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November 9, 2011
Oak Park Baptist Church – Wednesday Bible Study Series
Psalm 119:33-40 (ESV) – 5 of 22
As we come to this passage (33-40) we find the psalmist asking God to provide several things for him… but not for his edification, but to equip Him to be the leader God wants him to become. The first thing the psalmist asks for in this section is found in v.33…
33Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.
The word ‘statutes’ here represents the Hebrew word khoke (HOKE) which represents things written by God but they are NOT direct references to the specific Law of God but they hover around the SPIRIT of the Law, not necessarily the letter of the Law!
The psalmist asks God to “Teach me…” and this is a direct request TO God for His intervention into the life of the psalmist… so that he can serve God in a more rich and fulfilled manner.
Teach…the Hebrew word yah-rah which means to teach or point out information, but lends itself to ‘showing one the way’… pointing them in the right direction. Almost a sense of ‘show me’ how it’s done Lord…
The ‘way’ of your statutes… deh-rek which means path or road, but also lends itself to a specific direction on the road… instead of take I-55 it would mean take I-55 SOUTH…
But in this context this is not referring to a direction on the compass, but the direction of the life of the individual, which are their manner of living, their habits, the ways of their life… quite literally the COURSE of their life.
So what the Psalmist is asking of God is for God to point out to him… to guide him in the manner God would want him to live, to point out the manner in which he should be living… so it is not only WHAT, but HOW…
After the psalmist request, he gives an attitude of confirmation on his part that promises his personal action on what God reveals to him… He says that he will ‘keep’ it to the end… the word translated as ‘keep’ is the Hebrew word nhat-zar which means: to preserve, to observe, to guard with fidelity. It references something that is to be kept close, and it also indicates that the psalmist desires to become a watchman of what he learns from God so that he can teach it to others…
34Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
In this verse we see the psalmist continue his requests to God, he says “Give me understanding…” Now this actually one Hebrew word bene’ that means to receive perception or understanding about a matter, and the implication is that it is being given FROM one with understanding TO one without understanding…
The psalmists request here is a confession of his lack of perception or discernment when it comes to the Law of God… He is asking God to give him this discernment… and his request is for a purpose… He admits his shortcomings and need of God’s intervention in the fact that he lacks understanding and he asks for that understanding because…
He wants to observe and adhere to the Law God has set forth… the words here in this verse are ‘keep’ Hebrew shaw-mar’ which is similar but is actually a different word that is translated as ‘keep’ in the previous verse…
This particular word that is translated as ‘keep’ means to take heed, to beware of, to keep oneself guarded, to keep or pay heed to something or someone… a sense of preservation
Then the palmist also uses the same word he had used in the previous verse which is the Hebrew word naht-zar’ but this time it is not translated as ‘keep’ but it is translated as ‘observe’ … a sense of being fully committed to guarding an observance and use of a thing... of keeping a thing close to the heart. The context of the verses gives us a clear indication of the psalmist’s desire and that is to become a truly committed guardian of what God allows him to discern or perceive.
This is made even MORE clear with the last words of the verse ‘with my whole heart…’ this phrase carries with it a sense of TOTALITY and while translated as ‘heart’ the word here is the Hebrew word ‘lehv’ which represents the ‘seat of the emotions’ for the Hebrew person. This is often translates as ‘bowels’ to give the picture of a person’s INNERMOST parts!
In Western society, when we speak of the ‘seat of emotions’ we use the metaphor of the heart to illustrate… but this was how the Hebrews related this concept when the psalmist was living… this is more of Mediterranean basin concept…but the ‘heart’ is a good alternate metaphor, thus this is why it is translated as ‘heart’ in this passage!
So the psalmist wants God to know that IF he will grant his request of ‘give me understanding’ that down to the very CORE of his being he is going to keep and observe that discernment so that he can live for God as God desires…
35Lead me in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.
‘Lead me…’ is yet another request by the psalmist crying out for God to help him know His Law… the term ‘lead me’ is the Hebrew phrase/word ‘dow-rahk’ which represents a march… not unlike the disciplined march of a military unit. This is a ‘walk in a path’ that is directed and structured in a certain way and commanded by a single authority.
So the psalmist is asking God to DIRECT his path, as an officer directs his troops… march me along is what he is saying to God!
March me along… in the path of Your commandments… the Hebrew word used here ‘nah-teev’ is a word that represents a worn pathway, one that has been traveled by many! This represents the psalmists desire to walk as other obedient followers had walked… in the path of God! He is asking God to direct his steps in the well laid out path of God that is found in the Law!
