Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in all of your Bibles. Now, the longest chapter in your Bible is devoted to how important the Bible is to our lives. Even though the Bible is really valuable, the words and wisdom of the Bible are objectionable to so many people.
Banning the Bible
The Bible is the most banned book of all time. You can guess that dictators such as Stalin sought to ban the Bible.
But the Bible was the most challenged book in school and public libraries around the nation, according to the American Library Association in 2015. The Keller ISD recently returned the Bible to circulation in its libraries after it was flagged for removal last year. The Bible has been challenged as objectionable reading for students and schools since I was in college.
But it’s not just us Americans that flag the Bible. When the wind is right, South Koreans launch “Bible Balloons” into North Korea, where the Bible is banned. An American pastor Eric Foley fills 40-foot balloons filled with hydrogen, and they are chocked full of Bibles on SD cards, flash drives, and photos of the Bible’s pages. With GPS technology, he can direct the balloons to go into rural areas. But the North Korean regime will shoot down the balloons if spotted.
“The Bible has been criticized, challenged, and banned by individuals, groups, and governments through centuries of persecution.” What other book has this kind of reaction?
The Bible and the USA
Despite all this, the Bible has been exceptional for our country, the United States of America. The Bible is so important that astronaut Buzz Aldrin read the words of John 15:5 silently before his counterpart Neil Armstrong said those immortal words, “One small step for man…” The first time men stepped off this planet, they depended on the Bible for inner strength. Martin Luther King, Jr. used imagery from the Bible to argue for civil rights as he talked about the “promised land.” The Bible helped frame our nation’s constitution, and it’s our nation's foundation for civil rights. And every President except one used the Bible when being sworn into office. And the one exception was John Quincy Adams.
The Bible
God gave us a great gift when He gave us the Bible. The central storyline of the Bible is the worship of God made possible by the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Psalm 119
I invite you to find Psalm 119 in your Bibles if you will (page 606 in your Black pew Bibles in front). Now, we don’t know who wrote Psalm 119. And we don’t know when Psalm 119 was written either. But we know this: the entire psalm is carefully and intentionally arranged. Make no mistake about it, Psalm 119 is a masterpiece. C. S. Lewis says that, unlike some other psalms, “[Psalm 119] is not, and does not pretend to be, a sudden outpouring of the heart … It is a pattern, a thing done like embroidery, stitch by stitch, through long, quiet hours, for love of the subject and for the delight in leisurely, disciplined craftsmanship.” Psalm 119 is 176 verses long in English and every verse of Psalm 119 speaks of the Bible in one way or another.
1. I Need the Spirit to Illuminate My Bible
“Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:17-18)!
Oh, there are wonderful things in His law! The word “law” is “Torah” and means “instruction” or “teaching” in this psalm. You don’t have to be an experienced Christian to know the word “Torah.” There are beautiful things in God’s Word that He wants to teach us. In fact, they are so wonderful that when you really see them, they change you profoundly and empower us to live for His purpose.
1.1 Two Prayers
Two prayers are before us. One prayer in verse 17 and another in verse 18. This is a double prayer for a deeper insight into God’s will for our lives. These verses combine prayer and the Word. Look at the second prayer in verse 18 with me. This is a prayer for God to open our eyes to the wonders of His Word. The Bible is clear that we are blind without God’s mighty intervention to make us see. No one can see the wonderful things inside the Word for what they really are without God’s supernatural help. You need to pray that the Lord will open your eyes. I need to pray that the Lord will open my eyes. We do not naturally see the beauty of God’s Word. We need God’s help to read God’s Word. You and I are blind until the Spirit illuminates the Word of God.
Jesus promised us that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things (John 14:26). Jesus said that the Spirit will guide you in all truth (John 16:13). Yes, you can see the surface meaning without any aid. But I Need God’s Spirit to Truly Understand My Bible
1.1.1 The Pages Are Blank
Jerry Rankin tells about two university students studying English with a missionary couple. They enjoyed practicing their English skills with Americans when given the opportunity. Yet, when Rankin’s wife transitioned the conversation to Jesus Christ, one of the two students became uncomfortable. He quickly darted out the door when the conversation moved to Jesus Christ. This young man had previously made a pact with a local witch doctor to obtain relief from his abusive father. As the missionary couple talked about Christ with the young man, they got him a Bible so he could read the Word of God. When he looked at the Bible, he said, “But there are no words. The pages are blank.” Although the words were on the pages, he kept saying there were no words for his eyes to see.
1.1.2 Believers Are Blinded Too
Don’t confuse this if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. Yes, Satan blinds the eyes of nonbelievers to keep them from seeing their need for Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). This young man was not a believer. Still, even believers have a level of blindness until the Spirit comes and opens our eyes.
Believers Are Blinded Too Just at a Different Level. Even after we are believers, we constantly need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to “behold
wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:17-18)! Again, no one can see the wonderful things inside the Word for what they really are without God’s supernatural help. The Holy Spirit who guided the writing of the Word of God now comes to use to open our eyes right now in real-time. “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). This is called illumination. The Holy Spirit is the One who turns the spiritual light on so that you can understand the things of God. “O God, illumine me. Open my eyes, so that I might understand.” “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18).
Illumination is not an excuse to be lazy. No, the Bible tells us: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
1.1.3 A Human Level
You get this on a human level. My wife, Traci, told me this week, “That belt doesn’t go with those shorts.” I was blind to this. My daughter says, “Dad, don’t wear those white anklet socks with your flip-flops out in public.” We are blind to all kinds of things! Has anyone ever said to you, “Use your inside voice?” Now, if you are blind to fashion and deaf to the volume of your voice, how do you think you are catching everything the Father tells you whenever you open your Bible?
