Conversation with God (Psa 119.26)

Leave a reply

I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: Teach me thy statutes (Psa 119.26).

Intimacy requires communication. You cannot really know someone, and they cannot deeply know you, without “dialogue,” the two-way give and take of candid talking and careful listening, each with the other.

This alone constitutes authentic conversation, and there is precious little of it in this world. We often say things we do not really mean. We sometimes withhold our true thoughts and feelings that ought to be disclosed. When we seem to be listening, we can be planning instead what to say next. And should we come to the point where we are ready to speak with total honesty and listen with humble patience, how rare it is to find another willing to do the same! Is it any wonder that we are often terribly estranged from others, sometimes even from our immediate family members who live in the same household with us, and we find ourselves profoundly lonely?
Continue reading →

My Need and Means of Personal Revival (Psa 119.25)

Leave a reply

My soul cleaveth unto the dust: Quicken thou me according to thy word (Psa 119.25).

One of the evidences satisfying to sincere Christians of Scripture’s divine inspiration is its “light and power . . . to comfort and build up believers unto salvation” (WLC #4). When rightly understood, the biblical portrayal of what it means in real life to know God in a saving way, and to commune with and serve Him matches exactly with the experience of its readers everywhere and at all times. We are born again with glowing anticipation of our new life with Christ, and then suffer terribly when our unrealistic expectations are not realized. This often drives us back to the Scriptures, and to our surprise, we find our own experiences are not strange, but very typical, even of the most eminent saints chronicled in the holy account.
Continue reading →

Twin Supports Under Persecution (Psa 119.24)

Leave a reply

Thy testimonies also are my delight And my counsellors (Psa 119.24).

The psalmist has just testified of the dire circumstances he faced. “Princes” or rulers, people with power over him, humanly speaking, “did sit and speak against” him (119.23), bringing him to “reproach and contempt” (119.22). Hostile words, especially from our functional superiors (whether civil authorities, employers, teachers, parents, etc.), are apt to demoralize us and throw us into confusion with respect to our best response. Even the innocent can suffer a sense of false shame, as if he had done something terrible, and this may easily induce great and deep spiritual grief, especially to those who are most spiritually-sensitive. Further, knowing what to do in the face of such enemies is much more complicated than when we are living comfortably amongst godly people seeking our best interests. How can a believer escape these common pitfalls of being persecuted?
Continue reading →

Great Opposition and Its Remedy (Psa 119.23)

Leave a reply

Princes also did sit and speak against me: But thy servant did meditate in thy statutes (Psa 119.23).

Most of us are easily hurt if anyone criticizes us, but how much greater a trial would it be if those with authority over us were to exercise their official power in condemning us! While rare for Americans today, many of our brethren have had to suffer this terrible ordeal throughout church history. The psalmist testifies of enduring this kind of personal trouble, and he tells us of the remedy he had discovered.

We use the term “remedy” not in the sense of a cure, so that he was taken out of the painful circumstances, but in the sense of a therapy, so that he could be comforted in them, helped to know what he ought to do, and strengthened to do it.
Continue reading →

The Shame of Godliness (Psa 119.22)

Leave a reply

Remove from me reproach and contempt; For I have kept thy testimonies (Psalm 119:22).

A new convert to the Christian faith may naively expect that he is on the verge of general congratulations, when observers see by the consistency of his life and lip that he is in dead earnest to live as a disciple of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. This is, after all, the most wonderful, praiseworthy change that can possibly come over a person. To be liberated from sin’s bondage, changed from a moral menace to a means of blessing, truly is a cause for celebration. Indeed, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents (Luke 15.10). If only earth had as much sense!
Continue reading →

The Right Perspective on Unbelievers (Psa 119.21)

Leave a reply

Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, Which do err from thy commandments.

The faithful Christian must always keep in mind the true character of his spiritual enemies from God’s point of view in order to maintain righteous and vigilant opposition to them and their principles. We face the perennial temptation of frustration because they seem to get away with their misdeeds, and this may turn to envy because they even seem happier, more blessed, for having done the wrong. Without constantly exercising faith and being reminded of the true spiritual state of things, we may easily yield to the force of such axioms as “do what makes you feel good” and “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” See how David warns himself and his hearers against this kind of spiritual seduction, for example, in Psa 37.1-2, 7-9, 16-17, 35-38, and Asaph does the same in Psa 73.1-5, 12-13, 16-19, 27-28.
Continue reading →

Sacred Desire (Psa 119.20)

Leave a reply

My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times (Psalm 119:20).

“Sacred greed” is the striking phrase C. H. Spurgeon used in a sermon on this verse (“Holy Longings,” MTP #1586), and we might call the same passion of our inspired text “sacred lust” with even better warrant (Gal 5.17). Lust simply means desire, but since it has such strong sexual connotations in modern English, I have chosen “sacred desire” as the best descriptive phrase for this verse. I would grab your attention without needlessly offending your sensibilities.

Our natural desires (those which are part of our human constitution, now fallen, and common to all people, converted and unconverted alike) are either amoral (such as for food, drink, rest, etc.) or immoral, as inordinately for things allowed or illicitly for things forbidden. Because our natural sinful desires lead us to immoral and hurtful acts in our unconverted state, some have fallen prey to thinking that desire itself is evil, and therefore that utopia comes by the total elimination of desire altogether. For example, it seems that Buddhism teaches that desire is the source of all suffering, and the Buddha is reputed to have said, “If you desire all happiness, abandon all desires.”1 This is evil counsel leading to death (Prov 14.12), as Spurgeon pointed out:
Continue reading →

A Sojourner’s Supplication (Psa 119.19)

Leave a reply

I am a stranger in the earth: Hide not thy commandments from me (Psalm 119:19).

For good or ill, your self-image affects your prayers—whether you pray, and for what you pray. The self-confident (that is, idolaters) never ask God for anything sincerely or earnestly. A covetous man worries about the future and prays to avoid poverty. A hypochondriac predominantly prays for health. One who views himself as a great sinner by nature constantly asks for forgiveness and cleansing. The self-righteous person offers thanks that he is not evil like other people.
Continue reading →

On Divine Illumination (Psa 119.18)

Leave a reply

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law (Psa 119.18).

Some biblical prayers are so timeless and general that saints adopt them for their own and offer them to the Lord throughout their lives. Such is our text in this, the next verse of Psalm 119, which teaches us to

Pray to God for more light from Scripture.
Continue reading →

Genuinely Abundant Life (Psa 119.17)

Leave a reply

Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word (Psa 119.17).

The phrase “abundant life” is common in pop-Christianity, as in “Abundant Life Family Center” for a church name or “Abundant Life Ministries” for a parachurch organization. We all want an “abundant life” of one sort or another, so such labeling makes for effective marketing. Besides, Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10.10), but exactly what did He mean? Aye, there’s the rub.
Continue reading →