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Episodes
Wednesday Feb 12, 2025
Wednesday Feb 12, 2025
Yodh
73 Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands. 74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word. 75 I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. 76 May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. 77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. 78 May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts. 79 May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes. 80 May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.
When writing this psalm in honour of God's word and its effect upon the life of a believer, the author majored in 8 Hebrew words to describe ways in which the Lord communicates with his people. All 8 are to be found in this section. Now what does that say to us? Here's a quote that really sets us thinking, ‘The author had a theme that filled his soul - that ranged the length and breadth, the height and depth of a person's walk with God.' John Stek makes a great point with these words. This section is about the powerful effect the word of God has in shaping us, developing us, maturing us and equipping us to represent Him in this world.
Four big ideas came out of it for me. Verses 73 and 80 remind us that God made us. ‘Your hands made me and formed me.' That's the starting point for everyone who has a living relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not here by accident, nor by the will and activity of our parents alone. God was in the process of bringing us into the world. He is our Creator, so who knows better than Him how we work and what we need to know, so that we can live in His way? Every piece of equipment in our homes was designed and built for a specific purpose. To know how to use it properly you read the manufacturer's instructions. If it needs servicing or repair you find information in that maker's manual. It's ordinary common sense. And it's spiritual common sense to know that the best way to live in line with the Lord's purpose in making us, is to read his word and respond to its directions.
In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul wrote, ‘All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.' It's the Maker's Manual. Verses 74 and 79 imply that the life of a true believer, especially someone active in the Lord's work, is bound to influence other people. You can't escape it! People around us will be affected, for better or worse, by the way we live (or don't live) in accordance with Scripture. Younger and less mature Christians look to those of us who are more experienced, for guidance and example. Others will be taking note of our words and actions and won't hesitate to charge us with any inconsistency they see in our behaviour. This is true within the fellowship of a church, as well as in the home and at work. Our actions speak louder than our words, so we must let the Holy Spirit teach us through Scripture and keep in step with him in our lives.
The New Testament has a lot to say about the importance being a good witness before other people. ‘Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.' Matthew 5:16. Verses 75 and 78 show that the writer had to suffer for his faith. The life and work he was called to were no easy ride. He speaks of ‘the arrogant' and the fact that he'd been wronged by these very people. Under the surface of the text, there is a suggestion that they'd misrepresented him; twisted his words and actions to suit their own ends. That's not easy to bear. Paul wrote, again in 2 Timothy, ‘Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.' It's not optional.
But our psalmist recognises that God is at work in all this, using it to knock him into shape. He bravely goes so far as to state ‘In faithfulness you have afflicted me.' No-one volunteers for suffering but we must endure when it comes. ‘The testing of your faith develops perseverance.' James 1:3.
Finally, we notice 5 ‘wish prayers'; short prayers beginning with the word ‘May . . .' Pick them out and think about them. These are not weak prayers. They are valid and honest, reaching from the heart into other people's lives and needs. They may be expressed at any time, in any place, for anyone. Simple, but real. The apostle Paul used ‘wish prayers'. Look up Romans chapter 15:5-6 and then in verse 13, for two examples. Sometimes, when we find normal prayer difficult, these short prayers can prove valuable in helping us dispense some degree of blessing on other people in our lives. Also, why not try to find ways of using this kind of prayer as an add-on to your usual methods of praying? ‘May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.'
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Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Teth
65 Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD. 66 Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands. 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. 68 You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. 69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. 70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. 71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. 72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
The Psalmist starts again with a great acclamation! "Oh my Lord God! You have done good to your servant, according to your word"! Here David acclaims God for his faithfulness and for the consistency of God's innate goodness! God' has again kept his promises to His servant David and is faithful to him. From God's promises, flow the benefits of serving the Living God! Then the servant David, asks the Great God to teach him knowledge and judgment, for without either David could not live rightly in accordance with God's commandments and precepts. This is a King willing to be a servant of the Lord, with a teachable mind and a malleable spirit. So by the renewing of his mind and the gain of knowledge, David seeks to use this knowledge wisely and in good taste and judgement as he makes decisions - both private and public, personal and as king!
