People of the Word, Pt. 2
Notes
Transcript
“Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem, an alphabet of prayers and reflections on the Word of God, giving each Hebrew letter its turn to introduce 8 verses on the subject.” - Derek Kidner
I love that line from Kidner: “an alphabet of prayers and reflections...”
That’s exactly what the psalmist has done. He’s taken each letter of the Hebrew alphabet and written 8 lines that all start with that letter. He makes a large point, a very long point about the Word of God.
Psalm 119 is an “alphabet of prayers and reflections”, a love poem from the psalmist to God. A love poem we are meant to read and reflect upon, to sing and to pray, to meditate upon and rejoice in.
I don’t know about you, but I enjoyed the poetry section of my English classes in high school and college (mostly).
Some poetry is moving. Other poetry is just plain strange. I think it was Elizabeth Barrett Browning who wrote a poem about a microscope. Edgar Allen Poe’s Annabelle Lee is dark and uncomfortable and really weird, especially when you realize what he’s getting at.
There’s some poetry, though, that does its job and really hits you square in the feelings:
“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way
because I don’t know any other way of loving
but this, in which there is no I nor you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep
it is your eyes that close.” -Pablo Neruda
E.E. Cummings wrote my favorite love poem. While Meghann and I were still dating, I printed this poem and put it a frame with our picture. I know, I know…I’m the sweetest.
“here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)”
It all might seem a little cheesy, a little over-the-top; that is, until you’re in love and then the words of a famous poem can’t quite get at what you’re feeling.
If we really read and pay attention to what Psalm 119 is saying, we might feel like the psalmist is being a little cheesy, a little over-the-top. That is, until you understand.
129 Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant,
longing for your commands.
132 Turn to me and have mercy on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression,
that I may obey your precepts.
135 Make your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.
That’s some fairly emotive poetry: panting, longing, streams of tears.
That’s passionate and dramatic. Who actually feels that way about laws and precepts and statutes?
Reading this Psalm should make us ask: “How do I feel about the Word of God?”
A very common feeling to have about the Word of God is indifference. “I mean, look at all those words! It’s a lot! Have you ever tried to read through Numbers or Leviticus?”
Even people who love to read can become fairly indifferent toward God’s Word. There’s an awful lot of stuff in the Bible that’s hard to grasp, hard to understand. “It just goes on and on and on and I don’t get it.”
Sometimes people are indifferent toward or bored by God’s Word. Other times, people are dismissive of it. “It’s irrelevant,” they say, “It’s not for me; it’s fine for other people, but it’s not my thing.”
Still others are openly hostile to the Bible’s teaching. This happens in academia and amongst many people in the world. They believe the Bible is antiquated, out-dated, filled with hatred.
There’s hostility toward the Word of God, even in the church.
After I left for college, my home church experienced a split. My parents left the church they’d been part since moving to Greensburg. They left along with the pastor and several other families.
Now most of the time, church splits are caused by personality clashes, disagreements in secondary (even tertiary) doctrines. Many splits are the result of something really stupid: arguments over music or the color of the carpet, chairs vs. pews, and leadership styles.
My parents left our church for one of the few justifiable reasons (that is, they should have left; I would have been disappointed if they hadn’t).
During an all-church meeting, the pastor brought up something the Bible clearly taught, and in response, one of the elders stood up, pointed his finger at Pastor Charlie and yelled, “Don’t you go throwing that Bible at me! I DO NOT CARE what it has to say.”
There’s open hostility toward the Word of God, even, at times, within the church.
Reading Psalm 119 should make us ask: “How do I feel about the Word of God?” We can’t stop at deciding what we merely believe about the Word; we must feel something for God’s Word.
Let’s read the second stanza of Psalm 119:
9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
The Psalmist, throughout Psalm 119, wants the readers of this love poem to:
DELIGHT IN THE WORD OF GOD
DELIGHT IN THE WORD OF GOD
The psalmist praises, rejoices, delights in God’s Word and the God who speaks. The testimonies, the commandments, the precepts, the statutes, the promises—they are all his delight.
Delight isn’t just pleasure, but joy. It’s festive, exultant. He has a sense of fondness, enjoyment. He loves God’s Word. He has a relationship with God’s Word.
God’s Word is sweet to him:
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
The words of Scripture are the joy of his heart:
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
They are wonderful to him:
129 Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.
He loves them:
167 I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.
You might be a little skeptical. Like, what is this guy drinking? I’ll have what he’s having!
You may not have any delight—or not delight like this—for reading God’s Word.
