Psalm 119
Title: Our Good God’s Good Instructions
Let me share with you poem about a person who never learned.
Hopefully, we can learn from his stubborn ways
Rebel Without a Clue
(The Ballad of Ronnie Wilde)
Here's a tale in rhyme today
Of a man who had his way —
Rules, he figured, were a bore.
Let me tell you what's in store.
Age Six
In Ms. Patterson's room so neat,
He'd shout his answers from his seat.
Homework? Filed it in the trash.
He flunked the year — his early crash.
Age Twelve
His folks laid down one simple rule:
"Straight home from practice, straight from school."
He wandered off till well past nine —
Lost every ounce of trust, in time.
Age Sixteen
Behind the wheel, stop signs weren’t cool —
More like suggestions, not a rule.
He jumped the curb, then hit a tree —
His shiny car was history.
Age Twenty-Five
He fudged the numbers, hid the truth,
A little lie. He blamed his youth.
The boss blamed him — “You’re fired!” he heard —
Cause "integrity" was a foreign word.
Come Tax Day
He wouldn't file, he wouldn't pay,
Figured Uncle Sam would look away.
The IRS knocked on his door —
His boat and condo were his no more.
Age Thirty-Five
He'd promised Sue his life he’d share,
Then broke his vow and without a care.
He packed his bags. She changed the locks —
"Til death do us part" had hit the rocks.
Age Seventy
Now Ronnie's old, alone, and gray —
No wife, no job, no house, they say.
He sits and wonders, "Where'd it go?"
Turns out, deep down, he'd always known.
The Moral
He never read the Owner's Guide,
Ignored the path that rules provide.
And friends, before we shake our heads at Ron,
Let's ask ourselves how far we've gone —
In trusting God's Design each day,
Or tossing His good Word away.
When we spurn God’s Word with His commands and guidelines, we turn away from - Our Good God’s Good
Instructions
Something I love about Psalm 119 is that all but a few verses are standalone statements about the value of
God's instructions.
When you need reminding of why you should care about reading and obeying God’s Word, just open this
psalm at any point and start reading.
I'm choosing the term “instruction” when talking about God directing our lives.
I think the term “instruction” embodies all the words that Psalm 119 uses to describe God's directions.
As I said, Ps 119 uses multiple terms while arguing for the priceless value of “God’s Instructions”
“commandments” - emphasizing the authority of God’s truth, the right God has to command.
“law” - can be a single truth or the whole of scripture. It reminds us that God’s Word is meant to be
heeded.
“precepts” - highlights the particular details of God’s instruction
“promises” - Closely related to the general idea of God’s Word. It communicates that what God says
is true.
“rules” - This reflects the decisions of God much like the judgments of a righteous judge.
“statutes” - points to the permanence of Scripture as if engraved on stone as a witness forever.
“testimonies” - These allude to the frankness of Scripture, giving witness and warning to us.
“word” - the most general term for God’s instruction. If He’s said it or wrote it down, it’s for us to
hear and heed.
Each of these words emphasizes a slightly different aspect of God’s instructions to us about life.
Another interesting detail about the whole of Psalm 119 is that it follows the Hebrew alphabet.
I mean it literally follows the Hebrew alphabet, like OCD style
First, every one of the 22 stanzas represents a letter from the Hebrew Alphabet.
Second, every stanza has 8 verses.
And all 8 verses begin with the letter which the stanza represents
The last detail I find interesting about this Psalm is the context of affliction it seems to be written from.
We don’t know who wrote it.
But the author mentions different types of difficulty in a number of contexts.
He uses a form of the term affliction at least 7 times.
And he specifically makes 21 references to some sort of suffering due to other people in the psalm.
princes speaking against him — v. 23
arrogant people mocking him — v. 51
wicked people surrounding him — v. 61
being lied about — v. 69, 78
being persecuted — vv. 84, 86, 161
enemies waiting to destroy him — v. 95
snares/pits being set for him — vv. 110, 150
many persecutors and adversaries — v. 157
One of the most common theories regarding this psalm is that it was written during the Babylonian
Captivity.
This would mean the psalmist was writing about the beauty and necessity of God’s instructions as he was
living within a pagan culture that was trying to draw him away from obedience to God.
I think we can relate to that as we live in the world today.
With these unique details in mind, I want to draw your attention to a few major themes in Psalm 119
From the first theme, I hope you will learn to -
1. TRUST THAT GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS ARE RIGHT FOR TODAY.
God’s Ways Are Ancient yet Always Relevant.
We don’t tend to think of “ancient” and “relevant” as corresponding to each other.
But that’s because we’re taught by our culture to see the latest ideas as being more true or better proven.
The fact is you can only trust the truths that have stood the test of time and still apply.
Also, it helps if the instructions come from the God who has the authority over every situation we face.
* 89 Forever, O LORD, your word
is firmly fixed in the heavens.
This verse and its context group God’s creating power and His Word.
Not only did God create by His Word.
His Word also hangs over His creation as the authority for how it should function.
* 137 Righteous are you, O Lord,
and right are your rules.
