Psalm 119
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105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules. 107 I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word! 108 Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules. 109 I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. 110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. 111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. 112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.
Introduction
Today we'll talk about what you can expect after you decide to commit to God's Word.
Background
Last week we started a new series in the book of Psalms, a beautifully diverse compilation of poetry and hymns recorded by multiple authors over a period of 800 or so years. There are songs of praise to God, psalms of lament, cries for vengeance, Psalms, etc.
Examples of Psalm genres:
Praise
Lament
Trust
Royal
Thanksgiving
Hymn
Wisdom
Psalm 1 and Psalm 119 are examples of wisdom psalms
Last week's lesson was an example of a wisdom psalm. It was placed as the first Psalm to encourage the readers and hearers that the path to wisdom is God's word .
And the point of last week's lesson was to evaluate your counselors. We're all in uncharted territory. There are so many voices out there competing for your attention you have to be intentional to keep the Word of God the primary voice in your life. Many of us have more time on our hands than we've ever had before. Be intentional with how you use it.
What can you expect after you commit to God’s path?
Today we're going to look at another well-known wisdom psalm, Psalm 119. It's 176 verses, making it the longest chapter in the Bible.
And it's not in the least bit disorganized or unfocused—just the opposite. There's an amazing structure to it. It’s an acrostic. The psalm is divided into 22 sections, a section for each letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and each section has 8 verses that all begin with the same letter.
We're not going to study all 176, but we will look at one of the most well-known sections. It starts at verse 105. We’re looking to answer what commitment to the word of God brings.
Move #1: Declaration - I am committed
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light to shine on my path. So many of us are familiar with that passage. The psalmist declares to the world that it will be God's instructions, not the counsel of the wicked, that will illuminate his path and direct him where to go. This is a man that has heeded the message of Psalm 1; he is the blessed man in psalm 1 who delights himself in God’s commands.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.
He's sworn an oath and confirmed it. I hope you'll make an oath like that if you haven't already. But once you decide that, here's what you can expect.
Move #2: the challenge of commitment to the Word
107 I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
Listen to how he describes his situation. He says I am severely afflicted. To be afflicted meant to be in a wretched condition. Pitiful, stooped down low, oppressed. He doesn't explain why he's afflicted or what's led to it, just that he's afflicted. There's more in verse 109.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.
He says I hold my life in my hand continually. That's another way of saying that my life is always hanging in the balance. It's touch and go, 24/7. God says I'm like a tree planted by the river of water, but I don't feel like it. Just because the Lord plants us by the river doesn't mean the storms won't come.
Dropping down to verse 110, we may potentially see the source:
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts.
The wicked have laid a snare for me. The man has adversaries. The wicked are those that we saw last week in Psalm 1. They are the ones who do not obey God's Word, have chosen the counsel of the wicked, and are willfully disobedient. They have no interest in God, reject his Word, and harbor animosity towards those who strive to keep it.
The psalmist says they have laid a trap for him. It's a scheme, some kind of plot to take advantage of his affliction and take him down even lower.
Now I hope everyone understands, regardless of how nice a person you may be, you have an enemy. Satan is the enemy of your soul. His purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. And he's setting traps to distract you, upend you, and destroy you. He's busy right now.
What happens when you commit to God’s path?
1. Commitment to the Word brings conflict.
Lookout during times of affliction. Know thyself. People are responding to the pandemic in different ways. Some are anxious. Some are lonely. Some are depressed. Some are bored.
Look out for the hidden snares. People are falling for them all the time.
Alcohol purchases have skyrocketed. People bought toilet paper and beer.Porn consumption is on the rise. One porn website has reported an 18% increase in traffic since it started offering 30-day free subscriptions. These are all traps. It's those times that we feel afflicted and tired and burdened, that's when we need to look out for the traps.
Victory comes by standing firm in the Word. Think with me about Jesus's temptation in the wilderness. It’s in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. He had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He was hungry. Physically exhausted. And it was at that point that Satan came and tempted him. But Jesus kept returning to the Word of God. He continued to say it is written. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
Just as Jesus responded to temptation with the Word, that's how the psalmist answered the challenge: in verse 109, I will not forget your law.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.
When he says he will not forget, he's declaring to the world this affliction will not define me. I will not forget. My life hangs in the balance, but I won't forget. I will not rush to solve this situation in the flesh. I will not forget.
And in verse 110, I do not stray from your precepts.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts.
I also will not allow my circumstances to cause me to drift away from the path you have given me. Friends do not forget and do not stray. When the enemy shows his hand, tries to occupy your mind with foolishness, speak the Word.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
He'll never allow more than I can bear. Wait for God to make the way of escape. Your promise still stands. Great is your faithfulness.
