Psalm 119:161-176: Seeking the One

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 161-176).

One in a Hundred

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.
Psalm 119:176 (ESV)

Is this really how our psalmist’s story ends?

Of course not. Yes, it is how the psalm ends, but not the story. We find the rest of the story in Matthew 18:10ff.

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish (ESV).

In fact, the psalmist begs for God to seek him as a lost sheep. And God came into the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son, the Messiah and Christ. Why did He come into the world? To seek and to save that which is lost (see Luke 19:10).

The psalmist went astray and begged God to seek him out. And God said, “Yes!”

And He has done and continues to do the same for us.

Praise the Lord!

Next week’s reading is Psalm 120.

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Psalm 119:145-160: Prayer and Promise

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 145-160).

Crying and Calling

The QOPH stanza looks in two directions. The main direction is from our psalmist to God with an emphasis on prayer. The other direction is from God to the psalmist in the form of promise.

With this psalm containing 172 verses of prayer, we are not surprised to hear the psalmist say things like: “With my whole heart I cry…” “I call to you…” “I rise before dawn and cry for help…” “Hear my voice…” This psalmist prays. He prays for help against enemies. He prays for wisdom to understand. He prays for strength to obey. He prays for forgiveness and life. He prays for mercy and steadfast love.

No doubt, as we’ve read Psalm 119, we’ve learned a great deal about being disciplined in God’s Word. However, the undercurrent all the way along has also been being disciplined in prayer. The psalmist is up before the dawn to pray. He stays up late so that even before the soldiers on the watchtower start their duties, he is meditating. This, however, is not a sleepless restlessness. It is a settled conviction in the One who responds.

Prayer for us needs to be like the psalmist. Prayer is not haphazard and sporadic. It is to be constant, continual, repeated. We are those who pray without ceasing. Which, of course, cannot mean we only ever pray. But it does mean we pray in response to all circumstances, in every situation, at all times of the day and night, and we never stop the habit.

But do not miss the other direction. What motivates our psalmist’s praying? The promises of God. The psalmist believes God’s promises. He takes God at His Word. He knows the testimonies are founded forever. He knows the commandments are true. He believes God will respond with His chesed, His covenant, loyal love. Therefore, he prays. He prays consistently. He prays repeatedly. He prays continually. He prays fervently. God will do what He has said, so the psalmist prays for God to do what He has said. And no matter how long the interim between God giving His promise and God fulfilling His promise, the psalmist prays.

May we pray like this psalmist. Have you prayed today?

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 145-160).

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PATHS:
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How does Psalm 119:145-160 prompt or improve your praise of God?

Psalm 119:129-144: Escaping Sin’s Dominion

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 129-144).

The Answer to the Psalmist’s Request

In Psalm 119:133, the psalmist requests, “Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me” (ESV).

No doubt, God, to some degree, granted the psalmist’s request in his own lifetime. I’m sure God helped the psalmist have grace and strength to obey. However, I can’t help but think about Paul’s teaching in Romans 6-7.

Notice Romans 6:14. “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (ESV). In other words, our psalmist’s request was not fully granted until Jesus, whose sacrifice purchased the grace which sets us free. The problem with the Law was not with the laws themselves. The laws, the rules, the judgments, the precepts, the statutes, the words, the decrees were great. They were life itself. The problem was what to do when a person broke a law. Adding another law on top of the one that was broken could not provide freedom from being a law-breaker.

Certainly, while the Law was in full force, God administered grace. Our psalmist demonstrates that again and again throughout this psalm and others. But this grace was anchored in something that had not yet occurred when Psalm 119 was written. It was anchored in God’s knowledge of an event yet future to the psalmist.

However, praise God, it is in our past. The grace of Jesus breaks the stranglehold of sin. The sacrifice of Jesus provides the forgiveness that sets us free. The resurrection of Jesus provides the power and reign which strengthens us to truly overcome. The gift of God’s Spirit provides the victory we long for in our fight against temptation and sin.

