Exposition of Psalm
119
?
Jod
God’s
Word Provides a Foundation
Psalm
119:73-80
Thy
hands have made me and fashioned me: give me
understanding, that I may learn thy
commandments.
They
that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I
have hoped in thy word.
I
know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that
thou in faithfulness hast afflicted
me.
Let,
I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort,
according to thy word unto thy
servant.
Let
thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for
thy law is my delight.
Let
the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me
without a cause: but I will meditate in thy
precepts.
Let
those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have
known thy testimonies.
Let
my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not
ashamed.
This stanza is the
yod stanza, the Hebrew letter our Lord referred
to in Matthew 5:18: “For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” The word
“jot” is the Greet iota, which refers to the
Hebrew letter yod, the
smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. So, our Lord is
saying that not even the smallest letter of God’s Word
will pass away until all of It is
fulfilled.
But while
yod is the smallest letter of
the alphabet, it is certainly not trivial. In this
stanza, it serves to provide a foundation by telling us
Who God is and how we relate to Who He is. As mentioned
back in our study of verse 54-56, many of the problems
we see in Christianity today stem from the fact that we
simply don’t know Who God is. The passage before us
provides us more of that knowledge. We see here three
major thoughts of Who God is: our Creator, Comforter,
and Collaborator.
I. Our
Creator (vs. 73-75)
Thy
hands have made me and fashioned me: give me
understanding, that I may learn thy
commandments.
They
that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I
have hoped in thy word.
I
know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that
thou in faithfulness hast afflicted
me.
As the Creator, God
motivates three attitudes in us.
Recognition
(v. 73)
Thy
hands have made me and fashioned me: give me
understanding, that I may learn thy
commandments.
This crucially
important verse declares the Psalmist’s recognition that
God created him. The Hebrew behind made
('asah)
means “to do, to make, to accomplish, to complete.” Even
more significant, however, is the Hebrew word translated
fashioned
(kun), which has a wide range of meaning. Among
others, it signifies the action of setting in place or
erecting an object (Is. 40:20; Mic. 4:1), establishing a
royal dynasty (2 Sam 7:13; 1 Chron. 17:12), founding a
city (Hab. 2:12), and creating the natural order (Deut.
32:6; Ps. 8:3; Prov. 8:27). Psalm 8:3-4 especially
captures our attention:
When
I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the
moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained [kun];
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son
of man, that thou visitest
him?
Oh, when we realize Who
God is, what picture does that paint of man in his sin
and wickedness? Why would God have any thought of such a
creature? Shakespeare’s view of man was greatly
positive:
What a piece of work is a man!
how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form
and moving how express and admirable! in action how like
an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of
the world! the paragon of animals![i]
All of that can be true,
however, only because God is the Creator of man’s
potential, a potential that can only be realized through
salvation in Christ.
Oh, how vital it is,
therefore, that Christians recognize God as Sole
Creator! While that seems basic and even unnecessary to
mention, it demands our attention. Theistic evolution,
giving credence to the ridiculous and falsified
so-called “geologic column,” and other compromises are
common. It is absolutely essential that the Christian
make no concession with such views in even the slightest
way. Recognizing God as Sole Creator is the footer and
foundation of all else.
Beyond tragic is the
tendency of a growing number of evangelicals today who
compromise on Genesis 1-3 by trying to harmonize the
creation account with naturalistic evolution. Untold
damage is done by even the slightest such concession.
Even the smallest single conciliation with it, in fact,
obliterates the creation account and destroys the very
foundation of the entire Bible. It is truly puzzling
that evangelicals can champion biblical inerrancy and
authority but turn right around and allow themselves to
be intimidated and bullied into denying that by
pseudo-intellectuals touting junk science and blatant
lies.
On the other hand,
other Christians go to the opposite extreme and insist
that we must “meet the evolutionist on his own ground
and prove creationism with scientific evidence.”
