Exposition of Psalm
119
?
GIMEL
God’s
Word Brings Victory Over Adversity
Ps.
119:17-24
Deal
bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep
thy word.
Open
thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of
thy law.
I
am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments
from me.
My
soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy
judgments at all times.
Thou
hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err
from thy commandments.
Remove
from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy
testimonies.
Princes
also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did
meditate in thy statutes.
Thy
testimonies also are my delight and my
counsellors.
Charles Spurgeon begins
his exposition of this stanza with the words.
In this section the trials of the
way appear to be manifest to the Psalmist’s mind, and he
prays accordingly for the help which will meet his case.
As in the last eight verses he prayed as a youth newly
come into the world, so here he pleads as a servant and
a pilgrim, who growingly finds himself to be a stranger
in an enemy’s country. His appeal is to God alone, and
his prayer is specially direct and personal. He speaks
with the Lord as a man speaketh with his
friend.
Indeed, this stanza is
about victory over adversity. The theme introduced here
is one that recurs throughout the psalm. He repeatedly
faces adversity and opposition, but each time he turns
the Word of God for victory and solace. It is an
encouragement that foreshadows the counsel of the
Apostle Paul: “the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). We, therefore, see five
principles in these eight verses: the request, the
realization, the rebuke, the reproach, and the
reaction.
I. The Request (vs.
17-18)
Deal
bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep
thy word. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of thy law.
In his meditation on the
Word of God, the Psalmist makes a two-fold request of
God.
Bless Him
with God’s Word (v. 17)
Deal
bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep
thy word.
The words deal
bountifully translate a single word in the
Hebrew (gamal), a verb meaning to recompense another, as in
bestowing with a benevolent reward. And what reward was
David asking for? Today we hear many teachers telling
believers to pray, “Oh, God, bless me,” by which they
mean material blessing and prosperity. That is not what
David asks for. He asks that he might live for the
express purpose of keeping God’s Word. Think of it! Oh,
is that how we pray? Do we pray, “Oh, Lord, give me
another day that I may learn more truth from your Word,
that I may serve You in some way, that I may be a
testimony to another person?”
Behold God’s
Wonders (v. 18)
Open
thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of
thy law.
Here is another
prayer that we should ask ourselves if we have ever
prayed. Taking the first request one step further, David
asks God to open his
eyes to
the wonders of His Word. Once again, a single Hebrew
word (pala) translates wondrous
things. The dominant idea
is in reference to “the acts of God, designating either
cosmic wonders or historical achievements on behalf of
Israel.”[i] It appears, for
example, in Exodus 3:20 in reference to God sending
Moses to Pharoah: “And I will stretch out my hand, and
smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the
midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.” It
appears also in Jeremiah 32:17: “Ah Lord GOD! behold,
thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great
power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too
hard (pala) for thee.”
Nothing exceeds God’s wonders.
In this context,
therefore, it is the Word of God that is the “cosmic
wonder,” the amazing thing that only God could do. While
men blather on about how the universe came into
existence using such statements as, “In a billionth of a
second, energy was transformed into matter at the Big
Bang,” we know the true cosmic wonder of God’s creation
as He spoke it all into existence. Another wonder,
however, is His Word itself. It was His Word that was
the “First Cause” of all that exists. “God said,” for
example, “let there be light: and there was light” (Gen.
1:3, emphasis added). We read, in fact, no less than
eight times that God spoke at creation and creation was
done (1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26).
Of special importance are
the words, Open thou mine
eyes (emphasis added) in which David
recognizes that human ability is in vain when it comes
to understanding God’s Word. Puritan Charles Bridges
puts it well when he writes: “David had acquired in the
Divine school ‘more understanding than all his teachers’
(Verses 99, 100); yet he ever comes to his God under a
deep sense of his blindness.”[ii] Indeed, because of
God’s Word the believer has more understanding of what
exists and happens in that world than do unbelievers.
The unregenerate scientist, philosopher, psychiatrist,
sociologist, and all others know practically nothing,
while the believer knows what he knows because God has
revealed it in Holy Scripture. Paul expressed this truth
in I Cor. 2:14: “But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.” “Discerned is
the Greek anakrino. From about 400 BC onward, it
expressed “the questioning process which leads to a
judgment: to examine, cross-examine, interrogate,
enquire, and investigate.” Other concepts in the root
krino are to scrutinize and
sift.[iii] It is the Word of God
alone that examines, investigates, and sifts through
everything, separating truth from error.
It also says a lot
about our times when we hear people say, in so many
words, “Give me a plainer Bible,” instead of
praying open
thou mine eyes to see my Bible. The attitude today is to water down
what the Word says, or “dumb it down” by translating it
into such modern language that the meaning is actually
corrupted.
