PSALM 119: 1-18 A Celebration of God’s Word

·        Psalm 119 is an acrostic psalm, just like 9,10, 25, 34, 38, 111,112, & 145,

·        God is my Advocate, God is my Benefactor God is my Creator, God is my    

·        The longest psalm

·        Written to praise Word of God and its role in the life of the believer.

·        Throughout the psalm David expresses the joy he finds in Scripture.

·        David calls it “the word of truth” (119:43) and in so doing makes a vitally important statement about its nature.

·        In the Heb. “truth” and “faithfulness” share a common root, ˓emet.

o       This root affirms that the statement, thing, or person which is true or faithful is in harmony with reality.

o       Truth can be relied upon because when measured by the actual, it corresponds exactly.

o       To say that Scripture is true means that we can trust it completely

§         it is not an illusion and portrays reality as God knows it and as it really is.

Psalm 119:1-18

aleph. (1–8).

1  How blessed are those whose way is blameless,

Who walk in the law of the Lord.

2  How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,

Who seek Him with all their heart.

3  They also do no unrighteousness;

They walk in His ways.

4  You have ordained Your precepts,

That we should keep them diligently.

5  Oh that my ways may be established

To keep Your statutes!

6  Then I shall not be ashamed

When I look upon all Your commandments.

7  I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,

When I learn Your righteous judgments.

8  I shall keep Your statutes;

Do not forsake me utterly!

ב‍

Beth.(9-16)

9  How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping it according to Your word.

10  With all my heart I have sought You;

Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

11 Your word I have treasured in my heart,

That I may not sin against You.

12  Blessed are You, O Lord;

Teach me Your statutes.

13  With my lips I have told of

All the ordinances of Your mouth.

14  I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

15  I will meditate on Your precepts

And regard Your ways.

16  I shall delight in Your statutes;

I shall not forget Your word.

ג‍

Gimel.

17  Deal bountifully with Your servant,

That I may live and keep Your word.

18  Open my eyes, that I may behold

Wonderful things from Your law.

PRAY

I.        Blessings of obedience joy in God’s judgments (119:1-8)

1  How blessed are those whose way is blameless,

Who walk in the law of the Lord.

2  How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,

Who seek Him with all their heart.

3  They also do no unrighteousness;

They walk in His ways.

A.    We all look to have blessing…we all aim for it and pursue it ….here is how   

B.     How blessed are those whose way is blameless 

C.    Those who keep or walk in God’s law “with all their hearts” verse 2 are assured of great blessing

D.    There is a right way…..

1.      We need to make the will of God the rule of all our actions, and govern us, in our whole conversation, by that rule

2.      They walk in the law of the Lord, v. 1

a)     God’s word is a law to us, not only in this or that instance, but in the whole course of our lives;

b)     T

c)     We walk in the paths of that law, which we do not try and modify, but press forward in them towards the mark,

(1)  taking every step by rule

(2)  and never walking at all adventures 

d)     This is walking in God’s ways (v. 3), the ways which he has marked out to us and has appointed us to walk in

(1)  It will not serve us to make our relationship with God a mere subject

(2)  We must make it the rule of our walk

(a)   Not in the way of the world

(b)  Or our own hearts

(3)  Are we habitually sincere in their intentions

(4)  We do no iniquity;

(a)   We do not allow us in any sin

(b)  We do not commit sin like those who are the servants of sin, helplessly, we have help

(c)   We do not make a practice of it, do not make a trade of it

(d)  We are conscious of sin clogging our relationship with God

(e)   We need to be aware of the sin which draws us out of the way of God

Job 23:10-11

10  “But He knows the way I take;

When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

11  “My foot has held fast to His path;

I have kept His way and not turned aside.

Job 31:7

7  “If my step has turned from the way,

Or my heart followed my eyes,

Or if any spot has stuck to my hands                

3.      Undefiled—literally, “complete,” perfect, or sincere

Psalm 37:37

37  Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright;

For the man of peace will have a posterity.    

a)     The way—course of life.

b)     Walk—act

c)     In the law—according to it

d)     Law—from a word meaning “to teach,” is a term of rather general purport, denoting the instruction of God’s Word.

4.      Testimonies—The word of God is so called, because in it He testifies for truth and against sin.

a)     Seek him—that is, a knowledge of Him, with a relationhip

b)     Desire conformity to His will

c)     The Ark of the Covenant is called the ark of the testimony

5.      His ways—the course He reveals as right.

4  You have ordained Your precepts,

That we should keep them diligently.

5  Oh that my ways may be established

To keep Your statutes!

6  Then I shall not be ashamed

When I look upon all Your commandments.

E.     This prompted him to wish that he were more obedient in view of God’s commands to follow His laws (vv. 4-6)

4–6. Precepts—are those directions which relate to special conduct, from a word meaning “to inspect.”

1.      That our hearts may be so guided and influenced by the Spirit of God that we may not in any thing transgress God’s commandments

2.      Not only that our eyes may be directed to behold God’s statutes

3.      But our hearts directed to keep them

a)     Statutes—or ordinances, positive laws of permanent nature. Both words originally denote rather positive than moral laws, such as derive force from the divine appointment, whether their nature or the reasons for them are apprehended by us or not

b)     Commandments—or institutions. The term is comprehensive, but rather denotes fundamental directions for conduct, both enjoining and forbidding

c)     Have respect unto—or regard carefully as to their whole purport.

4.      He has respect to all the commandments, one as well as another, because they are all backed with the same authority

James 2:10-11

10  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

11  For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.    

5.      No big sin little sin, sin is all sin

6.      All leveled at the same end, the glorifying of God in our happiness

7.      He has a respect to the command

a)     Views it as God’s word to me personally

b)     Aims to conform to it

c)     We need to be sorry when we come short of the mark

d)     What we do in relationship to God, we do with a conscientious in regard to who commanded it as our duty

(1)  Commitment to the commands of both old and new testaments

(2)  Both tables

(3)  To the prohibitions and the precepts

(4)  To those that concern both the inward and the outward man

(5)  Both the head and the heart

7  I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,

When I learn Your righteous judgments.

