Psalm 119:73-80

Good evening,

Tonight we will be in Psalm 119:73-80

As we have seen there is much despair in the psalmist. But there is also much hope.

He continues to lay down his hurt on the table but he insistently puts the goodness of God, and God’s word on the table.

There is a back and forth with the psalmist.

Tonight though we really see the hope from the psalmist.

We see a lot about who God is, and what God has done, in the sense of creation, and his people.

When you think about creating things, a lot of things may come to mind.

For me I think about artistic expression.

I think about how we have the ability at our fingertips to make movies, photos, music, images, and whatever else you could imagine.

We have phones that are so powerful that they could power a rocket ship.

There have been commercials that have been filmed on iPhones.

I think about food. How we are able to be creative when it comes to food.

Like our tastes can be different and that can change the way that we maybe cook food.

Here’s a great example. Recently, i have asked Stephanie to add chocolate chips to the brownie mixes that we have.

And it makes it extra gooey and chocolatey and all the good stuff about a brown is enhanced when you add extra chocolate chips.

But some of you guys probably don’t like extra chocolate Chips.

And thats the type things that we can create.

Creating is something that we can do in small and relatively insignificant way.

But God, has created in such a massive, and most significant of ways.

He controls us. He has made and has authority over all things.

I think in the Summer time we are going to probably walk through some of the psalms that talk about God’s power and authority and soverignty.

But God is in complete control.

And we must come to grips with that, we must have that understanding .

We need to realize that God has given us the ability to know and understand His word, and to know his son who died for us.

We must realize that we have something granted to us that doesn’t just happen.

But that it is something that has been bestowed and given to us as a gift.

So if you are there, read with me psalm 119 starting in verse 73

73 Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.

74  Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.

75  I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

76  Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.

77  Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.

78  Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.

79  Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies.

80  May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame!  Ps 119:73–80.

*Pray*

I

God has made us that we might know him(73)

Look at verse 73.

The psalmist is at terms with his creator being the creator.

The psalmist is at a point where he knows who is in charge.

He is our Creator

God has given us the knowledge of him being the creator.

The psalmist knew, we are not here by chance, we are not a product of accidental and blind forces, we most certainly did not come from any other species of animal,

we have been created by God.

Psalm 139:13 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”

For i am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

God is the potter, who are we as the clay to determine what the potter does.

Job 10:8 “Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether.”

And how could we talk about God being the creator without talking about the creation story itself.

Genesis 2:7 “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

The psalmist understood the creator was who he was.

And the psalmist says, give me understanding because of this.

He is our instructor

The word teach occurs no fewer than 12 times in this one chapter alone.

It doesn’t really appear in this stanza, but the idea is there.

Teach me, give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.

This is a specific prayer. It is hyper focused on God doing the work of teaching. We should do the same.

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

God is our creator and he is also our instructor.

Now matter how smart you think you are, now matter how educated you actually are, you will never outgrow the need for the divine teacher to take his word and give us that understanding.

We have been created with a purpose.

That purpose is that we may know him.

God made us to test us so that we might trust him(74-79)

Look at verse 74 and following.

This is the heart of this stanza.

The Psalmist begins by thanking God.

Thank God for his faithfulness when afflicted(74-75)

There is confidence int he psalmist.

Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice.

Others, those who also love God will see him, and rejoice always.

There is connection between believers.

Those who are likeminded, rejoice together.

His confidence is based in his trust in what the Lord says.

I have hoped in your word.

He says.

The also has confidence that the Lord always does the right thing in the right way and for the right reasons.

Your rules are righteous he says.

God reveals that he is righteous through his word.

Daniel 9:14 “Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice.”

Deuteronomy 32:4 ““The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”

Isaiah 45:21 “Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.”

God displays his righteousness through his people, but ultimately through his son Jesus

Romans 3:21–26 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

God is righteous.

and he finishes up with and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

We will go through affliction, through trials but God is still good.

Ask God for His Steadfast love and Mercy(76-77)

look at verse 76

The psalmist is asking for comfort.

He needs the comfort of God.

He needs the steadfastness and compassion of the Lord.

He needs the mercy of God.

He needs God.

Why does he think this way? Because there is promises in his word.

according to your promise to your servant.

77 for your law is my delight.

We must ask God to do the same.

Trust God to shame Prideful Liars(78)

Verse 78

prideful liars, the arrogant, the sinful must understand their sin.

WE must trust that God will do what he pleases with the sinners.

Pray that God will vindicate you with the righteous(79)

Those who love God will know God’s testimonnies.

We shall know and love God, we shall be vindicated with the righteous rules from the Lord.

God made us that we might live blamelessly and not be ashamed(80)

Look at verse 80

Church, we must pray for our hearts.

Pray for your heart

Remember Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

This truth is known well by the psalmist.

May my heart be blameless in your statues.

Meditation on the word of God should be what occupys us.

We should pray for our hearts to be focused on the creator. On the sustainer. On the king.

Pray for your reputation

We should have a desire to not fail God.

We should look towards God and focus our hearts on him for worship, but also for the sake of our reputation.

Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”

Romans 12:17 “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”

We will fail. But we must hope in Christ that we will be with him forever.

Charles Spurgeon says “Mere profession of faith will fail, and undeserved esteem will disappear like a bubble when it bursts. Only sincerity and truth will endure in the evil day. He who is right at heart has no reason for shame, and he will never have any.”

May our hearts and our minds be focused on Gods word. May we know our creator. May we rest in our sustainer, may we fear the king. May we lean on him for all things, and most of all, may we love Jesus more and more each day.

Lets pray