Operating under the same false assumption as the
evolutionist—namely, that science can discover
Truth—they argue using scientific “laws” that are
themselves untrue and improvable. The problem here is
that they are defending the wrong thing. Instead of
defending, “Thus saith the Lord,” they are defending,
“Thus saith science.” I would submit further,
that while they
think they are evangelizing (which is, of course,
commendable), they are actually destroying
evangelism. Why? Because evangelism, which
comes from euaggelizo, and is also translated
“Gospel,” means “to proclaim good news.” Is some
improvable scientific theory the good news? No! God and
what He has done through Jesus Christ is the good news.
Is evangelism the proclamation of proofs? No!
It’s the proclamation of Truth and nothing but the
Truth. God’s command to us is to proclaim the Truth, and
He will do the rest.
In contrast, I prefer the
approach of historian Thomas Carlyle. He was once at a
meeting of learned men in which the problem of man’s
descent was being discussed, and was asked to give his
opinion. Here was his wonderful reply: “Gentlemen, you
place man a little higher than the tadpole. I hold with
the ancient singer: ‘Thou hast made him a little lower
than the angels’ (Psalm 8:6).”[ii] Discussion over!
Let us not debate the issue, rather simply
declare the Truth.
So important is this
that David repeats something that he mentioned back in
verse 34: Give me
understanding. He first mentions this
principle back in verse 27: “Make me to understand the
way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous
works.” The Hebrew word in all these verses (bîn)
means “to perceive, to observe, to pay attention to, to
be intelligent, to be discreet, to understand and to
discern.” The discerning of
Truth from error is one of the most neglected principles
of Scripture in our day, despite the fact that it is
emphasized repeatedly in Scripture.
Rejoicing
(v. 74)
They
that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I
have hoped in thy word.
Here is a most
challenging verse. Think of it! People were glad to see
the Psalmist; just his walking in the door cheered and
encouraged them. How about us? Do we spread
gladness or gloom? Do we walk about with a
scowl or a smile? Do we encourage
others or discourage them? And what causes such
cheer? Our hope in God’s Word. If it drives us in every area of life, we will,
indeed, bring cheer to other
believers.
Reliance (v.
75)
I
know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that
thou in faithfulness hast afflicted
me.
While some
commentators view the affliction here as chastening for
sin, that seems to be assumption only. While that will
be true at times, affliction does not come only
because of sin. God always has our best interest in mind
and sometimes brings affliction simply to mold our
character. One of the meanings of the Hebrew for
afflicted
('anah),
in fact, is “to be humbled.” What did Paul learn, for
example, when upon asking God three times to take away
his “thorn in the flesh”—and whatever physical infirmity
it was we do not know—God
responded with no? He learned not to be “exalted above
measure” that is, to be humble) and that God’s “grace is
sufficient” (II Cor. 12:7-9). As commentator Albert
Barnes, therefore, writes:
It was because God saw that there
was some good reason why it should be done; that there
was some evil to be checked; some improper conduct to be
corrected; some lesson which he would be the better for
learning; some happy influence on his life here, and on
his happiness in heaven, which would be more than a
compensation for all that he would suffer.
And through it all,
we can trust the Lord because His judgments are
right. Whatever God does in our life, it
right.
II. Our
Comforter (vs. 76-77)
Let,
I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort,
according to thy word unto thy
servant.
Let
thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for
thy law is my delight.
One of the greatest
blessings of being a child of God is the comfort He gives. In ancient times, could a person find
comfort in Baal worship, which demanded human sacrifice
to appease him? Is there today comfort in any religion,
such as Islam or Jehovah’s Witness, that says that if we
do enough works we will go to heaven, not knowing how
many works are enough? Is there any comfort in a
religion, such as Hinduism, that tells people that they
will be reincarnated as many times as it takes to rid
them of their sin? Is there any comfort in Roman
Catholicism, which tells its followers that untold
thousands of years in Purgatory awaits them after death
where the remainder of their sins will be burned
off?