But from v67 we see that David had not always done so! He have gone astray from being obedient to God! Whether it was one incident or if he is relating himself to the natural rebelliousness against God that all people have, David now seeks to be fully obedient to God, in mind, heart and in service. His zealousness for God and God's law is palpable. You can taste it as you read how David went from rebellion to obedience and submission to God's ways and laws. Whatever David's affliction was, it certainly had a curative affect on him. As he looked back on his life, David saw what God had done and how God had brought him through, teaching him and loving him. David could see that rebellion and insolence marked the historical Israel's relationship with God and how God had taught and moulded them.
Verse 68 sees the servant David yet again pleading, begging and beseeching God to teach him! Teach me your decrees O great God! O Great God you are good and goodness is you! All that God does is good, the Psalmist cries, because goodness is part of the innate and essential character of God! He knows that God is good and good all the time! But knowing God is good, David doesn't seek or pray for wealth, honours or privilege!
By no means! David seeks and prays continually to be taught how to obey this great and awesome God who is worthy of being fully obeyed. The Psalmist then compares his perjurers against God! The proud enemies of David have perjured against him, telling lies, spreading malicious talk and denigrating his character. Does David now wish to take revenge upon them?
Nope! David desires once again with heartfelt yearning to learn from God and keeping his precepts and statutes in his heart. These opponents of his have hearts of impenetrable and unmovable stone. They have no feelings or sensitivity to the ways of God. All this could well discourage David: leaving him depressed, feeling defeated, battered, bruised and beaten.
But again, no! The Spirit of God pierces David's heart and he is shown to be malleable and teachable, willing to be obedient to this God he serves. David's delight is not in seeking revenge, but in reading about God and his innate goodness and Law. During his affliction, David may well have questioned God, and asked "Why me?" He may well have been feeling quite dissolute during the times.
But now, after the event, he says that it was good because God chastised him! That was part of God's method of teaching him, because God loved him. David knew that he was naturally obstinate against God. David now knew that obedience is better than sacrifice and that what God wanted from him, was his utter and total obedience. No amount of sacrifices could beat that!
In this last verse, David again states that his primary desire is not for honour, riches or a vast inheritance or kingdom, but rather to listen to God speaking to him through the Word. WOW! That is awesome isn't it? God is good and good all the time! Good in who He is! Good in what He does! Good in what He does to teach us. Our response, as it was for the Psalmist, is to be totally obedient to this God of goodness.
Yet, if we are honest, we have to say at least to ourselves, that sometimes we don't feel or see this goodness of God. We all are naturally rebellious and disobedient against God. God demands our obedience and conformity to Him. Not as a means to salvation, because that could only ever be by His grace and mercy. We show we are His people, by being obedient to Him - which consists of loving Him and loving others. We are to love also getting to know Him, and have zealousness for the Bible and for prayer! Read about how God is good in your bible and pray to Him to teach you! He will! We are to be obedient by serving others and by doing so this reveals we are serving this Almighty God of goodness. Then we too, like the Psalmist, will be servant hearted, teachable, humble and obedient, shining as lights in darkness.
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Monday Feb 10, 2025
Monday Feb 10, 2025
Heth
57 You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey your words. 58 I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. 59 I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. 60 I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. 61 Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law. 62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. 63 I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts. 64 The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees.
David starts off this segment with a bang! A great burst of exclamation of praise "You are my portion, O Lord!" Wow! Here David is lost in awe and wonder of the great God in whom he has put his trust and hope! This great God whom David desires to obey! This God is part of his treasure and David is enraptured! David could easily have turned to his vast wealth and resources for comfort. He could have plundered the great treasures of the ancient world. Yet that is not where his heart is - his heart is firmly set on the gift-giver, the Great God!
So much so that he reaffirms yet again his promise to obey God's every law, precept and command! Here is a man expressing total heartfelt devotion to the God who chose him and therefore seeks to serve Jehovah God! God may have chosen David, but David still desires to develop the relationship with God! He seeks God's face fervently, wholeheartedly and with great devotion. By seeking God's face (verse 58), David is seeking to be in the very presence of the Living God, enfolded in the grace God. At the very core of God's being is grace, love and mercy. And the Psalmist knows that God will give him grace, love and mercy, because God has promised that He will! And God always keeps his promises, his side of the deal!
