Psalm 119 - Zain

Psalm 119:49-56

We ware in the seventh portion of Psalm 119.

Labeled with the Hebrew letter Zain.

Most of the time, I know, when we are in a trial, we focus our prayers mostly on delivering us from them.

There is nothing wrong with praying that way.

We see this in many of the Psalms.

However, God does not always see fit to remove us, or rescue us from the trial, but rather he helps us endure and make it through the trial.

The Psalmist was entangled in some situation that felt inescapable.

The Wicked were persecuting him to the point he was gripped by anger.

He had no other option than to endure the unfair persecution.

In this division of Psalm 119, the psalmist set a great example for us to follow when our only choice is to press on in the face of severe trials.

Here in this section we learn we are ...Comforted By God’s Word When We Read of His...

I. Promises

vs. 49-51

49 ZAIN. Remember the word unto thy servant, Upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

50 This is my comfort in my affliction: For thy word hath quickened me.

51 The proud have had me greatly in derision: Yet have I not declined from thy law.

During a trial, if we will spend time in God’s Word, we can receive comfort by seeing God’s Promises throughout.

In these verses we see three fruit of seeking out God’s Promises.

A. Bring Encouragement

v. 49

49 ZAIN. Remember the word unto thy servant, Upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

The Psalmist is asking God to remember his promises, and he says those promises have caused him to hope.

Many times when I am going through a trial, I pray God’s promises back to Him.

He doesn’t need help remembering, but It shows Him that I remember.

It shows Him where my heart is trusting.

Many times recently I have started fretting, but I stop myself and just say “God is in control!”

Just looking at Psalm 23 we see so much encouragement!

The Lord is my shepherd That’s relationship!

I shall not want That’s supply!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures That’s rest!

He leadeth me beside the still waters That’s refreshment!

He restoreth my soul That’s healing!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness That’s guidance!

For His name’s sake That’s purpose!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death That’s challenge!

I will fear no evil That’s assurance!

For thou art with me That’s faithfulness!

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me That’s shelter!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies That’s hope!

Thou anointest my head with oil That’s consecration!

My cup runneth over That’s abundance!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life That’s blessing!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord That’s security!

For ever That’s eternity!

Then in the next verse we see that reading God’s promises...

B. Bring Enlivenment

v. 50

50 This is my comfort in my affliction: For thy word hath quickened me.

He says, this is why I am comforted…God’s word has quickened me - has made me alive!

We are made a live again in Christ.

The world around us does not understand what it is to be alive, or to trust in something lasting!

Charles Spurgeon said, “The worldling clutches his money-bag, and says, “this is my comfort”; the spendthrift points to his gaiety and shouts, “this is my comfort”; the drunkard lifts his glass and sings, “this is my comfort”; but the man whose hope comes from God feels the life-giving power of the word of the Lord, and he testifies, “this is my comfort.”

And this comfort does not disappear in the morning with aching hand from the grip of the money-bag, or a headache from a drunken stupor, or a depleted checking account.

God’s comfort, not some cheap imitation is lasting!

So reading God’s Promises bring encouragement and Enlivenment, but it also is able to...

C. Bring Enablement

v. 51

51 The proud have had me greatly in derision: Yet have I not declined from thy law.

He says that the proud had me greatly in derision, that is contempt.

The proud never love gracious men.

So they ridicule them.

But even in the face of ridicule from the ungodly, the psalmist says that he did “not decline from thy law.”

They didn’t win!

He did not change his course.

He did not stop doing what he knew was right to do.

God’s word, and it’s promises, enabled him to keep going in the right path!

"In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the satellite's primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter's magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target.

"But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter's immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system. At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun.

"And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. 'Perhaps most remarkable,' writes Jaroff, 'those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth.'

"The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible.

"So it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits."  

God’s Word will enable you, if you just keep going!

Reading God’s Word will bring comfort when we read about His Promises, but it will even bring comfort when we read about His...

II. Punishments

vs. 52-53

52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; And have comforted myself.

53 Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked That forsake thy law.

It may seem odd to get comfort from the Punishments from God, but when we see how God has promised good to those who follow, and chastisement to those who don’t, it can comfort us who follow God’s Path!

A. Remembered Reflections

vs. 52

52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; And have comforted myself.

Spurgeon said, “The grinning of the proud will not trouble us when we remember how the Lord dealt with their predecessors in bygone periods; he destroyed them at the deluge, he confounded them at Babel, he drowned them at the Red Sea, he drove them out of Canaan: he has in all ages bared his arm against the haughty, and broken them as potters’ vessels.”

We can find sweetness in divine justice, and so much more we can see God’s divine love and grace to those who choose right!

The righteous man has no fear of the authorities weapons.

It is a comfort to those who do right that the Judge of the whole earth will avenge his own elect, and deal with all the injustices around us.

We only need to continue in the Word, and obedience, and we will have comfort!

B. Righteous Rage

53

Not rage at the people, but at their actions.

53 Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked That forsake thy law.

The word horror, literally means a burning heat.

It ought to fuel our prayers for those around us.

It ought to fuel our drive to do what is right, and to teach others the path of righteousness.

We have on our ballot a proposition that is very dangerous and is extremely unbiblical.

If passed this will remove many safeguards that Michigan has in place.