Let us mediate a
moment, therefore, on the comfort we have in the thoughtful, truthful, and tender
God we serve.
He is
Thoughtful (v. 76a)
Let,
I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my
comfort,
Here is a verse that
explains Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.”
Works bring no comfort
whatsoever. Only mercy can bring comfort.
Merciful
kindness is the Hebrew hesed, which as
we noted back in verse 41 and speaks of kindness,
loving-kindness, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, love,
and acts of kindness. Our thoughtful God shows mercy to
those love Him and keep His commandments. Only those who
come to the Merciful God by the merits of Jesus Christ
can find comfort. Spurgeon well says here:
The words “merciful kindness,”
are a happy combination, and express exactly what we
need in affliction: mercy to forgive the sin, and
kindness to sustain under the
sorrow.
We can never know
comfort apart from the thoughtful mercy of
God.
He is
Truthful (v. 76b)
according
to thy word unto thy servant.
Should not the
driving force of the believer’s life be the desire for
truth? Why? Because is it not comforting to know that
God is always truthful? As we have noted before, there
are two Hebrew words translated as word in
this Psalm. The one used here is ‘imrah, a rare
poetic word that appears more in this Psalm than
everywhere else combined and emphasizes not just a
concept or thought but the very words of God. We
live in a day when “words are cheap” and are said with
no thought of their meaning or implications. Promises
are made by politicians, advertisers, and even
professing Christian teachers, but how often are they
kept? In contrast, each and every word that God speaks is true and every promise He
makes will be fulfilled.
He is Tender
(v. 77)
Let
thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for
thy law is my delight.
Tender
mercies translates a different Hebrew word
than does “mercies” in verse 41 or “merciful kindness”
in verse 76. The word here is racham, which literally refers to the physical womb of
a woman, as the Old Testament authors thought of the
womb or bowels as the seat of warm and tender emotions.
Again, one finds no tenderness, much less hope (v. 74),
in false gods, rather only in the one True God.
It is for that
reason that David then says, for thy law is my
delight. This is the sixth of seven instances
of the word delight in this Psalm [iii] (see verse 35b for
an explanation of the various Hebrew words). When we
take the time to truly think of God’s tender
mercies, we will most
certainly delight in His Word. As noted back in verse
35b, only those who delight in God’s commands truly love
Him.
III. Our
Collaborator (vs. 78-80)
Let
the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me
without a cause: but I will meditate in thy
precepts.
Let
those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have
known thy testimonies.
Let
my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not
ashamed.
In the final three verses
of this stanza, God comes to our aid against the enemy.
Let us note three principles.
The
Perversion of the World (v. 78)
Let
the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me
without a cause: but I will meditate in thy
precepts.
“If God be for us,” the
Apostle Paul wrote, “who can be against us?” (Rom.
8:31). As that verse and its context demonstrate,
nothing can separate the believer from God’s love or
overcome us in our experience. But that certainly
doesn’t keep the enemy from trying, does it?
The words dealt
perversely translate a single word in the
Hebrew (awat),
a verb that means “to be bent or crooked and to subvert
or pervert.” The phrase without a
cause is likewise a single word
(sheqer) that also means a lie. Putting it all
together, then, the enemies of God and His people will
bend what we say, twist our words,
pervert our intentions, and outright
lie about us to further
themselves and subvert the Truth.
Why do they do such
things? What is the real driving force behind the deal
perversely? For example, what motivates that ungodly
university professor who mocks a young Christian in
front of the whole class and tries to make him or her
look like imbecile for believing the Bible? What makes
the political liberal in America mock Christians who
stand for basic, moral family values and try to pain
such Christians as homophobes?
