PSALM 119 GIMEL
Prayer for open eyes to the Word of the LORD verse 17- 18
Deal bountifully with YOUR servant – that I may live
and keep YOUR word
Open YOU mine eyes
that I may behold wondrous things out of YOUR law
Prayer for deep desire to know the Word verse 19- 20
I am a stranger in the earth
hide not YOUR commandments from me
My soul breaks for the longing that it has to
YOUR judgments at all times
Consequences of not obeying the LORD verse 21- 22
YOU have rebuked the proud that are cursed
which do err from YOUR commandments
Remove from me reproach and contempt
for I have keep YOUR testimonies
Leaders not encouraging obedience verse 23- 24
Princes also did sit and speak against me
BUT YOUR servant did MEDITATE in YOUR statutes
YOUR testimonies also are my delight and my counselors
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. (1580 “bountifully” [gamal] means to treat a person well, benefit, do good, recompense, requite, reward or ripen.)
DEVOTION: There are two types of wisdom in this world. There is Godly wisdom and earthly wisdom. Those who are followers of the LORD can receive Godly wisdom from the LORD by asking for it. Those who are not followers of the LORD are not receiving and don’t want to receive Godly wisdom because they prefer to remain blind and in darkness. Only those who follow the LORD are walking in the light.
This third letter of the Hebrew alphabet is use here. Remember that this psalm is an acrostic, which means that each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is used to begin each section of this Psalm.
The psalmist wanted the LORD to do good to him because he meditated on HIS word. He longed for the Word of God. He wanted to receive light from the Word of God. God gave HIS word to give HIS people directions regarding how to walk in HIS presence.
There are many people who did not mediate or long for the Word of God. One group was the princes in Israel. They were part of the proud group that he mentions in this psalm. They did not use the Word of God as their counselor. They even made fun of those who obeyed the Word of God. Sometimes those in leadership think that they are above the directions given by the LORD. They think they have arrived at perfection.
We feel that the LORD should bless us or benefit us because we are HIS children when we follow Christ as our Savior. We find in this section of the psalm that HE blesses or benefits those who meditate on the Word and keep what it is saying.
If we want blessing from the LORD, we have to meditate and obey HIS word. What does HE say about giving? If we are obeying HIS word in our relationship to our money and other things, then HE can bless or benefit us. If we tend to hoard our money and expect HIM to give us more, we are delusional. It will not happen.
CHALLENGE: The key words are “live” and “keep.” Two aspects are needed to be rewarded by the LORD. HE wants us to live, so that, we bring glory to HIM. Also, what gives glory to HIM is that we keep what we learn from the Word of God.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 18 Open YOUR my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of YOUR law. (6381 “wondrous things” [pala’] means to do something wonderful, to be too difficult, to be unusual, something that is outrageous, to distinguish, marvelous, astound, or extraordinary.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever walked around in the dark until you can start seeking things that are around you? Sometimes our eyes have to adjust to our surrounding first before we can really see what is around us.
Too often this is true in spiritual truth as well. We can read the Bible thru in a given time and miss what is really being said in the verses we are reading. We need better spiritual vision to understand the teachings of the Bible.
This spiritual vision comes from the Holy Spirit working in our life through our willingness to listen and see the truth of the Word of God.
There are people who read through the Bible each year but still do not gain spiritual insight into what the LORD wants to change in their life. They read but don’t understand that the LORD wants them to change to be individuals who are growing closer to HIM and what HE expects of them.
Here the author of this Psalm wants his eyes to be open to the genuine truth of the Word of God, so that, he is not just a normal Christian but a spiritual Christian. Our idea of a normal Christian life is substandard to what the LORD wants of a genuine growing Christian.
God has truth that HE will show those who are looking for the extraordinary things HE wants to show them to help them grow more spiritual to be better servants and witnesses for HIM.
CHALLENGE: Are you looking to just be able to say that you read through the Bible in a year or are you looking for genuine spiritual growth to show those around your that the LORD is genuinely working through you?