Move #3: the comfort found in commitment to the words
So there's a conflict that comes with being committed to the Word. But there's something else God wants us to see:
2. Commitment to the Word brings comfort.
111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.
Testimony is something a witness gives. The Bible bears witness or testifies about who God is. Your testimonies are my heritage. Your Word is my inheritance.
When you think of an inheritance, you think about a treasure, something of incalculable value. It's my inheritance forever, more precious than gold. It is my joy.
Why is the Word of God our joy? Why does it give us comfort? Let me give you just a few reasons God's Word is a joy.
A. By the story it tells us.
First of all, the Word reveals God to us. Genesis 1:1 says in the beginning, God. He is the first cause, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.But we don't just learn that he is the Creator, we get to learn his character. We get to learn about God's unconditional love. We get to learn about God's commitment, that he's a covenant-keeping God.And we also learn who we are. We learn that we are not the product of chance or random evolution, but God made us individually. Just as God designed everything in the universe with a purpose, we also have a purpose.We learned that the reason why the world is in the condition that it's in is because of sin. Death, disease, pain are all the result of rejecting God. Rejecting God has consequences. Love allows choices. If you don't love God, he loves you enough to honor your decision not to spend eternity with him.And we also learn God didn't give up on the human family. He didn't abandon us. God keeps relentlessly pursuing us. He sent his son to redeem us so that we could be reconciled to God.
If you are a believer, that story never gets old. It does something inside of you.
B. By the work it does in us.
But even more than that, it's with the Word of God does in us. It does with nothing else can do. Only God's Word has the power to bring the spiritually dead to life. Salvation begins the process of transformation on the inside. We think and even speak differently.
Simply put, the Word is alive, and it produces life. That's why it's compared to a seed. The Word has tremendous potential energy. Something that seems so small can produce a bountiful harvest.
Commitment brings comfort. And based on what he's learned from God's Word about God, he says in verse 108.
108 Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules.
Lord, please accept my offering of praise. My offering Lord is my praise. Now notice with me is a free-will offering. It's not something mandatory; it's a spontaneous reaction with no strings attached. No one's twisting my arm. In my praise is directed to the Lord. All caps, meaning the Hebrew translated Lord is the covenant name, Yahweh. I know him personally.
Knowledge of God leads to worship. I can't praise God and tell him I love him if I don't love what he's said to me. How can I say that I love him and not do what he has commanded? Do not stray from his law.
Move #4: the confidence produced by commitment to the Word
And now, having faced the challenges, enjoyed comfort from the Word, I want you to see the confidence commitment to the Word brings.
3. Commitment to the Word brings confidence.
He makes two requests.
107 I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
Give me life according to Your Word. Restore my energy and my vitality, oh God. I am afflicted, oppressed, and brought low; Lord restore me to 100%.
Now to ask God for life according to his Word means that you believe he's made a promise to renew your strength. I wouldn't ask God for life unless I had the confidence that he would give it to me. He'll give it to me if I ask. He's done it for others, and he will do it for me.
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
And let me tell you, without the Word you didn't, you wouldn't know that you could pray that way. Without knowledge of the Word we don't know what to thank him for, or what promises to stand on. God is a life-giver.
And the 2nd thing he asks is in verse 108.
108 Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules.
Teach me your rules. Now to say "teach me," means I know there's more to learn. And I want all that I can get. The more I learn about you, God, the more I love you. If what I know has blessed me like this so far, I want more. I'm all in.
Friends, the more you know God, the more confidence you will have in your prayer life. It's not just what he says, but it's kept his character as well.
The converse is true. The more you sin against God, the less confident you will be in your prayer life. The psalmist has confidence in God because he chose not to stray. He has confidence because he hasn't forgotten God's law.
Ask God to teach you his instruction and ask God to give you life and don't settle for a trap.
Move #5: the confirmation of commitment to the Word
As we concluded, I want you to see how he ends the Psalm where he started.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.
Now we understand why that was so important to make the Word his light and lamp. He's in a dark place. He's afflicted, the wicked have made a snare for him.
But he has decided to make an oath that he will fulfill it, and his commitment has not diminished. Actually, the challenges have made him stronger. You see, there are very few things you can control and life. You can't control how other people behave, you can't control all of your circumstances, but you can control your commitment to God. You can make that decision.
Now rounding off in verse 112
112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.
I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever. To incline means to lean in, no holding back. Leaning into God and his commands in his Word. Leaning into his decrees. I'm committed not just to knowing about God but knowing him doing his will. It doesn't do me any good just to know what God has said. I have to be a hero and a Doer. Lean in. Today confirm your commitment to knowing God's Word.