What, then, are the
wonders of God’s Word? While we could go into much depth
here, we’ll point our just the highlights.
First, is its
unique authorship. It was
written over a 1600-year time span by some forty authors
from every walk of life in different locations and in
different languages. This leads right to a second
wonder.
Second, is
its complete unity. Contrary
to the accusations of skeptics and critics, there are no
contradictions in God’s Word. There is a total unity of
doctrine: one
view of God, one view of sin, one method of salvation,
and one program for the ages. As
theologian Louis Sperry Chafer observes, “To account for
such an amazing book with its continuity of development
on natural means would demand a greater miracle than
inspiration itself.”[iv]
Third,
throughout its pages, we see the central theme, the Lord
Jesus Christ, the “Word who became flesh” (Jn. 1:14). As
the Old Testament prepared for Christ, the
Gospels present Christ, and the Epistles then
propagate Christ. All of
Scripture points to Him and the redemptive history that
is in Him.
Fourth, we
see the Bible’s prophetic accuracy. In hundreds of instances, the prophecies of
Bible have come to pass without error. A single case in
point is my favorite fulfilled Bible prophecy, the
prophecy against Tyre, a great city on the eastern coast
of the Mediterranean. Because of its terrible
wickedness, Ezekial 26 declares that Tyre would be
utterly destroyed and would never again be inhabited or
rebuilt. The prophecy went so far as to say that the
city would be scraped clean like the top of a rock, that
the stones, timbers, and the very dust of the city
would be cast into the sea (Ezek. 26:4-5,
12-14).
A few years later,
the Babylonians besieged the city, and after 13 years
the walls fell, but the prophecy was not totally
fulfilled, since some of the walls still stood and the
city was eventually rebuilt. It appeared that Ezekial
was wrong. 250 years later, however, Alexander the Great
finished what Nebuchadnezzar began. As Alexander waged
his war against the Persians, he destroyed the Persian
navy by gobbling up ports on the eastern Mediterranean
coast. One of these ports was Tyre, with its impregnable
walls that had been built on an island half a mile out
to sea. With arrogance and laughter, the inhabitants
refused Alexander’s command to surrender, so he and
chief engineer, Diades, hatched a plan that is still
amazing on today’s standards. They planned to build a
half mile causeway from shore to the island using the walls of
the old city as the material. Alexander’s own words were, “Tear down the
walls of Tyre, take the timbers and the stones, the
rubble and the logs, and cast them into the sea.” Sound
familiar? These words were but a paraphrase of the very
words of God’s prophet Ezekial.
But what about today? What is the
state of Tyre now? Fisherman use the now flat island as
a place to spread their nets for drying and repair, just
as Ezekial 26:5 declares.
Fifth, is the
Bible’s archeological authentication. Over and
over again archeology has proved the Bible’s accuracy.
My favorite example is the uncovering of Pithom, the
treasure city built for Rameses II, the Pharaoh of the
exodus. When Sir Flinders Petrie uncovered this site, he
found something rather odd. He found that some of the
sun-baked bricks used in construction were made with straw and
some were made without straw, exactly as recorded in Exodus 5. Further,
each time archeologists have turned over a spade full of
sand, they have uncovered ancient cities that critics
says never existed, such as, Ur of the Chaldees,
Petra, and Jericho.
Sixth, is the
Bible’s timeless age. Any
piece of written material we pick up today is anything
but timeless. A newsmagazine is outdated the next week,
a medical journal is outdated with the next discovery, a
newspaper is outdated the next day, a novel is only a
best seller for a few weeks. The Word of God, however,
is timeless. It is as up to date now as when It was
first penne
Seventh, is
the Bible’s indestructibility. First, it has
survived the ravages of time. There are, for example,
some 5,000 Greek manuscripts that attest to the New
Testament. This is an astounding number when
compared with the second most attested Greek work,
that is, the 643 extant manuscripts of Homer’s Iliad. Second,
it has survived direct attack. How many foolish men have
tried to destroy the Word of God! Diocletion (c. 303),
the worst of the Roman emperors, published his
edict to burn the Scriptures. Not only did the edict
fail, but Diocletion’s successor (Constantine)
twenty-five years later commissioned the church
historian Eusebius to prepare 50 copies of the
Scriptures at government expense. Third, it has
survived critical attack. As early as the
17th Century, there
developed the “science” of Higher (or Historical)
Criticism,[v] which was a scholarly
attack on the date, literary style, structure,
historicity, and authorship of books of the Bible. There
also arose Lower (Textual) Criticism, which is based
exclusively on rationalism and which undermines
Scripture by saying its preservation is more
attributable to man’s efforts than by God’s providence.
