7. Spiritual Preparation for Hard Times (1), Psalm 119:1-24

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Hymns: RHC 251 Thy Word Is Like a Garden 254 Break Thou the Bread of Life, 255 Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart 

Spiritual Preparation for Hard Times (1)

Psalm 119:1-24 (KJV)

1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. 5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! 6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. 7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 12 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. 13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

 17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. 18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me. 20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. 21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. 22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes. 24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.

 

INTRODUCTION

Psalm 119 describes the key to victorious life in the midst of trials and afflictions. God’s Word is the key to our survival in the challenges of life. As you read through all 176 verses, notice that the psalmist is crying almost throughout the psalm. Indeed, life is full of trouble, tears and sorrow. This is a fallen world that we live in. Yet there is peace, hope and joy in his heart. What was the secret for the psalmist? It is the Word of God that kept and sustained him through his afflictions and trials. I have divided the book into 4 sections in the study of psalm 119 for your encouragement in times of trials and afflictions.

I. Blessedness of 
Embracing God’s Word (v1–40)

  • CleansingpowerofGod’sWord(v9–16)
  • Counselling power of God’s Word (v17–24)
  • Strengthening power of God’s Word (v25–32)
  • Establishing power of God’s Word (v33–40) 


II. Blessedness of
walking with God (v41–96)

  • The LORD delivers (v41–48) 

  • The LORD comforts(v49–56) 

  • The LORD loves (v57–64) 

  • The LORD chastens (v65–72) 

  • The LORD moulds (v73–80)
  • The LORD helps (v81–88) 

  • The LORD upholds (v89–96) 


 III. Blessedness of
growing in the LORD (v97–144)

  • Growing to love His Word (v97–104)
  • Growing to rejoice in His Word (v105–112)
  • Growing to hope in His Word (v113–120)
  • Growing to highly esteem His Word (v121–128)
  • Growing to order my steps in His Word (v129–136)
  • Growing to delight in His Word (v137–144) 


 IV. Blessedness of
trusting in the LORD (v145–176)

  • With unfeigned hope (v145–152)
  • With renewed love (v153–160)
  • With abiding peace (v161–168)
  • With unceasing praise (v169–176) 


Psalm 119 is an acrostic psalm with each of the 22 sections of 8 verses beginning with succeeding letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This is done to facilitate learning – it is a memory aid. The psalm is written in thanksgiving to God for the blessings of embracing God’s Word in a believer’s life. The psalmist praises God for giving to him His Word and is resolved to allow the Word of God to guide his life. How about you? How much is God’s Word an integral part of your life?

The psalmist tells us of the blessedness of embracing God’s Word because God’s Word cleanses, counsels, strengthens, establishes God’s people.

 

(I) BLESSEDNESS OF EMBRACING GOD’S WORD (V1-8)

1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. 5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! 6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. 7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. Psalm 119:1-8 (KJV)

The preface of the psalm (v1-8) introduces the theme – blessings of embracing God’s Word in the believer’s life. The way to blessing is in obedience to God’s Word (v1-4). He understood the blessings of walking with God and is resolved to walk in holiness knowing its best for him acknowledged his weaknesses and the need to mortify them (v5-8).

The psalmist speaks of the blessings of a wholehearted devotion toward walking with God according to His Word. The “undefiled” has been washed by the blood of the Lamb and is clean every whit. Notice the verbs the psalmist used to tell us of his spiritual life – keep, seek, do not, walk. There is a purposeful resolve in the heart of the psalmist to walk with God.

The blessings of embracing God’s Word are (1) honour from God, for he says “I shall not be ashamed.” (v6) (2) Rejoicing – “I will praise” (v7) (3) God’s presence (v8).

 

(1) Cleansing Power of God’s Word (v9-16)

(2) Counselling Power of God’s Word (v 17-24)

(3) Strengthening Power of God’s Word (v 25-32)

(4) Establishing Power of God’s Word (v 33-40)

 

(1) THE CLEANSING POWER OF GOD’S WORD (V9-16)

9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 12 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach (Piel) me thy statutes. 13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Psalm 119:9-16 (KJV)

 The Word of God cleanses the soul. Defilement of sin in the believer’s life can be cleansed.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The secret is in the believer’s quiet time, “with my whole heart have I sought Thee”. Not only is God’s Word a cleansing power for the young man, it does the same for the old.

The believer’s quiet time is private devotion time, set aside for the purpose of cultivating a rich spiritual life. It is an appointment with God. The believer’s quiet time seeks to move him/her from a state of stress to a state of rest. The cultivation of a calm spirit in the peace and joy of God is the frame of a man in touch with God. The believer’s quiet time is the high point of private worship. The elements of private devotion are prayer, the reading and meditation of God’s Word. He considers God’s Word as true riches (v14).