As a response, in verse 59 & 60, David considers how he has been living disobediently and turns back to following and obeying the great God who is his portion, his all! That is repentance! He was stepping out of synch with God but turned himself around to the God of grace and made a conscious choice to obey God's commands instead of going his own way. He chose the way of Life instead of the path that leads to destruction. It is a lifelong commitment David is making, not a half-hearted gesture. No! David is taking all the steps he can in order to be found fully obedient to God and God's law! David's enemies and persecutors may try to bind him with ropes and try to ensnare him, yet he will not forget God and God's words. Nothing deflects him from following God. Not being tied up by enemies who oppress and seek to restrict him, even kill him. The Psalmist knows they cannot match the God of grace whom he seeks!
So when he had the opportunity, David arose at the midnight hour! Not in order to pray for deliverance but to give thanks! Giving thanks not that he may suffer for the sake of his God but more to thank the Lord for His righteous laws! God's judgement will fall upon the wicked, the disobedient and unruly! We know from the historical books of the Bible that David was a friend with all those who chose to obey God - those who feared the Lord. These were the truly wise people, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! It didn't matter whether they were rich or poor - if they feared the Lord and obeyed Him, David would be with them and befriend them! This great King David befriending the obscure who feared the Lord they served together. Whatever David had faced in his life, he knew that God had been there and loved him. Through exile, betrayal, war, peace, famine and prosperity - God has always shown His love to David. This assures David that the Lord truly is his portion!
So enamoured is he with God he constantly seeks to be taught by this great God! Lord you are my portion, he started this section and he finishes with another exclamation of how the earth is filled with the glorious love of the LORD! Despite being a ruler, leader and King, David still acknowledges that he is also teachable in all areas of life!
How are you doing when faced with the daily problems? Where is the great God's place for you? He desires most earnestly to be your full portion for every day. He calls you to seek His face. The great God, the Holy Spirit indwells you, to empower you, transform you and teach you how to live! You are to be constantly filled with the Spirit, not just as a one off experience. The main way is through the Bible! Read it, pray it and be eager to learn from it! Don't be distracted by anything else but be found fully seeking God in all facets and aspects of life.
When times of trouble come, just as they did to David, you will find that the Bible and the Holy Spirit's inspiration will help you, give you succour and comfort, as the gracious God of mercy enfolds you in His loving arms of compassion. Seek Him! Desire to live rightly for Him! Show others you know Him, by doing good and showing this God of love to those around you who do not fear Him. Build friendships with those you know who love the Lord as you do - regardless of their social status or rank. May you also be found exclaiming that the Lord is your portion! Thank you.
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Sunday Feb 09, 2025
Sunday Feb 09, 2025
Zayin
49 Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. 50 My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. 51 The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from your law. 52 I remember your ancient laws, O LORD, and I find comfort in them. 53 Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law. 54 Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge. 55 In the night I remember your name, O LORD, and I will keep your law. 56 This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.
The Psalmist now he proceeds to the dual role of memory in the life of the servant of God - as both the one being reminded and the one who remembers! The Psalmist is under pressure and is enduring great suffering! He is being mocked, scorned and ridiculed relentlessly by his opponents. Where is his comfort and consolation coming from? What is his reaction to opposition? He is full of hope even though he is going through all of this!
The reason he is full of hope is because the Lord God is reminding the Psalmist of His promises! The Psalmist is still full of hope because he knows that God will fulfil his promises to him, and therefore has a confident hope in the God of his salvation. So, because of this reminder, the Psalmist takes consolation and comfort as he brings to mind what God reminds him of in His word. The Psalmist knows God's promises preserve and sustain in him in times of trouble.
Therefore, despite the arrogance of his persecutors, the Psalmist continues to obey God and follow His Law and commands. The Psalmist values his integrity before God as being higher than giving into the demands of those who seek to destroy him. Having been reminded and having reflected on the Lord, His Law and His Word, its time for action: and the act is that of remembering!
The first act of being able to remember is to have made some effort in the first place to get into the mind! So as we have seen in this Psalm so far, in relation to God's word, the Psalmist has read it faithfully, systematically and methodically. Repeating it to himself, so that when times of trouble come, it can be remembered easily! When times of injustice such as v53 come, he became very zealous for God against the law-breakers! Not only that, but he was aggrieved by the boldness and impudence of such people! How dare they, the Psalmist seems to be saying! By breaking God's Laws they are disavowing knowledge of God!
And why does he say that? In verse 54 we read how God's Laws are his song. They are his delight and he holds them in his heart. They go with him wherever he travels and nobody can take them away from him. When David himself was banished from his country, he took God's laws with him, because they were inscribed inside his mind and his heart. Continuing in the same vein, those who actively obey God, putting into practise His commands, remember God perpetually! God works when His people listen to Him and acknowledge Him for who He is! The Psalmist sets himself up against those who mock him, and because they mock him are therefore despising God!
