PSALM 119 CHETH
Obedience brings blessing verse 57- 58
YOU are my portion – O LORD
I have said that I would keep YOUR words
I entreated YOUR favor with my whole heart
be merciful to me according to YOUR word
Obedience gives direction for life verse 59- 60
I thought on my ways – and turned my feet to YOUR testimonies
I made haste – and delayed not to keep YOUR commandments
Obedience gives strength to avoid sin verse 61- 62
Bands of wicked have robbed me – BUT I have not forgotten YOUR law
at midnight I will rise to give thanks to YOU
BECAUSE of YOUR righteous judgments
Obedience allows fellowship with other believers verse 63- 64
I am a companion of all them that fear YOU
and of them that keep YOUR precepts
The earth – O LORD – is full of YOUR mercy
teach me YOUR statutes
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 57 YOU are my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep YOUR words. (8104 “keep” [shamar] means to conform one’s action or practice to, watch over, guard, preserve, guard, protect, retain, secure, or celebrate.)
DEVOTION: The author is saying it is just “you and me” LORD. He wants the LORD to know that he knows that it is very important to understand that life is found only in the LORD and he wants to make sure the LORD knows that he knows that fact.
We need to realize this fact in our life if we are a genuine believer. We have to trust the LORD to lead and guide us through our lifetime in a direction that would bring HIM glory.
There are days when I have wondered what was going on between the LORD and I but I know that HE has been my portion since I was twelve years old. I went to a good Bible church where I had people who helped me and encouraged me. I also had some in the church who didn’t like my family and so they would say not too nice things about my parents but I realized even then that not everyone who came to a good church was a good Christian. They liked to compare themselves with others and would always compare themselves to others they thought were worst sinner than them but didn’t realize that once they judged them they were the worst.
God has been my portion since I was twelve years old and HE has led me where HE wanted me to go but at times I took a side road of my own. HE brought me back into a place where I could serve HIM. Praise HIM!
I want to be a continual learner until I die. One of the reasons for this devotional ministry is that I saw that so many people were struggling with just a basis understanding of the Word of God and hoped these devotionals would help.
CHALLENGE: Remember that the LORD is your portion and you will run into people who want to put you down but you and I have to keep our eyes on JESUS.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 58 I entreated YOUR favor with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to YOUR word. (2470 “intreated” [chalah] means to grow weak, prayer, supplication, tired, or aim at success)
DEVOTION: In our weakness do we turn to the LORD for help. The Psalmist wants the LORD to grant him a favor. He wants the LORD to be merciful to him. He was trying to live according to HIS Word. He had a heart’s desire to be given gifts from the LORD in spite of the fact that he needed the LORD’S mercy to even live another day.
I have on occasion sought the LORD with my whole heart for something that I really wanted to happen in my life. On some occasions HE granted my request and on others HE didn’t. It is hard to take the times when HE says NO! It is much easier to accept HIS positive replies to my requests. Each time I thought I was seeking HIS will for my life. It is hard to know what is best for ourselves at times.
Here we have someone seeking the favor of the LORD with a total commitment to prayer and guidance from the LORD. We know that it is only the LORD’S mercy that we are not destroyed because of our sins. We sin daily. We can confess our sins daily. It is only the LORD’S mercy that our life is not over.
We sometimes think that we can demand things of God because we are HIS children according to the Bible once we become followers of Christ. We have preachers and teachers that tell us all we have to do is “name it and claim it.” That is not what the Psalmist thought. He knew that it was only the mercy of the LORD that we receive anything from the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We need to be like the Psalmist and ask the LORD humbly for what we think we need and depend on HIM to know what is best for us. HE knows our hearts!!!
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:59 “I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). Ways – 1870 דֶּרֶךְ [derek /deh·rek/] n m. From 1869; TWOT 453a; GK 2006; 705 occurrences; AV translates as “way” 590 times, “toward” 31 times, “journey” 23 times, “manner” eight times, and translated miscellaneously 53 times. 1 way, road, distance, journey, manner. 1A road, way, path. 1B journey. 1C direction. 1D manner, habit, way. 1E of course of life (fig.). 1F of moral character (fig.). James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: When I was growing up I lived on my uncle’s farm and I would be responsible to go herd the cows to the barn during the summer. Almost every day I would head down through the pasture following a well-worn path that the cows had taken. These trails were very clear but would meander through the pasture and eventually lead me to the cows. While the routes that the cows followed were deeply worn and easily distinguished, there were other paths in the pastures as well. These trails were used by other animals and they would veer off into the woods or into the swamp. These were much smaller, less traveled pathways because the cows were too big or heavy to use the smaller paths of deer, fox and other animals. These ways provided a more direct means to the distant meadows where the cows liked to graze.