8  I shall keep Your statutes;

Do not forsake me utterly!

F.     So the psalmist vowed to give thanks as he learned more about God’s statutes (vv. 7-8)

1.      Verse 7. judgments—rules of conduct formed by God’s judicial decisions; hence the wide sense of the word in the Psalms, so that it includes decisions of approval as well as condemnation.

2.      Verse 8. Recognizes the need of divine grace.

II.      Cleansing by God’s Word, purity in God’s precepts (119:9-16)

9  How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping it according to Your word.

A.    The psalmist declared that a person cleanses his way (conduct) by obeying God’s Word (v. 9)

B.     The question and answer are in keeping with the emphasis of the Wisdom writers

C.    The answer to the problems of youth in any period of history is

1.      Committing it to memory (v. 11)

2.      By testifying concerning it to others (v. 13).

3.      To heed God’s Word by meditating on it (v. 15)    

4.      verse 9 A weighty question asked

a)     By what means may the next generation be made better than this?

b)     Few young people do themselves enquire by what means We may recover and preserve their purity; and therefore David asks the question for them

c)     Taking heed—is better, taking heed, then to do it

d)     9 How, a practical question,

(1)  ‘By what means?’

(2)  The problem is outward (9),

(3)  The answer (10–16) is inward.

(4)  “How can a young person stay pure?”

(5)  By “hiding” God’s word in his or her heart—studying, meditating on, and even memorizing Scripture

10  With all my heart I have sought You;

Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

11 Your word I have treasured in my heart,

That I may not sin against You.

12  Blessed are You, O Lord;

Teach me Your statutes.

13  With my lips I have told of

All the ordinances of Your mouth.

14  I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

D.    The psalmist testified that he had internalized and rejoiced in God’s Word so that he might be morally pure (vv. 10-14)

E.     10–16. We must carefully treasure up the word of God, declare it to others, meditate on it, and heartily delight in it; and then by His grace we shall act according to it.

1.      The possibility of a pure life depends on the direction of the will (10)

2.      The deliberate direction (seek) of the heart (the whole inner being) toward God and the exercise of specific prayer

3.      He hid it in his heart, laid it up there

4.      God’s word is a treasure worth laying up, and there is no laying it up safely but in our hearts;

F.     11 The heart stored up with the word is the antidote to sin

1.      The contents of mind and memory (11)

2.      The good uses he designed to make of it: That I might not sin against thee

3.      Good men are afraid of sin,

a)     And are in care to prevent it;

b)     The most effectual way to prevent is to hide God’s word in our hearts

c)     That we may answer every temptation, as our Master did, with, It is written,

d)     We can oppose the dominion of sin

e)     His promises to its allurements

4.      Verse 12 David gives glory to God: "Blessed art thou, O Lord

5.      Verse 13 The verse opens with human lips and ends with the divine mouth:

a)     Talking to oneself or to others,

b)     Our conversation replete with what God has spoken.

6.      The pre-occupations of the mouth (13)

7.      David had edified others with what he had been taught out of the word of God

8.      (v. 13): With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

a)     This he did, not only as a king in making orders,

b)    And giving judgment, according to the word of God,

c)     Nor only as a prophet by his psalms,

d)     But in his common discourse.

e)     Those whose hearts are fed with the bread of life should with their lips feed many

15  I will meditate on Your precepts

And regard Your ways.

16  I shall delight in Your statutes;

I shall not forget Your word.

G.    He continually meditated in the Law (vv. 15-16)

1.      15 Up to this point the main verbs have been ‘perfects of determination’ (‘I am determined to seek … to hide … to recount … to rejoice’).

2.      Parallel thoughts are now taken up in prayer:

3.      ‘O please let me meditate … consider’. Our commitments must be bathed in prayer.

4.      I will meditate in thy precepts           

5.      Many do that only to show their knowledge and authority,

6.      But David communed with his own heart about them, and took pains to digest in his own thoughts what he had declared, or had to declare, to others.

H.    16 A final quiet resolve centers on a proper use of the emotions and the memory

1.      (16) We will take a constant pleasure in fellowship with God

2.      Delight in our obedience to him

3.      It is not for a season that we rejoices in this light

4.      "I will still, I will for ever, delight myself in thy statutes, not only think of them, but do them with delight,’’

III.    Appreciation of God’s Word Security in his statutes (119:17-24)

17  Deal bountifully with Your servant,

That I may live and keep Your word.

18  Open my eyes, that I may behold

Wonderful things from Your law.

A.    Amid persecution, the psalmist felt like a stranger in the world but found comfort in God’s word.

B.     The psalmist asked God to open his eyes so that he could see the marvelous blessings of God in the Word (vv. 17-18)

C.    I will be mindful of the word of God also mindful of when I have occasion to use it.’’

D.    When we meditate in God’s word, and delight in it, we are in no great danger of forgetting it.

IV.   17 Deal bountifully with me, that I may live.

A.    "Not that I may live and grow rich, live and be merry,

B.     but that I may live and keep thy word, may observe it myself and transmit it to those that shall come after,

C.    There are wondrous things in God’s law

1.      The synonyms are: law, testimonies, precepts, judgments, commandments, statutes, sayings, word, way, and path

2.      10 for ten commandments       

John 17:17-19

17  “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

18  “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

19  “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

Ephesians 5:25-26

25  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

26  so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

2 Timothy 2:15

15  Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

17  so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

James 1:25

25  But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

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