Psalm 119:162

We come today to the second verse of the octave of Psalm 119 entitled schin.

Psalms 119:162  I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.

In the previous verse the psalmist said he stood “in awe” of God’s word.  Here he rejoices at God’s word.  The more we fear the Lord and His word, the more we will rejoice in the Lord and His word.

Psalms 112:1  Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

As we stated in the last meditation, you will be most controlled by whatever you stand most in awe of.  And the more you are under the control of the blessed word of God, the more joy you will find in it.  Think about it.  You find little joy in anything or anyone you rebel against.  Therefore, it is a sign of spiritual health when you both tremble at God’s word and rejoice in it.  In fact, God promises joy to those who tremble at His word.

Isaiah 66:5  Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

Then the psalmist described how much he rejoiced in God’s word.  He rejoiced in it as one that findeth great spoil.  And men do rejoice when there is spoil to be gained.

Isaiah 9:3  …they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

To better appreciate this description let’s define the word spoil.

Spoil – Goods, esp. such as are valuable, taken from an enemy or captured in time of war; the possessions of which a defeated enemy is deprived or stripped by the victor; in more general sense, any goods, property, territory, etc. seized by force, acquired by confiscation, or obtained by similar means; booty, loot, plunder.

The definition of spoil suggests that there is a battle to be won and an enemy to be defeated if one is to enjoy the spoil.  The enjoyment of the spoil is a fruit of the victory.  In order for us to seize upon the riches of the Scriptures, we have to fight the lusts of our flesh and the temptations of Satan, for both our flesh and Satan are opposed to the word of God.  If you are as I, you have to overcome resistance to get into your Bible.  It is so easy to think of so many things to do instead of reading and meditating in the Scriptures.  And when I do sit down to read, I have to fight to keep my mind on what I am reading.  But whenever I suppress the flesh and resist the devil, and God opens my eyes; oh, the spoil, yea, the great spoil I find to the delight of my soul.  In fact, the spoil is so great, that the apostle Paul describes it as “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).  I appreciate the comments of Charles Spurgeon on this point:

“The profits made in searching the Scriptures were greater than the trophies of war.  We too have to fight for divine truth; every doctrine costs us a battle, but when we gain a full understanding of it by personal struggles it becomes doubly precious to us.”

I can quite relate to what Mr. Spurgeon wrote.  When I glean something from Scripture that helps me in a personal struggle, then that indeed becomes “doubly precious” to me.  Have I got a witness?

Psalm 119:161

We now arrive at the next to the last octave of Psalm 119 entitled Schin.  According to the pronunciation guide in my Bible, this letter schin would be pronounced like our word sheen as when you refer to the shininess of something you speak of its sheen. 

Psalms 119:161  ¶SCHIN. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

Let’s recall the definition of the word prince. 

Prince – 1. A sovereign ruler; a monarch, a king.  2. One who has the chief authority; a ruler, commander, governor, president; also, the head man, chief, or leader of a tribe.

This is the second verse of this psalm in which the psalmist mentions being opposed by those in chief authority.  The first verse to mention this is verse 23.

Psalms 119:23  Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.

There we saw those in authority using their governmental power to speak against the psalmist.  They were framing “mischief by a law” (Psalms 94:20).  In today’s verse we find these rulers persecuting the psalmist without a cause.  The psalmist had done nothing to warrant their opposing them.  He was guilty of nothing that could be construed as disobedience to their lawful authority.  He was like Daniel who was also persecuted by princes and that without a cause.

Daniel 6:4  Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

5  Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

But the princes who persecute God’s servants are not just the princes of this world that we see; they are also the princes of this world that we do not see.  Bearing in mind that a principality is the position, dignity, or dominion of a prince, note these two verses:

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Colossians 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him….

Although the psalmist met with persecution from those in high places, visible and invisible, he did not let the fear of them overpower and control him.  He remained stedfast in the fear of God and His word:  but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.    

To stand in awe of:  to be greatly afraid of, to dread; later, to entertain a profound reverence for.

Whatever you stand most in awe of will be the thing that most controls you.  While on the one hand we should fear, honour and obey lawful authority figures among men, our first fear and honour is ever owing to God.