What is God’s message for me this day? The quiet time must not deteriorate to a thoughtless routine. It must not take away the excitement and delight of the soul in the pursuit of God. Yet there is a need to have self-discipline to cultivate a habit of life-long devotion to God.

When we hide God’s Word in our heart, it has a sanctifying effect in the believer. Therefore, he encourages us to rejoice, meditate and delight in God’s Word. The cleansing power of God’s Word must be experienced. Is this your experience?

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Tim 3:16-17 (KJV)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the knowledge of God and from God in Scripture is the highest knowledge, the apex of all knowledge and Paul is commending the perfect precepts of Scriptures to Timothy. It is the basis or foundation of our faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

This is the same message Moses gave to the children of Israel in the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 6:6-9 “6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Likewise, Moses gave the same instruction for the leaders of Israel. The kings are commanded by God to write a copy of Scriptures for themselves and to study and to live by it all their lives. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 17:18-20, “18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.”

When the kings failed to read and abide by the safety of Scriptures, they fell. The kingdom and the entire nation fell. This can be attested in the divided kingdom when Solomon who lived a life disobedient to the Scriptures died. It is sad to realise that the good kings are few and far in between. Most abandon God’s perfect law. Therefore, they paid a heavy price in their ruined lives.

Let every sincere Christian therefore, resolve in his or her heart that if God’s word be of the highest authority, then I must give it the highest place in my heart; I must live by the word, and act by the word and die by the word.

For our encouragement, Scripture gave to us in the book of Job, the earliest recorded writing of Scripture such a man of God – Job 1:1 “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed (hate) evil.” The word “perfect” does not mean sinless perfection but holiness. He was a man who walked with God, who made right with God by that close communion with God. He made right with God and he interceded for his children daily. God Himself pronounced him “perfect.”

(2) COUNSELING POWER OF GOD’S WORD (V17-24)

17 Deal bountifully (Qal) with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. 18 Open (Piel) thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me. 20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. 21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. 22 Remove (Qal) from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes. 24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors. Psalm 119:17-24 (KJV)

 V17-18 The counselling power of God’s Word in the believer’s life comes when God opens our spiritual eyes to behold the wonders of His truths. It comes from the illumination of the Holy Spirit, supernaturally given through prayer as he ponders and prays over God’s counsel.

V19 As a child of God, he has lived in the world but not of the world, a pilgrim and a stranger. This world is not his home. His affections are set on heavenly things and not temporal earthly things that ultimately disappoints. He would like to continue living that life of holiness before God in the world.

V20 The judgments of God makes clear right from wrong, truth from error. And the judgments of God refer to plagues executed upon transgressors. He is careful to be on the Lord’s side. Where he has erred, he sought to make right quickly with the Lord.

V21 He has seen the judgment of God upon the disobedient and it struck fear in his heart. He dared not be proud and sought to keep his heart tender and lowly before God, knowing he is an unworthy sinner.

V22 He sought the Lord to clear his name from a myriad of accusations so that he may continue steadfast in his duties before God.

Revelation 12:10-11 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

There was a black spot on one of the walls of the room Martin Luther (the 16th century reformer) occupied during his imprisonment. When suffering from great depression, he declared on 14th May 1521: “I do see myself insensible and hardened, a slave to sloth, rarely, alas! praying – unable to utter a groan for the Church, while my untamed flesh burns with devouring flame.” One night, during his mournful solitude, the great reformer dreamt that Satan appeared to him with a long scroll, in which were carefully written the many sins and transgressions of which he was guilty from his birth, and which the evil one proceeded to read out, mocking that such a sinner as he should ever think of being called to do service for God, or even of escaping himself from hell. As the long list was being read out, Luther’s terrors grew, and his agonies of soul increased. At last, however, rousing himself, he jumped up and exclaimed: “It is all true, Satan, and many more sins which I have committed in my life which are known to God only; but write at the bottom of your list, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sins” and grasping the inkstand on his table he threw it at the devil, who soon fled, the memorial of it being left in the ink-splash on the wall.

God’s Word helps him to distinguish the good from the evil, and inclines his heart to depart from those who despise God’s ways. It gives him strength to stand firm against persecutions (v23).

He sought the Lord to make a way for him, protect him from evil. He is a servant to his Master. He sought the Lord to deal with him with grace and mercy.

V23 The statutes of the Lord referred pre-eminently to the sacrifice for sin, and the cleansings for purifications that were prescribed by the Law. [Treasury of David]

V24 God’s Word provides for him the needful guidance through life. He cannot do without it to dwell safely moment by moment before God.

To be continued…