IOLITE
INVESTMENT
PSALM
119:65-72
ט
(Tet)
Psalm
119:65 Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word.
Susie: God
made many promises to the Israelites including the covenant with Noah to never
destroy the entire earth by flood, the Abrahamic covenant to make his
descendants a great nation and give them the Promised Land, and many other
promises found in the Old Testament scriptures that would have been available
to the psalmist. The psalmist had found God to be consistently faithful and
true to His word.
Susan: In the
God-Man, Jesus Christ, God continues to give a guarantee of forgiveness of and
salvation from our sin, and the certain hope of eternity in His presence to
those He has chosen, who have trusted in His finished work on the cross. He is
still a God who keeps His word to His people.
2
Corinthians 1:20 In Jesus we hear a resounding “yes” to all of God’s many
promises. This is the reason we say “Amen” to and through Jesus when giving
glory to God.
Ephesians
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Psalm
119:66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge:
for I have believed thy commandments.
Susie: As we
pointed out in a previous lesson, the request for the Lord to instruct him is a
common theme in Psalm 119. In this verse he specifically asks to learn about
good judgement and knowledge, what we might call common sense.
Susan: He is
requesting discernment and wisdom. We need wisdom, the ability to apply
knowledge correctly. There is no one better to ask than the One who designed
us.
Psalm
25:4-5 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth and teach me: for thou
art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
James
1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Susan: God
will never demean you for seeking divine insight. He will answer that prayer
generously.
Susie: The
psalmist has believed, trusted in, and obeyed what he knows of God so far and
desires to know and understand more and more.
Psalm
119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
Susie:
Sometimes God allows a problem such as sickness or financial devastation into
our lives to increase our trust and dependence on Him, to grow spiritually.
Other times, we clearly bring troubles upon ourselves, yet those are still
sifted through the loving hands of our Father.
Susan: A
prime example of causing our own affliction is the story of the Prodigal Son
(Luke 15:11-32). The younger of two sons demanded that his father give him his
share of the inheritance immediately instead of waiting until it was passed to
him when the father died. He took that money, ran off to a foreign land, and
blew it all on fast living. Then he hit rock bottom and found himself, a Jewish
boy, tending pigs! Ugh! He was so desperately hungry that he was jealous of the
pigs eating their slop. He was so low that he could have eaten that slop as if
it were a gourmet meal. When he woke up and smelled the pig filth, he went home
in hopes of working for his father as a field-hand. We know the rest of the
story—his father lovingly received him back home as if he had died and been
brought back to life. His self-imposed affliction caused him to appreciate all
he had thrown away and realize how far he had strayed. The psalmist had been
under some type of duress that did the same thing for him. God used it for the
good purpose of motivating him to make a U-turn and return to walking God’s
way.
Matthew
Henry Commentary as quoted at
God
visits his people with affliction, that they may learn his statutes. Not only
God's promises, but even his law, his precepts, though hard to ungodly men, are
desirable, and profitable, because they lead us with safety and delight unto
eternal life.
Susie: Often,
when God allows troubles into our lives, it is the Father’s loving way of
placing us back on the right path, the one that is for our best and His glory.
Psalm
119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy
statutes.
Susie: The
psalmist praises the nature of God. God is the ultimate good and always does
what is right. This man desires to learn from God that he might grow into
having the character of God.
Susan: The
psalmist asks God to teach him what is of true value and eternal worth.
2
Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called
us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Psalm
119:69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts
with my whole heart.
Susan: Arrogant
men were slandering the psalmist’s good name. The writer of this psalm was
relentlessly determined to obey God with the entirety of his being.
Susie: He was
not going to allow the words of men to cause him to stray from the word of God.
He was completely committed to living out what he learned from the Law.
Psalm
119:70 Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.
Susie: “As
fat as grease” has the sense of being thick and dense like lard.
Susan: He is
calling those who slander him, those who do not follow the Lord,
“thick-headed,” or as Susie and I like to say, “osmium heads” because osmium is
denser than lead.
Susie: In
Biblical language their hearts were hardened. They could not see the truth of
God’s word, the psalmist rejoiced in all God had taught him through His word.
God’s word lights the path to fulfillment and joy (Psalm 119:105).
Susan: The
pursuit of God’s way enables the believer to live in everlasting joy.
Psalm
119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy
statutes.
Susie: I’ve
heard many Christians testify that until they reached “rock bottom,” they did
not look up to see the Lord. The psalmist’s affliction, whatever it was, drove
him closer to the Lord and the wisdom found in His word. It reminds me of the
poem-prayer I wrote the day I graduated with my bachelor’s degree:
Lord,
please keep me on my knees
because
from that position I can see
that
You are truly all I have,
yet
You are all I need.
Lord,
please keep me on my knees.
Susan: I have
finally found the good in the seven-year affliction of necrotic ulcers on both
legs that family and doctors could not figure out. The enemy of our souls tried
to kill me. However, if I had not had this affliction, the team of Susie and me
might have never come to be. Therefore, today I can thank God for the
affliction because of what He has given me in return and will continue to give
me through the ministry to which God has called us together.
Susie: Throughout
Susan’s ordeal, the Lord drove us deeply into the comfort of His word and the
ability to find joy in our relationship with Jesus.
Psalm
119:72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and
silver.
Susan: God’s
word is more valuable than any earthly fortune. It is the ultimate priceless
treasure.
Psalm
119:127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.
Psalm
119:11 (CJB) I treasure your word in my heart, so that I won’t sin against you.
We
liked the following statement by Tim Pauley at http://www.capitolcom.org/west-virginia/studies/49/2010/02/11/better-than-gold-the-real-value-of-gods-word
“What
is your appraisal of god’s word? Don’t be like a candidate for antique roadshow
with an item of infinite value just lying around the house. Use it. Read it.
Study it. Put it into practice in your life.”
Points
to Ponder:
· God
keeps His promises
· God
instructs us in His word
· Afflictions
can be for our good
· No
matter what others say, stick to the Lord’s way
· Don’t
be an osmium-head, delight in God’s law
· Treasure
the word of God above all else
Reflection
Question
How many Bibles do you own?
How often do you read them? Are they gathering dust or are you daily mining the
treasures found in God’s word? How much time have you invested in memorizing
Scripture? Many of our persecuted
brothers and sisters in Christ literally risk their lives to lay their hands on
a Bible of their own. Do we dare neglect such an awesome treasure?!
No comments:
Post a Comment