Mem - The LORD is my Refreshment

Introduction

Study 4: Moving on to Victory, Psalms 119:97–128 (Mem to Ayin)

1 John 5:4–5 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

All spiritual growth is directed toward a goal. It involves movement from where we are to where we need to be. We need to set immediate, intermediate, and ultimate goals in our quest of spiritual maturity and Christ-conformity. Spiritual victory is measured in the attainment of these goals, however small the gains might be. As long as we live, there is more to achieve in our personal communion with Christ. Far too many believers try to live in the light of their past faith in Jesus Christ and, in doing so, neglect the necessity of the daily exercise of faith in His Word. Thus, while they possess the assurance of eternal life, they do not experience the joy of victory day-by-day. The next four sections of Psalm 119 will move us in the direction of the biblical ideal “from faith to faith” (Rom 1:17).

Mem—The Lord is my Refreshment (vv.97-104)

Psalm 23:2–3 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

In the letter Mem, we have a symbol for water. Only a desert-dwelling people can fully appreciate the value of water. To come out of the hot burning desert into a cool oasis is a picture of leaving behind our trials when we enter into the presence of the Lord in prayer. How often we struggle along in the pursuit of the mirage of self-will and self-sufficiency, only to come weary and exhausted at last into the oasis of the Word of God and prayer. “All our efforts have failed, all we can do now is pray” is a common expression that reveals how backward we are in our faith!

1. Meditation/understanding - (vv.97-100). Note the interplay of these words, each appearing twice in these verses. The relationship between the two should not be missed. All too often, we lack understanding in life because we fail to meditate on God’s Word. The word means “to ponder, muse, converse with oneself.” True Bible study is a process involving five steps:

a. prayer (for spiritual illumination),

b. reading (the text in its context),

c. analysis (taking the text apart),

d. synthesis (putting the conclusions together), and

e. meditation (this is spiritual digestion).

It is by meditation that we work out the implications and applications of what we have learned in regard to our life. The word “understanding” is sakal and speaks of the skill of implementing what we know. It is because we fail in this regard that we are not “wiser than [our] enemies” (v.98)

2. Refrained - (vv.101-102). True biblical understanding always leads to life-application. The word here speaks of the act of “holding back, of imposing a personal prohibition.” Here we see the application of the understanding gained in (vv.99-100). The evidence of true spiritual wisdom and biblical understanding is most often expressed by saying “no” to self, so as to say “yes” to the Lord and His will.

3. Sweet - (vv.103-104). A Marine inscribed on a C-ration can, “For those that will fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected shall never know.” The same may be said regarding the truth of God’s Word to those believers willing to fight for the living reality of it in their lives! When we battle for God’s truth to be realized in our experience, the victory once attained is incredibly sweet. Many Christians wonder why the Bible seems dry and dusty in their mouths. The reason is that they have never digested it, and lived it out through their mouths, hands, and feet. Because of the curse on sin, it is only “in the sweat of thy face you shall eat bread,” (Genesis 3:19). And in the spiritual arena, it is only through conflict and victory that the Word of God attains sweetness.

New Testament Confirmation

1. Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (Joh 7:37–38). Only His Word can meet the need of the soul that is thirsting.

2. To the woman at the well, He said, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Joh 4:13–14).

3. Is it any wonder that false teachers are described as “wells without water” (2Pe 2:17) and “clouds without water” (Jud 1:12)?

4. Because of the matchless grace of God, the invitation remains open to a world that is choking in the dust of evil, “Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take of the water of life freely” (Rev 22:17).