Psalm 119 Posts Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the series
2. Blameless
3. How Shall The Young Secure Their Hearts?
4. A Law of Love
5. Conviction Leads To Life
6. Turn My Heart
7. I Will Walk In Freedom
8. Righteous Indignation Is So Passe
9. If You Seek Him...
10. Teachable
11. Let Go And Let God
12. That Constant Longing
13. Meditating On The Word
14. I Incline My Ear
15. Waiting In Hope
16. Present Your Requests To God
17. Your Promise Has Been Tested
18. Hear My Cry
19. Love Your Enemies
20. Get Diggin'
21. I Have Chosen
    

Psalm 119: I Have Chosen

May my cry come before you, O LORD;
give me understanding according to your word.

May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise.

May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees.

May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous.

May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.

I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.

Let me live that I may praise you,
and may your laws sustain me.

I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

~Psalm 119:169-176 (NIV)

The other day a friend and I were visiting and talking about getting in trouble in school. It's funny, from K-4th and 7th-12th I never saw the inside of a principle's office to be disciplined. Note the gap? Fifth and sixth grade were kind of an odd time. I chalk it up to the beginnings of adolescence. In those two years I learned some important lessons, most of them the hard way.

I learned that profanity isn't worth it. I've only cursed at people twice in my life that I recall, and both were in the fifth & sixth grades. Both times were right in front of the teachers, both times ended in a school paddling (it was still the norm back then). I've only been in one real physical brawl. The class antagonist grabbed me by the belt loop to pull me back to his desk. I was carrying one of those Army surplus steel trash cans around the classroom at the time, so I turned around, raised it over my head and lowered it with boom onto his. He fell to the ground and like nothing happened I went on to the next desk to pick up the trash. He ended up jumping two or three desks and took me to the ground where we scuffled and choked each other until (a very angry) teacher could separate us. I learned that day physical violence probably wasn't the best way to deal with things (though I'd have to be honest and admit that I think the other guy probably needed that trash can to the head to learn a "life lesson" as well).

I could list a ton of other examples. My parents could probably quadruple the list. I learned that life was better, that my freedom grew, that opportunities to do the things I wanted to do increased when I chose to curb my anger, hold my tongue, and respect my parents and teachers. I still made tons of mistakes, no doubt. I was still grounded at times, and still too sharp-tongued through my teen years, and I still had to sit on the stairs with my arm around my brothers and sisters because we'd been in yet another argument. But after I became a Christian and after I started looking at the trouble that disrespect, harsh words, and trash cans to peoples' heads would bring, I started to see great value in doing the right thing. Again, I found greater freedom in the times that I made decisions to to what was right than I ever found in the moments of disobedience. I found that with obedience came trust, and with trust came freedom. I found that it wasn't that my parents were trying to keep me from doing what I wanted, they were trying to help me see that there were simply better ways to get there.

Why do I bring all this up? Because we live in a time where freedom and obedience are seen as antithetical. Our culture honors rebellion and disdains respectfulness (just start saying "yes/no sir" and "yes/no ma'am" in many environments and just see what happens). The psalmist now closes this lengthy reflection voicing yet again that he has found in the commandments, laws, and precepts of God great hope, joy, and freedom. I know that so many would read these words and think the guy must have been hopped up on something. What else could explain so much love for commands for cryin' out loud? My suspicion is that he'd observed what I began to see in my lengthy walk back down the hall from the principle's office. That sinfulness brings hurt and pain...but self-control (a fruit of the Spirit!) can bring freedom...freedom from the fear of punishment, freedom from guilt...freedom to be and do better things than what might have been our gut reaction.

In the end, I believe that the motive behind the precepts and commands of God is not that He is trying to squash our fun, but that He is trying to prevent our self-destruction. If only we would stop and see the wisdom behind His words.

Psalm 119: Get Diggin’

Princes persecute me without cause,
but my heart stands in awe of your words.

I rejoice at your word
like one who finds great spoil.

I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I love your law.

Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous rules.

Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing can make them stumble.

I hope for your salvation, O LORD,
and I do your commandments.

