Psalm 119.33-40
Text: Psalm 119:33-40
Date: February 18, 2009
Place: FBCC
Introduction
I. Pray for DIRECTION (33)
A. By Seeking God’s Direction - “Teach me O Yahweh” the way of your statutes
(decrees)
The way of your statutes (i.e. precepts – “What the Lord has previously laid down
from the root word meaning ‘to engrave’.Lit. “things in-
scribed)
1. By recognizing our own Inability - Our nature prohibits it.
a) We are unable to initiate the right direction
Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked. who can know it?
Romans 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do,
that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
Ephesians 4:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old
man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
b) By coming in Humility - “point out to me” Lit. “stretch out the hand.”
teach, instruct, give guidance, direct, i.e., give information in a formal or informal
setting, implying authority of the teacher or the content of the teaching [1]
2. By Seeking God’s Person - O Lord - Yahweh
a) Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools
despise wisdom and instruction.
b) Psalms 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good
understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise
endures forever.
B. By Choosing consistent Obedience - “I will keep it to the end” - Learning
God’s way demands continual compliance – we know, therefore we must do.
1) Nezer - keep, observe, comply, i.e., obey a command (Ps 78:7)[2]
2) unto the end, i.e., pertaining to a point of time in a duration of time, so be the end
point of a duration (Ps 119:33,112+)[3]
Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching
them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
II. Pray for DISCERNMENT (34) - Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law…
A. A Clear Understanding of what God wants - Give me understanding
1. A discerning heart led by the Holy Spirit – Illumination
Understanding “bin” - The word used here refers to mental comprehension, as
distinguished from the mere direction asked for in the previous verse. Here the prayer
is ‘Make me discern, cause me to perceive’ i.e. with the understanding. THE OUTER
SENSES MUST SEE THE WAY, THEN THE MIND MUST UNDERSTAND IT…
2. A directed heart
B. A Clear Application of what God wants (34b)
1. Determination - I shall keep Your law – nezer - Biblical knowledge requires active
response
2. Diligence - I shall observe it with my whole heart – lit. “all” of my heart
Shamer - observe, keep, i.e., obey a command with diligence and in detail (Lev
19:30); [4]
3. Dependence – Make me to walk in the path of your commandments
1. Restrict my life to living out the principles of Scripture - Psalm 1:1-3
2. Reject any other way that is not within the confines of Scriptural principles
Pr 2:12-13 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks
perverse things, 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the
ways of darkness;
Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what
makes them stumble.
4. Delight – for I delight in it (35b)
delight, take pleasure in, be eager, i.e., have a fondness or affection for an object or
experience[5]
Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and
night.
Psalm 119:47,70,77,92,174
Read with Tongue
A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. Evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about him in his book The Wonders of the Word of God. The victim’s face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. Much to his dismay, however, he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been destroyed by the explosion. One day, as he brought one of the Braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, I can read the Bible using my tongue. At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had “read” through the entire Bible four times.
The Wonders of the Word of God, by Robert L. Sumner.
III. Pray for Dedication (36-40)
A. Dedication of my Heart – inner man. (36)
Incline - (Hiphil). 1c1 to stretch out. 1c2 to spread out. 1c3 to turn, incline, influence,
bend down, hold out, extend, thrust aside, thrust away.[6]
1. To the Word of God - incline my heart to Your testimonies -
heart, mind, soul, spirit, self, i.e., the source of life of the inner person in various aspects, with a focus on feelings, thoughts, volition, and other areas of the inner life (Isa 57:15; Ecc 2:1)[7]
- Directing his inner man toward the established truth about God (subject) and from God. (source)
2. Away from Coveteousness
בָּצַע ill-gotten gain, dishonest gain, valuable things obtained by theft, deception, or other immoral actions (Ex 18:21; Isa 33:15); 2. LN 57.232-57.248 plunder, i.e., things gained by robbery after a military victory (Jdg 5:19); 3. LN 23.88-23.128 severing, a cutting off, i.e., a figurative extension of cutting thread or material as a figure for dying (Jer 51:13+); 4. LN 65.40-65.51 gain, advantage, i.e., of benefit (Ge 37:26; Mal 3:14); 5. LN 25.12-25.32 greed, i.e., a strong desire for material things in various ways (Isa 57:17)[8]
- David. knew that, as the king, he wasn’t immune to the practice of taking unfair advantage
- David didn’t want to be driven by the inner motivation of greed or selfishness
B, Dedication of my Desires 37a) - turn away my eyes from looking at worthless
things
Turn - עָבַר – “to cross over” (my wide margin Bible – “cause my eyes to pass
away from””
from looking – תמֵרְאוֹ – verb, qal. act. inf. construct
worthlessness שָׁוְא (šāwe(˒)): n.[masc.]; ≡ Str 7723; TWOT 2338a—1. LN 65.30-65.39 vanity, futility, worthlessness, i.e., that which has no result or use and so worthless (Ex 20:7(2×)), see also LN 89.39–89.54; 2. LN 92.11-92.25 nothing, i.e., a negative reference to an entity, event, or state (Job 15:31); 3. LN 72.1-72.11 falseness, i.e., that content which is not true, with a special focus that this content is worthless for ascertaining the truth (Ex 23:1), see also domain LN 70; 4. LN 6.96-6.101 idol, formally, vanity, i.e., an image of a pagan god, with a special reference to its worthlessness (Ps 24:4);
1. Prevention of idolatry - Not to contemplate nor give space to anything that is
worthless – namely….