Romans 13:7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Titus 3:1  Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

1 Peter 2:17  Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

Acts 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Therefore, if the fear of God ever comes into conflict with the fear of a prince, always choose the fear of God and His word.  And if you truly stand in awe of God, you will stand in awe of His word since His word is the very expression of His authority and that by which you shall be judged.  Furthermore, this awe that we should have of the word of God is a preventative against sinning against that word.

Psalms 4:4  Stand in awe, and sin not….

Today’s verse certainly points us to our Lord Jesus Christ Who was persecuted by princes, princes who were ignorant of Who He was and what He came to accomplish. 

1 Corinthians 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

And these princes had no cause to persecute Him and condemn Him as they did.  He was indeed persecuted without a cause.

John 15:25  But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

Luke 23:22  And he (Pilate) said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.

Acts 13:28  And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.

And blessed are His followers who stand in awe of His word and are likewise persecuted without a cause.

1 Peter 4:15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.

16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Psalm 119:160

Today’s verse brings us to the end of the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Resh,  This verse is particularly significant to me since it carries over onto the column of Bible text on the next page.  This column of text is the last column of Psalm 119 in my Bible.  Therefore, I am quite literally into the final stretch of Psalm 119.  The end is in sight.

Psalms 119:160  Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

God “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2).  Therefore, every word God has ever spoken is true and has been so from the beginning.  From the very first word of the Holy Scriptures in Genesis 1:1, which announces the beginning of creation, to the last “Amen” of Revelation 22:21, which completes the Scriptures, every word God has spoken from start to finish in the volume of the Book is true.   It starts out true and stays true.  Nothing that ever comes to pass will ever in any way detract from the truth of what God has said.  It will never change.

And every one of God’s righteous judgments endureth for ever.  One of the ten words used in this psalm to refer to the Scriptures is this word judgments.   Recall that this word refers to God’s decrees, ordinances, laws, and statutes.  When commenting on this word in the introduction to this psalm I wrote:  “These commandments or laws of God’s word are the judicial decrees of the sovereign Judge of the world.  By these laws we are to judge ourselves and others, and by them we shall be judged.”  Every one of God’s judgments is righteous.  He has never been mistaken in any decree or law He has handed down.  As Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The Lord has nothing to regret or retract, nothing to amend or to reverse.”  Sadly, the same cannot be said of all our judgments.  And whenever God declared a judgment to be penned in His word, that judgment will never pass away.  It will endure, that is, it will continue in existence and that for ever.  This thought echoes the words of verse 152 which concluded the previous octave.

Psalms 119:152  Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.

So today’s verse lets us know quite succinctly that our Bible is true in every single part of it and has always been true, and that every single part of it is indestructible.  Once God speaks a word, you can be sure that somewhere in this world in some language that word of truth is in existence.  Now that is something worth seeking out and something you can always depend on! 

Psalm 119:158

From the Pastor’s Study

Psalm 119:158

Dear Readers, somehow I overlooked submitting the meditation on this verse.  I jumped over it and submitted verse 159 instead.  Please forgive this oversight.

By means of this next verse of Psalm 119 we once again visit the emotions of the psalmist, emotions that take their rise from his deep love for the word of God.

Psalms 119:158  I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.

The transgressors are persons who transgress.  So just what does it mean to transgress? 

Transgress - To go beyond the bounds or limits prescribed by (a law, command, etc.); to break, violate, infringe, contravene, trespass against.

Transgressors are people who do not live within the boundaries imposed by God’s word.  But even without reference to a dictionary, we can know what transgressors are from today’s verse.  They are defined as those that kept not thy word.  Rather than keep God’s word they break it.    

In the psalmist’s time transgression was so flagrant, so out in the open, that he beheld the transgressors.  They overstepped the commandments of God’s law and made no attempt to hide it.  And beholding them doing thus he was grieved.  This makes us think of the times of Lot when he was living in Sodom.

2 Peter 2:7  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

8  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)….

Isaiah 3:9  The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

The prophet Habakkuk experienced grief as he beheld the transgressors of his day and wondered why the Lord left him to behold their transgressions.

Habakkuk 1:2  O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!

3  Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.

4  Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.

Of course, the same can be said of our own times.  Everywhere we turn, whether it is to be informed of current events or to be entertained or even to work out at the gym, the transgressors are in our face.  You cannot sit in an airport or in a doctor’s office without a television screen in front of you that often displays the transgressors saying and doing those things that grieve you.  Do you like Habakkuk ever question why the Lord lets you behold so much iniquity, violence, and injustice?