Why? The psalmist says, ‘…for I delight in it…’ indicating that the psalmist is joyful in obedience and joyful in service to God. This reflects a sincere heart because walking in the path God sets forth is never an easy path, and trouble is always at your door, but the psalmist rejoices in being in the path of God because he DELIGHTS in it…
37Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
The psalmist continues in his appeals to God for help… Here he asks God to ‘…incline my heart…’ the term incline is the Hebrew word ‘naw-tawh’ which means to stretch out, to bend, to spread out or extend… In other words, expand my heart! Make it LARGER for you…
The translated as heart here is the same one used in v.34 and represents the very seat of this man’s emotions and person. From the inner most parts of WHO this psalmist was… his yearning was that God would shape his inner most parts to reflect His Law… the ‘testimonies of God’
His yearning was that his heart would be stretched and molded to the Law of God, expanding his heart or his innermost parts to perceive the Law and put it into practice in his life… NOT to better Him or bring the psalmist glory, but to glorify God!
37Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in Your ways.
Here the psalmist asks God to ‘…turn his eyes…’ which is a phrase that represents not only the physical ‘eye’ and what he actually sees, but also this carries with it a spiritual component… his spiritual eyes, so to speak and what he perceives spiritually. So the psalmist is asking God to take his physical eye AND spiritual eyes and turn them away from what he describes as ‘…worthless things…’ The New American Standard translates this word as ‘vanity’ but it is the Hebrew word ‘shawhv’ which can mean vanity, but the implication is an emptiness or a worthlessness of a thing…
Vanity is pride in one’s beauty… but beauty is fading and it is also in the eye of the beholder. So to hold onto beauty as a thing of pride is foolish and an empty gesture on our part… it is something that we may treasure but in reality holds no actual or real value/worth…
The psalmist does not wish for these ‘empty’ things to dominate his life or distract him from serving God and he is asking God to turn his eyes… both physically and spiritually away from these empty things that distract and divert us away from God’s plan… but they are of NO WORTH to our soul.
Turn me away from the worthless things… and then the psalmist asks God to turn him TOWARD those things of great worth and value… he asks God to ‘…give me life in Your ways…’
I really like the way the NASB puts this verse… it says it this way, ‘…and REVIVE me in Your ways…’ which means a ‘rebirth’ of sorts for the psalmist… for one cannot be ‘revived’ unless one has been ‘vived’ in the first place…RIGHT?
Here the psalmist is asking God to restore him to life in the way of His Law… but not only that this carries with it the implication that not only restores the psalmist to life, but it is also a request for God to help him to remain alive, sustain his life and help him to live prosperously FOR the Law…
38Confirm to Your servant Your promise, that You may be feared.
At this point the psalmist has asked God to:
Teach him God’s law/God’s way
Give/Grant him understanding and discernment about God’s Laws/ways
Lead him in God’s path
Incline his heart/uttermost being
Turn his eyes/soul away from worthless/empty things
Give him life in the law of God
And now the psalmist is claiming the promise of God… this promise was made by God to His people back in Duet 6 where God said, you are my people and I am your God… obey and serve me and I will not leave nor forsake you, and I will teach you and help you to discern My Law…
The psalmist is claiming this promise of God… and asking God to confirm His law within his life… and in seeing God’s promise fulfilled in his obedient life the people would fear God because of this…
The Hebrew word used for ‘fear’ in this verse ‘year-ahh’ and we need to understand that while it CAN mean a fear or terror of something dreadful, in this context the word it is indicating a reverential awe toward the Creator God of the universe…and not a dread or terror over Him. The awe factor recognizes His tremendous power and presence and our place in His plan…
Part of that promise the psalmist is asking for is that he will prosper in God’s law, but there is a 2nd aspect to that promise that he reveals in the next verse…he says:
39Turn away the reproach that I dread, for Your rules are good.
Here the psalmist reflects what so many of us fear… rejection! Or to say it better… to be embarrassed or put to shame for his beliefs. If you remember, last week we looked at v.31 where he says he is going to cling to the word of God so that he WON’T be put to shame… Here is reiteration of that desire…
What he is saying basically is, “Keep me from the embarrassment of NOT obeying and help me to obey, because I know your Law is good!”
How many times do we find ourselves in an embarrassing situation because we did NOT adhere to what we KNEW to be God’s plan or will… So often we try to make things go our way, and do our own thing… the psalmist is asking for God to direct his steps in such a way that he will never be embarrassed and he knows he won’t because God’s Law is good!
40Behold, I long for Your precepts; in Your righteousness give me life!
Finally here in this section we find the psalmist expressing a yearning from within himself… a yearning or longing for the Law of God. He knows it is right, he knows it is true, he knows it will lead him in the right path in life…
Again we get this concept of being made alive again through God’s Word… thru His Law! The Hebrew word used here is ‘khaw-yah’ which relays a sense of sustaining and protecting life… God is providing life thru His law and will sustain and protect life WITH His law…
When we learn to submit ourselves to God… humble ourselves to ask God to direct our steps, we can come to the point where God can and will help us! Are you willing to be taught? To receive understanding? To be led? To be shaped and molded or stretched to a limit only God knows? Are you ready to turn your eyes off of worthless and empty things and onto the plan and purpose of God?
Are you ready for God to confirm His plan and purpose within your life because you know God’s plan is a good thing and that when we submit to His plan, He is glorified! Are you yearning for the teachings of God to sustain you in your walk with Him?