My soul keeps your testimonies;
I love them exceedingly.

I keep your precepts and testimonies,
for all my ways are before you.

~ Psalm 119:161-168 English Standard Version

It's funny. I know a lot of people find the Psalms to be the most relatable of all sections of Scripture. I suppose for me, that depends on the Psalm. As I've gone through this exercise of blogging through Psalm 119, there have been sections and passages that jump off the page and hit me square between the eyes, others that have been more a stretch. This passages at first glance is the latter, but the more I dig, the more it resembles the former.

I probably need to flesh that out a bit. You see, I'm sitting right now in a nice, warm Starbucks, I'm enjoying a very good espresso (Americano), and a few moments ago I pulled out my laptop and my Bible. No one arrested me. No one yelled at me. No has yet to even "harrumph!" or sigh. Nothing. And I'm nowhere near the Bible Belt, it's a blue state. But...nothing. The psalmist hasn't had it nearly so well, and that's why it's a bit difficult at times to relate. No one is persecuting me. They could not care less.

Now, I'm not complaining. I tend to see the periods of peace as a blessing, as an answer to the prayers Paul has urged us to offer up in his first letter to Timothy: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." I really believe that God wants us to know times of peace and quiet, and I thank God for them. Of course, for every good and perfect gift that comes down from above, the devil has a plan of disruption. In times of peace, sometimes I think that disruption comes in the sly package of complacency, which on the surface can look like peace or contentment, but in fact lacks the character and spirituality of either.

The psalmist, we've seen throughout this poem, has been undergoing great pressure and persecution--false accusations, gossip, ridicule, harassment, etc.--and all this has caused him to sharply refocus his attention and priorities back on being faithful to God. When faced with uncertainty and crashing waves, he looked for a solid rock to which he could cling, and he found God to be that Rock. This much, I can relate to, and I've also found that God has pulled me through each of those circumstances and I've found peace and blessing on the other side. However, the psalmist endures still more...he even has princes--"powerful people" says the New Living Translation--hounding at him. This I know nothing of. Rulers on the world stage couldn't care less about puny ol' me.

I am blessed to live in a nation that, though less hospitable to faith than in the past, is still one of the most peaceable countries in which a Christian can live. I don't walk around with a "persecution complex" as some seem to do every time someone looks at them funny; I know we've got it good, and somehow I think that's a part of our problem.

In seeking shelter, comfort, strength and protection, the psalmist finds that God is a source--no, the source-- of all peace and righteousness. He found this because he had to look. I'll say it again. He found this because he had to look. He found the treasure of God's word and the wisdom and strength of character he needed because he was desperate enough to dig in the first place. Are we desperate enough in a land of Bibles for $2.99, Oprahic platitudes, and "seeker-sensitive" assemblies? Looking at stats for broken homes, divorces, lost jobs, lost homes, disasters, etc...we should be, but are we? Are we even paying attention, or are we too at ease to be bothered? I mean, even as families decay and terrorists plot, we're still going to malls, movies, and McDonald's as though everything's fine. We are not digging for deliverance. We are convinced we're already OK. We think Clapton on an iPod and a Vanilla Chai Latte (yuck) will be all the peace we need in a day. And we're wrong...disastrously wrong.

A theme repeated in the Scriptures is that things start going so well we stop digging, we lose our way. It happened to Israel (remember when they lost the Law of Moses in a box in the corner for years?). It happened to the folks who returned from Babylon to rebuild the Temple (see Haggai). It's happened at some time or another to all of us, individually, as churches, as a nation, as humanity.

Yet, the treasure, buried, is still there. It's waiting to be found. It's waiting to bless.

Are you digging?

"...know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever."
(I Chronicles 28:9, ESV)

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him."
(II Chronicles 16:9, ESV)

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
(Matthew 13:44, ESV)

Psalm 119: Love Your Enemies.

Look on my affliction and deliver me,
for I do not forget your law.

Plead my cause and redeem me;
give me life according to your promise!

Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek your statutes.

Great is your mercy, O Lord;
give me life according to your rules.

Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,
but I do not swerve from your testimonies.

