PSALM 119:169-176 VARISCITE VICTORY

VARISCITE VICTORY

PSALM 119:169-176

ת (Tav)

Psalm 119:169 Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: give me understanding according to thy word.

Susan: The psalmist knew that the Lord was his only hope and feared the possibility of his prayer being rejected. It is a situation similar to that of Esther who entered the presence of an earthly king, unbidden and in great fear, to plead the cause of her people.

Susie: The psalmist considered himself unworthy to approach the Almighty God, but boldly sought an audience anyway. Then he asked that the Lord would grant him deep understanding of His word that he might follow it more closely. He states that God’s word promises that the Lord will give understanding.

Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

Susie: When God pointed out to Job all the things He controlled of which Job had little or no understanding, the Lord stated:

Job 38:36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?

Susan: In the New Testament, James picks up this same idea. James teaches believers to pray asking God for wisdom, and assures them that when they do, the Lord will be faithful to supply it abundantly.

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.

Psalm 119:170 Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.

Susan: The psalmist is in a submissive position, a posture of humility, praying intently. He is pleading with God to rescue him from his enemies, liberate him, according to His promises.

Psalm 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Susie: In the New Testament we are assured that when we belong to Jesus, no enemy can keep us from the Father.

Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:37-39 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 119:171 My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.

Susan: The psalmist says he will praise God for giving him more than a natural understanding of His word. He credits the Lord’s instruction for the depth of his spiritual insight into God’s laws.

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

Susie: As New Testament believers, we have the blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit to instruct us and illuminate the Bible for us. For this we should praise God greatly!

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

1 Corinthians 2:12-14 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  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.

Susan: The Lord Himself empowers those who trust Him to understand and obey His word.

Psalm 119:172 My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.

Susan: The psalmist is not only going to treasure God’s word for himself but will declare it to others. He knows the value of the scriptures and wants to share them.

Susie: He sees that God’s word is righteous, that it is absolute truth. We, too, should want to share the truth with everyone we meet. Paul drove that point home to his young protégé Timothy.

2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV) Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

Psalm 119:173 Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.

Susan: The psalmist could have been distracted by other points of focus, but he determined to base his life on God’s word. He chose God’s truth rather than the tenets of the false gods worshiped by the surrounding nations.

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Psalm 119:174 I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight.

Susie: He has longed for deliverance from his enemies and, perhaps also, his own sinfulness. In his deep study of God’s law, fixing his mind on its truth, he has come to trust in God’s ability to save him. Therefore, he takes great pleasure in exploring God’s word.

Psalm 1:1-2 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. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalm 119:175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.

Susan: The psalmist wants to continue living because he has a selfless desire to praise and exalt the God of his heart.

Susie: If he were to die, no one would hear his praise of the Lord. Only the living, both physically and spiritually, have the ability to declare the glory of God.

Isaiah 38:18-19 (CSB) For Sheol cannot thank you; Death cannot praise you. Those who go down to the Pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. The living, only the living can thank you, as I do today; a father will make your faithfulness known to children.

Isaiah 38:18-19 (MSG) The dead don’t thank you, and choirs don’t sing praises from the morgue. Those buried six feet under don’t witness to your faithful ways. It’s the living—live men, live women—who thank you, just as I’m doing right now. Parents give their children full reports on your faithful ways.

Susan: Not all who are physically alive are capable of truly praising God. One must be quickened by the Spirit of God and accept His salvation in order to properly praise the Lord.

Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Psalm 119:176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.

Susie: Throughout Psalm 119, the writer affirms his delight in, love for, and adherence to the word of God. However, he now admits that even so, he is far from perfect. He is like a stupid sheep that wandered away from the safety of the flock.

Susan: Paul suffered the same plight. His spiritual man was strong, but his natural man (what we call the flesh) was weak.

Susie: Paul, like the psalmist, had a sincere heartfelt desire to obey the word of God completely, but he was still a sinner.

Romans 7:22-23 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 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.

Susie: Jesus tells a parable about a lost sheep in the Gospel of Luke:

Luke 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

Susan: The psalmist entreats the Lord to pursue him with the heart of a shepherd whose sheep has wandered away from the flock. If an ordinary shepherd will strategically go after his lost sheep to bring them back into the fold, how much more does our Good Shepherd, Jesus, seek after His sheep, his children, when they have wandered from the path He set out for them, their God-given purpose.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Susie: Not only does Jesus pursue us, but as stated in John 10:11 and prophesied by Isaiah, He literally gave His life to pay the penalty of our sin, our straying.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Points to Ponder:

·     God Himself enables us to understand the Bible

·     God keeps His promises to deliver His children

·     We should praise the Lord for the insight the Spirit gives us

·     We should declare His word to others

·     We must choose between Jesus and the world

·     We should take delight in the word

·     Only those made alive by Christ can truly praise the Lord

·     When we do stray from God’s commands, Jesus our Good Shepherd comes to bring us back to safety

Reflection Question: God’s word is the path to victory over sin, over persecution, over any type of trial. God gives us the insight we need to be “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37) as we wield the “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17b). Have you praised the Lord for the gift of His Holy Bible today? Are you taking more time to internalize the truths found in its pages? This entire Psalm is dedicated to exalting the word of God. It is God’s explanation and instruction about Scripture.  Have we taken its message to heart and made scripture a priority? We hope that is one thing you have taken away from this study!