The Psalmist, David, invites all others to stand up to those who slander God. Whether that despising slander is actively and passive! The Psalmist seeks a life of total obedience to God alone - both in the day and in the night! He immerses himself in God's word all day! Now remember, for the Psalmist the only part of the bible he would have had would be the first 5 books and possibly the book of Job! So he only has those stories of how God has encountered and interacted with people to reflect on and remember.
How are you doing when people mock and scorn you for our beliefs? How do you react when you see God being mocked, scorned and insulted? Are you living only for what you deem to be Godly experiences or are you living only for God? Where the Psalmist probably only had 6 books talking about God encountering people, we have 66 books! Not only that, we also have 2000 years of church history to see how God has used His people for His glory! That's the value of church history! Seeing how God has used people such as Martin Luther, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Augustine, John Calvin etc. Nothing you are enduring or undergoing is new. Somebody at sometime will have undergone a very similar experience, particularly in the Bible.
Read and learn! Read and remember, so that God will be actively obeyed in your life. Remember God and His word, so you can speak out against injustices in this world as you see them being reported in the media. Are you getting to know your God personally as you read what it says? Do you pray with your Bible open? The role of memory is important to the Christian, even if you, like me, have memory problems! Be ready for the Holy Spirit to bring back to your memory the verses you read, when you need to remember the most - either when counselling other people or as help for yourself! The Psalmist remembered God's Word and saw its importance in the role of memorising Scripture. We would do well, to do likewise!
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Saturday Feb 08, 2025
Saturday Feb 08, 2025
Vau
41 May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; 42 then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. 43 Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. 44 I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. 45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. 46 I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, 47 for I delight in your commands because I love them. 48 I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. (Psalm 119:41-48)
We are a quarter of the way through this series and it may be good to have a recap of what the Psalmist has said so far. It's also a natural place to have a recap, because it is as if the Psalmist is also doing one. The reason I say that, is because each verse starts with ‘and'. That isn't seen in our modern translations, but if you get a copy of Young's Literal Translation you will see it! In the previous sections, the Psalmist declares the amazing blessings of God, the faithful promises of God, the total obedience demanded by God, the reviving testimonies of God and then the glorious teachings of God! God's Word is utterly amazing and shown to be a breath-taking adventure! And after all that adventure, its like this recap point is a love letter back to God! And these 8 verses are a response to the love of God and His word.
The Psalmist starts out by praising God, because God has promised him salvation! God's promises are true, kind and unfailing! God is mighty to save and saves mightily! If God has said it, He will do it! But how does God promise salvation? Through His unfailing love, kindness and tender mercy, which is why the Psalmist puts the cause before the effect! Salvation can be attained by no other means, but only through God's mercy and grace - God's twin actions working in unison.
Next, the Psalmist deals with those who disagree with God's plans and promises! What happens when scoffers come to taunt? Well, the Psalmist in verse 42 deals with them by replying that God's word is true, it is trustworthy and His word never disappoints or dismays! Scoffers can come from within the Church as well as those outside! Doesn't matter a jot! God's word is still true! Not blindly trustworthy, but verifiably trustworthy! It can be verified evidentially and experientially!
So enamoured is the Psalmist with all the facets of God's Word, that he never wants its truth to depart from him and he wants always to speak God's truth! WOW! His heart is full of desire of God and for God that he cannot help but talk about God and God's mercy and grace! Due to salvation, the Psalmist's hope is in God alone and because of that hope; he will be obedient to God in all ways forever! From the obedience that is the outworking of his salvation, the Psalmist can walk through life safely and freely. When troubles come to ensnare him, he will be able to deal with them effectively because his mind will be controlled and his demeanour, or manner, calm. God will guide through the storms and harassment as the Psalmist studies and recalls God's words.
Being in possession of God's wisdom in dealing with troubles, the Psalmist is again free to speak about them to anybody, even kings! Not only against the scoffers will he speak but even to leaders - all people! It is from the heart that he speaks without shame or embarrassment, of God's mercy and grace as revealed in God's word.
