The Word Of God Saves Us Series

PSALM 119: 41-48 [The Ministry of The Word Series]

THE WORD OF GOD SAVES US

This section is a prayer for God to save through His love and His Word (CIT). The psalmist calls on God for deliverance from those who reproach him (v. 42). This reproach is a personal attack because of his love for God and His Word.

All men seek good things from God, but the ungodly return nothing back again to the Lord. Their prayers proceed from a love of themselves, and not from a love for God and His Word. They refuse to honor God by allowing Him His glory. The godly give praise to God as they seek good things and when they receive them, they acknowledge God by giving Him glory through offering them back to the God from whom they received them. Their life revolves around their love for God not their love for themselves. Thus what they received serves God because they serve God instead of themselves. The service of sin and self is slavery; the service of God is liberty. [Spurgeon, Charles. The Treasury of David. Vol. 3. McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing. p. 231]

I. CLAIMING GOD'S PROMISE, 41-42.

II. PROMISED OBEDIENCE, 43-46.

III. PROMISED DELIGHT, 47-48.

Vav [And].

Verse 41 declares that proofs of God's lovingkindness come as we receive the promises of His word. "May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your word;"

He prays that God's lovingkindnesses which the Lord has prepared for his need come to him. [Lovingkindnesses is a frequent word in Psalm 119 (vv. 64, 76, 88, 124, 149, 159)].

The great outcome of lovingkindness is salvation or deliverance. This word could be a personal promise he received from the Word (1 Kgs 8:56).

The way of salvation is described in the word. Salvation itself is promised in the word. The inward working of salvation is prepared and prompted by the word. In all respects the salvation which is in Christ Jesus is according to the word. David loved the Scriptures, because of the implanting and outworking they brought about in his life (James 1:21-22). He was not satisfied to read the word, he longed to experience its loving deliverance. He valued Scripture for the sake of the treasure which he had discovered in it. [Spurgeon, 226.]

The lovingkindness and deliverance of God provides us with answers for those who reproach us as verse 42 indicates. "So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word."

He remains faithful because he has faith in God and His Word. One needs faith when someone reproaches or tries to lay you low. But if God will let His promise be fulfilled he will have a response to the criticizer. When those who reproach us are also reproaching God, we may ask God to help us to answer them by the provision of His mercy and faithfulness with which His Word supplies us.

II. PROMISED OBEDIENCE, 43-46.

In verses 43-46 the psalmist prayed (and affirmed) that the Word would continue to be his pattern of life. These declaration he would be willing to do by the grace of God that he might glorify God.

Verse 43 refers to our duty to confess God. "And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Your ordinances."

He prays for God's Word to remain with him for he is responsive to it. If we refuse to follow and confess God, He may remove His unused truth from us. So the Psalmist takes his stand in and upon the Word of God.

An interesting film, The Next Voice You Hear, from1950 tells a story of a family with a typical amount of trials and tensions. Then, one night, the VOICE OF GOD speaks on the radio. But not just their radio, God's voice is heard throughout the world on every radio, saying the same thing at the same time.

At first people react with disbelief, then fear. After several days of hearing "The Voice," however, people's attitudes, actions and priorities begin to change. The impact of what God says directly affects how they live their lives.

I have heard people say, "If only God would talk to me! If He would just tell me what to do, I would do it." The simple fact is that God has already spoken to us through His Word, the Bible. The real question is, "Do we listen to Him as He speaks?"

[The psalmist desired to obey God's Word "continually, forever and ever." James warned about ignoring it when he said, "Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).]

How would you respond if God began to speak to you on your radio? We can be thankful that God does speak to us-not on the radio but in the Scriptures. May we be wise enough to listen and obey. [Crowder, Bill. Our Daily Bread. Radio Bible Class.]