In comparison we are similar to cows in that we take the same path daily. We get into a routine, a habit and it becomes a well-worn course of lifestyle. The psalmist presents that picture and challenges his readers to consider their ways with that of the Lord. When considering the way, the less traveled path provided a better course. Following God’s testimony presents a different trail!
CHALLENGE: Consider changing the way you are traveling through life and seek a less worn path! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments. (2676 [“mid-” chatsowth] means middle, half or division. 3915 [“night” layil] means darkness, lack of light, or half the night.)
DEVOTION: This is the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet used in an acrostic way.
The psalmist identifies himself as one who is going to keep the Word of God. He is asking the LORD to show him favor. He wants the LORD’S mercy. He realized that he was headed in the wrong direction and turned toward the LORD.
The wicked are present in our world and were present in the psalmist world. There is nothing new under the sun. However, he realized that he had to be a thankful person. He had to be thankful at all times during the day. He was even thankful for the judgments of the LORD.
One of the truths we learn throughout the Word of God is that those who are followers of the LORD pray on a regular basis. We find that this is usually three times a day. They pray in the morning and at mid-day and in the evening. Here the psalmist states that he is communicating with God in the late evening.
Some people are early people and some people are late nighters. Those of us who are late nighters don’t have any problem praying in the middle of the night, our problem is the early morning prayers. Those who like getting up early have a problem praying late at night. We need to always be ready to pray. Part of our prayer time should always include thanks for what the LORD has done for us during the day. Each day has it’s blessings. Too often we don’t realize how the LORD has blessed us. Ask HIM to reveal the blessings HE has provided for us today.
We don’t like to be chastened by the LORD. He wanted to keep the attitude of a teachable person. We need to be teachable people for the LORD. Sometimes the LORD has awaked us up in the middle of the night to tell us to pray for someone. Sometimes the LORD uses the middle of the night to teach us some truth from HIS word.
Many preachers are learning more to preach about in the middle of the night. Some have pen and paper next to their bed to write down the teaching of the LORD. Each of us may have had times when the LORD spoke to us in the middle of the night. Do you have a pen and paper next to your bed for HIS teaching moments? Were we thankful for all the LORD’S blessings????
CHALLENGE: First get a pen and tablet next to the bed to write down what the LORD gives you in the night. Next encourage others to expect the LORD to train them at all hours of the day and night.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer of thanksgiving verse 57- 64
Entreat the LORD verse 58
Give thanks verse 62
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word verse 57, 58
Testimonies verse 59
Commandments verse 60
Law verse 61
Judgments verse 62
Precepts verse 63
Statutes verse 64
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 57, 64
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wicked verse 61
Robbery verse 61
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Keep the Word of the LORD verse 57, 60, 61, 63
Favor verse 58
Merciful verse 58, 64
Think about actions verse 59
Thanks verse 62
Companion verse 63
Fear of the LORD verse 63
Teachable verse 64
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Whenever the people of Israel failed God and turned to idols for help, it was evidence that they did not really believe Jehovah was adequate to meet their needs. In the time of Elijah, Israel tried to remedy the drought by turning to Baal, the Canaanite storm god, but it was the Lord who sent the rain in answer to the prophet’s prayer. When the enemy threatened to invade their land, the leaders of Israel often ran to Egypt for help, as though Jehovah was unconcerned and unable to deliver them. The psalmist in this section makes it clear that the Lord God Almighty is all we need.
