Exposition of Psalm
119
?
RESH
God’s
Word Heals Affliction
Psalm
119:153-160
Consider
mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy
law.
Plead
my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy
word.
Salvation
is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy
statutes.
Great
are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to
thy judgments.
Many
are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not
decline from thy testimonies.
I
beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they
kept not thy word.
Consider
how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according
to thy lovingkindness.
Thy
word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy
righteous judgments endureth for
ever.
As one commentator writes,
“We find the singer once more tuning his harp to a minor
key.”[i] His enemies are still
there, still pressing upon him. Thankfully, however, as
another writer puts it, “The disciple’s three cycles of
cries for deliverance in verses 153-160 progressively
subside in the presence of the comforting attributes and
assurances of God and His Word.”[ii] We see in these verses,
therefore, the psalmist’s evaluation, his enemies, and
his endurance.
I. The
Psalmist’s Evaluation (vs. 153-156)
Consider
mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy
law.
Plead
my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy
word.
Salvation
is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy
statutes.
Great
are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to
thy judgments.
Most of us try to look at
the situations that arise in our lives and try to
evaluate them and decide on the best course of action.
The Psalmist did that here, but he also did this with a
“Biblio-centric” method. By keeping Scripture at the
center of his evaluation, he then examines his
situation, solution, and salvation.
His
Situation (v. 153)
Consider
mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy
law.
The Hebrew behind
consider
(ra’â) carries the simple, literal sense of to
see with the eyes, but it has a wide range of
metaphorical meaning, including: examine, perceive,
feel, understand, learn, discover, and gain
understanding. David has obviously examined his
situation but he then prays that God will do the
same and deliver him from it.
That is, indeed, the
first step, realizing that we cannot do it ourselves.
While we might think we have weighed all the factors and
considered all the answers, only God is omniscient and
sovereign, and we must turn all matters over to Him.
Further, we must not forget His
Law; we must submit to His revealed will, a truth
that leads us to a second principle.
His Solution
(vs. 154)
Plead
my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy
word.
David recognized God’s
three-fold solution to his situation.
First, he
prayed plead
my cause. Plead is
an interesting word in the original (rîb). While
its primary meaning is striving physically in combat
(Ex. 21:18; Judg. 11:25), it also speaks of conducting a
lawsuit or legal case. Our legal system, in fact, is
often referred to as an “adversarial process.” David
used this word in precisely this way in reference to his
conflict with Saul and Saul’s pursuit of him: “The LORD
therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and
see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of
thine hand” (I Sam. 24:15; emphasis added). He uses it
again in Psalm 35:1: “Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight
against them that fight against me” (emphasis added).
David says, in effect, using legal phrasing heard today,
“Lord, please take my case. No one else will defend me.
No one else will even touch the case.”
Here is a clear Old
Testament illustration of a New Testament truth. The
wonderful Greek word parakletos appears five
times, all in John’s writing. Four of its appearances
refer to the Holy Spirit as our “Comforter” (John 14:16;
14:26; 15:26; 16:7–8), and the final one refers to the
Lord Jesus as our “Advocate” (I Jn. 2:1). The prefix
para means “alongside of” and is used in such
English words as parallel (lines
that are alongside one another). The root kletos
(from kaleo, “to call”) speaks of “one who is
called.” In Classical Greek, parakletos
literally means “one who is called alongside to aid” and
was originally used in the court of justice to show
legal assistance. Our English word paraclete
carries much the same idea. The Comforter pleads our
case inwardly on earth by teaching (Jn.
14:26), empowering (15:26-27), and convicting (16:7-8).
The Advocate pleads our case outwardly in
heaven by declaring that He died
for those acts of sin that we still commit.
Second, David
prayed deliver
me. Deliver is
another fascinating word in the Hebrew. Back in verse
134, David writes, “Deliver me from the oppression of
man,” but he uses a different word. While the Hebrew
there (padâ) speaks of redeeming something by
paying a ransom, the word he uses here (ga’al) is
more specific in speaking of redeeming a
kinsman from difficulty or
danger. It’s interesting that while the first word is
used for the redeeming of the Israelites out of Egyptian
bondage (Ex. 13:15), the word here is used of Boaz as
the kinsman-redeemer in the book of Ruth (3:12-13; cf.
