Psalm 119:33

We now come to the fifth octave of Psalm 119 bearing the title of the Hebrew letter Hë. The pronunciation of this letter is close in sound to our words hay or hey. I would like to begin today’s meditation with this Hebrew letter. Hë! Are you ready to study Psalm 119:33? Okay, I know it’s not the greatest joke. But I think it’s cute. And it is original. Could you tell?

Psalms 119:33 HE. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.

This is the third time in this psalm that the psalmist petitions the Lord to teach him. He seasons his prayer with that interjection O, which expresses emotion. This psalmist is in earnest about this. He really wants to learn the way of God’s statutes. The following words of D. H. Mollerus give us an insight into why the psalmist repeats this prayer so often and so earnestly. Read this carefully. It is powerful!

“And the prayer is full of the most ardent longings, which is manifest from the same resolve being so frequently repeated. For the more he knows the ignorance, obscurity, doubts, and the imbecility of the human mind, and sees how men are impelled by a slight momentum, so that they fall away from the truth and embrace errors repugnant to the divine word, or fall into great sins, the more ardently and strongly does he ask in prayer that he may be divinely taught, governed, and strengthened, lest he should cast away acknowledged truth, or plunge himself into wickedness.”

The psalmist asks the Lord to teach him the way of His statutes. This petition agrees with the one we found in verse 27: “Make me to understand the way of thy precepts.” As we noted then, so we note again: all God’s precepts or statutes cohere together to form a single way. People tend to think of the many different ways one can choose to believe, the different ways one can interpret the Bible, the many different ways one can live. But all the different ways really distill down to just two ways: the right way and the wrong way. Or, as we saw in Psalm 119:29-30, the way of truth and the way of lying. Of course, the right way is the way that falls within the guidelines of God’s statutes. And remember that the way that seems right to you is not necessarily the right way.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

You need to always consult with God and not just with yourself to discover the right way. S. Bernard said, “He who is his own pupil, has a fool for his master.”

Now our Saviour described these two ways as the broad way and the narrow way.

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

In this passage our Lord teaches us that most people choose the wrong way. This is even true with respect to the choices people make in the realm of professing Christianity, as Christ later taught in this same chapter.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Now our psalmist desperately did not want to make the wrong choice. That is why he so earnestly asked God to teach him the way of His statutes.

As we noted in a previous meditation, God uses instruments when He teaches us. We pointed out that He uses the Scriptures themselves as we read and study them. He also uses tribulation to teach us patience (Romans 5:3) and chastening to correct us (Proverbs 3:11-12). He uses parents to teach children. He uses the pastors and teachers He has given to His churches to teach us. And He uses our fellow believers to teach us as we teach, comfort, edify, admonish, and exhort one another. And, as we learned last Sunday, God uses creation to teach us. But remember that all these are God’s instruments. It is God that is teaching you. Always look beyond the instrument to God. If you would learn the right way, pray to the right One to teach you.

Now the psalmist adds this to his petition: and I shall keep it unto the end. The psalmist tells the Lord that if He will teach him the way of his statutes, he will keep that way with a constancy that will endure to the end. That end could be the end of one’s life or the end of the world, whichever comes first. Matthew Henry said it well: “It will not avail the traveler to keep the way for a while, if he do not keep it to the end of his journey.” God is not honoured by starts and stops in His service. Our obedience must not be tied to the fickle ups and downs of our ever changing emotions. The Lord wants constancy, stedfastness, endurance to the end. Said Christ:

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Shakespeare put it so well:

“O heaven! were man
But constant, he were perfect: that one error
Fills him with faults; makes him run through all th’ sins:
Inconstancy falls off ere it begins….”

If you would have God to teach you the way of His statutes, be sure that you are sincere in your resolve to keep that way unto the end. And be sure you do just that, even if you fail in everything else.

Psalm 119:32

We now arrive at the last verse of the fourth octave of Psalm 119 entitled Daleth.

Psalms 119:32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.

Charles Spurgeon observed: “What a change from verse 25 to the present, from cleaving to the dust to running in the way.” When we talk about running, we are talking about moving at a faster pace than walking, a pace that requires greater exertion, a greater expenditure of effort. Now there is a reason why someone would exert themselves to run when a slower pace is so much easier. That reason might be to win a race, to escape danger, to make an appointment on time, or to improve one’s endurance and fitness. In the verse we consider today the psalmist uses the word run in a figurative sense. Just as person exerts himself in running to achieve his objective, the psalmist resolved to exert himself, to increase his output of effort in conforming his life to the way of God’s commandments. This conformity to God’s commandments was his reason for running. There is no better reason to exert oneself than that!

The Christian life can be summed us as patterning one’s life after the commandments of God. That being the case, it is interesting to note how the Christian life is described as running a race, which agrees with the thought expressed in today’s verse.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

In this passage Paul teaches the importance of temperance, of self-control in running this race. If we would win the prize in this race, we must be temperate in all things. We must keep our bodily appetites and passions under control or we will lose the race. That is, we will fail at being the Christians we should be and end up being rejected.

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us….

Here Paul exhorts believers to run this race with patience. Patience calls for endurance, not giving up. We must develop the ability to stay the course in the face of opposition, discouragement, and weariness.

Now the psalmist resolves to run the way of God’s commandments. But he hinges his ability to carry out his resolve on this condition: when thou shalt enlarge my heart. How the psalmist will go about keeping God’s commandments will be determined by the condition of his heart. Commenting on this verse Charles Spurgeon wrote:

“Yes, the heart is the master; the feet soon run when the heart is free and energetic. Let the affections be aroused and eagerly set on divine things, and our actions will be full of force, swiftness, and delight.”

It is a fact of life that the more the heart is involved in what we are doing, the more energetically and enthusiastically we will go about it. Have you ever quit doing something just because your heart wasn’t in it anymore? If so, then you can better understand the lesson of today’s verse. If we would exert more effort in keeping God’s commandments, we need more heart to do it. That is, we need to have our heart enlarged. Now let’s define what it means to enlarge the heart.

To enlarge the heart: to ‘expand,’ ‘swell’ the heart with gratitude or affection; now usually, to increase the capacity of the heart for affection, widen the range the affections.

Keeping God’s commandments flows out of love and affection for Him as the following verses declare:

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words….

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

When God enlarges our heart, we love Him more and we are more thankful to Him. As a result, we exert more effort to keep His commandments. When God enlarges our heart, we have an increased capacity to know Him, His will, and His ways. When God gave Solomon “wisdom and understanding exceeding much,” it was said that God gave him “largeness of heart” (1Kings 4:29). A person who knows God, loves Him, and is filled with gratitude to Him for His goodness is a person who will make a greater effort to keep His commandments.