138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness
and in all faithfulness.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were drawn away from God with the promise that they could decide what
was right and wrong for themselves.
The truth is that God is righteous.
And His rules are right.
Thus to disobey them is wrong.
His faithfulness in this context means that He isn’t going to differ from what He has stated in His Word.
I remember hearing about a tourist standing in an art museum, staring at a painting.
The artist who painted it was famous — considered one of the greatest to ever live.
A museum curator noticed the puzzled look on the tourist's face and walked over.
Standing next to him, the curator asked, "So, what do you think of this masterpiece?"
The tourist said, "Honestly, I don't see what's so special about it. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece."
Without even turning his head, still staring at the painting, the curator replied,
"This painting is the standard. You're the one being measured by it."
God and His Word is the standard that we are measured against.
God’s Word should never be dismissed.
His commands should not be disregarded.
His rules should always be obeyed - His promises always trusted.
Do you have times of rebellion in your past that you need to confess and feel God's forgiveness for?
Do you need to surrender yourself to God and look first to His instructions for what His will is for your life?
The second theme I’m highlighting from Psalm 119 is that living by God’s ways should be our goal.
From this theme I hope that you will -
2. MAKE IT YOUR CONSTANT GOAL TO LIVE BY GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS.
* 4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
God is unbending in His expectation for obedience.
Notice the psalmist doesn’t say, “Oh that there might be some wiggle room in what you expect.”
Instead, he prays that he might be steadfast in his obedience.
The result of his obedience is that he is not put to shame, because he’s determined to obey God’s
commands.
=> another place where this principle of seeking constant obedience comes up is in a familiar verse 9
* 9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
As is the case today, young men were in a dangerous place when this psalm was written.
It’s always been far too easy for young people to chase their raging desires for adventure, conquest,
acceptance, or even withdrawal.
God’s Word is meant to be the guide to all of our lives.
But it’s especially needed by those who are a little more “wet behind the ears.”
=> Paul saw this particular danger for young people, which included Timothy himself -
* 2 Timothy 2:22 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,
along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
I love using Google Maps.
I can type in where I'm headed before I even start driving.
I can trust it'll tell me exactly how to get there — down to the minute, including how late I'm going to be.
There's no more slowing down to squint through a rain-covered windshield trying to read road signs while
holding a paper map against the steering wheel.
Now I just listen to the voice say, "Turn left at the next intersection."
How crazy would it be if I had the GPS giving me directions… and I just ignored it?
My family would be like,
"Why are you taking a different way? This is going to take longer, especially since you keep missing the
exits."
What if I said, "I'm not listening to the directions. I'm doing this my way"?
I think you'd see a mutiny break out from the passenger seat.
God's instructions carry far more authority over our lives than any GPS voice ever could.
He's given them to us so we would listen to them — and navigate through life in a way that glorifies Him.
Parents & Grandparents, your family is “riding” along with you through life.
Your refusal to listen to God’s instructions affects them in terrible ways.
Your surrender to obeying God’s commands affects them in amazingly positive ways.
God's Word has given us everything we need to follow Him, guided by the Holy Spirit.
God’s intent is that we constantly seek to follow His written instructions.
=> This is what we’re told in 1 Peter 1:3-4
* 2 Peter 1:3-4 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has
granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because
of sinful desire.
It's a huge blessing that we have everything we need to obey God, all the time.
But it's just as clear that we're expected to obey His instructions, at all times.
How would you describe your response to God’s instructions?
Sick of them?
Avoiding them?
Scared of them?
Secretly ignoring them?
Fatigued by them?
Frustrated by them?
Embracing them?
Loving them?
Before we move forward, let me say that we’re not talking about a legalistic observance of God’s
commands.
That would mean that you were obeying God in order to cause Him to love you or to keep Him loving you.
The only reason we can walk with God is because of the grace that was purchased for us by the death of
Jesus Christ.
It’s only in standing in His righteousness that we can stand in a relationship with God.
We’re going to learn a lot about legalism during our time in Galatians, starting next week.
But before we venture into Galatians, it’s valuable for us to spend this time being reminded that living
according to God’s instructions should be our constant goal.
When we’re talking about avoiding legalism over the coming weeks, keep in mind that grace doesn’t justify
disobedience.
With that said, I want you to see that we’re to -
3. GROW SPIRITUALLY BY GROWING IN OBEDIENCE.
Too often people try to split loving God from obeying His rules.
They might think that their love for God justifies their ignoring His laws for life.
The fact is that LOVE and OBEDIENCE are two sides of the same coin when it comes to walking with
Christ.
Our Lord affirmed that the greatest commandment is to love God with all of ourselves.
But this doesn’t mean that obedience is negated by the command to l.ove God.
=> Jesus also told us in -
* John 14:15 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Love for God was never meant to replace obeying Him — love is the root from which obedience should
grow.
And if obedience isn’t present as a fruit in your life, there’s a problem at the root - your love for God
We see this played out in Psalm 119 as it clarifies -
3A. OBEDIENCE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
* 33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
Through these 4 verses, the psalmist asks God to personally work in his life to help him to be more
obedient.
