PSALM 119: 25-32 [The Ministry of The Word Series]
THE WORD OF GOD REVIVES US
[2 Corinthians 12:1-10]
This section is structured by the powerful effects of God's Word. It revives the soul (v. 25); it imparts inner strength (v. 28); it guides into truth (v. 30); and it enlarges the heart (v; 32). When we are down, afflicted, grieving or suffering, we need the Word of God. So our psalmist reveals his condition, then confesses that God's Word is the answer (CIT).
Revival comes when we reach the end of our own resources, repent, and call upon God to intervene. The psalmist is clearly in this condition. He is humbled and broken. His soul is cast into the dust. What then can he do? The answer is, "Nothing." Thus, he prays, "Revive me according to Your Word." This prayer for revival is based upon God's Word, for God's promises to give life to those who seek Him. The arousing inspiring Word of the Lord is the surest source of help in all tribulation of body, mind, or soul.
These verses testify to the ministry of God's divine Word upon a heart filled with sorrow and mourning because of the deadening effects of the world around and the fallenness within. The psalmist prayed for reviving because he was laid low (v. 25). He then asked God for understanding, strengthening, and provision (vv. 26-29). When God gave him understanding, he would comply because he treasured the Law (v. 30-32). [Walvoord, John & Zuck, Roy: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983, S. 880.]
I. THE REQUEST, 25.
II. THE REALIZATIONS, 26-29.
III. THE RESOLVE, 30-32.
Daleth.
Verse 25 is a prayer for revival according to the promise and empowering of God's Word. "My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your Word."
The psalmist prayed for reviving because he was laid low in suffering, affliction or deep contrition. We don't know why the psalmist prostrated himself in the dust before God, but he fervently sought God's enlivening breath or Spirit. He had come to the end of himself. [Some suggest that he is near death (Ps. 22: 29, 104:29).]
The KJV word "quicken" means "save me alive, restore life to me, or revive me" [causative of verb "to live"]. He asks the Lord to invigorate and breath new life into him. He prays for personal revival based on the Word of God.
II. THE REALIZATIONS, 26-29.
The psalmist realized that God's Word has the answer to the believer's every need. In these verses he applies God's Word in various ways to his life. Verse 26 stresses that through His Word God answers those who confesses their ways to Him. "I have told of my ways, and You have answered me; Teach me Your statutes."
The psalmist has confessed himself and his ways to God. Though the content of this declaration is left open, it would include his confession of sin and repentance. As a result God answered him. Those who have heard God's voice in His Word should pray, "Teach me Your statutes." Without divine assistance we do not comprehend the Word of God.
The Bible is unlike any other book. It was given by God's inspiration and is His revelation to man, On its pages we find everything we need to know in order to receive salvation and live for the Lord, Paul declared that Scripture "is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction; for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
That is what the psalmist had in mind when he asked God to teach him its precepts. He desired, and we should strive for, an increased knowledge of God and His will. Let's prayerfully study the content of the Bible to discover what God is saying to us about Himself and His plan for our lives. That will make our Bible knowledge most profitable.
[Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine, And jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its unfathomed depths For every searcher there. -Hodder]
Again in verse 27 he asks for divine assistance in understanding the Word and way of God. "Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders."
Our lives are cluttered with text books and instructional books, but the authors never come with us to help us follow and implement their teachings. But God does. That is the uniqueness of our Bible. God not only provides the rules and guidelines, but comes with us personally each day to strengthen us so that we can live according to those precepts. All we must do is invite Him to lead us and respond to His direction.
God is the instructor. The psalmist was the submissive student. His responsibility is to continually expose himself to God's Word by meditating on God's wonderful works ("miraculous acts"). God's Word reveal His wonders to those who will meditate upon it.
Tony Evans suggests that as we study the Bible objectively we should also remember that the Lord leads us subjectively in its APPLICATION. The Holy Spirit often gives us promises for particular needs in life. Evans wrote: "Have you ever heard someone say, 'God gave me a verse'? That person finds an application of the verse to his life even though the verse itself may have been written about Moses or Abraham, or someone else. How does this Christian know that this verse can be applied this way in his life? ...I believe the answer is in the internal witness of the Spirit. He applies different verses to different Christians in different ways at different times." [Tony Evans, The Promise (Chicago: Moody, 1996), 285.]
Dedicating our minds to Christ allows the Spirit to guide our thoughts into pathways that are positive and restorative. When we're prone to impure or anxious thoughts, the Holy Spirit can transform our lives through the renewing of our minds. As we study Scripture, He gives us new verses for every day and every dilemma. Do you have a word from the Lord today?
The Bible tells us all we need to know so we can be all that God wants us to be and do all that God wants us to do.
Verse 28 is a prayer for strength according to the promise of God's Word. "My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your Word.
The psalmist's soul "melts [‘drops'] from heaviness." The picture suggests grief and depression. As a result he prays, "Strengthen me [‘set me up'] according to Your Word."
The Word of God will restore him. It is the light that dispels the darkness (v. 130).
Life can be a DARK AND LONELY PLACE. I've talked to teenagers who have a parent whose anger makes going home after school a dreaded trip. I've known people who can't escape the fallen veil of depression. I've spent time with others who, like me, endure life as they walk in the valley of the shadow of [a sudden] death. I've seen what relentless poverty can do to people all over the world.