a. That which has no profit and cannot satisfy
Cannot Satisfy
I am much less regardful of the approbation (approval) of man, and set much lighter by contempt or applause than I did long ago. I am oft suspicious that this is not only from the increase of self denial and humility, but partly from my being glutted and surfeited with (desiring no more of) human applause. And all worldly things appear most vain and unsatisfactory when we have tried them most.
The Autobiography of Richard Baxter, abridged by J. M. Lloyd Thomas, ed. N. H. Keeble. Christianity Today, Vol. 36, no. 15
b. That which is false - Exodus 23:1 "You shall not circulate a false report. Do
not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. i.e. worthless
for ascertaining the truth
c. That which is a spiritual substitute – an idol - Psalms 24:4 He who has
clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor
sworn deceitfully.
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily
ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God.
1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
2 Practice of godliness – revive me in your ways (ESV – make me live in your
ways)
“make me with living energy to pursue the way marked out by Thee. Revive me from the death of spiritual helplessness (Ps 119:17, 25, 40, 50; Ps 116:3).[9]
· God gives, to those who desire, spiritual power to walk the spiritual walk,
· Verse 37. Thy way, by way of emphasis, in opposition to and exaltation of, above, all other ways. There is a fourfold way:
0. Via mundi, the way of the world; and that is spinosa, thorny.
0. Via carnis, the way of the flesh; and that is insidiosa, treacherous.
0. Via Satana, the way of the devil; and that is tenebricosa, darksome.
Via Domini, the way of God; and that is gratiosa, gracious. Simmons.
David Prays… For constraining grace, that he might not only be kept from everything that would obstruct his progress heavenward, but that he might have that grace which was necessary to forward him in that progress: "Quicken thou me in thy way." --M. Henry. TOD
IV. Pray for Assurance (38-39)
A. Assurance of God’s Promises (38) (ESV – “confirm to your servant your
promise”)
1. Strengthening our faith hif) establish, קוּם raise up, confirm
Times will arise when every doctrine and promise seems to be shaken, and our
mind gets no rest: then we must appeal to God for establishment in the faith,
for he would have all his servants to be well instructed and confirmed in his
word.
In view of the exposition of the previous verses of the section this would be more correctly rendered, "Hold up thy word before thy servant;" i.e., hold it up to my eyes, to my mind, to my steps, and to my heart. Make all that is vain to pass, so that I see it not; but let thy word be so set up before my whole being that I shall always see it, and thus, by it, see my way to thee.
- C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David
2. Strengthening our obedience & reverence - that you may be feared (38b)
Noun form reverence, fear, i.e., a state of piety and respect toward a superior (Ex 20:20; Pr 1:7); 2. LN 25.251-25.269 fear, terror, i.e., a state of great anxiety and alarm (Dt 2:25; Ps 55:6[EB 5]; Jnh 1:10, 16); 3. LN 53.53-53.64 worship, i.e., the act. or speech of showing profound reverence toward a superior, which may include ritual action (Ps 5:8[EB 7]; Job 4:6; 15:4; 22:4)[10]
3. Turning away shame - The shame which I fear (dread)
Reproach - disgrace, contempt, i.e., the state of dishonor and low status (1Sa 11[11]
a) Trusting our reputation to do Him
b) Doing right according to God’s ways
B. Assurance of Life (40) - Revive me (ESV – in your righteousness, give me life!)
1. A longing for God’s Word -
9289 I. תָּאַב (tā∙˒ǎḇ): v.; ≡ Str 8373; TWOT 2485—LN 25.1-25.11 (qal) long for, desire, i.e., have an emotional attachment to something and so have a wanting or desiring of an object (Ps 119:40,174+)[12]
2. A longing for Life – In your righteousness, give me life!
2 Co 5:21 1 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
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[1]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 3723, #1
[2]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 5915, #3
+ More references in bhs
[3]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 6813
[4]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 9068, #3
[5]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 2911, #2
[6]Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. H5186
[7]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 4213, #3
LN Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon
+ More references in bhs
[8]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 1299, #5
n. noun, or nouns
masc. masculine
Str Strong’s Lexicon
TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
LN Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon
(2×) The word defined occurs twice in this verse
[9]Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. Ps 119:37
hif Hiphil
LN Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon
EB English Bible versification
act. active voice
[10]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 3711, #3
[11]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 3075, #1
v. verb
Str Strong’s Lexicon
TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
LN Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon
qal Qal
+ More references in bhs
[12]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 9289