And why does he do this? He does this because again, he loves to read and hear of God and God's commands (v47)! This delight is an intense desire and actively expressed love. Verse 48 shows the Psalmist reaching out! He is holding his hands up and out in an act of reverence, prayer and worship! This act springs forth from knowing that when he reads, studies, cogitates, meditates and thinks of all of God's word, he is getting to know His God and Saviour better, more intimately and deepening his relationship with Almighty God! You can feel the exuding passion of the Psalmist! There is a deep yearning from the Psalmist to see how God reveals Himself through the Scriptures, the Law, through His dealings with people. All this as a result of ‘and', as he looks back on what he has written previously!
Now to us today! How are you doing with your Bible reading? How are you letting what you read permeate every facet of your life as you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal God's commands and guidance to you? What are you basing your salvation on? Scripture says salvation is to be found only through God's grace and mercy exhibited by God the Son on the cross. Do not be fooled by scoffers or the enemy, Satan, into thinking otherwise! Delight yourself in reading your Bible and showing your salvation by obeying what God says in it! Speak freely of God and His dealings with you without embarrassment or shame. Know He is in charge and that He will help you, no matter what you are going through or circumstances you find yourself in. Ask for help, and He will help! He has promised and He will do it!
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Friday Feb 07, 2025
Friday Feb 07, 2025
He
33 Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. 35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. 36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. 37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. 38 Fulfil your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. 39 Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. 40 How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.
Having being revived in the previous section, the Psalmist now seeks to be taught! He continues using words for the Law such as decrees, commands, statutes and precepts! His responses are equally clear: Teachable, kept, obedient, directed, turned and yearned! His initial outburst from verse 1 is a heartfelt cry "Teach me to follow your decrees O Great God so that I will discover my reward!" He then goes from teaching to understanding, because understanding is the practical application of what has been taught to his life as a believer.
Through applying and understanding what God has taught him, then obedience is the result. This obedience then is the catalyst for the next part - direction! If the Psalmist moves in obedience, then God Himself will direct him! Something that is moving, and not standing still, can be easily steered! When Almighty God using His decrees, directs the Psalmist, the Psalmist finds true ecstasy, joy and delight! True happiness comes from serving God and obeying Him by serving others! The Psalmist does all this, not for a feel good factor or for his own pride and self-righteousness.
No! The Psalmist does this so his life is preserved, abandoning all that is worthless, in pursuit of that which is eternally worthwhile! WOW! If his own work of selfishness is useless, what does the Psalmist say about the work of the Lord? The Lord's work is the fulfilment of His promise to the Psalmist - to preserve his life in the Lord's righteousness. What is righteousness? Righteousness under the Mosaic covenant was active obedience to God and living according to God's ways.
How is the Psalmist declared righteous? By fearing the Lord (v38) and when the Lord is feared, then the utter disgrace is taken away! God fulfils His promises always! There is a battle ensuing within him - the inner battle where the Psalmist can choose two ways to live. First is the choice to live in obedience to God, or secondly he can choose to disobey God and live life his own selfish way. By choosing to obey God, the Psalmist is preserved.
What does this have to do with us as twenty-first century Christians? The Christian life is to be an active one of dynamic contact with the Holy Spirit who lives with you. Sometimes we like to think our own self-righteousness is what is going to save us. We all think that at some point even if we are not aware of it. When we do that, we are no better than the Pharisees of Jesus' time. The Pharisees were righteous people, but they were looking to their own righteousness for salvation. They adapted the Laws of God for their own ends. Jesus said that unless righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, then we can't be saved.
How is that possible? It is possible, because true righteousness is not an external righteousness like that of the Pharisees, but an internal righteousness - a righteousness of the heart. A righteousness which will see God the Holy Spirit living within those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and He writes the laws of God on their hearts. The Pharisees had a distorted view of the Law and saw it has only an external obedience. But as the Psalmist here reminds us, the "obedience of the heart" (v34) shows it also to be internal matter as well. So righteousness now, under the New Covenant, is not just an active external obedience to God but an internal declaration before God! How is this internal righteousness seen?
It is as the Apostle Paul would write a few years later in Philippians 2v12-13: "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose." When God the Father sees you, if you are a Christian, he sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ His Son. When Jesus died on the cross, it was so that all who chose to follow Him could be declared righteous and wear the robe of righteousness.
As a Christian, you have the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1v7; Acts 13v38-39) and you have received the gift of righteousness (Romans 5v17) through faith in Jesus Christ (Philippians 3v9) If you need help in any are of your life, then ask God the Holy Spirit, who lives inside you, to help you. He will, because God the Holy Spirit is in the transformation business.