The Bible is crucial for you to live a life that pleases God: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). Mediate and memorize the Word of God! Cherish and cram the Scriptures!
Again, I Need the Holy Spirit to Understand My Bible. Remember, the Bible tells us the story of Balaam was blind to the angel in front of the donkey (Numbers 22:31). And Elisha’s servant could not see the angelic forces defending Elisha against the Syrians (2 Kings 6:17). Neither can you see all of the beauty of God’s Word without God’s Spirit.
1.1.3 A Prayer Before Bible Study
Here’s a sample prayer you could pray before you open your Bible.
Father,
I need you, Holy Spirit, to understand my Bible. I don’t just need your Spirit one time to understand it but all the time.
There are things inside of me that make me disobedient to your commands. Remove the blinders, mighty God! Open my mind and heart to obey what I see in your Word. Teach me aspects of Your Word that I haven’t seen before. Keep me from being bored with my Bible. Please reveal the wonder of the Word to me constantly.
Don’t just fill my mind with more information but make me want to do your commands. Drive it down deep inside of me that your commands are an invitation for me to be truly happy. The truth is God, I need Your Spirit to Help Me Understand Your Word.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Again, I Need God’s Spirit to Understand My Bible
1.2 I am Your Servant
Notice this second prayer embedded in verse 17, particularly how he refers to himself. “Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word” (Psalm 119:17). Again, this is a double prayer for deeper insight. The psalmist says, “your servant.” I love the fact that he doesn’t just ask God’s blessing to do whatever he pleases. Instead, he says, “I am your servant and you are the Master.” “Would you deal bountifully with me, your servant? Would you deal bountifully with me so I may live and keep your Word?”
1. I Need the Spirit to Illuminate My Bible
2. I Need the Spirit to Obey My Bible
“Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways” (Psalm 119:36-37).
2.1 Overview of Psalm 119
Psalm 119 is divided into twenty-two sections, each containing eight verses. The twenty-two sections correspond to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Again, every verse of Psalm 119 is devoted to the Bible. If verses 17 and 18 are devoted to understanding the Bible, then verses 36 and 37 are devoted to obeying the Bible.
2.2 Incline My Heart
When the Bible says, “incline my heart,” it means “turn my heart.” This is a plea for God to turn the natural instincts of our hearts to be obedient to Him. He is asking for help because he knows he cannot do what requires without God’s help. Hear his prayer: “I’m never going to be able to serve you unless I can get my eyes off these other things I’m obsessed with that I’m serving.” Do you feel you need God’s help to do God’s law? Grade yourself on how you are doing in obeying God’s commands in just three areas. I’ll just give you three demands from the lips of Jesus, and you grade yourself, ok?
2.2.1 Anxiety Free
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” *Matthew 6:25).
The Bible says do not be anxious. God commands you not to be full of anxiety. On a 1 to 10 scale, how you are doing is from free anxiety? 10 if you are anxiety free. 1 if anxiety wakes up in a cold sweat at night.
2.2.2 Living Generously
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Jesus measures generosity by sacrifice. How sacrificial are you? How generous are you? Randy Alcorn thinks that “15 percent of everything Christ said relates to this topic — more than his teachings on heaven and hell combined. So if God commands you to be generous and His yardstick is sacrifice, how generous are you? I didn’t say the church needs money. I am saying how generous you are. On a 1 to 10 scale, how are you doing being sacrificial with your possessions to the needy? 10 if you are super sacrificial. 1 if you throw “chump change” at the problem. Again, I am sharing with you three demands from the lips of Jesus for you to grade yourself, ok? I wonder if you need God’s help to do God’s law.
2.2.3 Evangelism
Here’s the last one, and it has to do with Jesus’ command to do evangelism: “And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled’” (Luke 14:23).
Jesus compares heaven to a big lavish banquet where the king invites everyone. Only people make excuses about why they cannot come. Then the King commands His followers to invite even more to come to the banquet. Again, “‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.’” On a 1 to 10 scale, how many people have you invited to His banquet? Now, if you scored really high on all three, I’ll throw in a bonus command.
2.2.4 Bonus Command: Humility
“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4).
If you scored high on the previous three and felt, “My heart is already inclined to His commands,” let me ask you about your humility.
2.3 Real Freedom
“Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways” (Psalm 119:36-37).
Because we are Americans, we are taught that freedom is understood in almost entirely negative terms. We define freedom as freedom from, freedom from any restrictions or constraints that would keep us from fulfilling our hearts’ desires. Everything in our culture teaches us to say. “I and I alone can decide what is right and wrong and spiritual. My heart, my conscience, has to be the thing that determines what’s right for me. I am the captain of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” Then Psalm 119 comes along and says, “Be God’s servant” and “incline your heart to obey His laws.” And nothing about that feels right – nothing.
2.4 A Little Boy and a Fish
There was a little five-year-old boy who had a friend, and his friend had little kittens. He’d go to his friend’s house, and the little kittens would frolic around and play on the rug, and he loved it. Then he went to another friend’s house. They had little puppies, and the puppies would frolic around and play on the rug, and he loved it. He came home and said, “Mommy, I want some pets.” But the little boy had allergies, which is why he had no pets. His mother thought about it. She had a brainstorm, and she said, “Ah.” So she bought him an aquarium filled with goldfish.
Perfect. She put the goldfish and the aquarium in the little boy’s room. Later that day, the little boy came out, and she said, “How do you like your pets?” He says, “Well, you know, Mom, they played very well at first. They frolicked together. But now they just lie there on the rug.” Fish thrive in water. What looks like freedom of playing with the little boy on the rug isn’t freedom at all. The human heart soars in the freedom of obeying the commands of our Creator.
