Consider How I Love Your Precepts (Psalms 119:153-160)
Consider How I Love Your Precepts
Psalms 119:153-160
January 15, 2012
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 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.
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.
In reality it simply means to live life as God intended it.
And that is what the Psalmist asks for.
“Revive me according to Your word.”
(Let me live like Your word says I should)
“Revive me according to Your ordinances.”
“Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.”
He wants to live his life the way God promised
And the way God intended.
He is asking God to restore life.
It is similar to the promise Jesus made.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
• Jesus came to revive.
• He came to give life.
• He came to give life the way God intended it to be lived.
It doesn’t necessarily denote riches, or physical blessing
So much as it does righteousness
And the unhindered ability to walk in God’s truth.
The Psalmist wants that ability.
He is being oppressed, and his oppressors have drawn close and they pose a very real threat to halting life as he desires to live it.
His request is for God to step in and deliver him that he may continue to live the righteous life he desires.
And so his prayer is for revival.
The unique thing about this stanza is that during this stanza
He offers some leverage to the negotiating table.
He actually presents to God why God should grant his request.
And that statement is made in verse 159.
“Consider how I love Your precepts;”
There is something he wants God to see, and his belief is that
When God sees it, He will be more inclined to answer his request.
This is not totally foreign to David.
Psalms 7:1-5 “O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me, Or he will tear my soul like a lion, Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver. O LORD my God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands, If I have rewarded evil to my friend, Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary, Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; And let him trample my life down to the ground And lay my glory in the dust.”
There David pleaded for deliverance
And he did so based upon his righteousness.
That is very similar to our Psalmist here.
He pleads for revival, but then explains why he deserves it.
Now, don’t treat him as totally arrogant for you will notice in the very next line he does ask for this revival based upon the “lovingkindness” (or mercy) of God.
So it is not as though he is arrogant
Thinking himself worthy of all good things.
On the contrary, what he is doing is showing God
That revival is not wasted on him.
If God does “redeem” and “rescue” him, He can set His mind at ease
That our Psalmist will not waste his opportunities.
And this is important.
For Israel had a bad reputation for doing just that.
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.”
Very simply put, Israel was notorious for making all sorts of
Promises of commitment to God while in the bed of affliction.
Just read the book of Judges some time.
It is one revival after another.
It is a continual cycle:
• Israel rebels against God.
• God allows a neighbor to oppress them.
• Israel cries out to God and promises loyalty.
• God raises up a judge to deliver.
• Once Israel achieves peace and safety they revel again.
Over and over and over we see that from Israel.
(We’ve even seen attitudes like that in our own lives at times.)
“If God will just help me out this one time then I will…”
And we wonder why God would ever want to help us,
Seeing that most of the time people go back on their word.
Well, the Psalmist is promising that he will not break his promise,
And the reason is, unlike his ancestors, he loves God’s word.
“Consider how I love Your precepts”
He’s saying, “God You can revive me, I’m not going back to wickedness, because I love Your word.”
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 remember 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.
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.
So if you live void of the word of God,
You never find where to get God’s righteousness
And therefore you are never saved.
And that is why “salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes.”
And our Psalmist believes that doctrine.
Can we say someone loves God’s word if they don’t believe that?
I’ve been re-reading “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.
Furthermore 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.
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.
If they were to do a vote in church, he would lose.
He is in the minority, he has an entire fan section.
And think about that.
We live in a day where politicians sway back and forth all based on the will of the majority.
If a poll comes out, they shift their stance,
Always trying to keep the “many” happy.
And this man is just the opposite.
• He irritates the many.
• He goes against them.
• He opposes them and they oppose him.
They want him to leave God’s Law, and he won’t.
WHY?
Because he loves it.
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, and (the newest) even profanity 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”
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.
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.
The Methodist preacher in Henrietta held his bible up and told his congregation, “This is a good book, but you can’t believe everything in it.”
DOES THAT BOTHER YOU?
DOES THAT ANGER YOU?
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”?
The psalmist did, because he loved God’s Word.
By the way, so did Adrian Rogers and Jerry Vines and Charles Stanley and Bailey Smith, and Paige Patterson
And many continue to do it today,
But only those who love the word of God
And would rather die than compromise it.
And that was the conviction of our Psalmist.
He had come to God asking for revival,
And he presented to God evidence that he deserved it.
As if to say, “God you can revive me, for I won’t disappoint You, I will keep Your word, in fact I love it.”
And then he proved it.
You can know I love it because:
• I am Devoted even in affliction.
• My Doctrine is pure even if unpopular.
• My record of Duration proves I never turn aside from Your word.
• I have intense Disdain for those who disregard Your word.
• And I Declare Your word to be truth with no error.
That is how we know he loved God’s Word.
COULD I PROVE MY LOVE OF GOD’S WORD TO GOD?
Upon asking God for revival, could you assure Him
That if He revives you He won’t be disappointed?
Let me encourage you to take the standard of the Psalmist
And begin to love God’s word as well.
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