God is our portion (vv. 57–58). This is real estate language and refers to the apportioning of the land of Canaan to the tribes of Israel (78:55; Josh. 13–21). The priests and Levites were not given an inheritance in the land because the Lord was their inheritance and their portion (Num. 18:20–24; Deut. 10:8–9; 12:12). Jeremiah, the priest called to be a prophet, called the Lord “the Portion of Jacob” (Jer. 10:16; 51:19; Lam. 3:24), and David used the same image in Psalm 16:5–6. The “lines” in 16:6 refer to the property lines of one’s land, the inheritance given by God. Believers today have a rich spiritual inheritance in the Lord Jesus Christ, for God’s fullness is in Him and we are “complete in him” (Col. 2:9–10). He is our life (Col. 3:4) and our “all in all” (Col. 3:11). Because we are in Him, we have “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Our riches in Christ are revealed in the Word, which is our “spiritual bankbook,” and His wealth can never diminish. The psalmist had made promises to obey the Lord (vv. 8, 15–16, 32–34, 47, 106, 115), but that is not how we get our wealth from the Lord. What He provides for us is a gracious gift, not a loan, and we are not required to promise to repay Him (Rom. 11:33–36). Accept the inheritance He has given you, rejoice in it, and trust Him to supply every need. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., pp. 118–119). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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Ver. 58. I entreated thy favour with my whole heart, &c.] Or, thy face; to see it; or thy presence, to enjoy it; to have communion with God, and the light of his countenance; than which nothing is more desirable and delightful to a gracious man: as also to be remembered with the special favour of God, in which is life; to have his love shed abroad in the heart; to have large views of interest in it, and to be rooted and grounded therein; and this the psalmist entreated, not in an hypocritical manner, but with all sincerity, heartiness, and affection, having tasted that the Lord was gracious. Or, made thy face sickn; wearied him with supplications, gave him no rest until he obtained his request. Be merciful unto me, according to thy word; have compassion on me; sympathize with me in all my troubles; grant me fresh supplies of grace; and particularly shew and apply thy pardoning grace and mercy to me, according to thy word of promise in the covenant of grace, in which provision is made for forgiveness of sins; see Psal. 51:1. Aben Ezra and Kimchi think reference is had to Exod. 33:19 but rather it is to 2 Sam 12:13. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 219). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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58. “I intreated thy favour with my whole heart.” A fully assured possession of God does not set aside prayer, but rather urges us to it; he who knows God to be his God will seek his face, longing for his presence. Seeking God’s presence is the idea conveyed by the marginal reading, “thy face,” and this is true to the Hebrew. The presence of God is the highest form of his favour, and therefore it is the most urgent desire of gracious souls: the light of his countenance gives us an antepast of heaven. O that we always enjoyed it! The good man entreated God’s smile as one who begged for his life, and the entire strength of his desire went with the entreaty. Such eager pleadings are sure of success; that which comes from our heart will certainly go to God’s heart. The whole of God’s favours are ready for those who seek them with their whole hearts.
“Be merciful unto me according to thy word.” He has entreated favour, and the form in which he most needs it is that of mercy, for he is more a sinner than anything else. He asks nothing beyond the promise, he only begs for such mercy as the word reveals. And what more could he want or wish for? God has revealed such an infinity of mercy in his word that it would be impossible to conceive of more. See how the Psalmist dwells upon favour and mercy, he never dreams of merit. He does not demand, but entreat; for he feels his own unworthiness. Note how he remains a suppliant, though he knows that he has all things in his God. God is his portion, and yet he begs for a look at his face. The idea of any other standing before God than that of an undeserving but favoured one never entered his head. Here we have his “Be merciful unto me” rising with as much intensity of humble pleading as if he still remained among the most trembling of penitents. The confidence of faith makes us bold in prayer, but it never teaches us to live without prayer, or justifies us in being other than humble beggars at mercy’s gate. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, pp. 254–255). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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Verse 58 – David, having in the foregoing verse reflected upon his covenants with God, here reflects upon his prayers to God, and renews his petition. Observe, 1. What he prayed for. Having taken God for his portion, he entreated his favour, as one that knew he had forfeited it, was unworthy of it, and yet undone without it, but for ever happy if he could obtain it. We cannot demand God’s favour as a debt, but must be humble suppliants for it, that God will not only be reconciled to us, but accept us and smile upon us. He prays, “Be merciful to me, in the forgiveness of what I have done amiss, and in giving me grace to do better for the future.” 2. How he prayed—with his whole heart, as one that knew how to value the blessing he prayed for. The gracious soul is entirely set upon the favour of God, and is therefore importunate for it. I will not let thee go except thou bless me. 3. What he pleaded—the promise of God: “Be merciful to me, according to thy word. I desire the mercy promised, and depend upon the promise for it.” Those that are governed by the precepts of the word and are resolved to keep them (v. 57) may plead the promises of the word and take the comfort of them. (Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 919). Peabody: Hendrickson.)