“levirite marriage” in Deut. 25:5-10), a wonderful
picture of Savior Who is to come. Christ is, indeed, our
Kinsman-redeemer, coming to our aid, paying our debts,
and supplying our needs. David knew he could not do it
himself, and we must be reminded of that
often.
Third, David
prayed quicken
me. As we have noted several times quicken
(hayâ) means to live, be alive, to sustain life, and
reviving someone, as in reviving them from sickness or
discouragement. As in verse 25, it is that latter idea
that is in view in David’s prayer. Only God can revive
us from despair. It will not come from a psychological
trick, philosophical cliché, or clever anecdote. It will
come only from God’s word working in our heart and
mind.
His
Salvation (vs. 155-156)
Salvation
is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy
statutes.
Great
are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to
thy judgments.
What is the
irrefutable proof that salvation is far from
the wicked? It is that they seek not [God’s]
statutes. There is nothing, in fact, that
is more conclusive in proving true or false conversion
than whether or not one obeys God’s Word. Our Lord Himself made this glaring
clear:
If ye love me, keep my
commandments. . . . If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come
unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me
not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear
is not mine, but the Father's which sent me (Jn. 14:15,
23-24).
Because of his own passion
for the Savior and evidence for true conversion, the
Apostle John picked up on this and not only recorded
those statements in his Gospel record, but under
inspiration wrote his own in his first
epistle:
And hereby we do know that we
know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I
know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar,
and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word,
in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know
we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him
ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (I Jn.
2:3-6).
There are countless people
walking around today who claim to be “Christian,” but
they no more obey the Word of God than a thief obeys
laws about burglary. Certainly, there are many who do
not know the Word of God (usually because preachers
aren’t telling them), but the numbers are increasing of
those who when they hear the Word do not obey. The
plethora of “mega-churches” today prove that
observation. Such willful and continuous disobedience, a
lack of any intention or desire to obey God’s Word,
indicates a lost condition. We are not judging anyone’s
salvation here. We are merely pointing out what
Scripture says: anyone who does not obey God’s Word is
simply not a believer.
David understood
that truth implicitly. He knew his salvation was in
God’s judgments,
that it was God’s tender
mercies that [quickened
him]. In trouble,
therefore, that was his only place of
refuge.
Dear Christian
Friend, do you evaluate the difficulties of life as
David did? Do you look at the situation and
realize that the only solution is God’s
salvation?
II. The
Psalmist’s Enemies (vs. 157-158)
Many
are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not
decline from thy testimonies.
I
beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they
kept not thy word.
We see two attitudes in
these verses.
David’s
Confidence in the Word (v. 157)
Many
are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not
decline from thy testimonies.
Most of us have at
one time or another been in a big crowd, perhaps at a
ball game, concert, or other such event. We can recall
that when the event ended, we were caught up in the mass
exodus, like a single drop of water in a fast moving
river, only this is a river of people. All is well if we
“go with the flow,” but what happens when we realize we
left a jacket behind and try to go back and retrieve it?
Going against the flow is a
very different matter; every step is a
struggle.
What many Christians
fail to realize, or just do not want to
recognize, is that the true Christian life is
such a struggle. This is something that has for the most
part been lost in Christianity today. Most Christians do
not seem to stand for much of anything. While Jesus
clearly told us that we would often stand alone, most of
us rarely, if ever, do so. He Himself died alone, as
many other have through the ages. Most people today,
however, just want to “go with the flow,” be tolerant,
open-minded, and what they call “loving.” Fewer and
fewer Christians and Christian
leaders, are firmly standing
on truth.
To illustrate, the
message on which this chapter is based was actually
preached five days after Christmas in 2007, which is a
time that reminds me of this principle every single
year. While I know this will ruffle a few feathers, it
continues to baffle my mind and grieve my heart to see
Christians, especially Christian leaders, who
while having full knowledge of the totally pagan origins
of this thoroughly Roman Catholic “holiday” (that is,
“holy day”), not only celebrate it but then
unconscionably defend it as something Christian.
