When Will You Comfort Me?
Notes
Transcript
This morning’s Scripture lesson comes from Psalm 119:81-88. Psalm 119 is the longest of the Psalms. In fact, it is the longest chapter in the Bible, longer than many books! It is carefully structured into 22 stanzas of eight verses each, following the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is a celebration of God’s Word, as the perfect guide for life.
The stanza we are reading for today, celebrates the hope God’s Word gives us in the midst of persecution.
My soul longs for your salvation;
I hope in your word.
My eyes long for your promise;
I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
How long must your servant endure?
When will you judge those who persecute me?
The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
they do not live according to your law.
All your commandments are sure;
they persecute me with falsehood; help me!
They have almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
In your steadfast love give me life,
that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.
Verse 82 of our text asks us one of life’s most important questions, “When Will You Comfort Me?”. It is a question we have all asked ourselves. However, most of us assume we are not asking this question because of persecution. Life is filled with all sorts of pains that cause us to ask, “When will you comfort me?”, but as in the case of Job, there is more going on than meets the eye! Job suffered the loss of property, children and health; but his real pain was the persecution of false accusation.
In answering this question, I want to look at three things from our text:
The Reality and Pain of Persecution
The Tactics of Those Who Persecute Us
The Hope God’s Word Gives Us
We begin with...
The Reality and Pain of Persecution
The Reality and Pain of Persecution
The first four verses make it clear that the Psalmist is writing about being persecuted. The Psalmist asks, “When will you judge those who persecute me?” He “longs for [God’s] salvation” and for God’s promises to be fulfilled. He describes his pain this way, “I have become like a wineskin in the smoke.” The psalmist is saying that he feels like an unused wineskin, hanging in the rafters. becoming shriveled by the smoke. This is a picture of feeling “dried up.” Have you ever felt emotionally, physically and mentally “dried up”? I am sure you have.
Now, I want you to consider the example of Job. The first chapter of the book of Job ends with these intriguing words...
In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Do you see what was happening here? Although the combined disasters Job suffered was greater than any we have suffered, he was still holding up! Then came the accusations: first his own thoughts, then his wife and finally his three best friends; it was at this point that he felt all dried up “like a wineskin in the smoke.” It is the persecution we receive at the hand of others that make the sufferings of life intolerable.
Last week we looked at Elijah’s confrontation with the priests of Baal and I said in that sermon, “To insist upon the exclusive worship and service to the one true God is to make yourself a troublemaker and ultimately to make oneself a target.” This is not just my opinion; the Apostle Paul wrote:
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
We used this verse in our responsive reading this morning. I purposefully had you repeat this verse several times, because I wanted it burned into your memory. My dear brothers and sister in Christ, you are a target!
I also included Ephesians 6:12:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
In Revelation 12, Satan is called “the accuser of the brothers.” He is said to accuse Christians “day and night before God” (Rev 12:9-10). The devil is an opportunist, he is just waiting for the troubles of life to befall us and he immediately pounces upon us with his accusations. This my brothers and sisters, is why we feel so dried up. We are not just facing the burden of the loss of property, or child, or health; we are facing the powers of darkness who are attempting cause us to lose our faith! This is why we feel like dried up wineskins.
To help us recognize what is going on, God has given us the battle plan of those who attack us. The tactics of the devil and the wicked people who follow him are always the same. Our text lays them out very clearly for us.
The Tactics of Those Who Persecute the Godly
The Tactics of Those Who Persecute the Godly
The tactics of the wicked are always the same:
They Dig a Pit
They Tell a Lie
They Seek to Eliminate
They Dig a Pit
They Dig a Pit
We find this in verse 85. As I suggested earlier, the devil and his followers are opportunists. They usually just have to make us of the trials and tribulations life throws at us, but sometimes, they must purposefully manufacture them, as Satan did in the book of Job.
Regardless as to whether or not these pitfalls are created purposefully or by opportunity. They provide an opportunity for our opponents to attack us through falsehoods.
They Tell a Lie
They Tell a Lie
We find this in verse 86, “they persecute me with falsehood”.
These “falsehoods” are lies either about either our self or God.
Consider what lies are spoken against us either by verbally by wicked people or in our thoughts by fallen spiritual beings:
You are suffering this tragedy because you have sinned, and God is angry with you.
Your faith is worthless. Your God is powerless. This current tragedy is proof!
This tragedy is proof God does not love or care for you.
All these are lies! How do I know? I know because the Bible tells me so!
If we turn to Scripture, we discover, each and every one of these accusations are a lie. In Romans 8, for example, we read:
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
No wonder the psalmists says, “I hope in your word.” The best defense against persecution is the truth of Scripture!
They Seek to Eliminate
They Seek to Eliminate
In verse 87 we read, “They have almost made an end of me on earth.”
Jesus said this about His opponents:
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The “Cancel Culture” is not new. It is as old as the devil himself!
But against the devil and his allies, stands the truth of God’s Word!
The Hope God’s Word Gives Us
The Hope God’s Word Gives Us
As so often happens in the psalms, the psalmists answers his own question. Let me turn your attention to verse 81 again:
Notice how this Psalm begins and ends with hope in God’s Word? Notice how the psalmist counters every attack with God’s Word. The psalmist does not forget God statutes (vs. 83); he lives according to God’s law (vs. 85); he counters lies with the knowledge that God’s commands are sure (vs. 86); he counters their murderous plots by being faithful to God’s precepts and he has the hope that he will keep God’s testimonies because of God’s steadfast love (vs. 88)!
Some ministers are afraid of their congregation asking hard questions. I am not afraid of you asking hard questions as long as you have God’s Word in the other hand.
The question before us today, “When will you comfort me?”, is one of life’s most practical and important questions. Some of you who are listening to this message today have wounds that seem to refuse to heal. I have asked you to consider in this message that there are forces both seen and unseen that are determined to destroy you. They see your pain as an opportunity to dig a pit of lies to eliminate both you and your faith. Against this persecution that dries us up like wineskins hanging in the rafters of a smoky building, is the refreshing water of God’s Word. The book of Revelation, which was given to encourage Christians in the midst of persecution ends with this promise:
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Jesus, the eternal Word of God, is here today to refresh your dry and thirsty soul.
When will God comfort us? He already has!