What areas of your life do you need to hand control over to Him? We all have areas to work on, ceding control and handing them to God. How are you doing at living as a Christian? Are you struggling in some area of life where that specific aspect of your life is in direct disobedience to God? That is the pursuit of your own selfish gain, as the Psalmist would say. Ask for help, and He will help! Thank you.
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Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Daleth
25 I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. 26 I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. 27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. 28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. 29 Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law. 30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. 31 I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame. 32 I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.
From verse 25, the Psalmist describes himself and the condition he is in. He is laid low, weary and tired. He is in desperate straights, heavily burdened and clinging onto life, both spiritually and physically. He is at the bottom of a pit and the only way out is up! So what does he do? He cries out a series of short prayers to God! Revive me! Preserve me! Make me live again! O God, my Lord, you promised that you would restore me again to yourself! He may be low, but he knows that God will answer him. The Psalmist knows that God’s testimonies about Himself are true! The Psalmist knows that God’s decrees, precepts, commands and statutes are glorious, and that through them, he can be set free!
The Psalmist piles up the metaphors about God’s Law and his own response to them! He is never negative about any aspect of God’s Law because he knows that through the Law is his only hope of knowing God and allowing God to rescue him from both physical and spiritual death. He knows that to life a life of obedience to God, he needs to read about God’s commands, precepts and interactions with those in the past!
Remember, the Psalmist would have had at least the first 5 books at his disposal: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy! The Psalmist has a choice to make. He could just wallow in self-pity and curl up and die. But he doesn’t. In verse 30, he makes a conscious decision to follow God, hold fast to God and run with God! That is not the actions of somebody who is wearied and burdened! God has answered his prayers and restored him, just as He promised to do! God is faithful!
What was the catalyst for this? Verse 29 says that God’s graciousness is seen in the Law! The only time the Law and God’s commandments are a bad thing is when it is used as a means to salvation! God’s Law was never meant to be as a means to salvation, only to show how foolish it was to seek salvation that way and that salvation is only due to God’s mercy and God’s grace. Through God’s gracious Law, the Psalmist has renewed energy and is able to fly once more with God! God’s revealing of Himself and His rescue/restoration go together!
As Isaiah, would write some years later: “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40v31)
Jesus in Matthew 11v28-30 also echoes this when He proclaims “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Why is Jesus saying this? Firstly to those undergoing the burden of religion as many of the Jewish people did at the time, under the regime of the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders – people were spiritually oppressed by the use of Laws as a means to salvation! The opposite of its purpose according to the Psalmist! This Jesus would offer them salvation via grace and not through keeping rules!
Secondly to those who are searching for God, that if they do so wholeheartedly and expectantly, then they will find Him! The Greeks had long held an exhausted search for truth! Whether it was the search for divine truth or the unnecessary burden of religion, Jesus came to set people free – free from their burdens! In some ways living the life of a Christian is difficult, but not as a means to salvation! Following Jesus can be hard work if we try to do it in our own strength. But if we do it in the strength of the Holy Spirit who lives inside you, if you are a Christian, then the burden is light and the yoke is easy!
So if you are struggling under some burden of man-made religion or seeking truth, then look no further than Jesus, who claimed to be God and was God. Are you struggling to live the Christian life in your own strength and not the strength of God the Holy Spirit who lives inside you? How, this very day, can this God ease your burdens, lighten your load and restore you to Himself? Ask Jesus to take the burden you or others have placed upon yourself and restore you once more so that like the Psalmist you can follow, hold and run!
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Wednesday Feb 05, 2025
Wednesday Feb 05, 2025
Gimel
17 Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. 18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. 19 I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. 20 My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. 21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. 22 Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes. 23 Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. 24 Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.
The Psalmist plea in verse 17 is not an uncommon one in the Old Testament. The Psalmist is turning his eyes away from his own situation, and onto God and what God wants for him – total obedience! Now it could be that the Psalmist’s life was in danger of physical death from one of his enemies. It is equally true that the Psalmist is also speaking of his spiritual life, which is only in fellowship with God. Salvation, is not through keep the rules of the Law but rather the Law was there to show the futility of man’s efforts to save himself. Salvation could only come from God alone, which it would do through the Messiah who was to come. It was due to God’s mercy that the Psalmist had fellowship with him, which the Psalmist wants to offer himself in total obedience to God.
