Thinking About Evidence
Psalms 119:153-160
March 6, 2022
We are nearing the end of our study of this wonderful Psalm.
We have seen our Psalmist in and out and back in
Various afflictions and moments of oppression.
But the one constant in his life is that
He has not failed to seek, trust, and obey the word of God.
For him Scripture has been the solution to all his problems,
And his commitment to it is unwavering.
And as we have said several times of late, his commitment is so steadfast
That it has actually landed him in trouble.
• It was back in verse 122 that the Psalmist first introduced us to the
presence of “oppressors” in his life.
These are men who have rejected God’s word
And now cause difficulty for him because he refuses to do so.
• In verse 141 we find that he is “small and despised”
• In verse 143 he wrote “trouble and anguish have come upon me”
• And last week we saw the situation become even more serious.
Verse 150 “those who follow after wickedness draw near;”
And that is why last week he gave a very sincere and intense prayer
For God to step in and deal with his oppressors.
AND HE WENT TO GOD’S WORD FOR THE ANSWER
Well, tonight his prayer continues.
In fact, just from reading this prayer to get started
You may have easily spotted what it is that our Psalmist desires.
Three times the Psalmist said it, “Revive me”
(154) “Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.”
(156) “Great are Your mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your ordinances.”
(159) “Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.”
It is obvious, the Psalmist wants to be revived.
“Revive” translates HIGH-YA
It literally means “to live”
Often times we think of revival as an emotional experience,
Or some sort of spiritual high.
For our Psalmist it simply means to live life as God intended it.
He just wants freedom from his oppressors not so he can be apathetic but so that he can serve God unhindered.
And you even see HIS BASIS FOR ASKING for revival.
(154) “Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.”
Clearly he knows a thing or two about God.
• He knows God intercedes in our lives.
• He knows God is a Redeemer.
He has read all about how God intervened in the lives of His people
To deliver and save and redeem.
And he simply wants God to do for him
What he has read about God doing for so many others.
I’ve read your word and I know about how you give life to the dead;
DO THAT FOR ME!
(156) “Great are Your mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your ordinances.”
“ordinances” is a word that speaks of “God’s judgments or rulings in a matter”.
And the Psalmist knows one thing about this Judge
HE RULES IN MERCY.
“Great are Your mercies”
And so the Psalmist appeals for revival, not on the basis of his merit,
But on the basis of God’s mercy.
• God, I know you revive Your people – do that for me.
• God, I know you are a merciful Judge – be merciful for me.
“Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.”
“lovingkindness” of course is that familiar CHECED or “God’s loyal covenantal love”.
It is the love God has for the elect.
• It is the love God has for His own.
• It is God’s partiality and favor that He sovereignly bestows on those He has chosen.
And so the Psalmist appeals to God as one of His own.
Deliver me like I am one of your own.
And this is where the PSALM REALLY GETS INTERESTING
For look at the entirety of verse 159.
“Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.”
The Psalmist is appealing to God
To treat him as one of God’s very own children.
BUT FIRST THE PSALMIST OFFERS EVIDENCE
That he is in fact one of God’s very own children.
What is that evidence?
“Consider how I love Your precepts”
• Our Psalmist appeals to God for revival on the basis that he is God’s child.
• And how does he set out to prove that he is God’s child?
By his love for God’s word.
SO FIRST we must acknowledge that:
Love for the word of God is one of the evidences of a child of God.
AND THEN we ask ourselves:
How does one tell if a love for God’s word is genuine?
CERTAINLY IT IS TRUE THAT GOD’S CHILDREN LOVE HIS WORD.
• Honestly the entirety of Psalms 119 is a testimony to that fact.
• But it’s not the only testimony.
I think the best place to see this is here:
TURN TO: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:6-16
The Bible is not specifically mentioned there,
But certainly you recognize that God’s revelation is His word.
Once we’ve been redeemed are those who “have the mind of Christ”
• Once we were ignorant to the things of God.
• Once we are clueless about what God was doing.
• But in Christ we were granted insight and understanding.
• Our minds were transformed to love the things of God.
And with that comes a love for God’s word.
Redeemed people love God’s word.
• We are not those who love the darkness, but rather who love the light.
• We are those who long to draw nearer to God in knowledge and truth.
• There is a comfort and a joy there.
