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God Our Savior (Psa 119.122)

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Be surety for thy servant for good:
Let not the proud oppress me (Psa 119.122).

“God our Savior” was a favorite expression of the apostle Paul (1 Tim 1.1; 2.3; Tit 1.3; 2.10; 3.4; cf. Jude 25, only other occurrence). It acknowledges our desperate need without God, our resort in trouble to God, and our hope of deliverance by God. When we recall that Christ is at the center of God’s redeeming work, there is no better summary of the gospel message which is the Christian faith than “God our Savior.”
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Against Pragmatism (Psa 119.121)

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I have done judgment and justice:
Leave me not to mine oppressors (Psa 119.121).

The godly fear just mentioned (Psa 119.120) compels single-eyed obedience to God’s Word. We sinners face a choice of fears—God or men. The Lord exhorts us to fear him above all others. “Fear not, Abram; I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Gen 15.1), that is, fear not men, fear not the future, fear not the consequences of obedience to the divine commands. When Abram had proven he would sacrifice Isaac just because the Lord required this, then God said, “Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Gen 22.12). Continue reading →

On Godly Fear (Psa 119.120)

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My flesh trembleth for fear of thee;
And I am afraid of thy judgments (Psa 119.120).

“No fear” was a popular t-shirt slogan of the last decade, praising the courage of extreme sports competitors who risked severe and even fatal injury.1 We crave fearlessness because fear feels bad and it paralyzes us in the attempt of great things. Or at least, so it seems.

Is there any proper place for fear in the Christian life? When believers get to heaven, will we then finally be done with fear? The Bible’s doctrine of fear is finely nuanced, requiring much study, reflection, and divine illumination to grasp accurately, intellectually, and devotionally. Some verses speak positively about fear, and others condemn it. The ungodly have no fear of God (Rom 3.18), yet they are finally sentenced to the lake of fire for their cowardice (Rev 21.8). The blessed fear always (Prov 28.14), and at the same time they are bold as lions (Prov 28.1). Our text is an important part of the whole witness of God’s Word on this important topic.
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The Saint’s Response to God’s Judgment (Psa 119.119)

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Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross:
therefore I love thy testimonies (Psa 119.119).

Some say, “I just cannot believe in a God who could send anyone to hell,” and they don’t. Others who do believe in God most confidently affirm that he does send people to hell, and this is part of their complex of reasons for believing in him. In these two reactions we see two fundamentally different responses to the revelation of God and his judgment—rejection and reverence. The first belongs to sinners, and the second to saints.
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Sinners Before God (Psa 119.118)

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Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes:
For their deceit is falsehood (Psa 119.118).

One of the things which discerning saints love to confess to the Lord in prayer is his sovereignty over the evil of this world, that “though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”1 God’s wisdom and patience accounts for the prevalence and continuance of moral evil in the world today, not bad judgment or lack of power on his part.

In that spiritual knowledge we can persevere in faith and obedience to God’s Word, despite the difficulty of nonconformity to this present age. One may be greatly encouraged to keep walking in the right direction if he knows that the crowd walking past him is pressing toward their ultimate ruin.
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Faith in God’s Promise (Psa 119.116-117)

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Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live:
And let me not be ashamed of my hope.
Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe:
And I will have respect unto thy statutes continually (Psa 119.116-117).

Filled with the Spirit, David the psalmist exemplifies a state of mind that is common in some measure to all believers, and in which we ought to excel. That state of mind is faith in God’s promise. David’s spiritual posture was seen in perfection in Jesus Christ, the incomparable man of faith. Our sanctification begins when his Spirit takes up his gracious residence in us, and it progresses toward full conformity with Christ’s image as we look to him and follow the Spirit’s leading by his Word.
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Unhindered Obedience (Psa 119.115)

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Depart from me, ye evildoers:
For I will keep the commandments of my God (Psa 119.115).

We all influence others and are influenced by them. God made us not only for solitude but for society. We need his grace to set a godly example and exercise a sanctifying influence upon those around us. We have a great vulnerability to being dragged down, morally and spiritually, to the level of the worst people with whom we keep company. Our fallen nature is no better than theirs. If even the most mature Christian suffers from remaining sin, so that except heaven sustains his integrity, backsliding proves inevitable, what then of us?

These soul-humbling admissions to ourselves will go far toward fostering a healthy self-doubt, an all-important reliance on the Lord, and a sensible caution about ungodly companions—all perspectives which help preserve us in this corrupt world.
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Assured of Safety (Psa 119.114)

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Thou art my hiding place and my shield:
I hope in thy word (Psalm 119:114).

Unbelievers have much to fear, and the absence of fear in them is a telltale symptom of spiritual insanity. Paranoia is a groundless fear based on delusion, but there is also a tranquility based on delusion which is even more dangerous than paranoia. Jesus spoke of people living in the days of Noah who were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, as if all were well, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Something similar will happen to sinners when Christ comes again (Luke 17.26-27). The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, for while people are saying, there is peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape (1 Thess 5.2-3).
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Intensely Righteous Affections (Psa 119.113)

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I hate vain thoughts:
But thy law do I love (Psa 119.113).

Some disrespect is not unusual among evangelicals today for the religion of the Old Testament in comparison with the spirituality of the New Testament. It is often imagined that the experience of Jews back then was not spiritual like that of Christians today, and that the worship of Judaism was almost solely external ritual until the age of the Spirit on Pentecost. Perhaps some today think this way because of a wretched system of Bible interpretation known as Dispensationalism.
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On Sanctification (Psa 119.112)

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I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes
Alway, even unto the end (Psa 119.112).

In some respects Christian theology is much simpler than people realize, and our failure to grasp it is due more to our prejudice against truth than our limited intelligence. This universal prejudice is the result of our original apostasy from God in Adam, and far too much of his corrupt nature remains even in the best of us. To our shame we confess that even the most mature Christian’s sight of clear truth has only been partly restored, along with his affections for God; how much worse off then are we as spiritual newborns or adolescents!
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