Psalm 119:78-80 A WORD-SHAPED LIFE (Part 4)

A WORD-SHAPED LIFE (Part 4)

A WORD-SHAPED LIFE RELATES TO OTHERS BIBLICALLY

As we have observed in our study of Psalm 119:73-77, we must live a Word-Shaped life. By this we understand that every part of our lives, our thoughts, our speech, and our action, must be shaped by the Word of God. Like Play Dough being forced into the mold, and thus taking its shape, we must be pressed into the Word of God so that God’s thoughts would become our thoughts.

There is no area of our lives which is not to be in submission to the Word of God. Additionally, there are no situations in which we find ourselves in that the Word of God does not bear supreme importance.

This week we will look at 119:78-80. As we will see momentarily, these verses address our relationships to other people, primarily: to those opposed to the Word of God, to those who accept the Word of God, and finally to ourselves as we related to the Word of God. These verses provide us with a wealth of understanding of how to relate to one another, and if we heed these truths we will live a Word-Shaped Life.

Or, to put it another way, we must related to others biblically in order to live a Word-Shaped Life.

I. A WORD-SHAPED LIFE RELATES TO THOSE OPPOSED TO THE WORD OF GOD BIBLICALLY- 119:78

Like an ever-decreasing circle, the psalmist moves from the broadest group of humanity, those opposed to God’s Word, to a narrower group, those who accept God’s Word, and finally to the smallest group, our relationship to the Word of God.

Beginning with the largest group, the psalmist says “May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie; But I shall mediate on Your precepts.”

A. The Character of Those Opposed to the Word of God—the arrogant

The psalmist’s description of those opposed to the Word of God is arrogant. The idea behind this word can be summed up with one word: rebel. It is connected with the wicked, those who oppose God at every turn.

Those who oppose God’s Word come in all different shades. There are those who outrightly deny the Word of God. Such would be Satan, as when he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-5). These individuals are atheists, denying God and His Word. Present day representatives of this type of rebellion to God’s Word are individuals like Richard Dawkins. His hatred for God is apparent in his writings. These individuals cannot seem to exhale a single breath without an attempt to dishonor God and His Word. And I am sure we know this kind of individual.

However, not everyone who opposes God does so in such flamboyant manners. In fact, many feel safe in what they deem an agnostic approach. They do not flat out deny the existence of a god, they simply believe there is no way of truly knowing, and thus it is futile to attempt to live any different. Now, please bear in mind that I am speaking in highly simplistic terms. These thoughts are incredibly complex, but in order not to bore you to death with details, I want to conduct a flyover. This type of individual is represented in Pharoah, who simply denied that he knew the LORD, Exodus 5:2. Perhaps arguments are made about the potential mistakes or inaccuracies in the Bible, or questions about who Adam’s sons married, or how many animals could fit on such a tiny ark. Either way, though not as in your face about it, these individuals still rebel against God.

Finally, there are those who would identify as believers. They talk the talk but fail to walk the walk. They are best represented in James 1:22 as “hearers only.” That is, they do not outrightly deny God, and they go beyond the view that they simply do not know God. In fact, they claim to know God! They know His Word, and yet they do not submit to it. Like the pharisees who had mastered the Word of God intellectually, they failed to entertain the “weightier matters of the law,” they were “hearers only.”

These will be the people of whom Christ spoke, “No everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Matt. 7:21)

You see, while the expression of each group is different, like roses and lilies and daisies, they all still have one thing in common, i.e. all are flowers: the quality of arrogance. They are rebellious against the Word of God outrightly, subversively, and secretly. That is their character.

B. The Action of Those Opposed to the Word of God—they subvert me with a lie

These individuals, varied in their expressions of rebellion as are the flowers, subvert those who live a Word-Shaped Life with lies.

The idea here is that these individuals who arrogantly oppose the Word of God find their purpose in deceiving those who live Word-Shaped lives.

It is not enough that they rebel against it, they must also make those who believe and accept the Word lives’ miserable. It is a Romans 1:32 case example.

