Exposition of Psalm
119
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HE
God’s
Word Produces Consistency
Ps.
119:33-40
Teach
me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it
unto the end.
Give
me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall
observe it with my whole heart.
Make
me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do
I delight.
Incline
my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to
covetousness.
Turn
away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou
me in thy way.
Stablish
thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy
fear.
Turn
away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are
good.
Behold,
I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy
righteousness.
What struck me first
in this stanza were the words unto the
end, which are all one word in the Hebrew
(‘eqeb) that “refers to a
goal, end, or purpose to something or the chronological
end of a process.”[i] David’s desire and prayer
in this stanza, his goal in life, is to remain
consistently true to God’s Word throughout his life.
All of us have difficulty
with being consistent in our Christian walk. Changing
emotions, pressures of life, and other factors affect us
more than we like to admit. How, then, can we be
consist? We see here seven principles of a consistent
Christian life: always learning, always obeying, always
delighting, always reaching, always watching, always
longing, and always growing.
I. Always Learning (vs.
33a-34a)
Teach
me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes;
Give
me understanding, and I shall keep thy
law;
Here, in fact, is
the very foundation of consistency. If we are not
learning, it is impossible to be consistent. If I might
share a sincere personal note, if I don’t learn
something today, today is “a bust.” Whether it be a
biblical truth I haven’t seen before, an historical fact
I’ve not read about before, a new piece of trivia to
stimulate the mind, or something else, the day seems
wasted. Young people sometimes think, “Boy, when I get
out of school, I won’t have to learn anything else!” We
all know, of course, that learning has only just begun
in those school days. We must be
always learning, or life will
be a failure.
The word teach
appears nine times in this Psalm (vs. 12, 26, 33, 64,
66, 68, 108, 124, 135). In every case, except here, it
is the Hebrew lamad, which
means to teach in the sense of “training as well as
educating.”[ii] Along with the
translation of “taught” in verse 171, this Hebrew word
also appears nine times in this Psalm.
The word that
appears here, however, is yarâ, a very interesting word. As one authority tells
us, the fundamental idea of this root is to throw or
cast “with the strong sense of control by the subject.”
That writer goes on to say:
Lots were cast in regards to
dividing the land among the various tribes (Joshua
18:6). God cast the Egyptian army into the Red Sea
(Exodus 15:4; cf. Job 30:19). With stones it has the
idea of placing them in a certain place; God laid the
cornerstone of the world (Job 38:6) and Laban set up a
heap of stones and a pillar as a witness between Jacob
and himself to their covenant of peace (Genesis
31:51f.). The three most frequent uses of this root deal
with shooting arrows, sending rain, and
teaching.[iii]
This creates a graphic
image for us when we think about teaching. It is
essential for a teacher to control what is taught, to
place what is taught in a certain place and way, to
teach principles that are foundational, as pictured by
the cornerstone of a building, and to properly aim those
principles as an archer aims and shoots his
arrows.
What a marvelous
description of teaching! Sadly, however, the general
fare in churches today is a far cry from such a
foundational, aimed, and systematic presentation of
Truth. It is appalling how many professing Christians
today simply do not want, and absolutely refuse to sit
under, deep, systematic Truth. Preaching and substantive
teaching have all but disappeared, being replaced by
entertainment and feelings-oriented and motivational
speeches. But what David wanted from God, and what the
truly spiritual Christian wants, is Truth, to be
always learning.
If I may be so bold,
there is, indeed, something seriously wrong when that is
not the desire of the leaders and people in our
churches. Truly spiritual people want Truth, which means the reverse is also true:
those who do not want truth are not spiritual, rather
they are “carnal” (I Cor. 3:1-4), if not even the
“natural man” (I Cor. 2:14). While that statement might
seem “judgmental” or “intolerant,” it is biblically
true.
David adds something
else, however, that is equally important—he prays,
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 both verses (bîn)
means “to discern, to perceive, to observe, to pay
attention to, to be intelligent, to be discreet, to
understand.” As vital as knowledge is, by itself it is
virtually worthless. For example, a man might know by
heart every medical work that has ever been written, and
yet be the worst doctor in the world. What, then, is the
difference between knowledge and
understanding?
