PSALM 119:1-16 STUDY
FBCF – 2/8/23 REFRESH
Jon Daniels
Don Whitney, prof at SBTS – “No spiritual discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There is simply no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk & meat of Scripture…Therefore, if we would know God & be Godly, we must know the Word of God intimately.”
“There are 4 things we ought to do w/ the Word of God – admit is as the Word of God, commit it to our hearts & minds, submit to it, & transmit it to the world.” (unknown author)
These are some of the reasons why we are taking the next 3 months to walk through this Psalm. It is an anthem to the power, glory, & necessity of the Word of God in our lives as Christ-followers.
- It’s a perfect guide for life.
- Structured in an acrostic poem of 22 stanzas w/ 8 verse in each stanza. Those stanzas follow the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet (Aleph & Beth tonight).
- Goal of this Psalm: “…to enable God’s people to admire His Word so strongly that they will work & pray hard to have it shape their character & conduct. The cumulative effect of this Psalm is huge.” (Study note, ESV Study Bible, p. 1093)
- Connected to Psalm 1 & Psalm 19 – We will look at Psalm 1 in a minute, but turn to Psalm 19 & let’s read it.
Quartet of Biblical Truth – 4 sections of these verses w/ 4 verses in each section. Let’s glean the truth from these verses. There’s a lot here, but I’m going to give you some key words to consider from each section – 1 word from 1st 3 sections, then 1 word from each verse in the last section.
V. 1-4 – YOU ARE BLESSED
Hear word “blessed”, think of Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
- Greek word there – markarios – happy, fortunate
- More than “happy” in the sense of a fleeting feeling that’s based solely on our circumstances at a given time. It is the state of well-being in relationship to God to those who respond to Jesus.
o Romans 4:7-8
o James 1:12
o Revelation 1:3
- “People who are blessed may outwardly be much to be pitied, but from the higher & therefore truer standpoint they are to be envied, congratulated, & imitated.” (Note in Weymouth’s New Testament)
“Blessed” – Heb – as-re – “happiness, blessedness”
I’m assuming that most of us, if not all of us here tonight would like to be a “blessed” person as we see in the Bible. How does that happen?
- We walk in His Word & ways – v. 1, 3
- We seek Him w/ our whole hearts – v. 2
V. 5-8 – YOU WON’T BE PUT TO SHAME
The Word is a weapon against shame. It’s the antidote for shame. It’s the destroyer of shame.
V. 5 – “steadfast” – determined, be intent on, be firmly resolved
“keeping” – “watch over, guard”
When you watch over & guard the Word in your life, it will watch over & guard you.
- You won’t be put to shame (v. 6) – Fix your eyes on His Word.
- God won’t forsake you (v. 8) – Keep His statutes – principles for living that the Divine Lawgiver has laid down for us.
Opposite is true, too. If you turn your back on the Word – if you aren’t steadfast in your intake of the Word – if you choose not to be determined, intent, & resolved to stay in the Word, I can guarantee you that the enemy will slide into your life. Temptation will come – Sin will happen – Shame will surface - & you’ll feel as if God has forsaken you, although He hasn’t – YOU have forsaken HIM!
V. 9-12 – YOU’LL BE PROTECTED
God’s protection is the theme of these verses
Protecting purity – v.9 – So many ways the enemy attacks our purity – and it’s not just young men!
Protection from wandering – v. 10 – Wandering is dangerous!
- Kid wander
- Planes – Bermuda triangle
- Sheep wander
- Driving car – not paying attention or on cellphone
Protection from sinning – v. 11 – Maybe most well-known verse in Psalm 119
V. 13-16 – SO DO THESE THINGS:
v. 13 – “declare” it – Declare it w/ your mouth – Declare it w/ your life – Declare it w/ your faith
v. 14 – “delight” in it – Reminds me of Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord…”
v. 15 – “meditate” on it – Back to Psalm 19:14 – “Let the words of my mouth…”
v. 16 – Remember it – “I will not forget your word.”