We see the opposite side of this in the fact that the unredeemed are those who do not love God’s word.
• When Paul writes to the Thessalonians about the coming Anti-Christ and the
judgment of those who will be deceived by them.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.”
There the unredeemed are described as those who
“did not receive the love of the truth”
The point is that there is a correlation here.
God’s people love God’s word.
And this is what the Psalmist is out to prove to God.
He is out to prove that unlike the world, he does in fact love God’s word.
“Consider how I love Your precepts;”
NOW YOU CAN “TELL” GOD YOU LOVE HIS WORD
• But honestly, Israel doesn’t have the best track record with God in this area.
• Many times they have said they love God or His word and then blown it with their actions.
Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”
Hosea 6:1-6 “Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. “So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.” What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early. Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth. For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Israel was notorious for making all sorts of
Promises of commitment to God while in the bed of affliction.
Israel often said they loved God’s word and then rejected it.
Just read the book of Judges some time.
Well, the Psalmist is claiming to be different.
I am your child and You should revive me.
I do love Your word.
I CAN PROVE IT.
“Consider how I love Your precepts”
And that is really what this entire stanza is about.
It is the Psalmist explaining to God how he loves His word.
And so tonight we see what it looks like
When a person loves God’s word.
And we get to easily ask the question:
DO I LOVE THE WORD OF GOD?
There are 5 things the Psalmist wants God to consider as proof
That he loves His word and will be faithful even after being revived.
#1 THE DEVOTION HE SHOWS
Psalms 119:153
Now again, we recognize his plea for deliverance.
And please recognize that the Psalmist has gone back to
Using the word “affliction” instead of oppression.
He does so, indicating that his oppressors
Have actually begun to make life difficult for him.
And because he is afflicted he wants God to “rescue” him.
And that is certainly understandable.
Any time we walk in hardship it would please any of us to have God just reach down and lift us out.
And so the Psalmist wants deliverance.
And you will notice that the Psalmist gives
The first piece of evidence that he deserves it.
It is the first proof of his love of God’s word.
“For I do not forget Your law.”
And this is not a testimony to his great memory,
But rather a testimony to his great devotion.
We have actually seen this mindset for several weeks now,
But the Psalmist refuses to be bullied away from God’s Word.
Regardless of the hardship…
Regardless of the affliction…
He continues to remember the law of God.
And “do not forget” means that he not only knows it is there,
But he always consults it as a viable answer to his dilemma.
It doesn’t matter if the problem is physical, financial, spiritual, emotional, political, relational, etc.
He always goes to God’s word for the solution.
HE NEVER OVERLOOKS IT.
He is trained to believe that God’s word works.
And certainly that is an attribute of one who loves God’s law.
It reminds us of Jesus during His temptation.
• After 40 days of eating He then became hungry.
• Satan told Him to turn rocks into bread.
Matthew 4:4 “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”
Jesus’ devotion to truth was greater even than His personal hunger.
This would be true throughout His life.
• When Satan tempted Him to throw Himself off the temple: “Do not put the
Lord to the test.”
• When Satan called for worship: “Worship God and serve Him only”
• When the Pharisees attacked him for really any reason, “Have you not read
where it says in the Scriptures…”
• When Peter pulled in a sword in the garden: “How else will the Scripture be
fulfilled which says it must happen this way?”
There is no doubt Jesus loved God’s word.
Jesus was devoted to it at all times.
Every situation proved His one desire was to obey the word of God.
CAN WE REALLY CLAIM TO LOVE GOD’S WORD WHEN WE FAIL REMEMBER IT?
Can we claim to love God’s word if we never consult it for answers in life?
You see, in those difficult times we reveal where our trust is.
The Psalmist tells God his loyalty is obvious.
When it is difficult, “I do not forget Your law.”
NOT “I will not forget” but “I do not forget”
This is his track record.
God, You know, I always remember to go to Your word
For guidance and answers.
The Devotion he shows
#2 THE DOCTRINE HE BELIEVES
Psalms 119:155
This is a very doctrine-heavy statement.
“Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes.”
The first thing we would notice is simply what he said,
And that is that there is a definite reason why the wicked are not saved.
The wicked are not saved because they do not seek God’s word.
They don’t care what God’s word says (which is why they are wicked)
And therefore without God’s word they cannot be saved.
