Tuesday 30 April 2013

Psalm 119:153-160

"See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, LORD, in accordance with your love."
{Psalm 119:159} (NIV) 

A careful reader notes that this verse is a repetition of verse 149, and therefore deserves extra attention. It isn’t an exact duplicate, but the same three thoughts are in both verses. The prayer is the same: “preserve my life”. The reason for hearing and answering this prayer is the same: “in accordance with your love”. The connection between the Law of God and the God’s love is very clear in both verses. The Law which is God’s covenant of love to His children, is the basis on which God will preserve my life. My observable love for God’s Law (which is the level at which I obey) is the basis on which I can ask God for His love to be made ‘real’ in my situation.

God’s love / my love  / His Law / my life

God’s love is made ‘real’ in my life by Him giving me a Law to live by (the Law of Love). My love for God is demonstrated by me when I obey His Law (Jn 14:23). Now and only now do I have the grounds to pray a prayer like this and boy do we ever have these grounds in Christ! When we approach God in the name of Christ, united with our Lord, we approach God as one who has obeyed Him perfectly.

Now friend, as we think on our wonderful position in Christ, does it not cause you to desire to love as Christ loved?

Psalm 119:153-160

New International Version (NIV)

ר Resh

153 
Look on my suffering and deliver me,

    for I have not forgotten your law.
154 
Defend my cause and redeem me;
    preserve my life according to your promise.
155 
Salvation is far from the wicked,
    for they do not seek out your decrees.
156 
Your compassion, Lord, is great;
    preserve my life according to your laws.
157 
Many are the foes who persecute me,
    but I have not turned from your statutes.
158 
I look on the faithless with loathing,
    for they do not obey your word.
159 
See how I love your precepts;
    preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love.
160 
All your words are true;
    all your righteous laws are eternal.



Monday 29 April 2013

Psalm 119:145-152


"I call with all my heart; answer me, LORD, and I will obey your decrees."
{Psalm 119:145} (NIV) 

Seems like a typical approach many people make to God when they are in trouble: “God if you will save me...if you will help me, I promise I will obey You, Your Words and commands.”  Yeah. Sure you will. 
However this psalmist’s approach to God is far from typical, but is actually righteous! These promises that are being made are based on a life already lived according to God’s Law. He rises early to pray and seek help from God, placing his hope in the Word of God. He stays awake late at night for the purpose of thinking about the promises God has made in the Law. He asks for a ‘YES’ answer based on God’s character and on the covenant of love (Law) that God has made with him. 
He points out that his enemies are a long way from honouring their Creator God by keeping His Law which will last forever. This person knows the heart of God, and knows that God desires to have people on the earth who love and obey His Law, and so, this righteous person who lives according to God’s Law, honouring God’s Name, has grounds to ask for God’s help in this situation. 

Friend, what about us? Do we have grounds to ask God to save us? Will extending our lives bring honour to His name?

Psalm 119:145-152

New International Version (NIV)

ק Qoph

145 
I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord,
    and I will obey your decrees.
146 
I call out to you; save me
    and I will keep your statutes.
147 
I rise before dawn and cry for help;
    I have put my hope in your word.
148 
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
    that I may meditate on your promises.
149 
Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
    preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws.
150 
Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
    but they are far from your law.
151 
Yet you are near, Lord,
    and all your commands are true.
152 
Long ago I learned from your statutes
    that you established them to last forever.


Saturday 27 April 2013

Psalm 119:137-144


"Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live."
{Psalm 119:144} (NIV) 

It is wonderful truth that God never changes! He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He was good yesterday, He is good today, and He will be good forever. He was righteous in how He dealt with Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abram, Moses, David and all of the people who have lived on the face of the earth. He is righteous today in how He deals with each of the billions of people living on this earth, and He will be righteous in how He deals with people forever. 

The psalmist is meditating on the wonderful conclusion of this truth; that because God is always righteous, then His commands are always righteous. They were not for a time, for another people. No, they are forever right for all of us. The letters were written for people who walked on this earth some 3,000 plus years ago. The principles and spirit behind these letters are for us as well as them. They are there to help us live, and to bring us life, and therefore we can trust them. Obeying these commands won’t bring you trouble and distress, but rather joy and life. These commands have been tested by people like us over thousands of years. God is true, and every person is a liar!

Oh heavenly Father, open our minds that we may see the wonders of your Laws.