These individuals commit fraud, they smear the names of those who live Word-Shaped lives. They deceive them, they lie and attempt to discredit them.

Notice the order in which this verse carries out: character and then action, which confirms Jesus’ teaching of the root-fruit metaphor (Matt. 7:15-20).

Now that we have examined their character and their actions, what is our response? You see, the Word-Shaped Life relates to those opposed to the Word of God in a very specific fashion.

C. The Biblical Response of a Word-Shaped Life to Those Who Oppose the Word of God—May the arrogant be ashamed…I shall meditate on Your precepts

The psalmist’s response is two-fold.

1. He prays that they would be ashamed

The psalmist’s desires to see them experience shame. This is not a sick request for the arrogant, but a merciful one. “God, let them see their sinfulness and feel shame!” Let it produce a godly sorrow, as Paul calls it, and let them repent of their sins and trust in the saving Work of Christ! (2 Cor. 7:10; 2 Tim. 2:24-26)

We do this with humility, considering the fact that, without the grace of God, there we would be!

2. He purposes to focus on God’s Word

Rather than occupy himself with fretful worry, the psalmist chooses to focus on God’s Word. And what a necessary reminder for us today! How often do we obsess over the actions of others, those who seem to get away with it?

Like the psalmist who is experiencing this subversion with lies, he prays for their repentance and then moves on to God’s Word. He meditates on it.

When you meditate on something, you have no time to think about anything else. Paul knows the importance of filling our minds, like water in a swimming pool, with God’s truth.

Philippians 4:8 provides an exhaustive list of objects of meditation, all found within the pages of Scripture.

II. A WORD-SHAPED LIFE RELATES TO THOSE WHO ACCEPT IT BIBLICALLY- 119:79

So, the psalmist describes how to related to those who oppose God’s Word, but what about those who accept it? Like our previous point, we will examine their character, their actions, and the psalmist’s response.

A. The Character of Those Who Accept the Word of God—those who know Your testimonies

The psalmist describes these individuals are knowing the testimonies of God. As we have learned in our study of Psalm 119, there are many words used for God’s Word, and testimonies is one of those words.

The word know is used in a variety of manners, to describe the intimacy between a husband and wife, to describe the knowledge gleaned from study, and so on. Here, it is used to describe the psalmist’s intimate understanding of God’s Word. This individual knows, through study and practical application, God’s testimonies.

These people love God’s Word, they live a Word-Shaped Life! That is their character. Do you know someone like this? Where, though they are not perfect, almost every facet of their lives are shaped by God’s Word? These people are characterized by the Word of God because they accept it, they submit to it in humility, as contrasted with the arrogant rebellion of those who oppose God’s Word.

B. The Action of Those Who Accept the Word of God—may those who fear You

The actions of those who know God’s testimonies live differently. They fear God, a term that is used to describe how one relates to God and to people (Prov. 1:7; Gen. 42:18).

You see, when individuals know God’s Word, they live a Word-Shaped life. Their life, like the mold that shapes the Play Dough, fits their life into the image of Jesus Christ.

So, how do we respond to those who accept God’s Word?

C. The Biblical Response of a Word-Shaped Life to Those Who Accept the Word of God—turn to me

This phrase seems a little odd, but Matthew Henry sheds some light,

“He does not mean so much that they might side with him, and take up arms in his cause, as that they might love him, and pray for him, and associate with him.”—Matthew Henry

In other words, the biblical response to those who live a Word-shaped life is to be together, or to assemble. We need each other! There is so much we could say here of the importance of the church, and do we ever long to return to regular worship. I think, however, that the coronavirus has helped with is our appreciation of the physical gathering together.

So, brothers and sisters, we assemble together with those who accept God’s Word!

III. A WORD-SHAPED LIFE RELATES TO ITSELF BIBLICALLY- 119:80

We have discussed two primary groups of people: those who oppose God’s Word and those who accept God’s Word. Now we will turn our attention to ourselves, how we relate to ourselves biblically.