    

Now it follows that the transgressors that kept not God’s law grieved the psalmist because he had such love and respect for that law and the God Who gave it.  In several verses in this psalm the psalmist expressed that he rejoiced and delighted in God’s law.  Commenting on verse 35 of this psalm I wrote: 

  “Our delights determine what we most seek after.  So examine those things that you most enjoy, those things that turn your crank, as we say.  And upon finding those things, you will also find what shapes your desires and prayers.”  

 It can be said that you can tell a lot about a man’s character by observing the things that delight him.  But it can equally be said that you can tell a lot about a man’s character by the observing the things that grieve him.  Charles Bridges put it this way:

“Our joys and sorrows are the pulse of the soul.  A fellowship with the joys of angels over repenting sinners (Luke, xv. 10) will be accompanied with bitterness of godly sorrow over the hardness and impenitency of those, who keep not the word of God.”

If beholding transgressors causes you grief, then that shows your love of God’s commandments.  If you did not love and delight in God’s word so much, you would not be so grieved when you see it violated.  And delighting in God’s law as you do demonstrates that you have the same character as the holy apostle Paul, who said of himself:

Romans 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man….

How is that for assurance that you are a child of God?

Now Satan throws so much evil in our face to get us to become indifferent to it and ultimately to approve it.  On the other hand, God lets us behold it to try us and to steel our resolve against it.  The more evil there is to resist, the stronger we must be to resist it.  Let this never be said of us:   “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12).  Rather let it be said of us:  I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.  May God grant us grace to maintain this holy grief.  For it is in such grief that we shall discover the blessing of God’s comforts, not the least of which is the assurance that we are His and He is ours forever.

Matthew 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Psalm 119:159

In today’s verse we come across the second time in this octave entitled Resh that the psalmist called upon the Lord to consider him.

Psalms 119:159  Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness.

The psalmist had an intense love for God’s precepts.  And this says a lot about the psalmist when you remember that precepts are authoritative commands to do certain things; they are rules of conduct.  So this tells us that the psalmist loved being under God’s authority and delighted in being told by Him what to do and what not to do.  Oh, that all had such love and respect for God and His precepts! 

The psalmist asks his God to consider or take notice of how he loved His precepts.  Mind that he not only wanted the Lord to consider that he loved His precepts.  He wanted Him to take notice of how he loved the precepts, that is, the way and manner in which he loved them.  As we glance over this psalm we see that he loved the precepts above all other delights; God’s precepts were his joy; he frequently begged to understand the precepts; he resolved never to forget them; and he grieved when they were not kept.  He held to them in his afflictions and before his enemies, no matter how many or mighty those enemies were.  He would let nothing come between him and the Lord’s precepts.  In fact, he loved God’s precepts so much that he welcomed affliction if by that he could better learn them.  Now when you love God’s precepts like that, you may well ask the Lord to give that fact consideration.  As we beg God to overlook our transgressions in His lovingkindness and tender mercy, well might we equally beg Him not to overlook our righteousnesses in that same lovingkindness and tender mercy. Thanks be to God when we have something good about ourselves to confess to God instead of just something evil.

But as he asks the Lord for His consideration, he tacks on this request:  quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness. This is the third time in this octave and the ninth time in the entire psalm that the psalmist prayed to the Lord to quicken him (see verses 25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 149, 154, 156, 159).  This will be the last time we meet with this petition in this particular psalm.  As I stated before when commenting on this request, the fact that it is made repeatedly indicates that the psalmist “repeatedly needed to be revived and stirred up.”  And he asked for this quickening to be according to God’s lovingkindness.  Observe that even though the psalmist could confess a love for God’s precepts that was to such an extent that he would have the Lord consider it, he does not advance that as the reason for the Lord to quicken him.  He rather pleads the lovingkindness of God.  “And,” wrote Charles Bridges, “what must be the loving-kindness of a God of infinite love!” Although the psalmist had such an ardent love for God’s precepts, he still felt something dragging him down, something that would dampen his zeal for the word of God.  His love for God’s word, no matter how great, still fell short of what it ought to be.  Therefore, he threw himself on the love of God for him rather than on his love for God and His precepts.  He would have His loving God grant him the particular kindness of quickening him.  And being thus quickened he could continue to zealously love God’s precepts.