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: 21 YOU have rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from YOUR commandments. (779 “cursed” [’arar] means to have divine harm or evil invoked upon, to bind with a curse, or a declaration of punishment.)
DEVOTION: There is a group that bring a declaration of punishment on themselves when they go to the LORD with the sin of pride. Many think that the commands of the LORD don’t apply to them because they are not under that control of the LORD. This is a wrong belief but many, in fact, most humans think that they are not under the authority of God.
The children of Israel had people in their tribes that thought that they didn’t need to obey the commands of the LORD. Each time an individual or group rebelled against the commands of the LORD HE would send judgment.
Once judgment fell on them, they wondered why God would send them such a thing. They were HIS people and therefore they were supposed to have only blessing all the time even when they were disobedient. They were wrong.
We sometimes think that because we go to church, tithe and even sometimes witness for the LORD there should always be blessing coming our way. However, the LORD wants obedience to all HIS commands if we are going to be blessed. HE wants more than outward service. HE wants our hearts to be actively seeking HIS will in the Bible.
CHALLENGE: Can pride be a problem in yours and mine life? Are we living a life that shows obedience to the LORD in all areas? Ask the LORD for wisdom in this area!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept YOUR testimonies. (1556 “reproach” [galal] means to roll away, to remove something concrete or abstract, conceived of as rolling something away, flow down, take away, or have a state no longer exist as a figurative taken away.)
DEVOTION: Here we have the Psalmist praying to the LORD that HE would remove anything in his life that no one can put him down.
We have many people today who like to put down a believer. Sorry to say that some of them are even fellow Christians.
The writer of this Psalm wants to be able to keep the LORD’S name pure and his testimony good for those who are around HIM.
He wants to be a good example of what it means to be a genuine believer, not just someone who goes to Temple and gives sacrifices to the LORD but someone who can be looked on a someone who is real. He is not putting on an act for the Sabbath in the Old Testament or someone who just goes to church on Sunday and then acts differently during the week.
He wants to be someone who is a seven day a week believer who shows the actions of a believer seven days a week. He wants to make sure that he keeps the commands, not just for show, but for reality.
There will always be people who will condemn those who are genuine because they are not genuine and sometimes think that no one is a genuine believer seven days a week. God can work with someone who wants to be a seven day a week genuine believer but that individual has to be committed as this author wants to be and all others who want to be.
CHALLENGE: Even those who are genuinely trying to be seven day a week believer will have those who will put them down because others don’t like it if they are different from the rest of the crowd.
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:24 “Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). Testimonies – 5713 עֵדָה [ʿedah /ay·daw/] n f. From 5707 in its technical sense; TWOT 1576c, 1576e; GK 6338; 26 occurrences; AV translates as “testimonies” 22 times, and “witness” four times. 1 testimony, witness. 1A always plural and always of laws as divine testimonies. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: Counselors are often thought of as individuals who we seek out to help us with a particular problem or to become skilled in a profession. The psalmist is pointing out that the Word of God is his source of wisdom and delight. The law is the basis for him to confront and conform his life with. Any situation or challenge in his life he determined to take to the Lord’s word to find a solution and answer. God’s testimonies were sufficient for the psalmist to live by!
When circumstances arise in our lives are we content to take it to God’s word to find answers and then conform our lives to the principles and ethics presented there? A biblical worldview will become ours if we do. God’s word has answers for any question that can arise in any culture if we are willing to look and listen to Him.
CHALLENGE: The Bible is not outdated and irrelevant but is timeless; it does contain timeless words of life and truth. Study it to find God’s ways in an ungodly time.
(Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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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)
Bountifully verse 17
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Meditate in thy statutes verse 23
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)
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 17
Law verse 18
Commandments verse 19, 21
Judgments verse 20
Testimonies verse 22, 24
Statutes verse 23
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Rebukes the proud verse 21
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)
Stranger verse 19
Soul verse 20
Princes verse 23
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Proud verse 21
Cursed verse 21
Err verse 21
Reproach verse 22
Contempt verse 22
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Bountifully dealt verse 17
Servant verse 17, 23
Keep the Word verse 17
Open eyes verse 18
Wondrous things verse 18
Longing for the Word verse 20
Meditate verse 23
Delight in testimonies verse 24
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Princes that speak against believers verse 23
Counsellors verse 24
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
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He hungered for the Word (vv. 19–20). Because God curses the wicked who disobey Him, he prayed that the Lord would remove those who reproached him. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 880). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Like the patriarchs of old, we are also strangers in this world (vv. 19–20; 39:12; 105:12, 23; Gen. 23:4; Ex. 2:22; Lev. 25:23; Heb. 11:8–9, 13–16; 1 Peter 1:1; 2:11), and we need the Lord’s guidance as we walk the pilgrim path. The laws for driving in Great Britain are different from the laws in the United States and it is dangerous to confuse the two. God’s people are being led on the narrow road that leads to life, while the people of the world are on the broad road that leads to judgment (Matt. 7:13–14). Just as the cloud and fiery pillar led Israel in their wilderness journey (Num. 9:15–23), so the Scriptures lead us (v. 105). The psalmist felt a crushing burden to read and ponder God’s ordinances, and unlike many travelers today, he was not afraid to ask the Lord for directions. If we take time to meditate on the Word and seek the Lord, He will show us the path of life (16:11).
Because we serve a different Master, obey a different set of laws, and have our citizenship in a different country (Phil. 3:20), we are different from the lost people whom Jesus called “the children of this world” (Luke 16:8). We will not conform to the world (Rom. 12:2), and the world opposes and persecutes us because of this. Therefore, we are sufferers who bear reproach for Jesus Christ (vv. 14–21; Matt. 13:20–21; Heb. 13:13). The psalmist called these persecutors “the arrogant [proud]” (v. 21) and described them as disobeying God’s law (vv. 126, 158), ignoring it (v. 139), wandering from it (vv. 21, 118), and forsaking it (v. 53). Because they reject God’s Word, they reject God’s people and mock them (v. 51), lie about them (v. 69), try to trap them (v. 85), and oppress them without cause (vv. 78; 122). These are the “willful sins” that David wrote about in 19:14. This opposition was in high places among the rulers (vv. 23, 161), which would mean the nobles and officers of the land. The psalmist wanted God to remove the reproach they had put on him like a garment (v. 22; see 35:26; 109:29; 132:18), but the psalmist’s suffering gave him opportunity to bear witness to nobles and kings (v. 46; and see Matt. 10:18; Acts 9:15; Phil. 1:12–18; 4:22). The writer needed wisdom to know how to handle these difficult situations and he found counsel in God’s Word (v. 24). Instead of listening to the enemy’s slander, he meditated on God’s truth. That is a good way to keep your mind clean and confident (Phil. 4:4–7). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., pp. 109–110). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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119:20 crushed with longing. This expresses the psalmist’s deep passion for the Word (cf. vv. 40, 131). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 119:20). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 20. My soul breaketh for the longing, &c.] His heart was just ready to break, and his soul fainted; he was ready to die, through a vehement desire of enjoying the object longed for, after mentioned; hope deferred makes the heart sick, Prov. 13:12 the phrase is expressive of the greatness, vehemence, and eagerness of his mind after the thing he desired, which follows: that it hath unto thy judgments at all times; not the judgments of God on wicked men, though these are desirable for the glorifying of his justice; nor his dark dispensations of providence, though good men cannot but desire and long for the time when these judgments shall be made manifest: but rather the righteous laws and precepts of God are designed, which he desired to have a more perfect knowledge of, and yield a more constant obedience unto; or, best of all, the doctrines of grace and righteousness, that should be more clearly revealed in the times of the Messiah; who was to set judgment in the earth, his Gospel; and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and glorify the justice of God; than which nothing was more earnestly and importunately wished and longed for by Old-Testament saints; see ver. 81 and Psal. 14:7. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 213). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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20. “My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.” True godliness lies very much in desires. As we are not what we shall be, so also we are not what we would be. The desires of gracious men after holiness are intense,—they cause a wear of heart, a straining of the mind, till it feels ready to snap with the heavenly pull. A high value of the Lord’s commandment leads to a pressing desire to know and to do it, and this so weighs upon the soul that it is ready to break in pieces under the crush of its own longings. What a blessing it is when all our desires are after the things of God. We may well long for such longings.
