119 - Pt. 1
I. Introduction
It is long. It is lengthy. It is passed over by those who prefer brevity. It is neglected by those who prefer short and sweet. It is shunned by the Reader's Digest crowd. However, in its great length is also has great depth. Multifaceted. It is rich. It is worth the time it takes to explore. It is the 119. It is the longest chapter in the entire Bible. And before we dig into it, it is important to understand some background. It is comprised of 22 stanzas each being 8 verses long and each verse is two lines long. Each stanza sequentially begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So there was structure to David's verbosity. He wasn't just shooting off at the mouth.This is thought out and developed. In fact, there is a tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church that King David used this psalm to teach his son Solomon both the Hebrew alphabet and the “alphabet of the spiritual life.”
As tempting as it may be I will refrain from taking one stanza each week for the next 22 weeks! David's length seems to give birth to more length. Spurgeon, in examining the 119, has 398 pages devoted to it in his writings called "Treasury of David". Thomas Manton, a preacher of old, developed 190 sermons based on 119. So it will be a great task to simplify and pair down to 5 weeks. However, I want us to notice that the 119 has at least 3 major themes that run throughout its landscape. Then there are some particular lessons that I think we should also take some time and ponder.
I will task you with reading the chapter in its entirety start to finish. I however, will pluck the verses out that speak to the themes we are checking out.
The first, and perhaps the most obvious theme that David spends considerable time addressing is the Word of God. You should know this because as little as you may know about the 119 you certainly know verse 105. The Word is a lamp unto my feet. However, we must also go back and realize that from start to finish David, if he is in fact trying to teach Solomon what is important in life, drives home the importance of God's Word in our lives. (Disclaimer . . . I am not going to grab every verse that deals with commands, precepts, law, Word).
Listen to what David's words say to us about THE Word.
II. Walk, Weather, War
a. The Word has implications on how you Walk
Ps. 119:1-3, 9, 11, 24, 105
Psalm 119:1-3
Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart— they do no wrong but follow his ways.
9 - How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.
11 - I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
24 - Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.
105 - Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
David simply states that our involvement in the Word . . . Our daily interaction with the Word . . . Our knowledge of the Word has a direct and dramatic impact on how we walk.
In fact, He states that it is the Word that keeps us from sin. Simply stated we sin because of lack of Word. Without His Word we don't know right from wrong. His standards are found in His Word. We hide His Word in our heart that we might not sin against Him. Our issue is that we hide sin in our heart and we never get enough of His Word to drive out the hidden things. We are experts at hiding things in our heart . . . lust, anger, bitterness, malice, revenge, jealousy and the only hope we have to walk right is to allow the Word to drive out those hidden things!
David is clear our only hope for walking in purity is to live according to God's Word. We are saved by the blood. You know this . . . without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. However, we are washed by Word. The old hymn was right for a sinner needing to be saved - what can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of the Jesus? However, after the blood is applied, and after we are saved we need to move from a blood bath to a Word bath! We keep running back to church/God asking Him to wash us in the blood and He is asking us to run to Word instead. We want to plead the blood because it doesn't cost us. It cost Him but we don't feel that pain. What we need to do is become immersed in the Word and that requires discipline and we feel the pain of that.
David states that the Word is our counselor!
We seem to have a multitude of counselors. We are inundated with opinions. You life is overcome with opinions . . . everyone has one. However, David says that it is the Word that should be our counselor. The opinion and the standard of the Word should trump all other voices!
Absence of Word
So with David's emphasis on the Word's impact on our walk that also means if you don't have the right amount of Word in you then you are going to struggle to walk free of sin, in purity and in wisdom!
b. The Word has implications on how you Weather
Ps. 119:28, 61-62, 74, 114a (153), 165, 169, 175
28 - My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
61-62 - Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law. At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.
74 - May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.
114 - You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
165 - Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
169 - May my cry come before you, Lord; give me understanding according to your word.
175 - Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.
Some of you are in the midst of storms. You are facing significant trials and heartaches. You are not on the offensive. You have been the pigeon but now you are the statue! You are weathering! David gives us insight into the fact that it is the Word that enables and empowers us to be able to endure and survive!
Hear what David says. His Word strengthens you! If you are weathering you need strength! That strength comes from His Word not your best friend! Not from a vacation. Not from a shopping trip. Not from a settlement. Our strength is found in the Word!
David declares that even when bound, based on the Word of God, we can learn to praise God right in the middle of the midnight hour! Do you have enough Word in you to turn your midnight hour into a praise party? Do you have enough Word in you to turn pouts into praise? Do you have enough Word in you to turn gripes into glories?
He states that God's Word becomes the place for our hope! In other words, if you are going through a tough place you must remember to put your hope in what His Word has promised you! We want a prophecy to help us weather. David isn't talking about prophecy he is talking about the promises and assurances contained in His Word! Some of you have no hope because you won't turn to His Word! You stumble through dry, painful stents and long for someone to call you up and give you hope! NOOOO . . . PLACE YOUR HOPE! That is a decision, a choice, an act of will. Assign and align your hope, fix your hope, attach your hope to what He has already said!
His Word, according to David, brings peace. No peace? Could mean no Word.
He says nothing can make you stumble! NOTHING! Nasty divorce, enduring sickness, financial nightmares, crazy kids, evil employers nothing can knock you off your stride when you are in love with His Word! He says the Word brings understanding. It sustains us! The Word is our refuge. A refuge is only good if you run to it in times of trouble.
If you are weathering then it is absolutely essential for you to soak, dine on, binge on the Word. That is foreign to most of us. When we are going through a tough time we want to veg on the couch and wallow in TV. We want to turn to food. We want to turn to friends. We want to turn to distraction. David says turn to the Word. Think about what you are missing if you don't have His Word. You can weather anything if you have His Word.
c. The Word has implications on how you War
Ps. 119:42, 98, 114b (shield)
42 - then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
98 - Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.
114 - You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
We want God's help to defend us and to help us endure. However, most of us never consult God on how to fight. We like to fight in our own power and in our might. And the result is we end up bruised, battered, defeated or we "win" and behind us there is a path of destruction. David relates our ability to war correctly to our knowledge/love of God's Word.
His Word enables us to guard our mouth and answer correctly. That would be a major leap towards maturity for some of us! If we would simply give God's Word command over our mouth! We destroy, do damage, inflict pain with our mouth and David says look get into His Word and you will know how to answer those who are attacking, taunting, or talking junk about you!
Listen to the another thing His Word does . . . it makes you wiser than your enemy. Some of us continue to fight dumb! How much more effective would we fight and battle if we were able to fight with wisdom? Some of you are pulled into defeat over and over again simply because your enemy is smarter than you because you have failed to find wisdom that comes from God's Word. His Word contains His strategies and tactics for victory. When we have no Word we operate in our own power and we get pummeled. When Jesus was assaulted by the devil himself Jesus didn't battle in His own intellect, thoughts, verbiage . . . instead He leveraged God's Word for victory!
Finally He is our shield. You won't make it in war if all you have is a sword. You also need a shield to be able to protect yourself so that when the enemy strikes and you block his blow he becomes exposed!
Without Word you are vulnerable and unarmed!
Some of you have a deficiency of fellowship. Some of you have deficiency of accountability. But my greatest concern is that many of you have a deficiency of Word. You get Word at church but you are unable to walk, weather, or war because you are not in the Word on a regular and daily basis. Other things can fill that void but they can not and will not help you walk, weather and war! If you don't have the Word you will stumble, you will surrender, and you will find yourself surrounded!