Each time, however, God’s Word has been
vindicated.
Indeed, the wonders
of God’s Word are dazzling. Let us pray with David,
Open thou
mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy
law.
II. The Realization (vs.
19-20, 23)
I
am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments
from me.
My
soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy
judgments at all times. . . .
Princes
also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did
meditate in thy statutes.
On the heals of his
prayer, David realized three things.
First, he
realized that he is a stranger
in this world. The Hebrew here (ger), as one authority tells us, refers to “anyone
who is not native to a given land or among a given
people.” The same authority goes on to
write:
Strangers or aliens were those
living in a strange land among strange people. Their
stay was temporary or they did not identify with the
group among whom they were living, no matter how long
they stayed.[vi]
Oh, that we would
realize the significance of David’s statement! Here he
was a native of the land and even king of that land.
Still he says, however, that he is not a native,
rather a stranger, an alien.
The Apostle Paul realized
the same truth. Referring to the Jews in Egypt but
extending that to the Christian, he preached to those in
Antioch that the people were “strangers in the land of
Egypt” (Acts 13:17). Likewise, in that great “Hall of
Faith” in Hebrews 11:13, he wrote concerning all those
faithful souls, “These all died in faith, not having
received the promises, but having seen them afar off,
and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the
earth.”
Peter also recognized this
principle as he wrote “to the strangers scattered
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and
Bithynia” (1 Pet. 1:1). In then encourages them “as
strangers and pilgrims” to “abstain from fleshly lusts,
which war against the soul” (2:11).
What a challenge and
encouragement this is to the Christian! As wonderful as
life is, as blessed as American citizenship is, it all
pales to insignificance in light of the fact that we are
only temporary residents of this earth, no matter how
long we live here. We’re just passing through, “For our
conversation [literally, “citizenship,”
politeuma] is in heaven; from
whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ” (Phil. 3:20; cf. Eph. 2:19).
Sadly, many preachers
today do not emphasize this truth nearly enough,
preferring to put their emphasis on political reform and
social change. Thank God, however, for those like
17th Century English churchman Jeremy Taylor,
who put it so well: “Faith is the Christian’s
foundation, hope is his anchor, death is his harbor,
Christ is his pilot, and heaven is his
country.”[vii] And as I once heard the
beloved Vance Havner say: “We are not citizens of this
world trying to get to heaven; rather, we are citizens
of heaven just trying to get through this world.” Oh,
let us never forget where our true citizenship
is!
Second, David
realized that he desperately needed the Word of God:
My soul
breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments
at all times (v. 20). How he needed a
“Guidebook” through a strange, alien world! The Hebrew
behind longing
(ta'abah) speaks of an
intense hunger, so David hungered to experience and
follow God’s Word. Job realized the same truth and
declared: “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more
than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). To make this
practical, do we love the Word of God more than that
medium rare steak and strawberry sundae for desert (my
favorites)?
Further, it is far
worse to starve spiritually than it is to starve
physically, and sadly, many Christians are starving
these days for doctrinal preaching and teaching are not
the core of modern ministry. I saw this first hand as I
traveled extensively for four years back in the
mid-1980s, but it is far
worse today, as pragmatism, entertainment,
“seeker-sensitivity,” and other trends have taken over
Christianity. The most important thing in the
Christian’s life is his spiritual diet. As the four
physical food groups are essential to good health, the
four spiritual groups listed in Acts 2:42 are essential
to spiritual growth and health: doctrine, fellowship,
breaking of bread (Lord’s Supper and worship), and
prayer.
Third, David
realized that he faced opposition because of the Word of
God: Princes
also did sit and speak against me. How vital it is for the Christian to realize
that the world is not their friend, that the world will
always oppose God’s Word and those who proclaim it as
the only source of Truth. It is, indeed, significant how
the world will unite against Christ and His own. The
most vivid example is found in how the four primary
religious groups of Jesus’ day united against Him. While
the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots were
radically different, and actually hated each another,
they all united in their efforts to discredit and
destroy the Lord Jesus. Such will the case always
be.
In the face of these
realizations, then, David’s only refuge was to meditate in [God’s]
statutes. It is the Word
of God alone that brings victory over
adversity.
III. The Rebuke (v.
21)
Thou
hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err
from thy commandments.
What a strong
statement that is! In an age when pride is exalted as a
virtue and encouraged even by Christian leaders in terms
such as “self-esteem” and “self-worth,” God condemns it
in every form. Not only are the words “pride” and
“proud” never, not in a single instance, used in
positive way, Scripture repeatedly records the downfall
of the proud and that they are cursed by
God: Cain (Gen. 4:5, 13-16), Pharoah (Ex. 14:15:31),
Haman (Esther 7:7-10), Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:29-33),
Herod (Acts 12:21-33), and the list goes on. Pride is
never positive, as is taught today; it is always
negative.