To illustrate
further, I was reminded here of the near disaster of the
Apollo 13 moon mission back in April 1970. After an
oxygen tank exploded, the ship was severally crippled
and demanded that most of its systems be shut down for
the long four-day return trip to earth. Of several
crises that arose, the most serious was whether or not
there was enough power to bring the necessary systems
back on line for reentry. Any draw of power that
exceeded twenty amps would drain the power reserves,
making reentry impossible and the death of the
astronauts certain. What the flight controllers and
engineers had to do was figure out an entirely new
startup sequence that had never before been tried,
needed, or even anticipated. The quadruple failure that
Apollo 13 suffered simple “couldn’t happen,” so no one
foresaw such an “impossible” scenario. The point is that
it wasn’t enough to know which switches to flip
but to know in what sequence
to flip them, and that could only be accomplished by a
total understanding of precisely what every switch did
and what consequence each had on the rest of the
procedure and the entire spacecraft.
Likewise, David
didn’t want just knowledge alone, but the reasons why
that knowledge was important, the way that knowledge
applied to the real world, and even the consequences
that knowledge would have on everything else. That is
what is desperately needed today. A consistent Christian
is absolutely impossible without constant learning and a
growing understanding of what that knowledge will demand
in his or her Christian walk. (We’ll return to another
aspect of understanding in verse 73.) This leads right to a second
principle.
II. Always Obeying (vs.
33b, 34b, 35a)
and
I shall keep it unto the end.
yea,
I shall observe it with my whole
heart.
Make
me to go . . .
Here is the third
step in this essential progression: knowledge,
understanding, and now obedience. We see here three strong statements concerning
obedience to the Word of God.
First, we are
to keep the
Word. The Hebrew here (nasar) originally came
from the ancient Akkadian (nasaru), an extinct
Semitic language that existed in Assyria and Babylonia,
and meant “watch over, protect.” A similar Arabic word
(nazara) means “keep in view, look at.” The idea
in this word, then, is to guard, observe, and preserve.
It’s used, for example, for a watchman over his vineyard
(Job 27:18; Prov. 27:18). In this context, therefore, we
are to maintain what God has entrusted to us, to
keep the truths of God in both actions and mind, and
to guard them with all our strength.
Second, we
are to observe
the Word. While the idea here is similar to keep,
there is also in this word (shamar) the idea of
care, as Adam and Eve were to watch over and care for
the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15). It also speaks of
protecting something, as when David gave orders to keep
Absalom safe (1 Sam. 26:15; 2 Sam. 18:12). Still
further, it speaks of paying close attention to
something, such as the obligations of God’s Word, as in
Leviticus 18:26: “Ye shall therefore keep
(shamar) my statutes and my
judgments, and shall not commit any of these
abominations.” What is our attitude to God’s Word? Do we
truly care for it, protect it, and pay close attention
to it obligations and demands?
Third, we are
to
go
in the path
of the Word. As the word implies, path
(netîbâ) speaks of a trail, road, or even a wake
that is left in the water. Figuratively, then, it speaks
of a way of life. Coupled with that is the word go
(darak), which carries the basic idea of setting
foot on territory or objects, sometimes with the sense
of trampling them. It’s used, for example, to describe
God’s people taking possession of the Promised Land
(Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:3). In this context, the idea is
walking on the path of God’s commandments. Our way of
life is not that of world but rather that of the Word of
God alone. As Proverbs 4:11 declares, “I have taught
thee in the way [or path, darak] of wisdom.” Spurgeon beautifully writes
here:
Thou hast made me to love the
way, now make me to move in it. It is a plain path,
which others are treading through thy grace; I see it
and admire it; cause me to travel in it. This is the cry
of a child that longs to walk, but is too feeble; of a
pilgrim who is exhausted, yet pants to be on the march;
of a lame man who pines to be able to run.
Putting all three of
these statements together dramatically outlines what
obedience is all about: obedience is keeping the
truths of God, paying close attention to its obligations
and demands, and walking on the path of His
commandments. This will, indeed,
bring about a consistent life.