The psalmist prayed God would remove the dominion of sin. God responded by sending Jesus.

Praise the Lord!

Next week’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 145-160).

PODCAST!!!

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PATHS:
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What do you want to share with others from Psalm 119:129-145?

Psalm 119:129-144: Still Small and Despised

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 129-144).

Surprising Adherents of God’s Word

The psalmist has already declared God’s Word makes him incredibly wise. According to vss. 97-100, because of God’s Word he is wiser than his enemies, his teachers, and even the aged. We’d expect that kind of wisdom to pay off in some tangible ways, right? If he is that wise, folks should look up to him by now. If he is that wise, he should probably have grown healthy and wealthy. If he is that wise, he should probably be the big man on campus at this point. Don’t you think?

And yet, he says, “I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts” (vs. 141, ESV).

I can’t help but think of David in 1 Samuel 16. When Samuel showed up at Jesse’s to anoint one of Jesse’s sons king, they left David out with the sheep. He was small and despised. Yet, in a few years, he was king. Our psalmist, despite being the kind of person who loves and follows God’s Word so much he has written this psalm, he is still small and despised.

This demonstrates the upside down nature of God’s kingdom. God simply doesn’t choose people the way people do. Consider what Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. God does not choose those who are wise according to worldly standards. He doesn’t choose the powerful or the noble. He chooses what is foolish to confound the wise. He chooses what is weak to shame the strong. He chooses what is low and despised to bring to nothing those things which are high and mighty. God works in this way to draw us to Him. God works in this way to get us to realize the only boast we can possibly have is, “I’m in the Lord.”

Our psalmist is okay with that. He started small and despised. Even as he has obeyed the Lord more and more, he is okay that he has remained that way. He doesn’t keep God’s precepts in order to gain health, wealth, standing, social equity. He keeps God’s precepts because he thinks God’s precepts are worth keeping.

May I learn to see God’s precepts in the same way. God’s way is blessed not because of where it leads, but because of what keeping His way makes me. It makes me God’s servant. If I’m still small and everyone else still despises me, no big deal. I’m the Lord’s. He is mine. What else matters?

Praise the Lord!

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 129-144).

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
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How does Psalm 119:129-144 prompt or improve your hope in God?

Psalm 119:129-144: Streams of Tears

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 129-144).

What Makes Me Cry?

The final line of the PE section forces a question upon me. What makes me cry?

Just the other day, I was in a group chat in which someone asked if a particular book made people cry. I think about videos, stories, songs, shows, movies that make me cry. Honestly, every time I read or hear that kids’ book “I’ll Love You Forever,” the water works turn on. The older I get, the more that prompts me to cry. However, I have to admit, I fall short of our psalmist’s statement.

My eyes shed streams of tears,
because people do not keep your law.
Psalm 119:136 (ESV)

I live in a world full of sin. Sadly, I’ve contributed my own fair share of it myself. I do often shed tears over my own sins. There are some particular people, family, friends, loved ones whose sins prompt tears. However, I rarely cry just over sin around me in general.

I either ignore it. Or it makes me angry. Granted, the psalmist is angered by sin as well (see vs. 113). I don’t have to feel guilt about being angered by sin. At the same time, I am moved to considered the psalmist’s response of sadness.

The psalmist doesn’t explain the exact motivation of his sadness. Yes, he is sad because people do not keep God’s law. However, he doesn’t say if his sadness is directed toward the law or the people. Is he sad because God’s law is worthy of keeping? God is worthy of obedience. It makes the psalmist sad to see God so ill-treated by those who ignore His will. Or is he sad because he knows what disobedience to God’s law means for the people who disobey? He knows disobedience corrupts and enslaves those who disobey. Sin leads people away from being the good kind of people we all want to be. Ultimately, of course, sin leads to judgment and condemnation. The psalmist cries as he considers the outcome of their disobedience.

Perhaps the psalmist doesn’t delineate between the two because both issues motivate his tears. The world is full of disobedience and of the disobedient. Can you think of anything more sad than that?