The verse before us
is, in fact, one of the strongest statements about pride
in Scripture. While Proverbs 16:18 declares, “Pride
goeth before destruction,” David is even more
pointed—the
proud . . . are cursed. Why? Because at the
very root of pride is a rejection and departure from
God’s Word. The proud,
David goes on to say, err from [God’s]
commandments. Pride is its own authority and
rejects God’s authority. Err is the
Hebrew shagâ, which means to
go astray, to deceive, to wander, to make a mistake, to
reel. It’s used primarily to express the idea of
straying or wandering and frequently describes a
wandering or aimless flock, both figuratively and
literally (Ezek.34:6). Isaiah used this verb to suggest
swerving, meandering, or reeling in drunkenness (Isa.
28:7). It also describes moral corruption (Prov.
5:23).[viii] All that is,
indeed, the result of the proud
person who wanders from God’s commands. The
humble person desires God’s Word, while the
arrogant person never does.
IV. The Reproach (v.
22)
Remove
from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy
testimonies.
This verse again speaks of
the adversity that comes from men if we stand for God’s
Word. As Charles Bridges notes, “The proud under the
rebuke of God are usually distinguished by their enmity
to his people.”[ix] In other words, in
light of verse 21, since the “proud” cannot attack God
directly, they attack His people instead. The Hebrew
behind reproach
(herpâ) speaks of casting blame or scorn on
someone, and contempt
(bûz) means despise and hold
as insignificant. When we stand for the Word of God,
people will scorn, despise, and hold us as insignificant
simpletons.
David, therefore,
prays that God will remove
(that is, “roll off of him,” as the Hebrew indicates;
galal) such reproach and
contempt because he has faithfully kept God’s
testimonies.
Living a life for God is,
indeed, tiresome and burdensome as the weight of the
world’s contempt presses down on us. But God is control
and will vindicate us. He will empower us to allow such
attacks to “roll off our backs.” Puritan Matthew Henry
encourages us with these words:
God has all men’s hearts and
tongues in his hand, and can silence lying lips, and
raise up a good name that is trodden in the dust. To him
we may appeal as the assertor of right and avenger of
wrong, and may depend on his promise that he will clear
up our righteousness as the light, Ps.
37:6.
V. The Reaction (v.
24)
Thy
testimonies also are my delight and my
counsellors.
As mentioned in our
introduction to this Psalm, the term testimonies
(or “testimony,” ‘edah)
eventually came to be used for a solemn testimony of the
will of God, a sober and serious expression of God’s
standards for human behavior. So as this stanza closes,
David returns to the theme of the sufficiency of God’s
Word and declares two things about it.
First, the
Word of God is his delight. As hard as it is to stand for Truth, as
burdensome as adversity is, there is still absolute joy
in obeying God’s Word. If we obey God’s Word, joy is our
guarantee.
Second, the
Word of God is his [counselor].
We hear much today about counselors
and counseling, most of which, sadly, is based in
humanism not Scripture alone. As one expositor rightly
observes: on matters of the origins of life and the
universe, men go to science; on matters of finance men
go to The Wall Street Journal or
Barron’s magazine; on matters
of raising our children men go to Dr. Spock; and on
matters of depression and anxieties men go to the
psychiatrist.[x] In stark contrast, the
truly godly Christian goes to the Word of God alone as
his counselor, the source of advice, guidance, and
peace.
As we close, let us each
ask ourselves, “How do I react to adversity? Do I return
to the Word of God alone to combat the attacks of men
and to bring solace to my weary soul?” As another
expositor sums up this stanza, “If ever we feel that we
can ignore our daily time with God and His Word, then
this is the Scripture to read.” He goes on to point out
that we need the Word of God because we are servants
(vs. 17, 23), students (v. 18), strangers (vs. 19-20),
and sufferers (vs. 21-24).[xi]
Dear Christian Friend, is
there any doubt of your need for the Word of
God?
[i] Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament.
[iii] Brown, Vol. 2, p.
362.
[iv] Louis Sperry
Chafer, Major Bible Themes
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1980), p.
13.
[v] Charles L.
Feinberg
(Editor), The Fundamentals for
Today (Grand Rapids: Kregel
Publications, 1961), p. 14.
[vi] Baker and Carpenter,
#1616.
[vii] Cited in Wayne
Detzler, New Testament Words in Today’s
Language (Wheaton: Victor Books,
1986), p. 363.
[viii] Baker and Carpenter,
#7686.
[x] Adapted from Phillips,
pp. 281-282.
[xi] Wiersbe, pp.
108-110.
