dr logans blog

Psalm 119:121-128

Ayin.

I have done justice and righteousness; do not leave me to my oppressors. Be surety for Your servant for good; do not let the arrogant oppress me. My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation and for Your righteous word. Deal with Your servant according to Your lovingkindness and teach me Your statutes. I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies. It is time for the Lord to act, for they have broken Your law. Therefore, I love Your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold. Therefore, I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way.^[1]

It is so frustrating to see the body of Christ behaving like the world. We expect the world to be carnal and ungodly because they have no relationship with the Lord. It is another matter entirely to see the body of Christ defecting from the Word of God especially when you endeavor to remain faithful in all your ways. We know we are not perfect. We know we are sinful and in need of forgiveness, but our heart’s desire is to perform His perfect will daily. So when we spend our time seeking to please the Lord in all our ways, it is maddening to see other so-called Christians routinely defying the Lord by their rebellion and disobedience.

We wonder how those who so brazenly break God’s law continue to get away with their rebellion. Like the psalmist, we believe it is time for the Lord to act. Jeremiah expressed the same concern in a slightly different way. He writes: “Righteous are You, O Lord, that I would plead my case with You; indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You; why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease” (Jeremiah 12:1). While I cannot answer the question, I know we serve a just God. We do not know what happens behind the scenes. We do not know the silent struggles of those who look to have it all together. Therefore, we can only be concerned about our way. Perhaps that is why the Apostle Paul counsels the Philippians: “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

Heavenly Father, You alone know the habits of our hearts. You know the depth of our faith and devotion. You also know the frustration we feel watching the rebellion so prevalent in Your body. Keep us focused on our salvation. Never let us become distracted by what others do or do not do. Continue to show us Your lovingkindness as we endeavor to faithfully keep your law. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 119:121–128.

Psalm 119:113-120

Samekh.

I hate those who are double-minded, but I love Your law. You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word. Depart from me, evildoers, that I may observe the commandments of my God. Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope. Uphold me that I may be safe, that I may have regard for Your statutes continually. You have rejected all those who wander from Your statutes, for their deceitfulness is useless. You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies. My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments.^[1]

“I hate those who are double-minded . . .” These are strong words that immediately remind me of the words of James writing about coming to the Lord without unbelief and doubt. The person that approaches God in that manner “is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6-8). What a tremendously convicting word, especially in a time when believers labor so much in unbelief and doubt when it comes to the Word of God. Look at many the polling companies and note the sad picture they paint of faith in America. Many in the west claim to have faith but then predicate it upon what they can prove or what is deemed acceptable and politically correct.

Faith is not faith if it can definitively proven. Faith believes the impossible. Therefore, when one is willing to be swayed from what they believe in favor of what is acceptable or politically correct they are deemed to be double-minded and good for nothing. The psalmist was familiar with such double-minded individuals, but he himself loved the law. While it might seem implausible to some and improbable to others we must choose to stand firmly upon God’s Word without shame. Where do you stand today?

Dear Lord and Father of us all. Let me never be accused of being double-minded. Despite the mockery and derision of those who see my devotion as foolish, keep me from selfishly giving in to what the populace will accept. Give me the courage to stand upon Your Word regardless of the consequences, and after I have stood, let me stand the more. All of this I ask in the name of Jesus, my Savior, Lord and King. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 119:113–120.

Psalm 119: 105-112

Nun.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and I will confirm it, that I will keep Your righteous ordinances. I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word. O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your ordinances. My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts. I have inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, even to the end.^[1]

Have you ever been at a place where it seemed that nothing was going well, and everything you tried seemed to falter and fail? If you have ever been in that place or a place like it, you know how uncomfortable it can be. You feel lost and disoriented, like you are grasping at straws and pulling back nothing. It is rather like walking in the midst of darkness without the aid of any type of ambient light from nearby streetlights, the moon or the stars. In that place we search for any kind of assistance we can get, and quite often it is the wrong kind because we look to human measures and remedies first.

The psalmist here writes that it is God’s Word that provides the illumination needed to find the right path. This is one of my favorite and much quoted scripture verses because I have found it to be absolutely instrumental in helping me forge the right path. God’s Word not only provides much needed illumination; it also brings revival to the soul. Life is full of challenges that are not overcome through any other measure but the employment of the Word of God. Thank God we can say with the psalmist that “is a lamp to my feet and a lamp to my path.” May we, like this psalmist, find it to be so.