Verse 18 shows this, because when the Psalmist sees the beauty of the Law, he sees God doing wondrous things! Its as if scales or cataracts fall from his eyes so that he can see clearly. Once he was blind, but now he can see! It’s a WOW factor! The Psalmist earnestly seeks to serve God, because it is due to God alone that he has spiritual life, indeed any life at all! The Psalmist continues to build up metaphors about his relationship with God through His commands, laws, statutes and decrees!
Truly the Psalmist sees obedience to God as paramount as a worthy response to God’s grace and mercy towards him. For if obedience is worship, the Psalmist is keen to make his life a life of total worship to God! The Psalmist recognizes that life on earth is only temporary, that’s why he calls himself a stranger on earth (v19)! There is a better place for him and only God can provide the way there, through His grace and mercy. It’s a relief from the worries and strains the Psalmist is enduring.
Despite all that’s going on around him, such as in v23 where other rulers plot against him, he puts his hope in God alone. In keeping God’s laws and obeying Him, the Psalmist is careful against become proud that he is in fellowship with God. It is in humility that the Psalmist maintains his fellowship with God. This is seen in asking forgiveness for times of disobedience, where he was full of scorn and contempt.
With the possibility of other things to distract him, the Psalmist occupies himself with the reading of the Law and being in communion with God alone. By seeking the counsel of God through Scripture, the Psalmist’s worries disappear because his eyes turn towards God instead of on the problems. God is the solution to problems, following God, obeying God and walking with God are the Psalmist priorities. The promises of God are a sweet healing ointment to a troubled soul and a fragrantly pleasing aroma to the senses.
The Psalmist knows that reading Scripture and obeying God through it, provides a stable relationship between himself and God. When Jesus says in Matthew 6v25-34, “Do not worry…” he stipulates that we are to seek God’s righteousness and be dependent upon God to supply all needs. Let tomorrow worry about itself, Jesus said, and seek God at all opportunity. Remember who you are, he says! You are of infinite worth to God, much more than plants and animals! Allow God to permeate every aspect of your life and let God be seen in every aspect of your life! Part of seeking God’s righteousness, is in reading the Bible and seeing how He guides and speaks into our individual situations. For the Psalmist, God’s words were his counsel.
What worries and concerns are you going through today? Ask God to help you and ask others to ask God on your behalf. By asking, you show humility and dependence upon God. As humans, we are born dependent on God and others and as we grow through life, we are also dependent upon God for all things and dependent upon other people as well. By showing our need to be helped by other people and dependence upon them, we show our need and dependence upon God. Jesus Christ was the greatest example of that. As a baby he was dependent on milk from his mother and to have his bottom wiped, yet maintained his divine dignity. In dying, he was dependent on others to offer him a drink as he hung on a cross (Matthew 27v48). In his death he was dependent upon God the Father to raise him to life again, just as He had promised to do. Three days later, Jesus rose from the tomb of death to new life. God is totally reliable and will help you when you ask. Maybe not in the way you expect, but due to His mercy and grace, He who is the wisest of all, will help you in the best way possible. God has promised and He always keeps his promises. Thank you.
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Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Beth - Psalm 119v9-16
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 12 Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. 13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
Today we look briefly at the second of its twenty-two letters - Beth From verse 9, it would seem that the young man is the writer himself. He is seeking wholeheartedly a way to keep himself pure and upright before God. He is pleading most earnestly not to stray from obeying God and God's commands! The commands are so embedded with him that they form his very being, such is this young man's desire not to sin against the Lord. He then goes on to complete this section, celebrating with great joy the virtues of Gods Word, commands and laws! He is full of praise because God teaches him! He rejoices at the depth of following God and being obedient to Him! He meditates, reflects, contemplates God's ways and promises not neglect God and God's promises.
Where in verse 11, he says "word" that is better translated as "promise", number 8 in our list of meanings in the second of this series. He will keep God's promises within himself as a reminder of God's goodness and holiness. It is a reminder to us all that when we are struggling with some aspect of faith, to remember God's promise to us. When the evil one comes knocking and says that God has abandoned you, remember that God has not abandoned you, will not abandon you and has a grip on you!
The Psalmist describes the benefits of reading and meditating upon the Bible. God's words become a delight as he follows God's decrees. A sense of wonder is instilled as God's word is meditated upon. Strength overcomes tiredness as he listens to God speaking through the Bible. These are also true for the Christian disciple! The promises of God are valid and they are trustworthy! God is both capable of both trusting and being capable of being trusted.