I look at the faithless with disgust,
because they do not keep your commands.

Consider how I love your precepts!
Give me life according to your steadfast love.

The sum of your word is truth,
and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

~Psalm 119:153-160 ESV

If you've been following this little journey/series through Psalm 119 this year, you've noticed it's been a while since I posted the last part. I've sat down to write this post several times, but was always stopped by something. In this section, the psalmist speaks of his adversaries, his enemies. What has stopped me each time is that I have trouble fully relating to the "enemy talk" of not just Psalm, but many others as well. If you ask me what people I'd consider my enemies, I just don't know how to make that list. I suspect I'm not really alone in that.

Now, don't that the wrong way. I'm not claiming there aren't people who've hurt me, or people that annoy me, or people that just plain get under my skin. There are. But, there are people I've hurt, people I've annoyed, and people whose skin I've gotten under, too. I'm not perfect and never claimed to be. There are people that I think are just dufuses (that sent the spell check into a tizzy). There are people who think I'm a dufus (which, on some days at some moments may simply mean they're well-informed). But would that, should that, make us enemies? Nah. I'm just not a grudge holder. No time. Life's too short and ulcers are too painful. Eventually, you've just got to let stuff go.

Sometimes, though, there is no choice about whether or not you have enemies. Sometimes people make an enemy of you, and no matter how much you protest their being your enemy, and enemy they are....or you are to them, to be more precise. I find that to be the most frustrating of all -- when you don't want to be "at war" but the "other side" simply refuses to stop firing salvos. David experienced it with Saul, Jesus with the Pharisees, Paul with his former co-religionists that followed him from city to city making trouble.

Yet, each responded in similar fashion. David refused to kill Saul because he was the Lord's anointed king. Jesus laid down his life even for the salvation of his executioners. Paul stated in his letter to the church at Rome that he'd gladly go to hell if it meant his fellow Israelites who'd rejected the Messiah would be saved. Jesus said:

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28 NIV)

So even if you could make a list of personal enemies, it would become a to-do list of people to love, bless and pray for. We do have those people, don't we? Those that hate or dislike us, those that mistreat us? In those cases, we have two bits of wisdom from these passages. The psalmist reminds us to stick to our guns and not turn from doing what is right in God's eyes and to keep looking to Him for deliverance and mercy. Jesus reminds us to love, do good to, pray for, and bless every dufus that may cross your path in life, er, I mean your enemies and those that curse and mistreat you.

What a contrast that is to car-bombings, hate mail, murder, slander, gossip, campaign-ads, racism, revenge, and bitterness! Just hold on tight to your Father in heaven and love the dufus.

There is just one more aspect of this I want to touch on, though. The psalmist uses some very strong language about the people that he says are his adversaries, those who are wicked. He says, "I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands." I believe when reading the Psalms one has to keep in mind that they are poetry, and express the true feelings of the psalmist, good or bad. It would be easy to simply say, "We should be disgusted with people who don't live by God's word." But I don't think it's really that simple, though I think his emotion was obviously that blunt. Jesus set the example of how we should react when he said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Stephen then followed that example in Acts 7 saying as he was pelted with stones until he died, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." It's too easy to think that our battle in this world is against our neighbor. It is not. We are commanded to love our neighbor. One might object and say that those who actively set themselves up against God and His people are most certainly our enemies. And, in a sense that is true. James says those who love the world (the fleshly, sinful, spiritually bankrupt aspect of our existence, not the earth) make themselves enemies of God (James 4:4). That they are (and we are, should we take that route...the warning was given to Christians not non-believers, after all). But again, that simply means you now know whom to love, pray for and bless, hoping they will drop their "swords" and embrace the grace of God.

Paul says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12 NIV) Peter also points us to our true enemy and says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1st Peter 5:8 NIV)

Our one greatest enemy is the one causing strife behind the scenes, not the guy who stole your girlfriend in the 8th grade, or the lady who cursed you out last week. He's the great disruptor, the schemer and liar who has been wreaking havoc since the beginning. He's the one who destroys marriages by whispering encouragement to greater selfishness, who entices men to war over bits of land, and who deceives billions through his lies. And if you don't think he's real, he's got you right where he wants you.