This is exactly the truth that Paul taught us in Romans.
Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
Paul unequivocally stated that the gospel is the power for salvation.
Some would ask “why?”
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed”
Contrary to popular belief God has a very definite desire for humanity.
GOD WANTS THEM TO BE RIGHTEOUS.
• Jesus said, “You shall be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect”
• Peter wrote, “As it is written, ‘You shall be holy as I am holy’”
God wants holiness.
God wants righteousness.
And there is only one source that reveals that righteousness.
It is the gospel.
(Namely the word of God reveals how to get that righteousness)
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Only the word of God reveals where a man can get
The righteousness that God demands.
And that answer is of course through faith in Jesus.
And that is why “salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes.”
And our Psalmist believes that doctrine.
But there are plenty, even churches who may say they love God’s word (like the gospel) and then live otherwise.
“Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church becomes like the world” by John MacArthur.
He speaks all the subtle ways that churches reveal
That instead of loving God’s Word, they are in fact ashamed of it.
At one point he lists a group of church reviews
About local churches in the area.
• “There is no fire and brimstone here. No Bible-thumping. Just practical witty messages.”
• “Services at [the church featured in the article] have an informal feeling. You won’t hear people threatened with hell or referred to as sinners. The goal is to make them feel welcome, not drive them away.”
• As with all clergymen [this pastor’s] answer is God – but he slips Him in at the end, and even then doesn’t get heavy. No ranting, no raving. No fire, no brimstone. He doesn’t even use the H-word. Call it Light Gospel. It has the same salvation as the Old Time Religion, but with a third less guilt.”
• The sermons are relevant, upbeat, and best of all, short. You won’t hear a lot of preaching about sin and damnation and hellfire. Preacher here doesn’t sound like preaching. It is sophisticated, urbane, and friendly talk. It breaks all the stereotypes.”
• “[The pastor] is preaching a very upbeat message…It’s a Salvationist message, but the idea is not so much being saved from the fires of hell. Rather, it’s being saved from meaninglessness and aimlessness in this life. It’s more of a soft-sell.”
• “The idea, [this pastor] says, is to get people through the front doors, then disprove the stereotype of the sweating, loosened necktied, Bible-thumping preacher who yells and screams about burning in hell for eternity.”
And the whole reoccurring theme is that the message of the gospel
Is some sort of bad thing.
The notion that man is sinful and headed for judgment is just too harsh,
And anyone who would try and stand up and proclaim it
Is a sweaty bible-thumping preacher.
Anyone with the audacity to preach over about 15 minutes
Certainly fails to understand the desires of the culture.
But Scripture teaches it is through preaching that people are saved.
And not just trendy preaching, but preaching the gospel.
(repentance from sin – faith in Christ)
Well, the Psalmist is not ashamed of God’s plan of redemption.
The doctrine he believes is not a doctrine
That diminishes the need for Scripture
But one that puts the need for Scripture at the forefront.
In fact, he reckons a disregard of Scripture
To be the leading cause in a lack of salvation.
And because of this, he is certainly NOT the kind of man
Who would overlook God’s direction for his own life.
Think of:
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
You only do that if you truly believe
That a failure to obey God leads to destruction.
So can we say that in our lives?
• Can we say that no matter the situation we remember and consult God’s word?
• Can we say that no matter the answer we obey God knowing that His word alone saves?
That’s what it looks like when someone loves God’s word.
The Devotion he shows, The Doctrine he believes
#3 THE DURATION HE MAINTAINS
Psalms 119:157
This is certainly not a new concept for our Psalmist.
We are talking about the concept of ENDURANCE.
It doesn’t matter how much pressure, how much adversity,
This guy stays the course, and that is what he reminds God of here.
“Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, Yet I do not turn aside from Your testimonies.”
And notice the word “Many”
• This isn’t one wicked man trying to make his life difficult.
• This isn’t a couple of disgruntled people causing strife.
• This is “many” people.
His stance has caused him to offend many.
Do you stick with God’s word when everyone else is offended by it?
• Caleb and Joshua standing against Israel saying they should enter the Promised Land.
• Joshua telling the people, “Choose you this day whom you will serve…”
I’ve always liked Paul’s final warning to Timothy in that first letter.
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”
• Timothy, you’ve got to stand even if you stand alone.