The young man writing this would be familiar with the Covenant God had made with Moses. He would have known that the commandments were given so they would know how to relate socially to God. He would know that the judgments were given in order that people could relate socially to each other. Finally, he would remember that the decrees dictated their religious life so that God could be approached by humanity on His terms. And for all that, the Psalmist knew that salvation was from God's grace and not through blind obedience to a list of rules.
In Jesus Christ, you have His promises written on your heart if you are a follower of Him. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you have God the Holy Spirit within you! When you are struggling, ask Him for help! Read your Bible faithfully and consistently, all of it - not just the favourite parts! God the Holy Spirit will remind you of things contained within it, just when you need it or need to give it to another person! Remember key Bible verses and use them to be obedient to Him and to lovingly direct others to be obedient to Him! We are to feed our minds with that which is pure, and then it will be easier to control your thought life..
There is an old saying, that if you put garbage in, you will get garbage out. Thoughts come from the outside, its what you do with the thought that matters! Sinful desires often start out as thoughts and are easily inflamed, played upon or enlarged quickly. Do you have an area of your life where you are particularly vulnerable to disobey God? Then learn what God has to say in the Bible about that area of life, and memorise some verses about it! Jesus Christ, the only person ever to live a fully obedient life to God, used the Scriptures constantly! We can do likewise, because if we are followers of Jesus Christ, we have God the Holy Spirit inside us to help us recall what we have read and endeavoured to memorise! Thank you
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Monday Feb 03, 2025
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Aleph
1 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. 2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. 3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. 4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. 5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! 6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. 7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. 8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.
I wonder what you regard as being successful in life? Is it the amount of money in your bank accounts? Or perhaps it is the long and successful career? Now while there is nothing essentially wrong with those sorts of things, the Psalmist writes that the key to living a successful life is to be obedient to God and doing, as He has decreed. God has spoken and given His decrees, law, commands and statutes! Look at the picture the Psalmist writes. Walk according to the Law of the Lord. Keep His statutes. Seek Him wholeheartedly.
The person who is blessed doesn’t do wrong against other people (that is what is meant in verse 3) and is obedient to God’s decrees. The successful person considers how to best apply God’s commands in their life, letting them permeate every facet of their being! A successful life is one, which is utterly obedient to God and God’s commands, precepts and decrees. Not only in the doing of them, but also in the underlying attitude. God’s commands are not only things to be done, but also things not to be done!
When we sin, and we all do, sometimes is because we do something that is wrong and contrary to God’s law. But there are also sins that are because we fail to do something in order to fulfil God’s commands. God’s commands it should be noted are not to become objects of worship themselves! God alone, the giver of the commands, is to be worshipped and adored!
Some people I meet are all for the laws of God but forget about the giver, Almighty God! God, as revealed in the Bible, is to be followed with commitment to God but also with consistency or as the Psalmist says “steadfast”. Obedience to God brings about praise to God and does not end in disappointment or shame. Obedience brings joy and a glow to the face! And how can we be fully obedient to God? Is it through our own strength, wisdom and actions we can fully satisfy all of God’s laws? No! Because we will fail if we try to obey God in our own strength!
Read verse 8 again! God will help you to fulfil all His commands if you ask Him! God will not abandon or forsake you, but wants to help! God is personal, and not distant – He will help! Amazing!! To have a successful life is to be obedient to God and His decrees, cries the Psalmist.
What has all this to do with the Christian in the 21st century? Jesus Christ is the only man who ever fully obeyed God in every facet of life. He was the only man to truly be successful and by claiming Him to be our God, then we too can be successful. If you need help to be obedient, just ask Him! If you are a Christian listening to this, you have God inside you through the person of the Holy Spirit! Part of His role in your life is to guide you and help you to live a life of obedience to Jesus Christ the Son, so that the praise, honour and glory go to God the Father. Will you ask the Holy Spirit to do that for you? And if you have done wrong, ask God for forgiveness of that sin and do not let it trap you in its snare! Be quick to ask forgiveness and do not fall for the tempter’s traps. Be blessed by God, and to show that you are blessed, live a life of obedience to Him!
A question for you to ponder and act upon: What areas in my life do I need to give fully to God, so that I can be seen to be obedient to Him, in everything I do, in all my attitudes and thoughts?