When you step back from this verse and look at the larger picture it comes down to this: we are entirely dependent upon the power of God to enable us to obey Him to the best of our ability. Only by His strength can we practice self-control and endure the rigours of this race to keep His commandments. Increased strength from God equals increased capacity. Left to our own strength our hearts will become straitened and constricted so that we will give up and give in to the pressures and temptations to depart from the way of God’s commandments. We just won’t have the heart to stay the course. Therefore, we need to be ever praying for God to enlarge our hearts, to increase our capacity so that we may run the way of His commandments. You can hear echoes of this prayer in these prayers:

Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness….

1 Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you….

So if today you are feeling slow, dull, sluggish, or apathetic in serving the Lord, call upon Him to enlarge your heart. But when you ask Him to do this, be sure to tell Him that you will - no maybes about it - run the way of His commandments. Tell Him that you will do your best to serve Him. God will not increase your capacity to serve Him more if He knows you are not serious about doing it.

Psalm 119:31

The thought in the verse for today’s mediation follows upon that of the previous verse.

Psalms 119:31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.

Let’s begin by looking at the meaning of the verb phrase stick to.

Stick to - To give one’s adhesion to (a doctrine, cause, etc.). To adhere, keep or hold to (an argument, demand, resolve, opinion, bargain, covenant, and the like); to refuse to renounce or abandon; to persist in. To refuse to be enticed, led or turned from; to attend unremittingly to (an occupation, course of action, work, etc.).

In the previous verse the psalmist expressed to God that he had chosen the way of truth. In the verse we consider today, the psalmist tells the Lord that he has stuck to that choice. By sticking to God’s testimonies he was sticking to the way of truth since God’s testimonies are the way of truth. The psalmist chose a course of action and adhered to it refusing to give it up. We call this stick-to-itiveness. Another word that describes this trait is the word stedfast.

Stedfast – Fixed or secure in position. Of persons: Unshaken, immovable in faith, resolution, friendship, etc. Also said of belief, purpose, or affection.

The stedfast person sticks to his faith; he stands by his decisions and commitments.

Suffer me to express my personal opinion. I love people who decide to do something and stick to it. So many people flip from thing to thing never staying very long with anything. They become easily burned out and so move on to something else thus never really achieving any degree of excellence in anything. As the old saying goes: “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” To be sure, we all try something and discover that it is not for us. Or maybe we stay with something for awhile and then give it up because we realize it is no longer serving our purposes. Everybody does that, okay? But I am talking about people for whom jumping around and never settling down to one thing is a way of life, a defining trait of their character. This is not good! Wishy-washy, indecisive, back and forth, on and off just doesn’t cut it. For once, such people need to make up their mind and stick to it.

Now when it comes to our personal growth in our relationship with God, decisiveness and stedfastness are absolutely essential.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord….

Colossians 2:5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

The stedfast, unmoveable, stablished believer is the one who abounds in faith and in the work of the Lord. He is not stagnant. He is growing. In fact, in the following passage growth in grace is placed in contrast to falling from one’s own stedfastness.

2 Peter 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

If you fall from your own stedfastness, you don’t grow.

You choose to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to commit your life to following Him by following His commandments. Then you stick to that choice and you do not let anyone or anything turn you from it. When you do that, you can say to God: I have stuck unto thy testimonies. And being genuinely able to say that, you can then make this request: O LORD, put me not to shame.

If the Lord abandons us, we will be put to shame.

Psalms 44:9 But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.
10 Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
15 My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,
16 For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth….

Without God’s help, we will not grow in grace and knowledge of Him. Our ignorance will shame us when the enemy attacks us and we cannot defend our position. Without the strength of the Lord, Satan and our enemy lusts will overpower us and we will succumb to temptations to sin. When this happens, the enemy will reproach us and we will be ashamed. If the Lord is not with us to deliver us, we will be put to shame. Hence, this prayer is a prayer for deliverance.

Psalms 31:1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

But if you are sticking to God’s testimonies, you can call upon the Lord to deliver you from being put to shame and He will answer your prayer. He will deliver you. He will strengthen you. And you will go on to know Him and serve Him more and more.

Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Psalm 119:30

The verse of today’s meditation from Psalm 119 presents a way that stands in stark contrast to the way mentioned in the previous verse. Verse 29 spoke of the way of lying. Today’s verse speaks of the way of truth.

Psalms 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.

This verse explains why the psalmist prayed to God in the previous verse to remove from him the way of lying. He wanted nothing to do with the way of lying because he had chosen the way of truth. Matthew Henry had this insightful comment on the psalmist’s choice:

“Observe, I. That those who will make anything to purpose of their religion must first make it their serious and deliberate choice….”

Our eternal salvation is determined by God’s choice, not ours.

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love….

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation….

But when it comes to the exercise of religion, that is determined by our choice. Thomas Watson said, “Religion is not a matter of chance, but of choice.” We choose whom or what we will worship and serve, and how we will worship. And this choice of whom or what we will worship and serve will affect every other choice we make. Now, to be sure, God has chosen the way He wants to be worshipped. He wills to be worshipped according to the truth.

John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

But we make the choice as to whether we will worship God the way He wants or not.

Every day of our life is filled with all kinds of choices. But all these choices really distill to one choice: the choice of our way, the way we will think, the way we will believe, and the way we will conduct ourselves. And that way should always be determined by the truth. The choice of the way of truth will influence everything in your life. It will influence your worldview, your political beliefs, your work habits, your economic practices, your social connections, how you satisfy your appetites, and, of course, your religious beliefs and practices. Whatever other choice you may make, make sure it is governed by this choice: I have chosen the way of thy truth.

Now the next expression in our verse flows out of this choice of the way of truth: Thy judgments have I laid before me. Again, we hear from Matthew Henry:

“Observe, II. That those who have chosen the way of truth must have a constant regard to the word of God as the rule of their walking.”

God’s written word, His law, which consists of His judgments and commandments, is the truth.

Psalms 119:142 …thy law is the truth.

Psalms 119:151 …all thy commandments are truth.

John 17:17 …thy word is truth.

Having chosen the way of God’s truth, we need to have that truth ever before us if we are going to proceed in that way. Like the psalmist, we must have God’s judgments laid before us, right there in front of us so that we may follow their pattern. The lesson here is that we need to read our Bible, hear it taught, and meditate on its teaching thereby keeping it before us. Only by this means will our lives reflect our choice of the way of truth.