• Even if you are considered to have “knowledge”.
• Even if it makes you look foolish.
• Stand.
THE PSALMIST HAS A TRACK RECORD OF THAT KIND OF COMMITMENT
He has stood even when he had to stand alone.
HOW CAN WE CLAIM TO LOVE GOD’S WORD WHEN PEER PRESSURE CAN EASILY TURN US AWAY FROM IT?
It is a sad thing in the church when cultural issues
Can dictate what the church believes.
And yet on a consistent basis we see the rise of feminism, homosexuality, or any other WOKE idea in the church.
All that is, is bending to the culture,
Instead of clinging to God’s Word.
The Psalmist loved God’s word more than he loved his reputation
Or his comfort, he endured, he does not leave.
The Devotion he shows, The Doctrine he believes, The Duration he maintains
#4 THE DISDAIN HE HAS
Psalms 119:158
Here we find his great zeal again.
“I behold the treacherous and loathe them”
I think it is safe to say that there is a group of people
That just get under his skin in a major way.
He calls them “the treacherous”
But beyond that, he tells you why they rile him so much.
“Because they do not keep Your word.”
Treachery is defined as “a violation of faith or trust”
It comes from a root Hebrew word that meant “to coveras in deceitfully”
These are men who promised to keep God’s word,
They said, “Trust me I will do it” and then they didn’t.
They were liars. They were phonies.
They claimed allegiance and then fell away.
These people who do more harm to Christianity than any other.
They claim a love for Jesus and then deny Him before the world.
They supply unbelievers with years’ worth of ammunition.
Romans 2:17-24 “But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”
They do a great disservice to God,
And so the Psalmist says, I “loathe them”
Now I don’t want to get in to promoting hatred or things of that sort.
But let me ask you, “DOES IT BOTHER YOU WHEN PEOPLE DISOBEY OR DISREGARD GOD’S WORD?”
I’ve been in plenty of churches were it didn’t.
I’ve been in meetings where Scripture was read and instantly disregarded.
• A preacher from my home town held his bible up and told his
congregation, “This is a good book, but you can’t believe everything in it.”
• A former preacher here in Spur told me, “I don’t believe the Bible is true.”
DOES THAT BOTHER YOU?
DOES THAT ANGER YOU?
If you want to see an example, just play a Joel Olsteen sermon for Carrie.
Well, it angered the Psalmist,
And the reason is because he loves God’s word.
David said:
Psalms 139:19-22 “O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.”
And the reason is because David loved God!
And that is true of our Psalmist.
He proves his love for God’s word
Because of the disdain he has when men disregard it.
So we know he loves God’s Word because of:
The Devotion he shows, the Doctrine he believes, the Duration he maintains, the Disdain he has
#5 THE DECLARATION HE MAKES
Psalms 119:160
What a great statement.
Take all of God’s word and add it all together and all you get is truth.
He is saying God’s word is without dilution.
It is pure and perfect, all adding up to perfect truth.
“every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.”
What a great declaration to make about the word of God.
Back in the 60’s and 70’s Baptist fought a battle.
It was called the Inerrancy Controversy.
Some claimed that the Bible was without error, inerrant,
Others refused to make the declaration.
It led to a fight and ultimately a split in our denomination.
FUNDAMENTALISTS vs. MODERATES
Now suppose you stood before a counsel of moderates who pressured and pushed you for a verdict on where you stand.
• Would you stand before the masses and hold to your convictions?
• Would you declare that the “sum of Your words is truth”?
• Would you declare that “every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting”?
Suppose you go to a secular work place where the Bible is maligned?
Suppose you go to a college where a professor mocks the Scriptures?
Are you willing to give testimony to your belief in the inerrancy of Scripture?
The psalmist did, because he loved God’s Word.
The Psalmist called for revival on the basis that He was one of God’s children.
The evidence he offered that he was God’s child was his love for God’s word.
And when he wanted to prove his love for God’s word this was his evidence.
• He was devoted to it in every situation.
• He believed that disobedience to it led to destruction.
• He continued to obey it even when oppressed and afflicted for it.
• He had genuine disdain for those who said they would obey it and didn’t.
• He was not afraid to declare his allegiance to it in any situation.
THAT IS HIS EVIDENCE THAT HE LOVES GOD’S WORD.