III. Always Delighting (vs.
35b)
for
therein do I delight.
Wait a moment! Did
we say here, “Always happy?” No, for there will be times
when circumstantial “happiness” alludes us, as we
considered in verses 1-8. What David says here is quite
different. This is, in fact, his third mention of his
delight in
God’s Word. The word he uses in verse 16 (sha‘a‘)
speaks of taking joy or enjoyment from something. The
one in verse 24 (sha‘ashu‘îm) is another form of
that word that is used figuratively in the phrase “a
pleasant plant” in Isaiah 5:7 to refer to God's pleasure
in the people of Judah. The word used here, however
(hapes), indicates a stronger emotional
delight than the others. Shechem, son of Hamor, for
example, had an emotional delight in Jacob’s daughter Dinah (Gen. 34:19). It
appears also in Proverbs 31:13, where the Virtuous Woman
“worketh willingly [i.e., with emotional delight] with
her hands.” (What an encouragement to Christian ladies
today!)
David, therefore,
declares that he takes emotional delight in
God’s clear, definite, and authoritative commandments.
At one time or another we’ve all probably thought that
God’s commands are burdensome. I once heard a preacher
put it well when he said, “Many think God is the Great
Cosmic Party Pooper.” Indeed, many think that God just
ruins all our fun with His commandments. But as Apostle John proclaims in I John 5:3:
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his
commandments: and his commandments are not grievous,”
that is, heavy and oppressive. God’s commandments exist
to protect us, to keep us from harm and total disaster.
Many people talk about “loving God” while at the same
time ignore His Word. They think His commands are
oppressive so they redefine them according to modern
thought. John, however, makes it clear that only those
who delight in God’s commands truly love Him. This
attitude contributes much to a consistent Christian
life.
IV. Always Reaching (v.
36)
Incline
my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to
covetousness.
The word incline
(natâ) literally means to extend, stretch out,
that is, extending something outward and toward, as one
would extend his arm (Ex. 7:5) or point a staff (Ex.
7:19) or a spear (Josh. 8:18). The word is often used,
however, in a figurative way, such as inclining or
leaning toward something. As the psalmist Asaph writes,
for example, we are to “incline [our] ears to the words
of [God’s] mouth” (Ps. 78:1). The godly Believer, then,
is not inclined or reaching toward covetousness
(“which is idolatry,” Col. 3:5), not “[inclined] . . .
to any evil thing, to practice wicked works” (Ps.
141:4), rather he or she is inclined toward God’s
testimonies, that is, the solemn testimonies of His will,
the sober and serious expressions of His standards for
human behavior.
This pictures the same
truth that Paul declares in Philippians
3:13-14:
Brethren, I count not myself to
have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before, I press toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.
In spite of three years of
training by our Lord Himself (Gal. 1:16-18) and thirty
years of Christian growth and ministry, Paul says, “I
haven’t arrived yet. I haven’t reached the prize. I
don’t even fully comprehend the prize. I
therefore continue to reach forth, to press toward, to
pursue, to go after the prize of the knowledge of
Christ.” “That I may know him,” Paul writes is verse 10.
Therefore, an
essential part of a consistent Christian life is that we
are always “reaching forth.” Sadly, many Christians, and
even Christian leaders, get to a point in their
lives where they become complacent and satisfied. They
might say, “Well, I think I’m okay. I know the basic
truths of Christianity, I know what I believe, and I
love the Lord. That’s all I need.” Such folks have
already failed! If we are not always reaching, we
begin to slide back and stagnate. Dear Christian Friend,
are you always reaching?
V. Always Watching
(vs. 37a, 39)
Turn
away mine eyes from beholding vanity;
Turn
away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are
good.
While the primary
meaning of the Hebrew behind vanity
(shaw’) is deceit, lie, or falsehood, it carries
several other meanings: emptiness, evil, ruin,
uselessness, worthless, and without result. The prayer
of the psalmist, then, is that God would turn away
his eyes from looking at such things.