As with the other themes, this theme pops up multiple times in Psalm 119.
Here, the request is to be taught, made to understand, to be led, and to have his heart changed.
God’s always intended that He would be our sole master and to completely capture our hearts.
These verses show that, even with a person’s heart set on obeying God, staying on the right path still must
be done in relationship with God as an act of His grace.
The same theme of obedience growing in relationship with God in v. 73.
* 73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
I appreciate v.73 because it includes the element of our being created by God
I like how the New English Bible phrases it as “You made me what I am.”
We were created by God to glorify Him.
And a major way we glorify Him is by learning, loving, and obeying His commandments.
This doesn’t happen by us living with our noses in the Bible or some strange osmosis of information.
We learn to obey Him in a relationship of dependence on Him for understanding.
And the goal of that understanding is so that we might learn and obey His commands.
Obedience is key to our spiritual growth as God Himself is involved in our learning to obey Him.
The other aspect of how obedience is key to spiritual maturity shows in how Psalm 119 illustrates-
3B. OBEDIENCE FROM THE HEART
* 56 This blessing has fallen to me,
that I have kept your precepts.
This might be a good place to remind you that this psalm is written in the context of persecution and
affliction.
Notice the psalmist isn’t praying for deliverance from his circumstances but that his obedience would hold
up.
You could read v.56 as “Keeping Your precepts has been a blessing to me.”
The psalmist highlights that he sees it as a blessing that he’s continued to live according to God’s
instructions.
That’s truly what he wants above all else.
It reminds me of a recovering drug addict who shared with me something that her mentor, Mark Stevens
had told her.
She said, “What Mark says is true, ‘Obedience is its own reward.’”
97 Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
We can’t grow our love for a spouse or loved one without spending time with them.
The same is true for our love for God’s Truth.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
Being attracted to what’s right and hating what’s false - both of these are acquired tastes.
The sweet taste of God’s words and the understanding that we gain from His precepts are the result of
holding to them during temptation.
We also see the heart involved in our obedience in v. 111-112.
111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
The term “heritage” refers to an inheritance, meaning that God’s testimonies are to be valued like a windfall
of riches.
And they should be valued to the point of being the joy of our hearts.
Again, we see the importance of letting God change the inclination of the heart before the trial or
temptation comes.
Think of a see-saw being inclined to the left or the right.
If you were to set a ball on the middle of the see-saw, it’s not hard to know which direction it’s gonna roll.
It’s going to roll in the direction of the incline.
God’s design for His glory is for our hearts to be inclined toward serving Him.
And we then do what we please when the opportunity comes - obey Him.
Or as Martin Luther is quoted as saying, “Love God, and sin all you want!”
This tongue-in-cheek statement is pointing to the fact that we are less likely to sin when we’re loving God.
And this glorifies God.
God’s intention is to change us from the inside out so that we find our greatest joy in what’s truly worthy
of our desires.
As John Piper has been known to say, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
From what I understand, people like gold.
The one piece of gold jewelry I owned was my wedding ring, and I lost that at the gym.
Don’t ask Kelly how she feels about that. It won’t be pretty.
=> Well, v. 127 describes a love for God’s commandments that surpasses the material things people desire.
127 Therefore I love your commandments
above gold, above fine gold.
This is pretty self-explanatory.
God intends to so change us that our hearts long to obey Him.
Do you let God teach you to trust and obey Him at a deeper level each week, month, and year of your life?
Are you ready to take the desires of your heart to the Lord and ask Him to shape them rather than asking
Him to give you what you want?
Some of you are familiar with the game Wordle.
Others of you are sick of family members sharing their daily Wordle score with you by text message.
In the game of Wordle, you have five chances to guess the five-letter word of the day.
So, I’ve used this game as an object lesson for our small group in the past.
I handed out sheets to each team and let them make guesses at the words.
But one of the teams has all the letters crossed-out out except for E, R, O, S, and H.
So, the only words they can make are “HORSE” or “SHORE.”
Obviously, that team wins within two guesses.
The point of the object lesson is that having God’s Instructions, we have the opportunity to fast-track to
success in life.
God’s instructions already eliminate choices because they don’t glorify God.
We’re also pointed to what will bring us great joy in life if we live in obedience to God.
We already have outlined for us much of the path we should take with the steps that honor God.
We’re told what our heart will desire when we love God.
And God Himself has given us these instructions and illuminating our minds to them.
Do you see the blessing it is to have God’s instructions so clearly laid out for us by a loving heavenly Father?
Don’t be like the rebel without a clue, Ronnie Wilde.
If only Ronnie had known and obeyed God’s instructions.
At age 12 he would’ve obeyed and honored his parents and maintained their trust.
At age 16, he would’ve obeyed the governing authorities and the laws of the road and kept his car.
At 25, he would’ve kept his job because he wouldn’t have lied at work.
At 35, he would’ve fled immorality and turned away from adultery and kept his marriage.
But no, he was clueless.
Love God and love the clues that He’s given you for the life that you were made to live.