Nothing should be more important to you that choosing the way of truth, because Jesus Christ is the way and the truth (John 14:6). And He is the most important Being in the universe. Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ the Scriptures declare:

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:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

If everything, including you, exists by and for the Lord Jesus Christ, don’t you think that makes Him quite important? The choice we discuss today is the most important choice you will ever make. You will choose either the way of lying or the way of truth. The choice is inescapable.

In conclusion, I exhort you to examine yourself and the choice you have made as to how you will live your life. What way have you chosen? The way of lying? Or the way of truth? And if it doesn’t really matter to you which way you have chosen; if you don’t think it makes a big difference what you believe; if it doesn’t matter to you what Bible you read, what church you attend, what way you worship, or what preacher you hear; then I say unto you, you have without doubt chosen the way of lying.

Psalm 119:29

The verse we consider today expresses the yearning of what our Lord called “an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15).

Psalms 119:29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.

The righteous God hates lying and so does a righteous man.

Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue….

Proverbs 13:5 A righteous man hateth lying….

The foremost desire of a righteous man is to speak, to know, and to practice the truth. This desire gives rise to the prayer of today’s verse: Remove from me the way of lying.

Commenting on the way of lying, Charles Spurgeon wrote:

“This is the way of sin, error, idolatry, folly, self-righteousness, formalism, hypocrisy. David would not only be kept from that way, but have it kept from him; he cannot endure to have it near him, he would have it swept away from his sight. He desired to be right and upright, true and in the truth; but he feared that a measure of falsehood would cling to him unless the Lord took it away, and therefore he earnestly cried for its removal.”

The righteous man does not want to be deceived. He does not want the way, the course of his life to be influenced by lies. He has an honest and good heart that is open to receiving the truth of God’s word. He wants to know, to believe, and to practice only the truth. He does not want to lie; he does not want to be lied to; and he does not want to live a lie. He will pay whatever it costs him to have the truth and he will not sell it for any price.

Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not….

You hear the petition of today’s verse echoed in these other prayers found in the Scriptures:

Psalms 120:2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.

Proverbs 30:7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me….

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Observe that vanity and lies are linked together. To live a lie is to live a life of vanity, a life that is of no value or profit in the eyes of God. If the worship you practice is not in truth, it is worthless. It does neither service nor honour to God.

John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Is a characteristic of the wicked that they believe and love lies.

Proverbs 17:4 A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips….

Unregenerate men are deceived and enjoy being so.

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

The following passage describes those who will be deceived by the coming man of sin.

2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

These wretched souls do not love the truth and, therefore, do not believe it. They would rather have their pleasure than have the truth, even if that pleasure is in something that is not right. When they look for a church, they look for the church that they can enjoy rather than the church that will teach them the truth.

In order to be delivered from the way of lying, the psalmist prays to God: grant me thy law graciously. God’s law is the truth and as such stands in contrast to the way of lying.

Psalms 119:142 …thy law is the truth.

The psalmist wanted God to grant him His law. He wanted God’s Bible, the true text of the Scriptures. And He wanted the true understanding of that law. The psalmist no doubt had a copy of the law, but he still prayed for God to grant the law to him. It is one thing to have a Bible and it is quite another thing to know and understand it. He did not merely want the law in his hand; he wanted it in his heart. With the true understanding of the law in his heart, he would be able to discern lies when confronted with them. By this means the way of lying would be removed from him. It is by knowing the truth that we can discern truth from falsehood. It is truth that chases away error.

But observe that the psalmist prays for God to grant him His law graciously. For God to let us have His law and to give us understanding of His law, is an act of pure grace. We are like Jacob who confessed: “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto they servant” (Genesis 32:10). When God grants us His law, He is not dealing with us according to what we deserve. He is rather bestowing upon us an unmerited favour. Let us thank God for this grant of His amazing grace.

I close with this observation: If you are in the way of lying, you are in the way of the devil, who “is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44); but if you are in the way of truth, you are in the way of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Whose way do you seek to be in?

Psalm 119:28

As we saw in the first verse of this octave, so we see it again in the verse we consider today: the psalmist was experiencing soul-trouble.

Psalms 119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

The soul of the psalmist was melting for heaviness. Heaviness is the opposite of joy and gladness.

James 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Do you ever feel like you are being hit on all sides? Perhaps you are struggling with personal health issues, family troubles, vehicle problems, stress on the job, and tight finances all at the same time. Many and varied troubles will cause one to be in heaviness.

1 Peter 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations….

The heaviness the psalmist encountered was causing his soul to melt. One could say he was having a meltdown. What does it mean to have a melting soul?

Melt – Of a person, his ‘soul’ or ‘heart’, feelings, etc. To be overwhelmed with dismay or grief.

The psalmist was dealing with hardship that was weighing him down so heavily that he felt overwhelmed. He felt like his very inmost being was dissolving away. Heaviness can definitely bear down on our heart and soul to the point that we collapse under the weight of it.

Proverbs 12:25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

Charles Spurgeon eloquently described what heaviness can do to a person:

“Heaviness of heart is a killing thing, and when it abounds it threatens to turn life into a long death, in which a man seems to drop away in a perpetual drip of grief.”

Obviously when one is melting under pressure, one is weak. Therefore, the psalmist prays: Strengthen thou me according unto thy word. This request echoes the one that was made in verse 25: Quicken thou me according to thy word. As we noted then, God has promised in His word to give strength to those who humbly seek His help. If we ask God for strength and trust Him to give it, we shall be strengthened in our souls so that we can bear the heaviness that would otherwise cause us to melt away in weakness. We have the promises of God’s word for this. This is that good word that maketh our heart glad. The following verses speak powerfully to our need!

Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength….

Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

In that last verse the Lord defines strengthening us as helping us. When you are weak, nothing helps like a fresh supply of energy.

Now it is precisely at the point of our weakness, when we are melting for heaviness that we discover God’s strength, for that is when we most realize our need of it. God lets us come to the end of our resources that we might discover the sufficiency of His.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

God orders it this way so that He gets all the glory for our strength.

Psalms 89:16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

But let us probe more deeply into this verse. Recall that when I introduced this series of meditations on Psalm 119, I wrote the following: “As I dive into these verses I fully expect to also cry, ‘Oh, the depths!’ And as I pore over them, I shall keep an eye out to behold the Lord Jesus Christ as He is certain to show Himself here as in all the other Scriptures. For He said:

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Our Lord Himself knew what it was like to melt for heaviness, to have His strength exhausted. Consider the following two prophecies that paint the scene of our Lord’s sufferings for our salvation:

Psalms 69:20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

Psalms 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

When Jesus entered into Gethsemane, it was written of Him:

Matthew 26:36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death…..