Even the secular world knows these origins, as
The History Channel on television usually
airs a special on it each year. It is absolutely
unthinkable that the majority of Christianity celebrates
such paganism, especially when we repeatedly read
in Scripture of God’s hatred, intolerance, and judgment
for idolatry. It continues to grieve me that while many
prominent church leaders will rightly stand against
modern trends of ministry, attacks on Reformation
doctrines, and other key issues, they refuse to do so
here, despite the fact that such a stand is clearly
mandated in Scripture. No child of God should have
anything to do with idolatry.
Yes, it is hard to
stand against this, it’s hard to go against the flow,
it’s hard to stand alone, it’s hard to be ostracized
from family, but being a Christian means standing alone
at times. But sadly again, few are standing alone for
anything nowadays. Unlike David who would not decline from [God’s]
testimonies, we are today
abandoning God’s Word in droves.
Decline
translates a Hebrew word (natâ) that literally
means to extend or stretch out, as when Moses stretched
out his rod over Egypt to turn the water to blood (Ex.
7:19) and bring the locusts (10:3). It also often
carries another literal meaning, however, “turning
aside” or “away,” or “diverting” from the path. This
gives way to the figurative idea of one’s heart being
“turn away,” that is, shifting its loyalty, even
apostatizing. As Paul adds, men will “ turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables
[Greek muthos; English
‘myths’”; II Tim. 4:2).
A graphic example
appears in I Kings 11, where Solomon marries wives from
the pagan civilizations around him. Again, totally
ignored at Christmas time is God’s hatred for
idolatry, as if it is no longer true. But God warned
that marrying these women would “turn away”
(natâ) the hearts of the people to the false gods
of those pagans (v. 2). Further, not only did
that occur, but in his old age, “[Solomon’s]
wives turned away [natâ] his heart after other gods: and his heart was not
perfect with the LORD his God” (v. 4; emphasis added).
Think of it! Even Solomon, the son of the godly David,
was turned to idolatry. That is exactly what has
happened to Christianity. It has been turned away from
truth and holiness because idolatrous practices were
introduced by pagan Rome and the majority of
evangelicals have failed to stand against it. Year after
year, through Christmas and other holidays, most
Christians today acknowledge the same Babylonian gods
and goddesses that Israel of old did—Baal and
Ashtoreth (i.e., Ishtar, Astarte;
Judg. 2:13; 10:6; also “queen of heaven,” Jer. 7:18;
44:17–19 ), Tammuz Ezek.
8:13-14), and others. Why do not
such things bother Christians anymore? They bothered the
Scripture writers, the Reformers, and the Puritans, the
latter two of which recognized it all as the wickedness
of the “papacy,” that is, Roman Catholicism. But few
today are at all concerned, even to the extent of
embracing Rome as being Christian.
Likewise,
Christianity today is turning to apostasy in countless
ways, and it is getting harder and harder to “go against
the flow.” Oh, yes, it is hard! It is a struggle!
It will grieve your heart! But if you do not stand, your
heart will be turned from God. How we need men today who
will not decline from [God’s]
testimonies, who will not
compromise and just wither away when the heat is turned
up.
David’s
Concern for His Enemies (v. 158)
I
beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they
kept not thy word.
In light of our
pointed discussion above, we should be reminded of and
grieved by those who refuse to listen to truth, those
who just don’t want to hear what god says. They reject
His word, do only what they want, but then complain and
even blame God when tragedy and heartache come. David
was grieved because he knew what would happen when God’s
Word is ignored.
The word transgressors
(bagad), however, goes even
further to refer to a willful traitor, and is used for
treachery in leadership (Judg. 9:23), betrayal of
friendship (Job. 6:15), and even unfaithfulness in
marriage (Jer. 3:20; Mal. 2:14). To be frank, the
treachery against and betrayal of the Word of God today
is unprecedented, even among professing evangelicals.
Teachers make it say what they want it to say, apply in
whatever way is acceptable to man’s ears, and have
abandoned truth altogether. Where are the Davids who
grieve over this betrayal of the Word? Do we agree with
Spurgeon?