I do not get political in the pulpit, I do not endorse a political party, nor do I endorse any candidate from this pulpit.

But I will say that abortion is wrong, it is a sin!

There are going to be plenty of people that are following a false shepherd this November in the name of protecting women.

But my question today is, who is protecting the child?

Do your own research, this is your duty!

Seeing evil ought to bring a burning in our soul.

They have forsaken the Law of God!

Allow God’s promises to comfort you.

Allow God’s Punishments to comfort you, and encourage you to continue to do right!

Then thirdly, we can receive comfort from God’s...

III. Principles

54

54 Thy statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage.

God’s principles, His statutes have been my songs

The Psalmist realized that this world is not his home!

He is a pilgrim!

His home is filled with the singing God’s Word!

I love scripture songs!

We really ought to sing more of them!

All the decrees of God, all of His statutes can bring comfort to our hearts, when we know that we are in line with them.

I see two things that jump out at me in this verse.

We ought to be...

A. Singing As We Go

He says that this singing is in the house of my pilgrimage.

It speaks to this world not being his home, but it also speaks to the path he is taking.

Pilgrims would journey to somewhere.

The Jews would travel to Jerusalem for festivals.

There are psalms that have been written specifically to be sung as they travelled.

One of my favorite memories of camp growing up was the singing in the bus on the way home.

We would travel 5-6 hours, depending on if the bus broke down or not, and usually it did, but we would travel in an un-air conditioned bus.

On the way to camp we were usually playing, fooling around, generally getting in to trouble.

But on the way back, after the Lord had spoken to our heart, after we had made decisions for Christ, our hearts were different.

Someone would start singing a song, perhaps to themselves, someone else would hear and sing along, and soon the song would fill the bus.

We should sing God’s Word as we go along our path!

B. Singing As we Stay

He says the house of my pilgrimage.

Which gives another image.

Yes, it is a temporary dwelling, but it is still our house.

Your home ought to be filled with singing!

Especially singing God’s songs!

Good Christian music ought to fill your home.

It will change the mood of your home!

Just look at King Saul’s heart change when David would play!

Music has a profound effect on our hearts, for good or for bad!

We are comforted by God’s Word when we read of His Promises, His Punishments, His Principles,

and lastly tonight, we are comforted by God’s Word when we read of His...

IV. Peace

vs. 55-56

55 I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, And have kept thy law.

56 This I had, Because I kept thy precepts.

When we stay in God’s Word, we have Peace!

Psalm 119:165 KJV

165 Great peace have they which love thy law: And nothing shall offend them.

A. Our Peace Is For Obedience

55 55 I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, And have kept thy law.

Our peace is directly connected to obedience!

The Peace we have enables us to obey Him continually!

When we lay down our heads at night,

fears can come

doubts can come

evil thoughts can come

But if during those times we remember name of the Lord, Peace will come to replace those fears and doubts and sinful thoughts.

But that peace is not only to help us obey, but we also see that ...

B. Our Peace Is From Obedience

56

56 This I had, Because I kept thy precepts.

Not only does that Peace help us to obey, but our obedience also that peace to come.

It is a wonderful cycle!

Charles Spurgeon said, “He had this comfort, this remembrance of God, this power to sing, this courage to face the enemy, this hope in the promise, because he had earnestly observed the commands of God, and striven to walk in them. We are not rewarded for our works, but there is a reward in them.”

Conclusion

When God gives us His grace, and we use it, He will give us even more.

As we grow and increase in God’s Grace we are able to handle anything that this life brings us!

When we are entangled in an ongoing, intense trial, we might face the temptation to lose confidence in God’s Word.

Like the psalmist, we need to use our afflictions to strengthen our faith in Scripture, not weaken it.

In our lowest moments, we need to turn to the Bible for comfort, strength, and hope.

When we are persecuted, God’s Word will empower us to stand fast, whatever the cost.

Note that the psalmist took responsibility for the condition of his soul: he comforted himself (1 Sa 30:6).

1 Samuel 30:6 KJV

6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

He refused to sit back and indulge his discouragement.

Instead, he took specific action to pull himself out of the pit of despair and doubt: he remembered (meditated on) God’s Word, sang songs of Scripture to himself, reflected on God’s Word when he could not sleep, and stayed focused on obeying it.

Troubling circumstances might afflict us, but we do not have to allow them to hold our souls captive.

Through the power of God’s encouraging Word, our spirits can sing in the darkest nights and deepest valleys.

We have to help ourselves.

We cannot expect God to do something supernatural when He has already given us His Word to lift our spirits.

Instead of dwelling on the depressing circumstances we face, we need to focus our thoughts on the glorious truths of Scripture (Phil 4:6–8).

Philippians 4:6–8 KJV

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

We need to capture our negative thoughts and bring them into obedience to Christ (2 Cor 10:5).

2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Remember Paul and Silas sang from their jail cell in the midnight hour when no miracle was in sight.

But their praises caught God’s attention.

He rewarded his loyal servants by sending an earthquake so mighty that it shook the foundations of the prison, flung open its doors, and broke the chains that held them captive.

Though their bodies had been beaten and bound, their spirits were free, and God blessed them richly for it.

How about you?

How will you react to the trials of life?

Will you turn to His Word, or will you wallow in your self-pity?