In that dark moment in that dark place His soul was melting for heaviness. He looked for comforters and found none. His disciples slept while He wrestled with God in prayer. He was overwhelmed with grief (see the definition of melt above). In that hour He cried to God for help.

Hebrews 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared….

In answer to His prayer God sent Him the strength He needed for what was ahead of Him.

Luke 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Oh, how these words should dissolve our all too often calloused hearts into thankfulness. God strengthened our Saviour so that He could suffer for us.

I close with this testimony of David, which was also the testimony of our Lord, the son of David and the Son of God. It is my testimony as well since God has often strengthened my melting soul.

Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

Psalm 119:27

We continue our meditation in the fourth octave of Psalm 119 entitled Daleth.

Psalms 119:27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.

If we are to understand God’s word, God must enable us. He must make me to understand. When the verb make is used with an object and infinitive, as it is here, it means to cause a person or thing to do something. In this sentence the object is me, make me, and the infinitive is to understand, make me to understand. So the psalmist is asking God to cause him to understand the way of His precepts.

So how does God cause us to understand His word? First of all, He does not just pour understanding into us. We are commanded to search and study the Scriptures in order to understand them (Proverbs 2:4-5; John 5:39; 2Timothy 2:15). We must be receptive to what God has to say in His word, even if it crosses us. We must submit to and listen to the teachers He sends us. But in order to actually gain understanding from our study, God must energize our thoughts and desires as we apply them. He must restrain the devil and the evil within our flesh that would otherwise obstruct our ability to understand. God must be involved with us as we study and listen. If left to ourselves without His gracious influence, our thoughts will be distracted and confused; and we will not understand His words. But if we are applying ourselves to learn as God teaches us, He will open our understanding. He will make us to understand.

Luke 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

Observe that the psalmist does not just ask to understand God’s precepts. He prays that he may be made to understand the way of God’s precepts. All of God’s precepts cohere together to form a single way, a path of life to follow. If you ever wonder which way to go in life, go in the way of God’s precepts. Make sure that the decision you make, the path you choose, fits within the boundaries of God’s commandments rather than transgressing or stepping over them. Learning God’s precepts is all about learning the way to live. Our foremost desire should be to understand and follow the way of God’s precepts, rather than the way of the world’s fashions, ideals, and goals. I quite agree with the assessment Charles Bridges made of understanding the way of God’s precepts: “The smallest attainment in this knowledge is (as the great day will fully declare) of infinitely greater value than the highest intelligence in the field of earthly science.”

Having asked the Lord to cause him to understand the way of His precepts, the psalmist makes this resolve before God: so shall I talk of all thy wondrous works. He will be taught of the Lord first. Then he will talk to others of the Lord’s wondrous works. They are best qualified to speak to others who have been first taught themselves.

Psalms 71:17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

But before he will talk of all the wonderful works of the Lord, he will first understand how God wants him to live. In other words, he will learn to walk the walk before he talks the talk. It rings hollow with God and with spiritually discerning believers to hear people talk about the wonderful things God has done when they don’t understand the way of His precepts.

Notice also that when he understands the way of God’s precepts, he will talk of God’s wondrous works and not his own. Anyone who boasts of his own wonderful works does not understand the way of God’s precepts. Such persons may be in for a rude awakening in the Day of Judgment.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Lastly, God means for His wondrous works to be talked about and that from one generation to the next.

Psalms 145:4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

God’s wondrous works are worthy of universal acclaim. They are a theme that can and ought to be expressed in all languages.

Acts 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Talking of God’s wondrous works will be one of the activities of God’s redeemed when they stand before Him in glory.

Revelation 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

God’s works are indeed wondrous. There is nothing more wonderful to talk about. Sadly, we all too often hear the inventions and achievements of men spoken of as if they were more fascinating than the things God has done. For example, compare how much you talk about the feats of your favourite athletic team as opposed to how much you talk of the wondrous works of God. Which thrills you the most? Which do you think is most wondrous? Check your speech. Its content will reveal the answer to those questions. I close with this beautiful piece of poetry that fits well with today’s meditation:

Bless, O my soul, the living God;
His favours claim the highest praise;
Let not the wonders He hath wrought
Be lost in silence, and forgot.

Psalm 119:26

The verse for today’s meditation addresses an extremely important step in our walk with God.

Psalms 119:26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.

Recently I have taught the congregations I serve to search and try their ways as taught in the following passage:

Lamentations 3:40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.

To search and try our ways means that we explore our ways, find out what they are, and examine them thoroughly. We should search and try the way we think, the way we act, the way we react, the way we relate to God and to others. We should thoroughly examine our desires, our choices, our plans, our intentions, and our motives as these are also our ways. And acknowledging our ways, we should declare them to God, as did the psalmist whose words we consider today.

What is it to declare our ways?

Declare - To make clear or plain (anything that is obscure or imperfectly understood); to clear up, explain, expound, to interpret, elucidate. To manifest, show forth, make known; to unfold, set forth (facts, circumstances, etc.); to describe, state in detail; to recount, relate.

The Hebrew word translated declared in our verse is caphar and means to record, enumerate, recount. When you declare your ways to God, you bring them out into the open between you and God; you list them off; you describe them in detail as you recount them both good and bad. And if you are not sure of whether they are good or bad, you ask God to give you discernment. Tell the Lord about your burdens, your troubles, and your temptations as these are ways down which you are travelling. If you are angry with someone and struggling with hatred, declare it to God. If you are angry with God because you do not think He is dealing fairly by you, then bring it out into the open. Don’t deny it. He knows what is going on in your heart. Declare it! If you are being drawn to something you know is not good for you, admit it to God. If you are involved in something destructive to your spiritual, mental, or physical well-being, have out with it. If your ways have taken you into sin, confess it. Are you depressed? Then tell the Lord all about it. Explain it to Him. If you are being tossed about by uncertainty and doubt, tell Him. If you are afraid of something, admit it to Him. If you are considering a move, a change, a business venture, a relationship, bring it before Him. Whatever your ways are, declare them to Him.

The beautiful thing is that when we declare our ways to God, He hears us: and thou heardest me. God truly does care for us.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

God is interested in what goes on in your life. He wants you to make Him a part of it by declaring your ways to Him. And when you do so, He listens to you. Just knowing that a caring person is listening to you is immensely helpful.