Thy word is so precious to me
that those who will not keep it move me to indignation;
I cannot keep the company of those who keep not God’s
word. That they should have no love for me is a trifle;
but to despise the teaching of the Lord is
abominable.
Oh, Dear Christian Friend,
are we going to stand for truth or not? If not, let’s
just quit “playing church” and totally renounce the Word
of God that we have already betrayed.
III. The
Psalmist’s Endurance (vs. 159-160)
Consider
how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according
to thy lovingkindness.
Thy
word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy
righteous judgments endureth for
ever.
In spite of the trouble
that surrounded him, the Psalmist endured by remembering
two principles.
Love the
Truth (v. 159)
Consider
how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according
to thy lovingkindness.
We have noted
David’s love for
God’s Word many times, and we will see it thrice more
before he finishes this grand Psalm (vs. 163,165,167).
It’s not enough to read the Word, outline it, analyze
it, exposit it, exegete it, or even memorize it. If we
don’t love it,
all else is worthless. It is our love for
it that drives us to obedience and submission. When we
really love truth, it is impossible to compromise it,
because anything that violates truth, however small,
will be intolerable.
Sadly again, many
Christians today don’t seem to abhor much of anything.
As long as someone mentions God or Jesus, all is well,
regardless of the heresy that that person might be
teaching. Not in David’s thinking, however. He loved
God’s precepts,
that is, His instructions, and hated “every false way”
(vs. 104, 128). It is also that love that drives us to one other
principle.
Trust the
Truth (v. 160)
Thy
word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy
righteous judgments endureth for
ever.
From the very
beginning
to the very end, God’s Word endureth, David tell us.
Do believers today
really trust the Word of God? They certainly didn’t in
Charles Darwin’s day. In his book, Theory of the
Earth, James Hutton (1726-1797), an amateur
geologist, was one of the first people to suggest that
the earth was more than 6,000 or 7,000 years old.
Charles Lyle (1797-1875), a former lawyer turned amateur
geologist, who also hated God and the Bible, got hold of
Hutton’s book and through its influence wrote his won
book, Principles
of Geology, in which he literally invented the “Geologic Column” or geological ages. In
spite of the fact that this “column” exists nowhere
except in the textbooks and has not even the smallest
shred of empirical evidence to support it, it has
nevertheless become “the bible” to the
evolutionist.
It was then in 1831
that Charles Darwin, who was, believe it or not, freshly
out of his theological training for the ministry, set
sail on the HMS Beagle. He had two books with him: his
Bible and Lyle’s Principles of
Geology. It was upon reading
Lyle’s book that Darwin’s faith in the Bible was
destroyed.
We relate that short
history to emphasize that because of those men,
Christianity of Darwin’s day began “running scared.”
Christian leaders became so intimidated, even terrified,
by evolution that they created theories that would
accommodate both the Bible and the “millions of years”
of the geological ages. The Gap Theory, for example, was
created for the sole purpose of fitting the geological
ages into the Bible. It teaches that Genesis 1:1
indicates complete creation, but 1:2 and following is
the recreation following a gap of millions of years
between the two verses. Similarly, the Day Age Theory
teaches that each “day” of creation consisted of
millions of years, which again allows for the geological
ages. In other words, they no longer trusted the book
of Genesis.
In the very beginning words of the Bible, however, Genesis 1:1, we see
the creation of all three of the basic elements of the
physical universe: space (“heavens”), matter (“heavens
and earth”), and time (“beginning”). God did it all, and
any compromise with the idea of “millions of years” is a
denial of God’s unique, finished work of creation and is
the result of the brainwashing of people’s minds by
ungodly men.
Again, do Christians
today really trust the Word of God? Do we trust
it solely as the source of truth? Do we trust it
solely for our theology and philosophy? Do we
trust it solely for church ministry? Do we trust
it solely for our counseling needs? Again, if we
do not, let’s just stop “playing church” and go back to
being pagans, for we are blatantly denying David’s
closing words of this stanza: Thy word is true from
the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments
endureth for ever. Is
that what we believe. I pray fervently that it
is.
