Psalm 119. The Greatness and Glory of the Word of God. Part 3

The next letter in the Hebrew alphabet is Daleth and it represents a door. It refers to entrance into the plan of God and that once you go through the door or entrance into the plan of God, it means that God has provided for every need you will ever have.

PSA 119:25, My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Thy word.

First of all we need to note the Doctrine of the Soul. Point 1 deals with the essence of the soul. The soul is that part of us that is saved and converted. At the moment of salvation it is the soul that is saved not the body.

PSA 19:7, The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

PSA 34:22, The Lord redeems the soul of His servants; And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

1PE 1:8-9, and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

God saves the real you, your soul. In mankind, the real person is located in the soul, GEN 2:7, Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Most people live for their body, but Adam with his perfect body had no life until God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and then he became a living soul or being!

There were two types of life breathed into Adam.

1. Human spirit – which is the basis for having fellowship with God. This is where doctrine is learned and transmitted to the soul which is why you must be born again.

2. The Human soul which is the basis for Him to have fellowship with the woman and to dominate the lower creation.

Now, the scripture also teaches that the soul is seat of human blessing and human misery. So in PSA 119:25, My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Thy word.

The Hebrew word for cleaves is the Hebrew verb dabaq which means to be glued or stuck to something. Dust is used here as in other passages in connection with the pressure and suffering and disaster that comes from the dust of the earth or the cosmic system. The writer is saying that his soul is glued unto the dust i.e., maximum suffering conditions.

Notice that it is the soul that pressure is designed to get to. Pressure usually is put on the physical body to neutralize and get to the human soul. If the pressure gets to the soul we have psychosis which is the break down in the mind and the loss of reality or insanity. If the pressure gets to the body we have neurosis which is the breakdown in the nervous system or physiological handicaps and sickness.

So, in PSA 119:25 is a man who although being pressured did not quit and was not guilty of giving up. He was abused and misused, but a believer that knows doctrine doesn’t quit. No matter what happens to the body, it’s the soul that matters, as we are taught in MAR 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”

So, he says my soul is glued unto the dust (pressure). Now, how is he going to survive this? He tells us how inPSA 119:25, “My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Thy word.” Over and over again we see this man giving us a different aspect of the Word of God:
The Law – 25 times.
The Word – 24 times.
Judgments – 23 times.
Testimonies – 23 times.
Commandments – 22 times.
Statutes – 21 times.
Precepts – 21 times.
Word -19 times.
Ordinances – 15 times.

PSA 119:25, “My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Thy word.”

The Hebrew word for revive is a verb chayah meaning to refresh, revive and stimulate. If our soul is going to stay in our body, the real you must be refreshed we must have refreshments. And so he says, “revive or quicken me according to Thy word.”

Here’s an individual who is in prison and in slavery. Where will he get the refreshing that he needs? Well this is the Daleth file which is the file of doors or entrances, there must be a door opened somewhere. He must go through the open the door of his human spirit and take the doctrine and promises off the shelf of his Human spirit and live in them. This is what kept him going (HEB 4:12) but it was the doctrine that he learned in the past (JOH 14:26) being brought to his remembrance that was his refreshment now.

JOH 14:23-26, Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you, while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

In times of pressure and disaster, many believers enter into mental attitude sins, and overt sins so the writer says in PSA 119:26, I have told of my ways, and Thou hast answered me; Teach me Thy statutes.” He confessed his sin and God forgave him or as this verse says God answered him! Notice that he recognizes the forgiveness of God while he was under pressure and in slavery! Now that he has rebounded what is the most important thing for him to be occupied with?

He says in PSA 119:26…Teach me Thy statutes.

Statutes is used 21 times: The noun is derived from the root verb meaning to engrave or inscribe. The idea is of the written word of God and the authority of His written word. In other words, he wants to learn B.D. categorically. So he doesn’t quit, he rebounds.  He keeps right on going and gets involved in the recall of doctrine.

PSA 119:27, Make me understand the way of Thy precepts, So I will meditate on Thy wonders.

The Hebrew word for understand is bin which means to recall something or call on something you already know. So he says make me to understand (or cause me to use and know the way of Thy precepts. You see this is the Daleth file, and once you enter into the Daleth file or the door file you have all that you need even under pressure.

JOH 10:9, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

So he realizes and says this make me to understand the way how to apply what I’ve learned to my life from your precepts.

PSA 119:27, Make me understand the way of Thy precepts, So I will meditate on Thy wonders.

The Hebrew word for precepts is used 21 times: This is a word drawn from the sphere of an officer or overseer, and man who is responsible to look closely into a situation and take action. And so the word precepts actually means that which God has committed to man’s conscience through the teaching of His word. It has to do with passages like LUK 12:48, “to whom much is given, much is required.”

Now, what is he going to do under all this pressure as God reveals to him the word of God? The answer is that he is going to witness for Christ right in the midst of his pressure. Notice what he says in the second part of verse 27. And the word meditate is the Hebrew verb ‎siyach which means to converse aloud or to declare, or to speak and talk. Under pressure he is going to communicate and talk about the Lord. Now, you can’t communicate what you do not know. So, he has learned and lived and now he is talking about the power of God’s word under pressure!