God’s judgments are his decisions upon points which else had been in dispute. Every precept is a judgment of the highest court upon a point of action, an infallible and immutable decision upon a moral or spiritual question. The word of God is a code of justice from which there is no appeal.
“This is the Judge which ends the strife
Where wit and reason fail;
Our guide through devious paths of life,
Our shield when doubts assail.”
David had such reverence for the word, and such a desire to know it, and to be conformed to it, that his longings caused him a sort of heart-break, which he here pleads before God. Longing is the soul of praying, and when the soul longs till it breaks, it cannot be long before the blessing will be granted. The most intimate communion between the soul and its God is carried on by the process described in the text. God reveals his will, and our heart longs to be conformed thereto. God judges, and our heart rejoices in the verdict. This is fellowship of heart most real and through.
Note well that our desire after the mind of God should be constant; we should feel holy longings “at all times.” Desires which can be put off and on like our garments are at best but mere wishes, and possibly they are hardly true enough to be called by that name,—they are temporary emotions born of excitement, and doomed to die when the heat which created them has cooled down. He who always longs to know and do the right is the truly right man. His judgment is sound, for he loves all God’s judgments, and follows them with constancy. His times shall be good, since he longs to be good and to do good at all times.
Remark how this fourth of the third eight chimes with the fourth of the fourth eight. “My soul breaketh;” “my soul melteth.” There is surely some recondite poetic art about all this, and it is well for us to be careful in studying what the Psalmist was so careful in composing. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 173). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall 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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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Exodus 10-12
It is amazing when God works in miraculous ways and all we can do is stand in awe of His wonderous power. I am astounded when I consider all that the Lord has done in my life for our family. He has made known numerous times that we have been in His protective hands (John 10:28).
Moses had been attempting to get the children of Israel freed from the bondage of slavery for some time. Pharoah had repeatedly stated that the Israelites could go and worship and then would recant and refuse their release. Each time the repercussion of rejection increased and God’s power was manifested in another way.
Each plague was a judgment upon Egypt but it also was a verification of God’s power and greatness over the gods of Pharoah and his people. When Pharoah refused for the last time to free the Israelite people it is with a hardness of heart that could only be broken by a staggering loss. Pharoah was considered by the Egyptians to be a god. The family was believed to be part of deity and supernatural. For Pharoah’s son and all the firstborn to be killed was the final act of Israel’s God demonstrating His authority and power.
The people of God and the unbelieving people of Egypt all saw the power and demonstration of God’s work in this final judgment. The action was designed to encourage the believers and cause deep conviction and acknowledgment of judgment by the unbelievers. Even though unbelievers would not follow the Lord, they could not deny His power and authority.
We may not have the privilege to see certain people come to the Lord by conversion. Their hearts and attitudes may be so hardened by circumstances and decisions that they currently refuse to acknowledge God’s power. This should not hinder us from praying for them to acknowledge God’s loving presence!
Paul also warns of a coming judgment when people will be forced to acknowledge and bow before the Lord. “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
With an Expectant Hope, (Pastor Miller, Board Member of SCM)
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The Israelites wander in the desert.
INSIGHT
David writes that God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. But we see that it is possible, through rebellion,
to miss something good that God wants to give us.