Now having declared your ways, follow that with the prayer: teach me thy statutes. When you do this, you are inviting the searchlight of God’s statutes upon your ways. This is part of the process of trying your ways. You are submitting your ways to the scrutiny of the word of God. And when you pray this prayer, then take to reading and studying your Bible. Listen carefully to the teaching of your minister. Seek godly counsel. And when you do this, you will receive the instruction that will let you know whether the ways you are choosing are acceptable or not, whether they are profitable or not. You will get the answers that will help you think, act, and react as you ought to whatever life brings your way. I close with this passage that relates directly to what I am writing about:

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalm 119:25

We now launch into the fourth octave of Psalm 119 entitled Daleth.

Psalms 119:25 ¶DALETH. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.

The psalmist acknowledges that his soul cleaves to the dust. Let us begin by defining cleave.

Cleave - To stick fast or adhere, as by a glutinous surface. In wider sense: To cling or hold fast to; to attach oneself (by grasping, etc.) to.

The psalmist’s soul is stuck to the dust; it is clinging to it. In order to understand what the psalmist is saying, we must understand what he means by the dust. First of all, our fleshly bodies are material in nature, made of the dust of this earth.

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

On the other hand, our soul is immaterial in nature and dwells within our fleshly body until it departs at the death of the body.

Job 14:22 But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

Genesis 35:18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin

The soul is the seat of our consciousness and the place where our personality resides. A body without a soul has no personality. It is merely a hunk of clay. Now with this information in front of us we can get some idea of what the psalmist was confessing when he wrote: “my soul cleaveth unto the dust.”

Christians are given this commandment in 1 Peter 2:11:

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul….

Our battle is to not let our personality be controlled by the lusts of our fleshly body. The desires of the body should be controlled by the soul rather than the soul being controlled by the desires of the body. But, alas, our soul cleaves to the dust. Our fleshly desires exert a powerful influence on us and without the help of almighty God they will overpower us. Trying to rise above the pull of the flesh is like trying to get unstuck from powerful glue. This was Paul’s lament:

Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Furthermore, Scripture describes a state of affliction and oppression as a lowly experience with the dust.

Psalms 44:24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

To be in the dust is to be in a low condition. It is to be down, as we say.

Isaiah 26:5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.

Have you ever been so low that you felt like you were groveling in the dirt? Our afflictions sometimes drag our souls down so that our faith falters, our love grows weak, and our hope is dim. In such cases our soul cleaveth unto the dust.

In short, a soul cleaving to the dust is a soul bowed down with sin and sorrow. Sound familiar? Now over against this cleaving to the dust, the psalmist prays to God: quicken thou me according to thy word. Let’s define what it means to be quickened.

Quicken – To give or restore life to; to make alive; to vivify or revive; to animate. To give, add, or restore vigour to (a person or thing); to stimulate, stir up, rouse, excite, inspire.

When our soul is cleaving to the dust, we need a revival. We need to be given vigour, renewed strength to rise above the power of the dust which holds us down. The good news is that God has promised in His word to give precisely this to those who humbly seek His help.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Psalms 113:7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

Therefore, when God quickens you it is according to His word of promise. When the psalmist was down, he sought the relief that is found in keeping with the Scriptures and so should we. You may be down low, cleaving to the dust, but if you seek the Lord's help and await His promised relief, it will come in due time. He will revive you. Did this meditation help anybody?

Psalm 119:24

Today we consider the last verse in the third octave of Psalm 119, the octave entitled Gimel.

Psalms 119:24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.

By means of the word also, the psalmist adds this thought to the thought of the previous verse. Recall that in the previous verse the psalmist wrote that “princes also did sit and speak against me.” His way of coping with this persecution was by meditating in God’s statutes. Rather than despairing over what the princes spoke against him, he focused on what God in His word spoke for him. Now in today’s verse, he tells us what God’s word was to him as he meditated in it. The testimonies of the Lord were his delight and his counsellors.

It is interesting to notice the things that the Holy Scriptures link together by the word and. In this particular case delight is linked with counsellors. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense that these two things are joined together. A counselor is one who gives counsel, which is advice or direction. When one is in perplexity or distress, to receive good counsel is one of the most delightful things that can happen. It brings relief and comfort to gain insight into a difficult situation, to get some direction on how to deal with it. To put it straightly, a good counselor is just a pleasure to have around. Solomon acknowledged this in this proverb:

Proverbs 27:9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.

The hearty counsel of a friend rejoices the heart; it brings delight.

But observe that God’s testimonies are our counsellors, plural. Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

The Scriptures contain a multitude of counsellors for our safety. None of these counsellors will ever give bad advice. And because of that, your purposes or plans can be established; they can be well-settled rather than being tossed about in indecision and uncertainty. Indeed, there are counsellors in Scripture for every situation that you can be involved in. And no counsellors in this earth are more expert in giving advice than the counsellors of Scripture. In fact, the advice of every other counsellor you may consult should always be weighed in relation to the counsel of Scripture to determine its merit.

Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Thomas Manton made the following interesting comments on this passage that show the advantage of finding our counsellors in a book:

“Alphonsus, king of Arragon, being asked who were the best counsellors? answered, ‘The dead (meaning books), which cannot flatter, but do without partiality declare the truth.’ Now of all such dead counsellors, God’s testimonies have the pre-eminence. A poor, godly man, even then when he is deserted of all, and hath nobody to plead for him, he hath his senate, and his council of state about him, the prophets and apostles, and ‘other holy men of God, that spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’ A man so furnished, is never less alone than when alone; for he hath counsellors about him that tell him what is to be believed or done; and they are such counsellors as cannot err, as will not flatter him, nor applaud him in any sin, nor discourage or dissuade him from that which is good, whatever hazard it expose him to.”

Now that is rich!

If you would have God’s testimonies be your delight, then take them for your counsellors. They will bring you little joy if you do not seek their advice. And if you would find in God’s testimonies your counsellors, then take them for your delight. You will not be prone to seek the advice of that which you dislike.

Lastly, we refer to attorneys and psychotherapists as counsellors. A beautiful thing about having God’s testimonies for our counsellors is that their advice and help are free. Imagine having access to a multitude of lawyers and psychotherapists to be consulted as often as you wish for as long as you wish and it costing you nothing but the time you spend seeking their advice. Now that is a deal! This fits well with this admonition with which I close:

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Psalm 119:23

By means of the word also today’s verse from Psalm 119 picks up the thought introduced in the previous verse.

