Psalm 119. The Greatness and Glory of the Word of God. Part 5

PSA 119:41-48.

We are now ready for the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet known as the Vav file. The peg is something that supports or uses something used to fasten things together with. As a nail it represents something that needs to be pointed in for strength and stability, pointing to what we began last evening the principle of repetition, as ISA 28:9-10, teaches.

ISA 28:9-10, “To whom would He teach knowledge? And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? For He says, Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.”

The letter Vav also means something to hang yourself on to. And it refers to the fact the principles in verses 41-48 refers to repetition and stability in this life which depends upon hanging your problems on doctrine.

PSA 119:41-48, May Thy lovingkindnesses also come to me, O Lord, Thy salvation according to Thy word; So I shall have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Thy word. And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Thine ordinances. So I will keep Thy law continually, Forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Thy precepts. I will also speak of Thy testimonies before kings, And shall not be ashamed. And I shall delight in Thy commandments, Which I love. And I shall lift up my hands to Thy commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Thy statutes.

Back in PSA 119:41, the Psalmist writes, “Let Thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even Thy salvation.”  Mercies means grace in action (plural i.e., God always deals with individual in graces). Then he says “Let Thy mercies come also unto me.” The real you is the soul and graces should come to you in all 5 parts of the soul. In your emotion you should appreciate grace. in your volition - you should choose to operate in grace.

In your self-consciousness you should operate in grace toward yourself; 1CO 15:10. In your conscience - the norms and standards should operate in graciousness. In your mentality, your thoughts should be thoughts of grace. I don’t know why so many of God’s people play around with themselves like this?

PSA 119:41, May Thy lovingkindnesses also come to me, O Lord, Thy salvation according to Thy word;

If deliverance is not through the word of God, it doesn’t count. He doesn’t want to escape by human activity but He wants your spiritual deliverance be through doctrine, then let it be!  It is the word of God that brings everything that is solid and stable in this life! Under maximum disastrous conditions it’s the word of God that is His deliverance.This man Ezra is not asking to be removed from his difficult condition but for more mercies to glorify the Lord in the midst of these conditions. This is what God wants you and me to have as the nail or the peg of our file!

2CO 12:2-10, where the apostle Paul says  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago‑‑ whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows‑‑ such a man was caught up to the third Heaven.

Paul is actually speaking about something that happened to him fourteen years ago from the time of his writing this. And that is what he said in 1TI 4:13, Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. It seems like there’s very little of the reading off the word of God today during a Christian programs and a lot of human viewpoint is being quoted while little of Scriptures are being read.

So, let’s get an idea what the apostle Paul was talking in 2Co 12 by reading the background to the passage which is found in Acts 9 beginning in verse 1. Now we read in ACT 9:1, now remember this is the background to 2Co 12:

ACT 9:1, Now Saul [this is the apostle Paul], still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,

He was actually our Lord’s disciples. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging our Lord, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem.

ACT 9:2-22, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who art Thou, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.“ And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Behold, here am I, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.“ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name.“ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.“ And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened.   Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

And so this is the background to 2Co 12.

So back in 2CO 12:2-10, I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago‑‑ whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows‑‑ such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man‑‑ whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows‑‑ was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. On behalf of such a man will I boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses. For if I do wish to boast I shall not be foolish, for I shall be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one may credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me. And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me‑‑ to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He has said to me [but the original Greek language says I had to remember what the Lord had taught in the past which was the next statement. , “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

This is what the writer of Psa 119 wants tell us is in the Vav file, which is that we need to hang on viewpoint on peg on the wall of the spiritual life to handle the undeserved suffering that they were all  going through.

PSA 119:41, May Thy lovingkindnesses also come to me, O Lord, Thy salvation according to Thy word;

In verse 42 the Psalmist says PSA 119:42 so shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproaches me. And that’s the other the apostle says that when people are judging you, attacking you, putting you down, being toward and telling your problem is then can quote the other half of the apostle Paul’s statement; Which is 2CO 12:10, Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

In other words, you will have your day in court and you be vindicated. Give those times of underserved suffering over to the Lord!

ISA 54:17, “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.”

He is asking for more grace to reveal to others that God is faithful and comes through for His people. You see, under pressure many people resent divine viewpoint. Answer them with scripture such as MAT 4:4, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”‘ You see, this is the Vau file, the peg or nail file! You can nail these principles to the wall! You can put another nail in Satan’s coffin! You can hang these truth on the cross of Christ! You can hang on to the nails of Bible doctrine~from the one True Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who uses under shepherds to teach the doctrines to hang your faith upon!

So back in PSA 119:42, So I shall have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Thy word. Reproaches me - to malign, to scorn, to resent. Under disastrous conditions people will resent positive attitudes in the mature believers.  PSA 119:43, And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Thine ordinances.  Whenever and wherever there is true faith, speech will eventually flow, not foolish speech, but the speech that builds up and edifies others.

1CO 2:4, And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

We all need to guard our speech!

Why?

MAT 12:37, “For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.”

So the Psalmist says PSA 119:43, And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Thine ordinances. The word for wait is yachal which means because I have hope and confidence in trusting your ordinances under pressure conditions. Ordinances is the noun mishpat used 23 times: “meaning to judge, determine, regulate, order, and discern, revealing the doctrines in our soul that are to rule and to regulate us under pressure, also to discern what is right and wrong, anddecide accordingly.” (Adam Clarke). It means that in God’s time, the justice of God will vindicate His people. It’s only a matter of time until our enemies are brought to nothing. It’s only a matter of time before God exposes the hearts of those who are conspiring against you or us! It’s only a matter of time before truth is revealed, one way or the other, especially by MAT 7:14-20- 1JO 3:15. Paul taught us that this evening when in Acts 9:3  And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

ACT 9:4-5, and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who art Thou, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

Mat 25:45  “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

PSA 119:43-44, “And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Thine ordinances. So I will keep (GUARD) Thy law continually, Forever and ever.”

He is saying I will guard something that is permanent.

1PE 1:23-25, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God. “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off, But the word of the Lord abides forever. “And this is the word which was preached to you.”

MAT 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”

In other words, doctrine is a nail or peg that will always be there! Doctrine is the nail that stabilizes situations, not emotionalism, not works, not the ministry. It was John Calvin who said, “Unless God’s people make a strenuous and steady opposition against passiveness and slothfulness their respect toward God will disappear or diminish.”

PSA 119:45, And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Thy precepts.

Here is a man in a prison gang and in a slave line, who is liberated through his mental attitude, PSA 4:2.

PSA 119:46, I will also speak of Thy testimonies before kings, And shall not be ashamed.

When he says I will speak also before kings they were generally more to be dreaded, he is not intimidated! And not be ashamed is buwsh which to be confused or embarrassed!

Why is he not ashamed nor confused, note the next two verses!

PSA 119:47-48, And I shall delight in Thy commandments, Which I love. And I shall lift up my hands to Thy commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Thy statutes.

When you truly love someone you are not ashamed or confused! There is occupation with Christ under the most horrible pressure situations. This is intercourse with the mind of Christ, 1CO 2:16.

PSA 119:48, And I shall lift up my hands to Thy commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Thy statutes.