained through hard work. The word "study" means to seek understanding of God's Word with a sense of urgency and determination. It must be our priority. 

The word "workman" refers to those who labor in farming or agriculture. They are those who plow and prepare the field. They plant the seeds. They pull up weeds and apply fertilizer. They gather in the harvests of grains, fruits, or vegetables. 

In ancient times, this was accomplished by good old fashioned hard work, rising early in the day and working until dusk. This life style is similar to the Amish in our country.

Studying the scriptures like a workman is the same idea of working with focused intensity, attention to detail and pushing forward no matter how difficult the circumstances may be.

Second, we are urged to not be limited in our spiritual understanding, but rather, to seek to grasp a broader view of His truth. We should be workmen studying to know all that God has revealed. For the fact that He revealed truth to us, implies He wants us to have it all and learn it all. 

Comparing one line with other lines to see the beautiful work of God. 

Isaiah 28:9  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 

This text connects with 1 Peter 2:2,3 where new believers are urged to crave the pure milk of God's word. These would be the foundational truths of doctrine and basic beliefs that are most essential for our faith. 

Isaiah shows us that God will teach knowledge and broaden the understanding of those believers who put in the work toward spiritual maturity. 

We all begin drinking in the milk, the basic truths of our faith, but God has so much more for us in His Word. 

Thus, we must not be content with just taking in milk like the Corinthians did, but must earnestly seek the meat of His truth. 

God expects His children to experience spiritual growth. 

1 Corinthians 3:1,2  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2)  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 

However, even though as new believers in Christ we begin as spiritual babes, we are to make progress from the milk of God's Word so that we can digest the meat of His Word.  

The church at Corinth was filled with new believers in Christ. They were spiritual babes, but they had not yet been weened off the milk of God's Word.

Paul instructed them in the elements of Christianity, its simplest and easiest truths. Why? Because the low state of their minds in religious knowledge (babes), rendered them incapable of comprehending the higher truths of the Gospel. 

Spiritual immaturity caused them to take sides against each other, creating divisions, disharmony and disunity in the church. 

Scripture truth is learned line by line, precept by precept. 

Isaiah 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 

Isaiah 28:13  But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. 

This text connects with 1 Corinthians 2:9-13 where Paul describes the ministry of the Spirit of God with the Word of God in the heart of man. 

God freely shows His ways to us through His Spirit. 

1 Corinthians 2:9-13  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10)  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11)  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12)  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13)  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

Why must we make spiritual progress? First, God has prepared things for those who love Him, to learn about Him. 

Second, God has revealed these things to us by His Spirit, so that we have no excuse not to learn and grow on our faith. The Spirit of God indwells each believer and He is our guide into all truth (John 16). 

Third, the Spirit of God searches out the deep things of God and helps us know them. 

Fourth, these things of God are found in His Word and the Father freely, abundantly gives them to us to understand and to live by.

Last, the Holy Spirit teaches us by comparing spiritual truth with spiritual truth. 

This word "comparing" spiritual truth with spiritual truth connects with Isaiah telling us we learn line by line and precept by precept. The Spirit of God brings these lines and precepts together so that we see the broader picture of God's mighty works and Person. 

Truth is best understood in context. Thus, we might study each day of the creation account as we hear God say that each day's work was "good." 

Yet, when we look at all the days of creation aggregated together, we see that He said it was "very good"  (See Genesis 1:31). 

The aggregate or sum of His creation work more fully declares His glory and majesty than focusing upon a single day of creation work. 

As we place one truth beside another we see a sweet harmony that connects them together and makes them very good. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Psalm 139:6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 

As we grow in our faith and as the Spirit of God teaches us Divine Truth, we will step back like King David and exclaim how vast, wonderful and glorious the knowledge of God is. Earthly knowledge will seem baseless and worthless by comparison with the things of God.  

Psalm 139:14  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 

As we grow and mature in the things of God, we will praise Jehovah as we learn how God has made everything fearfully and wonderfully. 

Psalm 40:5  Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

May these words of praise from the Psalmist be a reflection of our heart toward God. May we be encouraged to renew our seeking of understanding and may we pray earnestly for the Spirit of God to guide us, teach us and lead us in His Word. 

Bob