PSALM 119 WAW
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:45 “And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.”
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Liberty – 7342 רָחָב [rachab /raw·khawb/] adj. From 7337; TWOT 2143c; GK 8146; 21 occurrences; AV translates as “large” eight times, “broad” five times, “proud” three times, “wide” three times, “broader” once, and “liberty” once. 1 broad, wide.
James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
Devotion: When we talk of liberty we often think of the freedoms that we enjoy and the opportunities that are ours as Americans. We immediately think of “Give me liberty or give me death” (Patrick Henry) or “The love of liberty is the love of others…” (William Hazlitt). Yet the psalmist is taking a little different angle and talking about the length, breadth or spaciousness of the area, sometimes implying plenty of living space, so being agreeable, pleasant, and freeing from the subjects point of view. In Christ, we can face adversity and diversity because we know that the Lord has so much patience and compassion in giving freedom to others. Burke stated, “But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.” Recognize the freedom you have in Christ and walk in that liberty!
Challenge: Liberty comes with knowing the precepts of the Lord! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 46 I will speak of YOUR testimonies also before kings, and will not be
ashamed. (5715 “testimonies” [eduwth] means witness, a solemn statement made under oath, or legal provisions.)
DEVOTION: The Psalmist is making the claim that he will even give witness to the LORD before kings or people in authority. He will stand before people of importance and tell them about the LORD and what HE expects of humans. He is not going to hold his tongue in fear but speak boldly of the law of the LORD.
We find examples of people giving witness before kings throughout the Old Testament. We have the example of Daniel. We have the example of Nehemiah. We have the example of the three friends of Daniel. None of these individual backed down because they were in the presence of an earthly king.
Today we have a majority of believers who are afraid to witness to their neighbors let alone in front of a person of authority. We have almost lost the art of passing out tracks to individuals we meet or sending them through the mail with our bills.
We have a member of the board who likes to give out tracks that have personal scriptural references besides the ones in the tracts. He will give them out and then ask questions at a later time of the individuals. There is not only a witness but a follow up to see if the individual has any questions.
We need to witness more as we see our society turning further and further away from the LORD. Tracks are expensive it seems but how much is one soul worth to the LORD. The testimony of the Psalmist should be our testimony as well. We should not be afraid of telling others about Jesus and what HE has done for us in our lives.
CHALLENGE: Start by praying about who you should give a testimony too and then look for an occasion to witness to that individual for the LORD. Each Christian has the responsibility to witness to their friends and relatives for the LORD. We are called to make disciples!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
Psalmist asks for mercy from the LORD verse 41- 42
Let YOUR mercies come also unto me – O LORD
even YOUR salvation – according to YOUR word
so shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproaches me
for I trust in YOUR word
Psalmist asks to continue receive Word of the LORD verse 43- 44
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth
for I have hoped in YOUR judgments
so shall I keep YOUR lawcontinually for ever and ever
Psalmist wanted to walk at liberty verse 45- 46
I will walk at liberty – for I seek YOUR precepts
I will speak ofYOUR testimonies also before kings
and will not be ashamed
Psalmist will continue to meditate on Word verse 47- 48
I will delight myself in YOUR commandments – which I have loved
my hands also will I lift up unto YOUR commandments
which I have loved
I will meditateinYOUR statutes
COMMENTARY:
: 42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproach me; for I trust in YOUR word.
(6030 “answer”[‘anah] means to eye, pay attention, to respond, to shout, to testify, give account, or witness.
DEVOTION: This acrostic poem starts with the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet: waw.
The Bible states that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to the LORD. There is no middle ground. We are either following the LORD or following the world. Our sin nature is always with us. Each day we have a choice to make as to which way we are going. With a commitment to the LORD Jesus Christ after a confession of sin and changing direction we have the Holy Spirit to help us live in the way of TRUTH that is found in the Bible.
However, there is no status quo with God. If we turn away from HIM HE will chasten to bring us back. Once back HE will help us live the life HE wants us to live. Instructions are found in the Word of God, our Bible.
The Psalmist wanted a response from God to his prayers. He received a response. He wanted to be able to witness to those who made fun of him. He wanted to show that the LORD was with him to those who didn’t love the LORD.
He continues his application of the Word of God to his life. He knows that there are people out there who are going to put him down for his believes. He wants to give them a response to the reason for his believes. He is glad that he has the Word of God to tell them. He is going to witness to them of the truth of the Word of God.
The Word of God can be trusted. Our worldview has to be based on the Word of God. The only way we can have a Biblical Worldview is to meditate on the Word of God. There is too much error even in so called Christian circle to not be like the people of Thessalonica who searched the Scripture daily to check out the message of the one preaching to them (Acts 17:11). We need to do the same.
The psalmist does this and asks the LORD to help him understand. This is where our worldview hits the road. We believe that life begins at conception. We believe all life is important to God. We believe that marriage in the Scripture talks about it being between one woman and one man. We believe that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ alone.
We have to spread the truth of the Word of God. We are not to be politically correct but BIBLICALLY correct. The psalmist wanted to make this the plan or worldview of his life and we need to do the same. Pray that the Word of God permeates our lives to the point where God shines through us.
CHALLENGE: Be like the individual in the church at Thessalonica. Search the Scripture to check out what you are reading and what you are hearing and even what you are presently reading. Don’t just accept what someone tells you until you check it out. Be a student of the Word of God. These devotionals are just a starting point.)
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)
Meditate verse 48
· 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 for a walk in liberty verse 41- 48
- Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
- Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word verse 41, 42
Word of truth verse 43
Judgments verse 43
Law verse 44
Precepts verse 45
Testimonies verse 46
Commandments verse 47, 48
Statutes verse 48
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 41
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)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Mercy verse 41
Salvation verse 41
Answers verse 42
Trust verse 42
Truth verse 43
Hope verse 43
Keep commandments verse 44
Walk at liberty verse 45
Witness verse 46
Delight in Word of the LORD verse 47
Love verse 47, 48
Meditate verse 48
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)