There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy.
~George Washington

Psalm 119: Hear My Cry

I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD ,
and I will obey your decrees.

I call out to you; save me
and I will keep your statutes.

I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.

My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promises.

Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
preserve my life, O LORD , according to your laws.

Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
but they are far from your law.

Yet you are near, O LORD ,
and all your commands are true.

Long ago I learned from your statutes
that you established them to last forever.

~Psalm 119:145-152 NIV

This psalm and brings to mind one of my favorite moments in the history of God's people recorded in the Old Testament. Her life had not been ideal. She'd dreamed of a home, a family, and a husband. Instead she was a handmaid-turned-surrogate mother-turned-enemy. She had dreams for the child she carried in her womb. He was, after all, to be the firstborn (if only by some odd finagling our Western minds have a hard time understanding) to a man of means--and a man specially chosen for some great purpose by the God of Heaven. But lately, it had all been nothing but heartache, trouble, hassle and bitter words. Sarai was no longer a kind woman to her, and Abram seemed weak and unwilling to press the issue of how she'd been treated by Sarai. So Hagar ran.

Later, an angel from God found her distraught by a spring in the desert. When asked where she was going she simply replied, "I am running away from my mistress." What choice did she have? Abram had given his wife Sarai carte blanche to threat Hagar as she wished. And she did--with a full dose of jealousy, spite, and bitterness. Getting away seemed the only option and she'd run till her legs were weak and her thirst overwhelming. As she takes a moment to catch her breath and get a drink of water an angel speaks to her.

The angel's next words may not have been much comfort: "Return to your mistress and submit to her authority." But before she could argue, he added, "I will give you more descendants than you can count." While this may not mean much to you, it meant everything to Hagar. In her time and place, this was a glorious promise. This was a legacy.

Encouraged and strengthened by the message from God the angel had brought, she rose and went home...strength renewed, hope reborn, promise rekindled. Because of this moment, a moment when God had spoken a ray of light to her while she was struggling in the darkness, her view of God was transformed forever. Her worldview changed. Her name for God himself changed. From then on, she referred to God as "The One Who Sees Me." What a a glorious name! She'd been invisible, but God saw her. She'd been lost, but God found her. She'd been running, but God met her on the road. God saw, God loved, God spoke, God healed, God strengthened, and God blessed her. He heard her cry and answered...with hope.

How good it is to know that the God of Heaven sees us. How good to know His promises that He will meet us in our moments of running.

Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

~Psalm 61:1-2 NIV

Psalm 119: Your Promise Has Been Tested

You are right and you do right, GOD;
your decisions are right on target.

You rightly instruct us in how to live
ever faithful to you.

My rivals nearly did me in,
they persistently ignored your commandments.

Your promise has been tested through and through,
and I, your servant, love it dearly.

I'm too young to be important,
but I don't forget what you tell me.

Your righteousness is eternally right,
your revelation is the only truth.

Even though troubles came down on me hard,
your commands always gave me delight.

The way you tell me to live is always right;
help me understand it so I can live to the fullest.

--Psalm 119:137-144 The Message

Familiarity does not make one an expert. If you were to borrow my car, there would be things I'd want to tell you, because of my familiarity with the car and its quirks, to make your drive a bit easier. I'd tell you to where the switches for the seat adjuster are, the seat-belt height adjuster is, where the blindspots are, etc. But don't let that fool you, I'm no expert on driving or on the car itself. If I went to the Bob Bondurant driving school, it'd be a humbling experience, and if you asked my how to overhaul the engine I'd be lost.

We're all familiar with how our lives work. We know our schedules, our likes and dislikes, the adjustments we make to get through the day. But when I look at the Word of God and see His wisdom living, I realize that on my own I'm about as competent at living as I'd be racing without any further training at Laguna Seca. If I wanted to race, I'd get help from proven drivers. If I want to live and live well, I go to the One who created life to begin with. I want to go to someone who's more than just familiar with life...to the Author of Life.

"Your promise has been tested through and through, and I, your servant, love it dearly."