With that said, let us commit to be no cause for those tears. May we be those who bring joy to the psalmist, to the Spirit who inspired him, and to God who listened to his pleas. May we commit to keep God’s Law.

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 129-144).

PODCAST!!!

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PATHS:
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How does Psalm 119:129-144 admonish you?

Psalm 119:129-144: Steady My Steps

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 129-144).

A Fear of Faltering

Our psalmist loves God’s law. He delights in God’s law. There was a time when he ignored God’s law, but God, according to His Word, faithfully afflicted the psalmist. This affliction prompted the psalmist to repent. Now the psalmist faithfully walks in accord with God’s statutes and precepts. The word itself is light to his path and a lamp to his way. The word reveals the traps and snares left on the path by the enemy.

But now the psalmist brings in a new concern. He fears he may simply falter. Or perhaps I should say he fears he may be pushed to faltering. In Psalm 119:133-134, he mentions two hindrances and obstacles to a steady walk. We’ll address the second one first because it is more obvious. In vs. 134, he fears the oppression from other people will overcome him and hinder his ability to keep the Lord’s precepts. I think this is more than just an issue of facing temptation from others. Rather, it is the issue of others somehow, through oppression, forcing the man into sin. Whether or not we would find the man culpable in that scenario and whether or not God would, the psalmist doesn’t want to falter at all. He is not so much concerned here with whether God would count him guilty. He simply doesn’t want to do anything against God’s will even if forced by oppression of some other person.

The first obstacle is mentioned in vs. 133. “Let no iniquity get dominion over me” (ESV). Paul tells us in Romans 6:16 if we present ourselves to sin to obey sin, we become slaves to sin. In the context of the Romans passage, Paul explains we Christians must not present ourselves to sin because sin is not to have dominion over us. The psalmist wants the same thing Paul wants. He fears sin will get the better of him. He knows only God can give him the wisdom and the strength to avoid the dominion of sin.

Because he fears the faltering, he begs for the Numbers 6:24-26 blessing. He needs the Lord to bless him (don’t forget how this psalm began), he needs the Lord to keep him, he needs the Lord to shine His face upon him.

May we pray the same request. May the Lord steady our steps in the face of sin and oppressors. May the Lord shine His face upon us.

Praise the Lord!

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 129-144).

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
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How does Psalm 119:129-144 prompt or improve your praise of God?

Psalm 119:113-128: A Pledge of Good

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 113-128).

The Final Replacement Term

As we have learned before, the psalmist uses eight terms to describe the Word of God over and over again throughout Psalm 119. Those terms are used in 172 of the 176 verses. A case can be made that in the 4 outlier verses, the psalmist uses secondary or replacement terms. That is, terms which are not commonly used for God’s Word, but in a specific context and to make a specific point can be substituted. We’ve seen the term “way” used in vss. 3, 37. Then “faithfulness” in vs. 90. Now, in vs. 122, we find the final replacement term: pledge. That is, surety, security.

On the surface, this financial, accounting term seems like an odd “replacement” term for God’s Word. However, quickly trace the statements in AYIN (vss. 121-128).

In vs. 121, he begs not to be left to those who would oppress him. Certainly, oppressors are anyone who harms, but the term is frequently used of those who would steal or take from a neighbor (see Leviticus 6:2, 4; 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14; 28:29, 33, et al). In contrast to those who would steal from him, in vs. 122, the psalmist asks the Lord to give a pledge, a security, a surety for a greater larger gift by not letting the insolent oppress him. The greater gift is discovered in vs. 123 as salvation, the fulfillment of God’s righteous promise. According to vs. 124, that fulfillment is the demonstration of the Lord’s covenant loyalty. Having asked for the Lord to give a pledge in vs. 123, he asks the Lord to give him understanding in vs. 125 so he may know the Lord’s testimonies. This leads to the point in vs. 127, in which the psalmist demonstrates he would rather have God’s commandment than money as his inheritance. Because of all he has said in this stanza, in vs. 128, he declares God’s precepts to be right and commits to hate all false ways.