PSA 119:28, My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Thy word.

The Hebrew word for weeps is dalaph which means inner cries from pressure and it is in the future tense which means that he knows it’s even going to get worse than what it is! His soul is melting, getting weaker from the pressure. You see his soul is getting weaker so in his self-consciousness he knows he may be in danger of self-pity and quitting. In his mentality is in danger of fear and panic. In his volition, he is in danger of making wrong decisions. In his emotion, there is the danger of depression and freaking out. In his conscience is the danger of being depraved. So, what does he say under all this pressure and adversity?

PSA 119:28, My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Thy word.

The Hebrew word for strengthen means to build muscle by lifting up something heavy. We build muscles of faith when we believe God to lift up our burdens. It’s the trusting and relying on the promises of God that gives us strength. And so he says strengthen according to you Word (dabar, used 24 times): The idea is of the spoken word, God’s revealed word to man.

PSA 119:29, Remove the false way from me, And graciously grant me Thy law.

The Hebrew word for remove means to cause me to turn away from the way of lying or vanity. Many believers are so involved with the things in life that they are vain.

PSA 119:30, I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Thine ordinances before me.

He chose doctrine under maximum pressure. He has set God’s word before him, not his pressure, nor his problems, but the word of God! He is occupied with Christ not his pressure. Every problem this poor teenager faced – doctrine equalized the problem.

PSA 119:30-31, “I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Thine ordinances before me. I cleave to Thy testimonies; O Lord, do not put me to shame!”

The Hebrew word for cleave is the verb dabaq which means to be glued to something. He is now glued to the word under maximum misery. Now he closes the Daleth file with verse 32 when he says PSA 119:32, I shall run the way of Thy commandments, For Thou wilt enlarge my heart. He can’t run anywhere since he is chained and so this speaks of what his soul is doing. Many times there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide physically but the soul, the real you always has a refuge and a hiding place. His soul is running to this refuge which is the doctrine stored in his human spirit learned in the past.

What saved this teenager is not sports, people, friends, partying, but the word of God. The problem many have is that Satan succeeds in wearing out the saints of the Most High. DAN 7:25, And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One. And the original Hebrew tells us that this is a very slow process! He does not do it all at once. He does it gradually, invisibly but continually. Little by little the saints are worn down. Maybe he’ll use someone of the opposite sex as he did against Samson in JUD 16:16. Delilah wore down Samson continually. He wears down their physical body! He wears down their emotions. He wears down their heart!

So, there is a world filled with needs and in some cases entirely dependent on intercession. There is God in heaven with His unlimited resources to supply for all those needs. There is a Church with its tremendous responsibility of bringing solutions to life through prayer. There is a God who delights in mercy and waiting to be gracious to pour out blessings.

ISA 30:18, Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

The same love that sent His Son to the Cross is the same love willing to meet the needs of each believer. Because of this, Satan works at attacking and wearing out believers. Remember he does it gradually and slowly. In fact his wearing out tactics are not even noticeable! Satan knows the value of small things. He wears out the body of the saints through diet and lack of exercise! This is why we have the warning in 1PE 5:7-9, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

He puts pressure on the believer’s heart. People begin to feel restless, unhappy, depressed, their joy is gone! He wears out their spiritual life. In fact, the cosmos is organized to teach us to trust God less and less and self more and more. You’ll end up relying on your own ability and talent. If we do not discern Satan’s schemes, we’ll fall into the trap, especially through sentimentality. The element in prayer that I would like to close with is the principle of thanksgiving.

1TH 5:17-18,  pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

PSA 50:23, “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me”

Praise from us is due to God and he is honored by our thanksgivings. Thanksgiving is not only a privilege but an obligation.

PSA 103:2, “Bless the Lord, o my soul, and forget none of His benefits”

Thanksgiving includes gratitude and being grateful. In fact, thanksgiving is the outward expression of an inward gratitude thanking God for mercies received. Gratitude is an inward appreciation rising up within us automatically and unintentionally. But thanksgiving is a voluntary expression of gratitude. What I’m saying to you is true thanksgiving in prayer comes when a person is grateful. Thanksgiving is oral, vocal, positive, active, it’s the giving out of something to God. Thanksgiving is that part of prayer that we give something to God, which is praise. Thanksgiving is an open expression of gratefulness.

Gratitude is secret, silent, and negative, if it’s not expressed by praise and thanksgiving. Gratitude is felt in the soul, inwardly, and thanksgiving is the expression of that inward feeling. Thanksgiving is giving something to God in words or deeds which we feel in our heart for blessings received! Gratitude arises from meditating and considering the goodness of God! Both gratitude and thanksgiving are a reflection of the believer’s appreciation for God’s mercies. The heart is to be consciously grateful to God through thinking doctrinal viewpoint. And once the heart is grateful to God, then the soul gives expression to the heartfelt gratitude in words and actions!