Delighting in God's Word
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Introduction
Introduction
READ Psalm 119:57-64.
Years ago, I bought my wife an engagement ring. In fact, I was planning to go to Israel, but I decided not to go, and I pulled the money out of the trip and bought an engagement ring. I must say - that was money well spent.
When I walked into Juniker Jewelry in Madison, MS, 10 years ago, I started looking at engagement rings. I didn’t know what I was doing, so I asked a jeweler to help me. He said, there are 4 C’s to buying a diamond. Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat.
To judge the quality of a diamond, you have to understand how well these four things are. Any one brings great value, but any one also can bring great loss to the cost of a diamond. If you have a two carat diamond ring, but the color and cut are bad, the diamond isn’t worth much.
In the same way, the writer of Psalm 119 is showing us the brilliant qualities of God’s Word.
Pretend for a moment that the psalmist is showing you a diamond and as He is turning it over in His hand, he is telling you how wonderful it is.
In this passage particularly, he describes the promises, testimonies, commandments, laws, rules, and the statutes of God.
And his point is that God’s Word is precious - of much value.
Besides this fact, Psalm 119 is a literary masterpiece.
If you have ever wondered what those weird little words are before the different sections, they are the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Every first letter of the poetic line of Psalm 119 starts with the same letter.
Aleph = Verses 1-8 are all with the same letter, “Aleph,”
Beth = Verses 9-16 all begin with the Hebrew letter, “Beth.”
The psalmist is singing about the beauty of God’s Word.
There is too much to cover from Psalm 119 in one sermon (176 verses). Puritan Pastor and Preacher, Thomas Manton, preached 190 sermons from Psalm 119. Just be thankful that I am not going to put you through that.
CIT: All of God’s Word brings joy to His people.
Explanation
Explanation
The Lord is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
When we emphasize the Word of God, we can quickly fall into the trap of worshipping the word of God.
We aren’t worshipping the Word of God, but we are worshipping God, Himself.
God is bigger than the Bible, but He doesn’t contradict the Bible.
We keep and obey God’s word because we love Him.
God is our portion. What does that mean?
In ancient Israel, a father would divide land, cattle, sheep, resources, and money between His sons.
What a son received was his “portion.”
We don’t “promise” to keep his word to earn a portion. But we have an inheritance, so therefore, we are
An inheritance is NEVER earned. It is given as a right of birth.
In Christ, we have been made the sons and daughter’s of God. The Lord is our portion. Nothing else.
I entreat your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
The Bible is full of God’s promises. He is gracious and true.
In the span of history of our Bible reading plan, we see God fulfil one of his promises.
Genesis 48:21 “Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.”
God didn’t tell Isreal, or Jacob, this fact directly (that we know). No, Jacob remembered that God had given Abraham, his grandfather, the land of Canaan. His sons would inherit the land, because God was with Him.
In our reading this week, we see God telling Moses he hasn’t forgotten His promise God’s chosen people.
Exodus 3:17 “and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’”
God doesn’t change. If God has been faithful before, He will be faithful today and faithful forever.
In the MIDDLE of the slavery that the Egyptian forced upon Israel, God was orchestrating their rescue. We have to trust His promises at all times - whether we see in the moment how he will fulfill them or not.
What does the old Hymn say? “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how I’ve proved him o’er and o’er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, O for grace to trust Him more.”
When I think on my ways,
I turn my feet to your testimonies;
A testimony is a “recounting” of what God has done.
When we share “our” testimonies, we are sharing the story of our salvation.
However, a testimony is less your story than the story of God’s grace in your life.
We have these testimonies of God or the recounting of the acts of God.
In the Old Testament specifically, testimonies were stories of what God did with the Israelite people.
The author “turns His feet” towards the testimonies of God. He orients his life around them. He is poised for God to act.
How would our lives change if we lived like God wasn’t finished working? If we spent our days praying, waiting, and looking for the movement of God in our church and this community?
I hasten and do not delay
to keep your commandments.
Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
I do not forget your law.
God has given us the 10 commandments, but throughout the law, we are given other commandments. To follow those commandments is morally good and to neglect them is morally wrong.
The psalmist says he “hastens” to keep God’s commandments. He is quick to respond to God’s commandments.
Delayed obedience is disobedience. If God is convicting you of something, then you need to ask forgiveness, repent, and turn to Him.
This is exactly why we have an invitation. Because, I know how your mind works. You get convicted of something, and you quickly say, “I’ll just deal with that when I get home!”
We literally have a song in our service for you to kneel at the altar, pray, sing in worship, or sit in your seat in the quiet. Why would you wait into you get home to settle something with the Lord?
Because the enemy knows that if you want a little while, you probably won’t do it.
In fact, the word, “delay,” in this passage is the same word that is used to describe Lot as he lingered in Sodom, because He was reluctant to leave.
TRANSITION: God’s law is described in three words in the following verses. They aren’t necessarily different types of law, but rather different takes on the importance of those laws.
At midnight I rise to praise you,
because of your righteous rules.
More than any other verse in this section, I think this verse speaks to the supernatural work of the HS in our lives. Why?
When was the last time that you got up in the middle of the night to do anything, and you were happy about it?
When was the last time that you woke up at midnight and just praise the Lord for something?
Moreover, when was the last time that you woke up in the middle of the night and said, “you know what? I am thankful to have these rules that govern my life?
We hate rules. We challenge any regulation. EXCEPT, the ones we like. We will praise a law that we enjoy or we deem appropriate or important.
David sees the rules of God as great and righteous. He arises at night to praise God. The imperfect form of the verb denotes that this is a continual practice.
I am a companion of all who fear you,
of those who keep your precepts.
A precept is a continual way of life. We mold our lives around precepts.
The digging of the Panama Canal provided banks on either side where water and thus a ship could reasonably flow.
Precepts are the digging out of the banks of the canal that is your life.
We don’t make our own precepts, but rather, we look to God’s word. He has created us, and He has a better word for our flourishing than we do.
The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
teach me your statutes!
The Hebrew word for statute means, “to cut into.” It gives the image of cutting into a stone.
We get a good physical image from our Bible reading plan where Moses carved the 10 Commandments into the stone tablets.
They are laws set in stone. Laws that are immovable.
Notice that God’s steadfast love is paired with his statutes.
God gives us unwavering, everlasting laws, but because he is cruel, but because He loves.
When we think of God’s steadfast love, we must forget that his statues are not divorced from His love, but rather, they come out of His love.
God’s statutes are a protection for us. Just like you tell a child not to play in the road and that rule never changes - God has commandments for our flourishing, our good, and our protection.
Invitation
Invitation
The Word comes from Jesus and tells us about Jesus.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”
The ultimate scorn for one’s actions isn’t harsh words - it’s silence.
Jesus has spoken a word of love over us. .
He came to die for us.
Come and give your life to Him.