Walking through the stanza, we discover the “pledge” of good, is the promise of salvation and deliverance itself in the Word of God. It is the commandments worth more than gold. It is the understanding, given so the psalmist may know the testimonies.

Certainly, the psalmist wants to see the fullness of the promised deliverance, but he is presently content with the pledge of the promise itself. Content enough to accept the precepts, put faith in the promises, learn the statutes, abide by the commandments, and hate every other way.

When we live in the interim between when the promise is given and the promise is completely fulfilled, may we also accept God’s pledge, His covenant-making, deliverance-declaring Scripture and Word. May we recognize His pledge as right and, therefore, hate all false ways.

Praise the Lord!

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 113-128).

PODCAST!!!

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PATHS:
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How does Psalm 119:113-128 prompt or improve your trust in God?

Psalm 119:97-112: A Lamp and Light

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 97-112).

God’s world, God’s Way

The psalmist repeatedly drives home a question to me.

Do I really believe the world works the way God says it does?

Those who walk in God’s Law and keep His testimonies are blessed, as our psalm began, not because they are qualifying for a prize and meeting the checklist of conditional requirements for God to dole out blessings. They are blessed because God created this world and He knows how it best works. He knows where blessedness lies. His Law, testimonies, Word, precepts, rules, judgments, promises, way, statutes, faithfulness, declarations, commandments, decrees show the way the world works.

God’s Word lights the way of blessedness. God’s Word shows us where to plant our feet and take our next step for blessing. God’s Way, God’s Word works. Frankly, this is the place of faith in our lives. Saving faith is believing where God’s light shines is really the best place to take our next steps.

This helps us understand our biggest dilemma. You see, God’s Word and Way work God’s purposes and goals. If my purposes and goals are different from His, I’m going to struggle all the way along to think His Word and Way actually work. I’ll be like that guy we call the rich, young ruler going away sad because God’s Way and Word won’t work my goals and my purposes.

“But I want to go to heaven,” someone says. “My goal and purpose is obviously the same as God’s.” Is it? I’m increasingly convinced God’s goal and purpose is not to get us to some place new, but to make us into someone new. He isn’t trying to get us to a certain place, but make us into a certain kind of person. The path to a location is very different from the path to transformation. Let’s face it. Attending the Super Bowl is a very different path from playing in it. Even I could attend the Super Bowl. If I got to know the right people or even just decided I was more interested in attending a Super Bowl than I was in so many other things I spend my money on, I could attend a Super Bowl. To play in the Super Bowl would be a painful path of transformation. That latter kind of work is what God is striving to accomplish in me. God isn’t trying to get us into heaven. God is making us into the kind of people who will thrive in His presence. That’s two different things. One is location. The other is transformation.

Of course, my illustration breaks down because in reality, if I don’t become the kind of person who can thrive in God’s presence, I won’t be the kind of person who can actually dwell in heaven. Either way, God lights the way to be that kind of person with His Word. Every other way is darkness and death.

What step will I take next? Let’s make that step one anchored in God’s Word.

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 97-112).

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How does Psalm 119:97-112 prompt or improve my trust in God?

Psalm 119:97-112: Wiser!

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 97-112).

Don’t Be a Fool

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We know that. We’ve heard that before (Psalm 111:10). But where do we go from there? How does wisdom continue? How does it grow? We’re seven weeks into Psalm 119, I hope you can already tell where I’m going. Wisdom begins with properly assessing and valuing God. It continues and grows by properly assessing and valuing God’s Word.

Our psalmist makes three wisdom claims:

1. God’s Word makes us wiser than our enemies.
2. God’s Word makes us wiser than our teachers.
3. God’s Word makes us wiser than the aged.

Without God’s Word, my enemies will bowl me over. With it, I can stay a step ahead of their snares and traps. The second and third statements help us out. Jesus declared a disciple can never get past his teacher. If we choose a blind one, we’ll follow that blind teacher into the pit (Luke 6:39). We, however, can avoid being limited by human teachers, all of whom are blind to some degree, by being in God’s Word. Of course, we can only be the wisest of teachers if we are merely passing on God’s Word.