God wants to give the Israelites the Promised Land. But when they refuse to enter it, they wander through the wilderness until the rebellious generation dies. Then that which God had wanted to give to them, He gives to someone else-the next generation.
When we walk in rebellion, we pay a price. God’s blessings often include a test. Do we turn back? Or trust Him? (Quiet Walk)
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THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US HIS POWER
My speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. 1 Corinthians 2:4
The Holy Spirit gives us His power, and, thank God, He not only gave it to the first apostles, He has also given it to quite unknown people throughout the centuries. He has enabled some simple people to speak just the right word at the right moment. John Bunyan tells us in his autobiography, Grace Abounding, that one of the greatest blessings and helps he ever had was one afternoon listening to three uneducated women who were doing some knitting together in the sunshine, outside a house, talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. He got more from them than from anybody else. And you find that is what happens. God gives this power to the simplest, humblest Christian to testify to the Lord Jesus Christ, sharing what He has done and the difference He has made to human life. This is how the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son. When He works in us, what He does is to make us glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. The man in whom the Spirit dwells does not talk about himself; whether he is a preacher or whatever he may be, you do not come away talking about him.
You and I have the inestimable privilege of being men and women who in this life and in our daily work and vocation can be glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, God grant that we all may be filled with this Spirit, the Holy Spirit, of God, that we may “know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10); that we may know what He has done for us; that we may know we are the children of God and joint heirs with Christ; that we may have glimpses of the glory that awaits us and that we may find our lives transformed and filled with His power, so that we may say with Paul, “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me”(Galatians 2:20).
A Thought to Ponder
You and I have the inestimable privilege of being men and women who in our daily work can glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
(From Saved in Eternity, p. 94, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
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Praise of the Generations
“That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children.” (Psalm 78:6)
Each generation of people tends to regard its own times as the most significant of all, toward which all past history has been merely a preparation. The fact is, however, that God has “been our dwelling place in all generations” (90:1), and He is equally concerned about any generations yet to come.
This is why He stresses repeatedly that the great truths concerning God’s creation, His character, His great work of salvation, and His long-range plans for the ages to come be transmitted faithfully from one generation to another. “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts” (145:4).
Our modern scientific generation almost idolizes new research, new gadgets, new discoveries. The God of eternity, however, is not so concerned that we develop new ideas as that we not lose what He already has given us. “Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth” (119:89-90).
Christ said: “That which ye have already hold fast till I come.” “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 2:25; 3:11).
The great principle of true education is given by Paul in 2 Timothy 2:2: “The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” The great account of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, especially, is to be taught forever. “They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this” (Psalm 22:31).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Wise Advice
The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. Proverbs 12:15
When the roof of Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral caught fire in April 2019, its ancient wood beams and lead sheeting created a furnace so hot it couldn’t be contained. After the cathedral’s spire dramatically fell, attention turned to its bell towers. If the giant steel bells’ wooden frames also burned, their collapse would bring both towers down, leaving the cathedral in ruins.
Pulling his firefighters back for safety, General Gallet, commander of the Paris fire department, pondered what to do next. A firefighter named Remi nervously approached. “Respectfully, General,” he said, “I propose that we run hoses up the exterior of the towers.” Given the building’s fragility the commander dismissed the idea, but Remi spoke on. Soon General Gallet faced a decision: follow the junior firefighter’s advice or leave the cathedral to fall.
Scripture has much to say about taking advice. While this is sometimes in the context of youth respecting elders (Proverbs 6:20–23), most is not. Proverbs says, “the wise listen to advice” (12:15), wars are won with it (24:6), and only a fool fails to heed it (12:15). Wise people listen to good advice, whatever the age or rank of those giving it.
General Gallet listened to Remi. The burning bell frames were hosed down just in time, and the cathedral was saved. What problem do you need godly advice on today? Sometimes God guides the humble through a junior’s lips.
By Sheridan Voysey – Our Daily Bread
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