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

In the preceding verse the psalmist wrote of being the object of reproach and contempt. In the verse we consider today we find that this reproach and contempt did not just arise from the common folk, but it also came from princes. Let’s define what a prince is.

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.

A prince can refer to anyone in authority in any sphere. Those who occupied places of authority in the life of the psalmist were speaking against him, heaping upon him their reproach and contempt.

Observe that our verse does not simply state that princes spoke against him. It rather says that they did sit and speak against him. When someone is functioning in an official capacity as an authority figure, he is spoken of as doing so from a seated position.

Judges 5:10 Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.

Isaiah 16:5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

Matthew 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

When our blessed Lord, Messiah the Prince, gave His authoritative pronouncements in that great Sermon on the Mount, He did so from a seated position.

Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:…
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,….

In fact, notice this definition given of the word sit in the dictionary:

To occupy a seat in the capacity of a judge or with some administrative function.

It is interesting that when someone today runs for office, we say that he is seeking a seat in parliament, or a seat in the senate, or a congressional seat. And when we speak of judges issuing their findings in a case, we say they are speaking from the bench, the place where they sit.

So taking all this together, we see in our verse that these princes were speaking in an official capacity; they were using the power of their office to speak against the psalmist. Sadly, it has happened all too often in history that persons in authority have abused their power by using that authority to speak against the good and godly. Time and space would fail to mention all of the unrighteous laws and decrees throughout history that have been handed down from seats of power against the innocent and the righteous. The ultimate example of this took place when the religious and political rulers of the Jews used their authority to speak against the only perfectly innocent and just Man in all of time, even our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,….

Although reproached and spoken against even by princes, our psalmist did meditate in God’s statutes. He found in God’s words comfort, strength, and refuge when those who should have been his protectors became his persecutors instead. As Matthew Henry pointed out, he found that when they spoke against him, the word of God spoke for him. In those statutes the believer finds that he is not alone when he is reproached for his godliness. He is in the company of the saints spoken of in the Scriptures. He is having fellowship with the sufferings of Christ His Lord. He finds that while princes may persecute him, God stands up for him and will vindicate him in due time as the following passage declares:

Psalms 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts (found in God’s statutes) delight my soul.
20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.

It is to the psalmist’s credit that during this time in which he was persecuted by princes, he mediated in God’s statutes. Rather than focusing on what the princes were saying against him, he focused on what God says. He did not envy the princes and spend his time fretting over what they were doing. Instead he meditated in God’s law. His position was vastly superior to the position of those evil princes as the following passage shows:

Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

How much better off some would be if they spent more time and energy meditating in God’s statutes than they do meditating on the unrighteous decrees of wicked princes.

Psalm 119:22

The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:12 that “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” The verse we consider today from Psalm 119 mentions a persecution heaped upon believers that comes in the form of reproach and contempt.

Psalms 119:22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.

We begin by defining reproach and contempt.

Reproach – A source or cause of disgrace or shame (to a person, etc.); a fact, matter, feature or quality bringing disgrace or discredit upon one.

Contempt – The action of contemning or despising; the holding or treating as of little account, or as vile and worthless; the mental attitude in which a thing is so considered.

When, like the psalmist, a person’s life is dedicated to keeping God’s testimonies, he will become the object of reproach and contempt. He will be evil spoken of. He will be discredited, ridiculed, and despised. His keeping of God’s testimonies is precisely the reason reproach and contempt are heaped upon him. The life of a godly man exposes the sin, foolishness, rebellion, and utter stupidity of the ungodly. Instead of repenting and cleaning up their lives, the ungodly will rather try to shame and discredit those who expose them.

Psalms 38:20 They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.

Proverbs 29:27 …he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

1 Peter 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

1 Peter 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

It has been thus since the dawn of time as witness the case of Cain and Abel.

1 John 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

Cain and Abel were brothers. Therefore, we see that reproach and contempt can even come from those of our own family.

Matthew 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

While on the one hand, we should rejoice when we are reproached for the name of Christ and the good we do, on the other hand such reproach is painful to bear. Therefore, the psalmist seeks relief in asking God to remove it from him. We should always ask God to remove the reproach and contempt rather than trying to remove it ourselves by letting up on our obedience to God’s testimonies. It is much to the psalmist’s credit that in spite of the persecution it brought upon him, he continued to keep God’s testimonies. Furthermore, it is best to commit this matter to God in prayer rather than trying to defend yourself. As I have often said, you cannot prove innocence to those who are determined to believe guilt. Thomas Manton said that “prayer many times proves a better vindication than an apology.” God is well able to silence those who reproach and despise you. Matthew Henry said it well:

“God has all men’s hearts and tongues in his hand, and can silence lying lips, and raise up a good name that is trodden in the dust.”

When He so pleases, God can even make our enemies to be at peace with us (Proverbs 16:7).

Now our psalmist advances the fact that he had kept God’s testimonies as a reason why God should remove this reproach and contempt. The psalmist was not bragging. He was simply acknowledging the truth about his own conduct. He knew it was only through God’s mercy and strength that he could keep His testimonies. But, like Paul, he had not received God’s grace in vain (1Corinthians 15:10). He had rather used it in pursuing a constant obedience to God. And when he failed, as do we all, he consistently applied the remedy of repentance and confession and thus stayed on course in keeping God’s testimonies. Anyone who lives like that has a plea that he can bring to God when he is reproached by his enemies. It is a plea that God will vindicate in due time as the following passage assures us:

Psalms 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Of course, today’s verse has its ultimate realization in our Lord Jesus Christ of Whom it is written:

Psalms 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

Psalms 69:7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

Psalms 69:20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Hebrews 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

At His second coming in glory every reproach and contempt ever heaped on our sinless Saviour will be completely removed and His enemies will be forced to bow the knee and confess that He is Lord. And all Christ’s followers will share in His vindication. Then shall the prayer of this psalm be fully and eternally answered.

Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Psalm 119:21

Sometimes God’s commandments are not kept because sinners are ignorant of them. But all too often, God’s commandments are disobeyed because of an attitude problem. The verse we take up today speaks directly to this latter cause of disobedience.

Psalms 119:21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.

The word proud in this verse is a noun and refers to a proud person. To know what a proud person is like, we need to define the adjective proud that is describing him.

Proud – Having or cherishing a high or lofty opinion of oneself; valuing oneself highly on account of one’s position, rank, attainments, possessions, etc.; Usually in a bad sense: Disposed to take an attitude of superiority to and contempt for others; arrogant, haughty, overweening, supercilious.