Despite knowing that these scenarios exist, I don't despair. I know that hope is available in Jesus, that guidance comes through the Spirit, and that knowledge and power are found in God's Word.
Are you feeling low? Struggling with one of life's worst-case scenarios? You're not alone.
It would be fantastic if we could recite some spiritually charged words and make all of our problems go away, but that's just not going to happen. Life is not all smiles and happy hearts-even for the people of God.
Yet even from the darkest expressions of sadness can come the hope of help. The despair of the psalmist, recorded in Psalm 119, leads him to the promise of comfort and mercy. Out of tribulation new understanding and strength will arise. The psalmist expressed his trust and conviction that God would strengthen him through His Word. Even in the midst of deep trials, the psalmist was committed to obeying God.
Yes, express your despair to the Lord, but don't stop there. Ask Him for mercy and strength. Commit to obeying Him. Cling to His promises in the Scriptures. He will be faithful to see you through any trial [Dave Branon Our Daily Bread]. If we have hope, we can go on.
Verse 29 suggests the reason for his pain. "Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Your law.
Deceitful ways are ways that seem right but lead to death (Prov. 14:12). So the psalmist prays, "Remove me from the way of lying." Lying may be the way of enemies who attack him, or it may be the way of falsehood in which he has been trapped. To lose touch with God is to lose touch with reality. It is to move from life to death. Thus he asks, "grant me Your law graciously." He believed God's Word was the answer to his need. He saw the law as a means of finding grace, not as a difficult burden. He realized that the Word of God could restore him to the way of truth. As Jesus confesses to the Father, "Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17). God's truth is what we all need to restore us to the living way.
Lying and half truths are sill prevalent in our culture. Which is more dangerous: a lie or A HALF-TRUTH? Without doubt, it's the half-truth. John F. Kennedy said, "The enemy of the truth is very often not the lie-deliberate, contrived, and dishonest, but the myth-persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic."
Despite the common perception that we're a people "come of age," our culture remains inundated with half-truths-modern myths most people believe implicitly, and become offended when called into question.
Here's just a few examples: 1) People, at heart, are basically good; 2) The world's getting better; 3) Technological progress is the key to our happiness and well-being.
We love these myths because they give us hope. Yet that's precisely why they're so dangerous: they keep our hope securely misplaced-that is, on something other than Jesus Christ, our only true hope. [Graham, Ruth B. Letters from My Attic, 2007. p 21]
["A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)]
III. THE RESOLVE, 30-32.
Instead of the deceitful way of verse 29 he chooses the faithful way in verse 30. "I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me."
God discloses His faithful way in His Word. The Word of the Lord thus confirms the choices of those who sets before themselves [make a determination] to walk in the faithful way, the way of God's ordinances.
In verse 31 he resolved that he will stand upon God's Word. "I cling to Your testimonies; O Lord, do not put me to shame!"
The prayer places his hope in God's Word. At the same time, he prays that God will come through for him; "O Lord, do not put me to shame!" Disappointment is the risk of faith. When I preach the gospel and call people to Christ, will anyone respond? When I pray for the sick, will anyone be healed? Will God show up? Will God act? Yet if we are to walk on the water, we must step out of the boat by our faith in God's Word.
Verse 32 teaches that the Word of the Lord inspires and renews resolve. "I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart."
His fear has turned to faith as he runs or zealously turns in obedience to God's Word. [The word heart can be rendered "mind" or "understanding."] Sin had harden and impeded the Word's work and growth in his heart -or the capacity of his inner man.
As the psalmist absorbs God's Word and obeys it, both his comprehension and experience of divine truth and its trustworthiness grow. He desired to live for God and in faith believed God would give the increased capacity he needs to live according to His Word.
In CLOSING,
We, like the psalmist, need to determine to hold fast to God's Word (v. 31) [whether we be laid low (v. 25) or set free (v. 32)]. When we meditate on the truths of this powerful book, we experience its impact on our lives by the indwelling Holy Spirit, who makes God's truth real to us.
This is the way to revival. Out of our brokenness, out of our confessed weakness, we cry out to God and He answers, according to His Word. He comes to revive us. He comes to strengthen us. He places us in the path of truth. To stand upon His Word and do it is the solid foundation for our lives (Mt. 7:24). In our weakness, we find His strength (2 Cor. 12:9). This should give us hope. God will come and give us life once again. [Williams, Donald. The Preacher's Commentary Series, Vol. 14 : Psalms 73-150. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1989, S. 349.] Blessed be His name!
The words of this Psalm give us encouragement. When our soul clings to the dust; we can be revived according to God's Word (v.25). When our soul is full of sorrow, we can be strengthened by His Word (v.28). When we are threatened by deceit we can follow the truth of His Word (vv.29-30). Our heart can be enlarged [or set free] by God's commands (v.32).
Are life's demands overwhelming you? If so, you can find the hope, guidance, and knowledge to help in God's Word. Com, let us kneel low, confess our weakness and ask forgiveness and grace to help in our time our need according to God's faithful Word.