Through so many ups and downs in life, God has been there for me. I thought this morning I'd share some of the promises that the Author of Life has proved true in my life:

• "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields - and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.God's grown my family." (Mark 10:29-30 NIV) When I left home 17 years ago to go to Adventures in Missions, then to go to SIBI and off to mission work and ministry, I had no idea just how true, and how wonderfully full this promise really is. In every place God has blessed us with an extended family. And in truth, he's gone well past "a hundred times as much" at this point. And yes, there have been challenges in each place, too. But that brings us to the next promise.

• "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV) In every difficult moment in my life, God has been my strength. Through the deaths of people I love, through my parents' divorce, through struggles in ministry, He has been there, and has pulled me through. The promises, of course, are not absence of challenges in life, but the strength from God to overcome. We're stronger exiting the tunnel than we were entering, thank God. Which reminds me of this passage from James, the brother of Jesus: "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (James 1:2-4 The Message)

• "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26 NIV) Ever find yourself so desperate in prayer that you're not even sure what to pray for, or sometimes even about? Been there, too. And what a great encouragement it is that someone who know my heart and my needs even better than I do--a real expert on living according to the Spirit--is interceding before the throne of God on my behalf!

• And just two verses later Paul says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, NIV) This is a tested and proven promise. I look back at times when I couldn't see any good coming out of what was going on, only to see on this side of the tunnel that God was working ways I couldn't understand to bring about His good purpose. God doesn't wait for life to be perfect to accomplish His will, and we shouldn't think that bumps in the road are an end to any of the good He has planned. To quote the Oak Ridge Boys, "It takes a little rain to make love grow...where the sun always shines, there a desert below."

And that's only the beginning. If you would, how about sharing in the comments section some of the promises you've seen God fulfill in your life as well.

Present Your Requests To God

Every word you give me is a miracle word--
how could I help but obey?

Break open your words, let the light shine out,
let ordinary people see the meaning.

Mouth open and panting,
I wanted your commands more than anything.

Turn my way, look kindly on me,
as you always do to those who personally love you.

Steady my steps with your Word of promise
so nothing malign gets the better of me.

Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women
so I can live life your way.

Smile on me, your servant;
teach me the right way to live.

I cry rivers of tears
because nobody's living by your book!

--Psalm 119:129-136 The Message

Reading over this passage, it seems to me I'm looking at a friend's prayer list. You know, that slip of paper some folks keep in their wallet, their purse, or as one friend used, on the inside of the cupboard door so they could see it while doing the dishes. In a recent sermon I mentioned that you can learn a good deal about a person--their character, their purpose, their needs, their loves--by their prayers. Prayers are a window to the soul of the one praying.

Remember Hannah? My wife does. For nine long years she remembered her all too well while we waited for our Emma to come along (and now a second is well on the way!). Hannah so desperately wanted to bear a child, and she went to the One--the only One--who could help. She prayed so passionately and fervently that when a priest named Eli observed her, he thought she might be drunk. Here is how the conversation went:

As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."

"Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD . Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."

Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."

--I Samuel 1:12-17 (NIV)

And as you can read in I Samuel, the Lord did indeed give her what she asked. It is the nature of the Father to bless His children. Jesus would later say:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

--Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV)

So, being a believer that the Creator of heaven and earth not only hears, but answers prayer, what did the psalmist seek? Did he, like Joplin seek a Mercedes-Benz? Did he seek fortune and big hair like the PTL/TBN crowds? Well, let's take a look at his prayer list:

It's a good list, huh? Maybe you and I would be better off scrapping ours and adopting his for a while. There something at the heart of this list that I know I need, and perhaps you do, too. There is an underlying admission--confession if you will. He has come to the point of humility that can openly admit that he doesn't know it all. It may be the central-most theme of the entire Psalm. Rather than sitting in judgment of God, as so many in our world now do, he is submitting (it's not a dirty word!) to the God of Heaven and letting the Creator of his soul teach his soul, nourish his soul, and guide his soul.

Lord, smile on us, and teach us how to live--and live well to Your glory!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

--Philippians 4:6 (NIV)