Gracious God, teach us to fall in love with Your Word so that we may be able to declare its worth and value in our lives. Keep us from looking to our own means and measures for solutions to life’s challenges. Cause us to ever seek You and Your Word first in every situation. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 119:105–112.

Psalm 119:97-104

Mem.

O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! From Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.^[1]

In two separate places in the Bible, individuals are instructed to take the word (or scroll) and eat it. Here the psalmist tells us that the Word of the Lord is sweet to the taste, sweeter in fact than honey. This imagery is more than mere wordsmithing. It indicates the depths of the psalmists love for and commitment to the Word of God. Note what he says! God’s commandments make him wiser than his enemies, give him more insight than his teachers, and make him wiser than those who are older.

What value do we attach to God’s Word? Are they mere words on a page or God’s Word to us, relevant in every age? Do they cause his to hate, which is a strong word, “every false way?” God’s Word gives us wisdom, insight, and understanding. By it alone we find strength and bright hope for all of our tomorrows. May we value God’s Word to us even just a fraction of the value this psalmist attached to it. Doing so will cause us to live more victoriously.

God our Father, holy is Your name! You alone are worthy of all our praise and adoration. We thank You for leaving us such a rich legacy in Your Word. May we fall in love with it as this writer obviously was. Keep us from indifference to it. Keep us from falling prey to the tricks and traps of our enemy who still seeks to steal, kill and destroy us. Hold us close so that we may be instructed by You as we read and study in Your Word. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus our Christ. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 119:97–104.

Psalm 119:89-96

Lamedh.

Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants. If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have revived me. I am Yours, save me; for I have sought Your precepts. The wicked wait for me to destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies. I have seen a limit to all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly broad.^[1]

Do you remember this popular bumper sticker: “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it?” The psalmist affirms that the Word of God is settled in heaven. Another translation says: “it is forever settled in the heavens.” Still another states: it “is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” Frail human beings like you and me need to think that the validity of God’s Word is predicated on whether or not it is accepted and believed. But the fact of the matter is that it does not matter whether we believe it or not, it is still settled – in heaven. The only place it is not settled is in the hearts and minds of people – like us!

Personally, it is a load off of my mind deciding whether to accept God’s Word simply because I believe it. It is true whether I choose to believe it or not. God is not waiting around for me to decide whether His promises are true. He does not predicate what He does on my ability to believe. It does not matter to Him whether I receive Him as God or not simply because I have to decide who He is. He is God still. He is able to do what He promised still. He loves us still. So, let us decide to accept that God is who He said He is and able to do what He said he could do just because He said it and not because we have decided to believe it.

Dear Lord and Father of us all, forgive our feeble faith. Forgive our penchant for proofs. Forgive us for basing our acceptance of Your promises on what we are able to believe. Help us this day to boldly accept Your Word simply because of who You are, and on the strength of Your Word alone. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 119:89–96.

Psalm 119:81-88

Kaph.

My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word. My eyes fail with longing for Your word, while I say, “When will You comfort me?” Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget Your statutes. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me? The arrogant have dug pits for me, men who are not in accord with Your law. All Your commandments are faithful; they have persecuted me with a lie; help me! They almost destroyed me on earth, but as for me, I did not forsake Your precepts. Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.^[1]

What could be bad enough to cause one to forsake their relationship with the Lord. From our privileged position we would like to think there could be nothing, but we have not had to suffer the kinds of persecution with which many believers around the world have had to contend. Martyrdom is a daily consequence for many believers still today. Refusing to deny Christ, these contemporary martyrs for the faith have been imprisoned, stoned, hanged, beheaded and worse. Unthinkable atrocities have occurred and continue to occur because a sister or brother would not abandon their faith.

The psalmist was probably not being subjected to this level of persecution, but it was persecution nonetheless, and in the face of it he did not shrink back or falter, but instead pleaded for help. While we may not be faced with the kinds of persecution many fellow believers around the world daily face, there are still many opportunities to remain faithful or to deny Christ regularly presented to us. In the face of these opportunities we must decide whether we will betray our faith by compromising and accommodating or whether we will stand firm in our faith refusing to be moved ready to face whatever reprisals come our way. May we, with God’s help, choose to remain faithful as the psalmist did.

Heavenly Father, we cherish our relationship with you. We cherish Your Word that keeps us centered, energized and in love with You. You know the challenges we daily face. You know the opposition with which we must daily contend. You also know our tolerances, the places we are strong and those where we are weak. We cry to You for help as we face these challenges to our faith and relationship with You. Strengthen us so that we will not falter. Undergird us with Your power that we will continue to stand. Thank You for hearing and answering our prayer. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 119:81–88.