The proud have such a high opinion of themselves that they look down on others. They are too stuck on themselves. But our verse takes this a step further in that it characterizes the proud as they which do err from thy commandments. In this case, the attitude of the proud goes beyond seeing themselves as superior to other men. Their attitude is also taking them to the point of defying Almighty God. They are daring to pit their opinions against those of God. They think they know better than the only wise God what is best for their lives. They are not going to let anything God commands get in their way. Thus they err from His commandments.

What is it to err?

Err – To ramble, roam, stray, wander. To go astray; to stray from (one’s path or line of direction). To go wrong in judgment or opinion; to make mistakes, blunder. To go astray morally; to sin.

The attitude of the proud interferes with the process of making good decisions. This applies to every area of life whether it be work, education, relationships, sex, or religion. Once we think too highly of ourselves and our opinions, we set ourselves up to go astray. When you see someone who has been taught the right path of God’s commandments veering from it, you can charge it to this: they have let pride take over.

We all have a problem with pride. If you do not think you do, then that is proof positive that pride has the upper hand in your thinking. Speaking of pride, Joseph Hall wrote:

“Honourable and beloved, this vice is a close one; it will cleave fast to you; yea, so close that ye can hardly discern it from a piece of yourselves: this is it that aggravates the danger of it.”

One of the best kings that Judah ever had was King Hezekiah. It is written of him that he “wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God” and that “he did it with all his heart” (2 Chronicles 31:20-21). After Hezekiah had been granted an additional fifteen years of life in answer to his prayer, we read this sad chapter from his life:

2 Chronicles 32:25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

My point is this: if good King Hezekiah had a problem with being proud, so can you and I. Pride reared its ugly head in Hezekiah’s life when he was experiencing great blessing. And just as today’s verse teaches, God rebuked Hezekiah for it. When we are making advances in spiritual growth and blessedness, we need more than ever to be on our guard against the subtle workings of pride. For it is at such times that we are prone to feel the least vulnerable to a downfall. We must never entertain too high of an opinion of our ability to withstand the temptation to err. Beware of ever thinking too highly of your spiritual growth. You have not yet reached such a degree of perfection as to be beyond the reach of pride. Hence it is written:

1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

And nothing will bring about a downfall more quickly than pride.

Proverbs 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

It is pride that keeps us from facing our sins and weaknesses and thus dealing with them. We just do not want to accept that we could be so depraved, so vulnerable, as to have such a problem. We like to think we are made of better stuff, that we have come too far in our spiritual growth to be susceptible to such things. And thus we condemn ourselves to erring from God’s commandments. Why do you think some people get stuck in the wrong church and never get out, even when the truth is clearly presented to them? It is because they are too proud to admit that they could have been that wrong. They see themselves as just too sincere, too good to err.

Now our verse tells us that God has rebuked the proud that are cursed. When something is rebuked, it is forced back or repulsed as when Jesus rebuked the winds and waves (Mark 4:39). The Lord finds proud people repulsive. He pushes them away from Himself. His curse rests upon them as the following verses make plain.

Psalms 138:6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.

Proverbs 15:25 The LORD will destroy the house of the proud:….

Proverbs 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

Luke 1:51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

If you do not want the Lord to keep His distance from you; if you do not want Him to find you abominable; if you do not want Him to destroy you; if you do not want Him to scatter you and to resist you; then you need to repent of your pride and to be constantly on your guard against it. This monster is ever lurking in the shadows looking for a chance to pounce on you. Be always on the lookout! We would all do well to heed this admonition:

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:….

Psalm 119:20

We continue to work our way through the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119.

Psalms 119:20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.

Longing is the action of the verb long, which we would do well to define.

Long – To think long; to have a yearning desire; to wish earnestly.

When you have a yearning desire for someone or something, you tend to think long about that person or thing. This explains why the word long can be connected with desire.

Desire can be an overwhelmingly powerful emotion, even to the point of becoming psychologically crushing. Any parent who has longed for the healing of a child who is dangerously ill, or any parent who has longed for the return of a son gone off to war, knows exactly what I am talking about. A yearning desire to achieve a certain goal, to find a mate or a friend, or to have a child can sometimes press a soul to the point of breaking. This kind of yearning desire is what the psalmist was expressing in today’s verse. But in this case, the crushing desire was toward God’s judgments.

God judgments are those decrees that our righteous Judge has laid down in His word for our obedience. They are also the accounts given in His word of His dealings with the sons of men as the Rewarder of good and the Avenger of evil. The whole course of His government is wrapped up in those words thy judgments. And the psalmist yearned to know and understand these things so far as God has revealed them to us. His longing to hear, to know, and to understand God’s judgments was so great, it exerted such a pressure upon him, that it broke his soul.

Some of my readers can perhaps relate to this when you have been away from church. You feel a pressing desire to get back to the assembly and to hear the word of God expounded. Or if the cares of this life have demanded too much from you, you have a heavy longing to get back into your Bible and to get the Bible back into you. It can be downright depressing to read the Bible and yet glean nothing from it. This is an instance of the breaking of your soul for the longing that it hath unto God’s judgments. Perhaps as you read this, you are smitten in your heart because you fear that you do not have such a powerful yearning for God’s word. But the fact that this fear presses itself upon you may itself be evidence that you do indeed long for God’s judgments. Were that desire not there, these words might make little impression upon you.

But observe that this longing was not an occasional, hit and miss thing with the psalmist. The longing was constant and habitual. “My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.” Whether he was in times of prosperity or times of adversity, the powerful longing of the psalmist unto God’s judgments remained the same. Those things you most long for will form the trend and habit of your soul. I close with these words of Charles Bridges taken from his excellent exposition of this verse: “The longing of the soul can never over-reach its object. The cherished desire, therefore, will become the established habit – the element in which the child of God lives and thrives.” Amen!

Psalm 119:19

The verse for today’s meditation describes the attitude of the spiritually minded believer regarding his life in this earth.

Psalms 119:19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.

Of course, let’s begin by defining that word stranger.

Stranger – One who belongs to another country, a foreigner; chiefly (now exclusively), one who resides in or comes to a country to which he is a foreigner; an alien.

God’s people are citizens of another country. This world is not their home. They have been chosen out of it.

John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

If God’s children embrace what they are taught in the word of God, then they, like the psalmist, confess that they are strangers in this earth. They seek another country. This was the confession of the fathers of our faith.