Further, the Hebrew
for turn
away (‘abar) is
particularly interesting. One authority describes it
especially well:
The verb refers primarily to
spatial movement, to “moving over, through, or away
from.” This basic meaning can be used of “going over or
through” a particular location to get to the other side,
as when Jacob “crossed over” the Euphrates to escape
Laban (Gen. 31:21).[iv]
The same authority
goes on to outline other usages of this word, including,
passing through, by, or over something. All this paints
a vivid, poetic picture. David prays that his eyes would
simply pass through, pass over, move away from all the
evils of vanity. This is, indeed, an essential element of a
consistent Christian life. We must be always watching
out for the evils of this world and look past them and
move away from them.
David uses the same
word again in verse 39, Turn away my
reproach. This has been taken two ways by
expositors. Some think it speaks of the reproach
that will come against the writer from others as he
stands for God. Others believe that it refers to the
reproach
and shame brought on by God because of the writer’s sin.
The latter was my own first impression as I examined the
verse and does seem to better fit the idea of the rest
of verse, for thy judgments are
good, as well as verse
37. Puritan Charles Bridges puts it well:
It was the reproach of bringing
dishonour upon the name of his God, that David feared. .
. The fear of this reproach is a practical principle of
tender watchfulness and circumspection, and of habitual
dependence upon Almighty God.[v]
Whichever idea is correct,
however, the point is the same: whether because of other
people’s attack or our own sin, we must constantly be
constantly be watching and examining our
lives.
VI. Always Longing (v.
40a)
Behold,
I have longed after thy precepts:
One of things that
has burdened me for the thirty-three years of ministry I
have so far experienced (as of 2007) is the ambivalence
that is common among many Christians in that I have
repeatedly seen a lack of longing for God’s Word. While
some don’t want it all and seek the many user-friendly
characteristics of modern ministry, others don’t make it
a priority when their church does have the Word as the central emphasis. Other
activities easily and often replace church attendance. I
have seen everything from school activities to family
gatherings to frequent weekend getaways that prove that
God’s Word is clearly not the
priority.
In stark contrast is
David’s use of the words longed
after. The Hebrew ta’ab appears only
three times in the Old Testament, all of them are right
here in Psalm 119. David declares in verse 163, “I hate
and abhor lying: but thy law do I love,” and again in
verse 174, “I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and
thy law is my delight.” A derivative (ta’abâ)
occurs once more back in verse 20: “My soul breaketh for
the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all
times.” As noted there, this word speaks of an intense
hunger and David was broken hearted when deprived of
God’s Word. How many of us are broken hearted when we
can’t be under the preaching and teaching of the Word?
Mark it down: the consistent Christian is one who has
an insatiable appetite for God’s Word. This leads to one other
principle.
VII. Always Growing (vs.
37b, 38, 40b)
and
quicken thou me in thy way.
Stablish
thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy
fear.
quicken
me in thy righteousness.
As noted back in
verse 25, quicken
(hayâ) means to live, be alive, and to sustain life
and also speaks of reviving someone, as in reviving them
from sickness or discouragement. David, therefore, prays
here for a sustained spiritual life, one that is truly
alive, thriving, and growing in God’s way and
God’s righteousness.
He also prays that
God will [establish] [His]
word in his life. As with many Hebrew words,
the one for [establish]
(qűm) has “a myriad of
derived and figurative meanings.”[vi] While the literal idea is
to arise, to stand or stand up, figuratively, it speaks
of things such as “to endure, to continue, to establish,
to strengthen, to perform, and to be victorious.” All
those do, indeed, picture the consistent Christian, who
is always growing “in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now
and for ever. Amen” (II Pet. 3:18).
Dear Christian
Friend, is your Christian life one of consistency? Even
on those days that you don’t feel well, those days when
the ups have turned to downs, those days when you aren’t
“happy,” you can still be consistent.
[i] Baker and Carpenter,
#6118.
[ii] Theological
Wordbook,
#1116.
[iv] Vine’s, “Pass over”
entry.
[vi] Baker and Carpenter,
#6965.