I bet there’s something, though, that brings you delight. If you’re a grandparent, reading a news clipping about your grandchild’s accomplishment fills you with delight. Parents love to read the stories their kids make up. Miracle wrote a short graphic novel entitled “Dolphins with Opposable Thumbs.” Genius. It was delightful.
There are many great works of literature in which we delight. We want to read them again and again and again.
I realize some people don’t like to read at all. But the Bible is different. Sure, it can be dull at points if we’re just reading it to read it. Checking a box off a daily to-do list isn’t the best motivation for reading the Bible.
When we realize what a gift we have, I think we’ll start approaching the delight the psalmist feels. The psalmist realizes the words of Scripture are the very words of God, breathed-out by Him!
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So glorious and delightful is the Word of God, that Paul has to make up a word for it. There’s nothing else like it. It doesn’t belong in the same sentence or category as any other book. It has no peer. There is no other book—not one—and there never will be another book that is theopneustos, God-breathed.
The psalmist and Paul and every other person with eyes to see and ears to hear understands that Scripture (these 66 books) are unlike anything else.
These are the Words of the Living God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. The One who spoke all things into existence has recorded and preserved for US His laws and commands and promises and precepts.
It should be our delight to read and hear and memorize and meditate upon what our God has said. We have before us the breathed-out Word of God! What a delight, what joy!
It should be our delight to read this book that brings us face-to-face with the One who possesses all greatness, beauty, and power.
Taken as a whole, this is the greatest story ever told! And those who know it best are those who delight in it the most.
The psalmist express his delight and great love for the commands of God:
48 I reach out for your commands, which I love,
that I may meditate on your decrees.
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;
therefore I love your statutes.
127 Because I love your commands
more than gold, more than pure gold,
140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
and your servant loves them.
The author of Psalm 119 also expresses his anger when God’s Word is not delighted in. He gets rightly mad when the wicked ignore and forsake the word and commandments of God:
53 Indignation grips me because of the wicked,
who have forsaken your law.
139 My zeal wears me out,
for my enemies ignore your words.
158 I look on the faithless with loathing,
for they do not obey your word.
He has some strong words for those who despise God’s Word. We might think some of this is a little bit harsh, which might reveal how little we treasure the Word of God.
How do you think Don would feel if he was telling you how much he loved Linda, how great a wife and mother and grandmother she was, and you just shrugged your shoulders and said, “Yeah, I guess she’s okay...”
He’d be well within his rights to get angry and beat you with his cane.
If you told me about your kids—how smart, how beautiful, how kind and incredible they are—and I said, “Eh, they’re not that special,” I don’t have to wonder how that would go over. It wouldn’t go well. You’d probably want to borrow Don’s cane...
When someone else has a low opinion of what we know to be precious and special, it rightly angers us.
“Extreme delight in someone or something naturally leads to extreme disgust when others consider that person or thing not worthy of their delight.” -DeYoung
Those who delight in God’s Word cannot be indifferent to those who disregard it.
Let’s continue reading:
17 Be good to your servant while I live,
that I may obey your word.
18 Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
19 I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide your commands from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your laws at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed,
those who stray from your commands.
22 Remove from me their scorn and contempt,
for I keep your statutes.
23 Though rulers sit together and slander me,
your servant will meditate on your decrees.
24 Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.
The Psalmist, throughout Psalm 119, wants the readers of this love poem to:
LONG FOR THE WORD OF GOD
LONG FOR THE WORD OF GOD
There are at least 6 times in Psalm 119 where the songwriter expresses his longing to keep the commands of God (twice in what we just read, vv. 17 and 20) and then again in verses:
5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying your decrees!
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
40 How I long for your precepts!
In your righteousness preserve my life.
131 I open my mouth and pant,
longing for your commands.
And there are another 14 times across the 176 verses where he expresses a desire to know and understand the Word of God (vv. 18, 19, 27, 29, 33, 34, 35, 64, 66, 73, 124, 125, 135, 169).
Desire and longing are a big part of life. One of the words used in Psalm 119 is an emotional attachment to an object, a wanting of that object.
Isn’t your life filled with desire or longing in some form or another?
If I was a betting man (I’m only a betting man when I play Texas Hold ‘Em because I’m pretty good)—if I was a betting man, I’d wager you have strong desires and longing where your marriage is concerned, longings related to your children, grandchildren, jobs, promotions, houses, vacations, revenge, recognition.
Some of your desires are good. Some of your longings are good and healthy. Some desires and longings are bad, sinful even.