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Even when the nation of Israel was settled in the land of Canaan that God had given them to inherit in this earth, they recognized that as only a temporary lodging place. They still confessed themselves to be strangers in this earth. They knew their permanent home was somewhere beyond this world. These are David’s words spoken on behalf of the Israel while they were dwelling in Canaan’s land:

1 Chronicles 29:15 For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

And this can be connected with the way Peter addressed believers in the New Testament:

1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;….

It will never do for a Christian to feel to at home in this world. He should hold everything in this world with a loose hand realizing that his permanent possession lies in what the Scriptures call “the world to come.” So if you go through this earth feeling like you haven’t arrived yet, you haven’t! You are a stranger “just a passin through,” as the old song says.

Because the psalmist was a stranger in this earth, He asked God not to hide His commandments from him. Now this is really the same petition that we studied in the previous verse. There the psalmist asked God to open his eyes to behold the wondrous things of God’s law. If our eyes are open to see something, then that something will not be hidden from us.

Now there are three things that greatly assist a stranger as he makes his way through a strange place. Those three things are a guide to point the way, a guard to keep him safe, and a companion to keep him company. God’s commandments provide all three of these things as the following passage clearly shows:

Proverbs 6:22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee (a guide); when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee (a guard); and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee (a companion).
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:…

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The psamist asks God not to hide His commandments from him. This word commandments not only refers to those things that God has commanded us to do, which certainly provide direction for us as we travel through this strange country; but that word also refers to God’s government of this universe. Everything in this universe is subject to the command of God. It was created and continues to function by the commandment of God.

Psalms 148:4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.

Isaiah 45:12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

Job 37:11 Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud:
12 And it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth.
13 He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy.

Job 38:12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;….

Psalms 107:25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.

It should comfort us strangers in our pilgrimage through this earth to know that everything in this world is subject to the command of the God Who loves and cares for us. And because He loves us, from time to time He exercises His power of command to deliver us.

Psalms 44:4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

Whatever be the crisis that you are caught in, God has but to utter His word of command and you will be delivered. Well might you commit yourself to the care of such a faithful Creator, Who has all things at His command.

1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

And, of course, the sweetest of all is to see His commandment of our everlasting salvation. This assures us of a safe arrival home.

Psalms 133:3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

John 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

Let me close with this precious thought: God has given to our personal Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Shepherd of our souls, the command of this universe. He still has the same power today that He had when he walked on this earth and had all things subject to His command. As the disciples of old, let us wonder and worship Him.

Luke 8:25 ….And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Fellow stranger in this earth, may God not hide His commandments from you.

Psalm 119:18

In today’s meditation we light upon a prayer I frequently pray when I approach the Scriptures.

Psalms 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

To behold a thing is to see it. If a person has not been born again, if he does not possess the gift of spiritual life; he has no capacity, no spiritual eyes with which to behold, to see, to know, and to understand the things of God’s word. He is blind and in darkness.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:....

But when a man is born again and given spiritual life, he has the ability to behold the things of God’s law. He has spiritual eyes with which to see spiritual things. But the regenerate man is still saddled with a carnal nature called in the Scripture the flesh. And this carnal nature is opposed to the word of God as Paul clearly states in the following passage:

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

If this carnal nature is not kept in check, it will blind the child of God so that he does not see and understand the Scriptures. If the desires, thoughts, and emotions of our flesh are allowed to dominate us, they will distract us from the word of God so that we do not see what it is saying. We may read the words, but they will be just words. We will glean nothing, learn nothing, behold nothing. And too much of that will discourage any attempt to read and profit from the Bible. Or, something else may occur if the flesh has the upper hand and that is, when we read the Bible, even though the word is speaking clearly, by the time it enters our minds our carnal nature will pervert its message. We will interpret it according to what we want it to say, rather than seeing what it actually says. And thus we will miss the wonder of it. It was with an awareness of this fact that the psalmist prayed to God to open his eyes to behold the wondrous things out of God’s law.

We need the continued help of the Holy Spirit to keep our carnal nature in subjection, to give us repentance to see our sins and errors, and to strengthen our inward man so it may see what God is teaching in His word.

This prayer of the psalmist quite agrees with Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians.

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,….

So when you sit down to read your Bible, do so with an awareness of your natural propensity for blindness. Ask God to open your eyes to behold its wondrous things.

Now the psalmist asks for God to open his eyes to behold wondrous things out of His law. The word wondrous means wonderful and wonderful means full of wonder. So let’s define the word wonder.

Wonder – Something that causes astonishment. A marvellous object; a marvel, prodigy. A deed performed or an event brought about by miraculous or supernatural power; a miracle.

The following quote taken from the writings of John Ker are very insightful.

“The great end of the Word of God in the Psalmist’s time, as now, was practical; but there is a secondary use here referred to, which is worthy of consideration, - its power of meeting man’s faculty of wonder. God knows our frame, for he made it, and he must have adapted the Bible to all its parts. If we can show this, it may be another token that the book comes from Him who made man.”

It is true that man yearns to behold astonishing and wonderful things. This can be seen from early childhood and it continues throughout life. We crave the spectacular. And the Bible is designed by our Maker to satisfy that craving.

The word wonder is used in Scripture to refer to miracles. The miracles that Moses performed in Egypt were called wonders (Exodus 4:21; 11:10). The miracles performed by Christ and His apostles were called wonders (Acts 2:22; 15:12). Now when God opens your eyes and you really behold what is in God’s law, you find that the Scriptures themselves are miraculous. You see that this is no ordinary book. It is given by the supernatural power of God. Although the Bible consists of 66 books written over a period of about 1500 years by over 40 authors in different places and different circumstances, yet there is an amazing harmony and unity in its message. It tells us of things in our universe long before science ever discovered them. It is historically accurate. It is prophetically accurate. It clearly describes the world we live in, why it is the way it is, and what will become of it. It tells us what man is, how he thinks, how he feels, what he will say, and what he will do. As we study it, it broadens our intellect, fortifies our hearts, and brings us exquisite pleasure. The more you see in the Bible, the more astounded you will be at the relevance, the truth, and the depth of its message. And, of course, it greatest wonder is the Saviour it presents, even our Lord Jesus Christ Whose name is called Wonderful (Isaiah 9:6). The Bible is a collection of miracles you can embrace in your hand at any time of the day, any day of the week. You need look no further than its pages to discover wonder upon wonder. If this is not your experience with the Bible, it is because your eyes are closed. Oh, that God may open our eyes to “behold wondrous things”out of His law.