Why? Because they
are proud. A
principle that is woven into the very fabric of
Scripture is that pride is at the root of all
sin. Pride is what keeps people lost as they trust
only in themselves, in their own intellect, experience,
or education. There are several Hebrew words translated
proud in
the Old Testament. The one used here is zed, which appears some thirteen times, most often
in the Psalms. Its basic idea is “pride and a sense of
self-importance, which often is exaggerated to include
defiance and even rebelliousness.”[iv] Jeremiah 50:31-32 is
especially graphic on God’s attitude toward pride:
Behold, I am against thee, O thou
most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is
come, the time that I will visit thee. And the most
proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him
up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall
devour all round about
him.
Further, out of the
forty-nine occurrences of the word “pride” and the
forty-eight occurrences of the word “proud” in Scripture
(AV), not a single one is used in a positive way.
NEVER is pride tolerated,
much less praised, as it is today. In a day when pride
is cloaked with high-sounding terms such as
“self-esteem” and “positive pride,” we do well to remind
ourselves where pride will take us. As it was the
ancient sin of Satan before his fall and was the sin
that brought him down to hell (Is. 14:12-15; cf. 1
Timothy 3:6), so it is that “pride goeth before
destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov.
16:18).
What, then, will
keep us humble? [Meditating] in
[God’s] precepts. As mentioned back in verse
15, we can define mediation as quiet and concentrated
thought. We should quietly
ponder the Word of God, mull it over in our minds. When
we do that, pride will evaporate because there will be
no room for it in our thinking. God’s Word humbles us as
nothing else can.
The
Partnership of Believers (v. 79)
Let
those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have
known thy testimonies.
Here is a challenge
to every believer that none of us are in this thing
alone. The Psalmist, however, did feel alone at
this point. Like Paul, who had been abandoned by
everyone (II Tim. 1:15; 4:16), David feels deserted. He,
therefore, solicits the help of other believers, others
who are committed to God’s testimonies, that is, the sober and serious expressions of
God’s standards for human behavior. As noted back in
verse 63, he wanted to be the “companion of all them
that fear [God], and of them that keep [His]
precepts.”
How important this is! It
is, as Puritan Charles Bridges observed, “painful
therefore to see Christians often walking aloof from
each other, and suffering coldness, distance,
differences, and distrust to divide them form their
brethren.”[v] One of the most essential
elements of a healthy church is unity and the
encouragement that Christians are for each other. The
great fourth century expositor Chrysostom exclaimed,
“The Church was a little heaven.”[vi] Let us each ask
ourselves, “Do I contribute to making my local church a
little heaven on earth?”
The
Perfection of the Word (v. 80)
Let
my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not
ashamed.
The key word here is
sound
(tamiym), which means blameless or complete.
Interestingly, “in over half of its occurrences, it
describes an animal to be sacrificed to the Lord,
whether a ram, a bull, or a lamb.”[vii] So, as the Word of
God itself is spotless and perfect, we are to seek such
blamelessness in our living by obeying His statutes, that is, His decrees that are permanently
engraved in stone. One expositor well sums up this
soundness that David desired:
A sound heart throbs in unison with the moral laws of the
universe. Those laws are the laws of benevolence and
truth. A sound heart is a united heart. It has no
fissures, no rents, no distractions; it is one whole. A
sound heart is a strong heart. It does not sink
under trial, or quail under
danger.[viii]
Indeed, when that is
our desire, we will not be
ashamed.
When the Word of God is “etched in stone” in our hearts,
we will never have cause to be ashamed.
Dear Christian, do
you know who God is? As your Creator, He shaped
you, as your Comforter, He soothes you, and as
your Collaborator, he supports you.
[ii] Cited in Helmut
Thielcke, Man In God’s World
(Cambridge, England: James Clarke and Co., 1987), p.
91
[iii] Verses 16, 24, 35, 47,
70, 77, 174.
[iv] Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament,
#547.
[vi] Cited in Bridges, p.
205.
[vii] Baker and Carpenter,
#8549.
[viii] From the
Homilist; cited in Biblical
Illustrator in sermon outline
form.
