Pe - Psalm 119:129-136 Series

PE

March 14, 2012

Oak Park Baptist Church – Wed Bible Study Series

Psalm 119:129-136 (ESV) – 17 of 22

PE – 17th letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

Read/show ALL verses b4 verse by verse teaching…

The goodness of God is found in all of creation. The apostle Paul reflects this in his opening chapter of the letter to the churches in Rome, where he details God’s presence and glory has been revealed to all the earth.

In our stanza tonight (Ps 119:129-136) we find the psalmist revealing how wonderful God’s word is for his life, and how God’s word brings about understanding, even for those who feel they could never understand it!

He reveals his desire for God and God’s word in his expressions and rests on the promise of God to deliver and guide him to where God desired him to go… here we find the psalmist truly dwelling on the goodness of God that is revealed THRU His word!

So tonight I want us to look at these 8 verses and determine what the point the psalmist is driving home for his readers…

[show verse]

129Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. OR 129Your laws are wonderful. No wonder I obey them!

We can see a picture here of a happy and eager servant who is delighted to serve his master. This verse reveals one who looks forward to his service to his master.

Why? Because there is joy in his service… joy because of an obvious love FOR his master, which implies an obvious love FROM the master to the servant!

Matthew Henry Commentary:

See here how was affected towards the word of God.

The psalmist admired the word of God and to him it was most excellent by itself!

Here the majesty of style, purity of matter, the harmony of its parts is all wonderful to the psalmist. Its effects upon the consciences of men, both for conviction and comfort, are wonderful!

The psalmist also implies here if we do not admire God’s Word that it is a sign we are not acquainted with them OR we do not understand them.

Another aspect for the psalmist here is that he recognizes God’s word as USEFUL in his life! “Therefore my soul keeps them…”

Henry states that we don’t keep God’s commandments in any significant way unless our souls keep them. In other words it is a heart issue… They must have the innermost and uppermost place in a man’s heart. God’s word is prized and highly desired and kept carefully!

So what we can gain from this opening verse is a picture of a man who is eager and excited about the Word of God… a man willing to serve and a man fully trusting in the master to whom he is serving…fully trusting in his master’s direction for his life!

[show verse]

130The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. OR 130The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.

The unfolding of God’s word is how the psalmist describes his revelation from God through God’s commandments.

The word for ‘unfolding’ here is the Hebrew word pay-taackh which is a masculine noun meaning to reveal. It gives a picture of a doorway or a gateway or entrance into a previously closed chamber. This is an unveiling of unknown knowledge to the psalmist.

This is the revealing of information unavailable or not understandable before… it is the comprehension of the incomprehensible!

What this does is tell us that God breaks down complex spiritual matters into a ‘meat/potatoes’ simplicity that anyone can come to understand thru the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit… which is great news because it means that anyone can read it and know it…

However, this light, given by God for our lives, requires a faith IN it… a trust FOR it… to move ahead because OF its teaching. The psalmist reveals this faith in his simple admission of understanding, “…your word gives light…” it ILLUMINATES the life and guides the heart!

The psalmist uses the word ‘light’… it is the Hebrew word ORE which means to GIVE light to an unlit place… to shine light… this is an willful act BY God to provide understanding to us through His word! God is SHINING His light… actively opening up our eyes to His understanding…

God is seeking to do what we sing about… to “Open the eyes of our hearts so that we can SEE Him!” What we see here is a picture of a teacher who is opening the eyes of her student’s minds to a vast new world of information that produces a thirst for more knowledge and growth… the more we come to know about God the more we want to learn… we desire to grow closer and closer to Him!