But do not miss this point. Before asserting his wisdom, the psalmist makes this claim:

Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
Psalm 119:97 (ESV)

He doesn’t say, “Oh how I love your law it is the subject of a class I attend once or twice a week.” He doesn’t say, “Oh how I love your law! It is the basis for sermons I listen to on a pretty regular basis.” He doesn’t even say, “Oh how I love your law! It is my reading material on a mostly daily basis.” He says, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

The exceeding and surpassing wisdom of God’s Word doesn’t come to those who dabble in it. It comes to those who dive in, drink deeply, and hang on continually. The wisdom doesn’t come from a morning reading, even a daily morning reading. The wisdom comes from taking that reading with you through the day, thinking about it, dwelling on it, ruminating on it, musing over it, pondering it, coming back to it.

Meditation is not only a daily discipline to develop but an all-day occupation to pursue. I don’t mean only someone whose job is in the Word. This isn’t just for preachers. Rather, no matter our career, our minds and thinking need to be occupied by God’s Word. Because the psalmist is occupied with God’s Word, all other occupations will be governed by God’s Word. Because he thinks about God’s Word all day, he thinks about everything else in a Word-ly way.

Allow me to encourage you in an exercise today. If you aren’t doing it with some other passage, why not write down this MEM stanza or part of it. Carry it with you in your pocket and pull it out throughout the day. Read it. Think about it. Ask how it impacts what you are working on in that moment. If you need to, set an alarm for a few times through out today that will remind you to pull it out and meditate.

Fill your mind with God’s Word and let God’s Word fill your life with God’s wisdom.

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 87-112).

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
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How does Psalm 119:87-112 prompt or improve your praise of God?

Psalm 119:81-96: Almost an End, but Not Quite

Today’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 81-96).

Follow the Messiah’s Lead

As we’ve said before, Psalm 119 is not predictive. That is, we aren’t being shown markers of the Messiah to look for in order to know He has come. However, as this psalmist presents the ideal Israelite, we cannot help but know that when the truly Ideal Israelite shows up, he will be all this psalm displays, fully, completely, and to the nth degree.

I cannot help but pull out two statements that seem to go together though they are in two different sections. In KAPH, the psalmist says:

They have almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
Psalm 119:87 (ESV)

Then in LAMEDH, as if to explain what kept this from being a full end, he writes:

If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
Psalm 119:92 (ESV)

Of course, the psalmist eventually perished. He died. He did have an end on the earth. Jesus, however, comes along and His end seemed so certain He even died on a cross. BUT…

The third day came and we discovered an end had not been made of Him. He did not actually perish in His affliction, He lived indestructibly. He broke forth from the grave never to die again. That’s our King!

As if to put a bow on this, the psalmist goes on to say:

I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have given me life.
Psalm 119:93 (ESV)

How did Jesus attain such abundant, victorious, successful, blessed life? He never forgot the Lord’s precepts. With the psalmist we have to equivocate on that. With the psalmist, we recognize in moments he forgot. He did fail. We talk about how his course of life was in a certain direction. But with Jesus, He never forgot the precepts. Not even for a moment. He wasn’t distracted or swayed even for an instant. And as such, His life was so abundant even when death took its biggest swing, death couldn’t win. Jesus rose again.

Understand what this means for us. We need to be in Jesus and to follow in Jesus’s footsteps. If we want abundant, victorious life, we need to see it comes from only one source, God. God has shown us the way in His Word, in His faithfulness to us. Let us grab hold of His Word, open it up, drink it down, and walk its ways. Yes, we will suffer affliction. Yes, the affliction will almost make an end to us. But, in God’s faithfulness He will give us life, not just a day of the good life, but eternal life.

Praise the Lord!

Next week’s reading is Psalm 119 (vss. 97-112).

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

What do you want to share with others from Psalm 119:81-96?