STAR
SAPPHIRE STATUTES
PSALM
119:145-152
ק
(Kuf)
Psalm
119:145 I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O
Lord: I will keep thy statutes.
Susie: This
is the sixth and final time the expression “whole heart” appears in Psalm 119. Complete devotion to and dependence upon God
and His word is a major theme of this psalm.
Susan: The
psalmist realizes the worth of God’s statutes, immeasurable value like precious
jewels. He is determined to live them out with his whole being. Understanding
God’s word in order to have a right relationship with the Lord is the pinnacle
of the psalmist’s life. To be in tandem with the Lord’s rhythm of life is his
foremost goal.
Susie: Those
who see the value of God’s laws desire to obey them, to build their lives upon
Scripture. The Apostle Paul urged his protégé, Timothy, to study and apply
God’s word.
2
Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Psalm
119:146 I cried unto thee; save me, and I
shall keep thy testimonies.
Susie: Complete
trust and dependence on the Lord’s ability to save him, both physically and
spiritually, is another repeated theme in Psalm 119. He cries out to God
knowing that God is able and willing to provide salvation.
Susan: I am
forced by my cerebral palsy to lean in on God and others. I am constantly aware
that I depend upon the Lord for every breath, everything I do. Sometimes I
think it is easier for someone in my position to be acutely aware of that than
for someone who is physically healthy and sound.
Susie: Throughout
Psalm 119, we have seen the psalmist distressed by enemies pressing near him.
Perhaps this has made it “easier” for him to depend upon the Lord. When there
is nowhere else to look but up, one sees the Father looking down. Would that we
could learn to look to Him even when we are at a high point in life! I wrote
the following on the day I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, and praise the
Lord, He has consistently answered this prayer:
Lord,
please keep me on my knees
Because
from that position I can see
That
You are truly all I have,
But
You are all I need.
Lord,
please keep me on my knees.
Susan: God’s
grace in saving him, will enable the psalmist to obey His word. In the New
Testament, we see that the sacrifice of Jesus, God’s Son, frees us to have a
right relationship with God, to be able to live in obedience to His word.
Susie: A
part of Strong’s definition for the Greek word for grace, makes this clear:
The
New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible:
5485
charis - . . . the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the
life . . .
Psalm
119:147 I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.
Susie: The
psalmist is not claiming to be able to keep the sun from rising. The word
“prevent” has the connotation of anticipating sunrise.
Psalm
5:3 (Berean Study Bible) In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; at daybreak
I lay my plea before You and wait in expectation.
Susan: The
foremost thing on the psalmist’s mind and his agenda is connecting himself with
his Source who is God. It is God who invigorates him and gives him direction. Jesus
had the habit of praying early in the morning as well, and if the Son of God
needed to connect first thing in the morning with His Father, how much more do
we?
Mark
1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and
departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Susie: He is
being pursued by an enemy, but he never ceases to hope in the Lord and stand on
God’s promises.
Psalm
119:148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.
Susan: This
scripture encourages all of us who suffer occasional insomnia. The psalmist
knew where to put his mind and heart in the middle of the night. He made a
practice of using those times to meditate on the scripture had studied and
internalized.
Susie: Earlier
in this psalm, he talked about hiding God’s word, treasuring it up in his heart
(Psalm 119:11). Now when he awakens late at night or the wee hours of the
morning, he brings that memorized word to mind and ponders it. God uses it to
restore his hope.
Psalm
119:149 Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness:
O Lord, quicken me according to thy
judgment.
Susie: This
verse contains two more words that are repeated themes in Psalm 119:
“lovingkindness” which is God’s fatherly love toward His people and “quicken”
which is to invigorate, to make alive again.
Susan: The
psalmist appeals to God on the basis of His character, not that of the
psalmist.
Susie: He
does not present a case for meriting God’s attention or favor because he knows
his own failings, his humanness.
Susan: The
psalmist asks the Lord to grant him a revitalization of his holy conviction.
Susie: He has
already experienced God’s loving devotion, His grace toward him, but he is in
dire need of refreshment in order to be strengthened in the face of persecution
by his enemies.
Susan: The
ordeals of this world have wearied him, as they sometimes do us.
Susie: Even
when we are feeling (and truly are) least worthy, God will grant us renewed
vigor because of the merits of Jesus in whom we place our trust.
Psalm
119:150-151 They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy
law. Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth.
Susie: Those
who do not follow God’s law, approach with their wicked temptations and
persecutions.
Susan: However,
God’s nearness cancels out the influence of the wicked ones and thwarts the
plans of the Evil One, Satan.
Psalm
46:1 (NIV) God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Susan: We
need not worry about the seeming success of wicked people because God
ultimately has everything under control. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is
to continue obeying God’s word, but we must intentionally wait on God rather
than moving in our own strength and self-effort. God is never late even though,
in our humanity, it seems He is slow at times.
Psalm
37:7 (VOICE) Be still. Be patient.
Expect the Eternal to arrive and set things right. Don’t get upset when you see
the worldly ones rising up the ladder. Don’t be bothered by those who are
anchored in wicked ways.
Psalm
119:152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded
them forever.
Susan: God’s
word is infinitely true.
Susie: It was true in eternity past. It is true now.
It will be true in eternity future.
Susan: His
word is true and perfect to the nth degree.
Susie: Scripture
is never changing, completely infallible, and is the utmost source for moral
instruction. We can believe it and trust it without reservation.
1
Peter 1:24-25 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower
of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the
word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is
preached unto you.
Matthew
5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Points
to Ponder:
· We
must trust and serve God wholeheartedly
· God
saved us from sin and freed us to serve Him
· Prayer
and meditation on God’s word should be first on our agenda
· Internalizing
scripture enables us to bring it to mind when we cannot sleep
· God’s
grace revitalizes us even when we do not deserve His love
· When
wrongdoers seem to surround us, we must remember that God is even nearer
· We can
stand on God’s eternal truth and place our hope in Him
Reflection
Question: Do you view God’s statutes, His rules as a cumbersome
necessity or value them as the precious jewels they are? We have used gemstones
to represent each stanza of Psalm 119. In this section, we have seen that God’s
statutes truly outshine the brightest star sapphire. Wear them about your neck,
not literally, but figuratively by memorizing God’s word and living by it each
day. According to God’s word, it is the offensive weapon of His armor we are to
don each day:
Ephesians
6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God:
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