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… heart-felt seeking his favour and unmerited grace (58) (Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 568). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
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58. I entreated thy favor with my whole heart; be merciful unto me according to thy word
Delight in the Lord as our “portion,” naturally leads us to “entreat his favor” as “life,” and “better than life,”10 to our souls. And if we have “said, that we would keep his words,” we shall still “entreat his favor” to strengthen and encourage us in his way. We shall “entreat it with our whole hearts,” as though we felt our infinite need of it, and were determined to wrestle for it in Jacob’s spirit—“I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” If we have known what unspeakable happiness it is to be brought into the favor of God, “by the blood of Christ;” and if “by him also we have access unto that grace wherein we stand,” how shall we prize the sense of Divine favor, the light of our Father’s countenance! We shall never be weary of this source of daily enjoyment. It is to us as the light of the sun, which shineth every day with renewed and unabated pleasure. We “joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Mercy, however, is the source of that “favor which we entreat;” and the word is the warrant of our expectation—“Be merciful unto us, according to thy word.” As sinners, we need this “favor.” As believers, we “entreat” it in the assurance that praying breath, as the breath of faith, will not be spent in vain. Any indulged indolence, or neglect, or unfaithfulness—relaxing our diligence, and keeping back the “whole heart” from God—will indeed never fail to remove the sunshine from the soul. But the blood of Christ still opens the way of return to the backslider, even though he may have wandered, as it were, to the ends of the earth. For “if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thine heart and all thy soul.” “A whole heart,” in seeking the Lord, is the seal of the Lord’s heart in returning to us—“I will rejoice over them,” saith he, “to do them good: and I will plant them in this land assuredly, with my whole heart and with my whole soul.”
Reader! if you are a child of God, the favor of God will be to you the “one thing needful.” In other things, you will not venture to choose for yourself; “for who knoweth what is good for man in this life?” But in this choice you will be decided. This grand, incomparable desire will fill your heart. This will be to you as the portion of ten thousand worlds. Nothing will satisfy besides. (Bridges, C. (1861). Exposition of Psalm 119: As Illustrative of the Character and Exercises of Christian Experience (Seventeenth Edition., pp. 92–93). New York: Robert Carter & Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Because he [F.W. Robertson] could not find a group that agreed with him and because he had too much humility to start one of his own, he identified himself with no group and ultimately ended up criticizing all of them! His ministerial loneliness robbed him of the balance he needed, both emotionally and spiritually. “I would rather live solitary on the most desolate crag,” he wrote, “shivering, with all the warm wraps of falsehood stripped off… than sit comfortably on more inhabited spots, where others were warm in a faith which is true to them, but which is false to me.” (p. 92, 50 People Every Christian Should Know by Warren W. Wiersbe)
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“Get your texts from God—your thoughts, your words, from God. In great measure, according to the purity and perfection’s of the instrument, will be success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God. A word spoken by you when your conscience is clear, and your heart full of God’s Spirit, is worth ten thousand words spoken in unbelief and sin.” (Robert Murray M’Cheyne)
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Nathan W (MI): Thinking out loud. Reflecting on I Sam 24 for this Sunday. Specifically 24:6,15.
Just because circumstances permit doesn’t mean God desires. For the Jesus follower, self-denial is greater than self-fulfillment. Which is why both the American Dream and self identification are always, ALWAYS, overshadowed by genuine discipleship.
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Ruling Leadership
“Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.” (Joshua 1:10-11)
God’s leaders are expected to exercise authority, but they must be careful to do it in God’s name and be mindful of the examples they set.
Leadership requires command. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).
Leadership must command in God’s name. “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
Leadership serves as examples to those being led. “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:1-3). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Upon his arrest at the temple, Paul attempts in vain to justify his message to the Jews.
INSIGHT
Even though Paul lives in complete recognition of the will of the Lord and acceptance of the sovereignty of God, he is not passive regarding his personal welfare or the welfare of his mission. Paul knows it is illegal to punish a Roman citizen without his being tried and found guilty. When he is about to be beaten, Paul brings up this issue and is spared. Acceptance of the sovereignty of God does not mean passiveness in the things of this world. Paul does what he can within the legal system and then leaves the results to the Lord. (Quiet Walk)
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