Psalm 119:137-144

New International Version (NIV)

צ Tsadhe

137 
You are righteous, Lord,
    and your laws are right.
138 
The statutes you have laid down are righteous;
    they are fully trustworthy.
139 
My zeal wears me out,
    for my enemies ignore your words.
140 
Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
    and your servant loves them.
141 
Though I am lowly and despised,
    I do not forget your precepts.
142 
Your righteousness is everlasting
    and your law is true.
143 
Trouble and distress have come upon me,
    but your commands give me delight.
144 
Your statutes are always righteous;
    give me understanding that I may live.

Friday 26 April 2013

Psalm 119:129-136


"Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me."
{Psalm 119:133} (NIV)
      
When it comes to sin we have it backwards! We think of sin as our tool. “This will bring me what I need” is how we think. We enter into sin thinking that we will use it for our purposes. Yet the truth is that we are a tool of sin. It uses us for its purposes, and its purposes are death. 

God told Cain, “..sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”  A person who is willing to listen to God, unlike Cain, seeks to obey God and rule over sin, instead of letting sin have its way with us. At first, the Law seems to be no help to us, because the Bible teaches that “the power of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56), but as we understand the truth of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we begin to pray the prayer of the psalmist. If God would direct our actions as we live (footsteps) according to His righteous commands, then we would be able to break sin’s rule over us! 

Our Lord taught us to pray this way when He told us to pray “Your will be done on earth … Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.” Oh friend, what about it? Do we want to live in the light of the glory of freedom from sin and from human oppression? Then friend, we will pray for God to cause us to obey His commands. We will seek them out, we will long for them, and we will take time out of today, to sit quietly at His feet and allow the most wonderful, gentle and gracious Teacher, to teach us how to live our lives in obedience to His decrees!

Psalm 119:129-136

New International Version (NIV)

פ Pe

129 
Your statutes are wonderful;
    therefore I obey them.
130 
The unfolding of your words gives light;
    it gives understanding to the simple.
131 
I open my mouth and pant,
    longing for your commands.
132 
Turn to me and have mercy on me,
    as you always do to those who love your name.
133 
Direct my footsteps according to your word;
    let no sin rule over me.
134 
Redeem me from human oppression,
    that I may obey your precepts.
135 
Make your face shine on your servant
    and teach me your decrees.
136 
Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
    for your law is not obeyed.

Thursday 25 April 2013

Psalm 119:121-128

"It is time for you to act, LORD; your law is being broken."
{Psalm 119:126} (NIV)

This prayer is a prayer of a righteous person who lacks an eternal perspective. It is the prayer of Habakkuk, Job, Nehemiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, and of David. When I look at this list of names and know that we could add to it easily, I wonder how I could say that they lack an eternal perspective - yet they do. 

Jesus did not pray this prayer. I can’t think of a single instance where He questioned the timing of God. He sought to be in step with the timing of God, and He was content to allow God to set the times for judgment and vengeance. He taught us to pray for justice without ceasing and to pray in faith believing that in God’s time, and in God’s way, justice will be done. 

Our Lord knew that His purpose was to bring in a time of delayed justice, a period of grace. A period in which a gracious God would justify wicked people on the basis of His suffering and atoning sacrifice, and forbear with a multitude of wickedness, until the full number of souls are saved. 

Yet, the Bible teaches us that this type of prayer seeking God to act NOW, plays an indispensable role in bringing about the final judgment and vengeance of God upon the wicked. As John peers into heaven itself, he records this truth in Revelation 6:10 and 8:4-6. As I read the accounts of the men I listed, as I read the gospels, and as I read these verses in Revelation, I wish that I could come up with different descriptive phrase than, “lacking an eternal perspective”. 

May I - may we - know God at the level these righteous ones knew Him. They knew Him intimately, because they experienced the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings. (Phil 3:10)

Psalm 119:121-128

New International Version (NIV)

ע Ayin

121 
I have done what is righteous and just;

    do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 
Ensure your servant’s well-being;
    do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 
My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,
    looking for your righteous promise.
124 
Deal with your servant according to your love
    and teach me your decrees.
125 
I am your servant; give me discernment
    that I may understand your statutes.
126 
It is time for you to act, Lord;
    your law is being broken.
127 
Because I love your commands
    more than gold, more than pure gold,
128 
and because I consider all your precepts right,
    I hate every wrong path.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Psalm 119:113-120

"Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!"
{Psalm 119:115} (NIV) 

This verse seems to be the opposite of the Lord’s approach. He went towards sinners. He ate with them, He healed them, He loved them. Because of how Christ operated on earth we say that God hates the sin but loves the sinner, and yet here in this prayer of a righteous person, we have the words “I hate double minded people”. However, did our Lord not call these sinners to repentance? Do the gospels not teach that He would tell people that they were forgiven, and also instruct them to sin no longer? Our Lord went looking for those who knew they were lost; for those who knew that His Holy Father, our Creator God would reject them when they stood in front of Him at the judgment. When He encountered Pharisees like Simon whose house He ate in, He called them to account for their prideful attitude. 