You’re passionate about something. You have a deep, deep longing for ____________________.
Amongst your desires and longings—whatever they might be—how strong is your desire to know and to understand and to keep the Word of God?
The smartest Bible minds I’ve ever known aren’t the people with Bible degrees or the professors who teach the Bible. The smartest Bible minds I’ve ever encountered are those Christians who have a desire and a longing for God’s Word.
Over the course of my life, the people who know God’s Word down deep in their bones are the little, old ladies who have taught Sunday School for 50 years or people like my father who have read their Bible cover-to-cover, over and over again, not because they had to, but because they wanted to know God better and more deeply, more personally.
Such is the longing of the psalmist for the Word of God that he considered suffering to be a blessing in his life if it helped him become more obedient to God’s commands:
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.
68 You are good, and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.
That’s a longing for the Word of God, a deep desire to have the words of God imprinted on your mind, written on your heart. A longing, a desire, a love for God’s Word permeates this psalm.
Let’s continue reading:
25 I am laid low in the dust;
preserve my life according to your word.
26 I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;
teach me your decrees.
27 Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28 My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
29 Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law.
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.
31 I hold fast to your statutes, Lord;
do not let me be put to shame.
32 I run in the path of your commands,
for you have broadened my understanding.
The Psalmist, throughout Psalm 119, wants the readers of this love poem to:
DEPEND UPON THE WORD OF GOD
DEPEND UPON THE WORD OF GOD
The psalmist seems to be constantly aware of his need for the Word of God.
Verse 31 stands out to me: “I hold fast to your statues, Lord; do not let me be put to shame.”
Another way to say hold fast is cling, cleave, keep close. There are some pretty good illustrations of holding fast and clinging throughout the Bible. One of my favorites come from the book of Ruth.
Naomi’s husband died. And then her two sons died. And Naomi was left with her two daughters-in-law. She urged them to go back to their people. One of her daughters-in-law, Orpah, kissed her goodbye. But Ruth, we’re told, clung to her. Ruth clung and even begged to stay near.
That’s the picture of the psalmist with the Word of God. He clings to it, holds fast to it. He doesn’t want to leave God’s Word or for God’s Word to depart from him.
He is desperate for the encouragement found in God’s promises and rules:
50 My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.
52 I remember, Lord, your ancient laws,
and I find comfort in them.
There are a lot of things we want in life, but only a few things we really need.
This is the lesson everyone has to learn, and then, the lesson everyone tries to teach their children. “You don’t need that. You want that. I want that fully-restored 1970 Chevy Pickup I see outside Archie every time I drive down the interstate, but I don’t need it.”
There are few things we really need; the word of God is one of those things.
Does anyone remember when we preached through the book of Amos? During the time of Amos, the people of God were being punished by God. The most severe punishment?
11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
There’s nothing as bad as the silence of God. Lack of food and water doesn’t compare to a lack of hearing the words of the Lord.
Without God’s Word, we can’t know the truth.
Without God’s Word, we can’t know ourselves.
Without God’s Word, we can’t know God’s ways.
Without God’s Word, we cannot know God Himself.
If God hadn’t spoken to us through His Word, we would be sinking, drowning, dying. No, we’d be sunk. Drowned. Dead.
There should be utter dependence upon the Word of God felt by those who belong to God, by every true Christian.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, Jesus turned to the Word of God. Jesus knew what was true; Jesus depended upon the Word of God:
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 because it’s true. Manna didn’t fill the Israelites or satisfy them. The next church potluck won’t do the trick for us. The Word of God—every word which comes from Him—sustains His people.
Dependence upon the Word of God should mark the people of God.
What we believe and feel about the Word of God is crucial.
What we feel about the word of God is probably a good indication of what we feel about Jesus.
Jesus believed every word of what was written in the Scriptures—every jot and tittle, every letter, every mark of the quill.
If we’re His disciples, we should believe the same.
What’s more, Jesus is Himself the word made flesh. All the attributes of God’s Word—truth, righteousness, power, wisdom—will be found in the person of Christ.
Our desire, our longing for, our dependence upon the Word of God are not separated from our desire, our longing for, our dependence upon Jesus.
What you feel about the Word of God reveals what you feel about Jesus. If you don’t delight in the Word, there’s probably no delight for Jesus. If you don’t long for the Word, one wonders if there’s longing for Jesus. If you don’t depend upon the Word, you probably depend someone/something other than Jesus.
This is what the People of the Word do: delight, long for, depend upon God’s Word—to give them what they need, to speak truth, to orient their lives around that which is most important.