Friend, perhaps you aren’t persuaded. Perhaps you cannot bring yourself to hate double-minded people, nor tell the evildoers in your friendship circle to get away. Then friend, could you look into your own life and identify the places where you are of two minds regarding the commands of the Law? Friend, could you bring yourself to hate your own double-mindedness? This hatred of our own sinful tendencies to view God’s Law as only advice from a doting grandfather, is reflected in this righteous prayer of a righteous person.

Psalm 119:113-120

New International Version (NIV)

ס Samekh

113 
I hate double-minded people,

    but I love your law.
114 
You are my refuge and my shield;
    I have put my hope in your word.
115 
Away from me, you evildoers,
    that I may keep the commands of my God!
116 
Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live;
    do not let my hopes be dashed.
117 
Uphold me, and I will be delivered;
    I will always have regard for your decrees.
118 
You reject all who stray from your decrees,
    for their delusions come to nothing.
119 
All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;
    therefore I love your statutes.
120 
My flesh trembles in fear of you;
    I stand in awe of your laws.



Tuesday 23 April 2013

Psalm 119:105-112


"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
{Psalm 119:105} (NIV) 

We need to note that this is a statement of fact; not a prayer nor a desire of a righteous person. It is a truth of a righteous person. It is a truth about our Lord Jesus Christ! God’s Word guided His every step, and provided illumination not only on His feet but also ahead on the path of life as He decided where to go and what to do. 

The psalmist teaches us in this section, that this blessed state of being started with a promise made and is sustained constantly by a prayer of trust and a hope that depends solely on the promises of God. It is a matter of simple, honest gratitude for a LORD who would love us enough to tell us how to live, that leads us to desire to know His Law.  It is a matter of wisdom to understand that the troubles I am in are all temptations to cause me to lose my faith in my LORD and His Word, and my response is to come closer to His Law. Actually, a righteous person understands that these Laws are a gift, a heritage from my God to me, and are therefore the source of great inner joy which causes me to resolve even more firmly to keep them to the end of my life! 

Oh Friend, may this verse be a statement of fact about us this day!

Psalm 119:105-112

New International Version (NIV)

נ Nun

105 
Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.
106 
I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
    that I will follow your righteous laws.
107 
I have suffered much;
    preserve my life, Lord, according to your word.
108 
Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth,
    and teach me your laws.
109 
Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
    I will not forget your law.
110 
The wicked have set a snare for me,
    but I have not strayed from your precepts.
111 
Your statutes are my heritage forever;
    they are the joy of my heart.
112 
My heart is set on keeping your decrees
    to the very end.

    Monday 22 April 2013

    Psalm 119:97-104


    "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long."
    {Psalm 119:97} (NIV) 

    Imagine being wiser than your enemies, or opponents. Imagine being at a higher level of insight than your teachers. Imagine having more understanding than the wisest of all Canadians. Wisdom comes from having the Law. Insight comes from constantly thinking on the Law. Understanding comes from obeying the Law. 

    When we keep the Law in front of us, thinking constantly upon it, and we cause ourselves to obey it, then what we are doing is ‘allowing’ God to be our Teacher! What would we give to be able to sit and learn from God Himself? People are willing to pay millions of dollars to go in a space craft and get God’s view of the earth. We can buy a Bible for $10, and if we read it, think about it and obey it, we will be taught by God Himself. His Words will be sweet to us, because of the benefit we see in our lives. 

    The issue seems to be that we want to seat in God’s seat (pride) instead of sitting at His feet (humility). Friend, may we sit at His feet and read His Word this day, and continue our journey to true wisdom, insight and understanding!

    Psalm 119:97-104

    New International Version (NIV)

    מ Mem

    97 
    Oh, how I love your law!
        I meditate on it all day long.
    98 
    Your commands are always with me
        and make me wiser than my enemies.
    99 
    I have more insight than all my teachers,
        for I meditate on your statutes.
    100 
    I have more understanding than the elders,
        for I obey your precepts.
    101 
    I have kept my feet from every evil path
        so that I might obey your word.
    102 
    I have not departed from your laws,
        for you yourself have taught me.
    103 
    How sweet are your words to my taste,
        sweeter than honey to my mouth!
    104 
    I gain understanding from your precepts;
        therefore I hate every wrong path.