Dealing With Distress (Psalms 119:17-24)
Dealing with Distress
Psalms 119:17-24
August 21, 2011
Studying now through this wonderful 119th Psalm,
We are beginning to learn the tremendous sufficiency of the word of God.
• In the first stanza we saw that God’s word is sufficient to bring about blessing in a life.
• In the second stanza we saw that God’s word is sufficient to produce a life of purity.
Tonight we still learn about the sufficiency of Scripture,
But in a much broader sense.
Tonight we see that Scripture is sufficient,
Even when it is all you have.
In other words, even during the low points in life,
There is a sufficiency to Scripture that if you simply have it, it is enough.
And to illustrate that, our Psalmist takes us to a day
When he was dealing with distress.
Lets just jump right into this stanza tonight, there are five things I want you to see.
#1 HIS CIRCUMSTANCE
Psalms 119:19-23
I’ve told you since the beginning that one of the things that makes this Psalm so wonderful to study is that not only does it give great insight to the value of God’s word, but that it also shows us how God’s word fits in a variety of circumstances.
We’ve even said that it is tremendously helpful
To find the specific circumstance behind each stanza.
When you read tonight’s stanza
It becomes evident that our Psalmist is in distress.
Let me show you what I mean.
Look at the first part of verse 19.
“I am a stranger on the earth”
Now look at verse 20.
“My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times.”
There is a similarity with both of those statements.
They both speak of a man who is separated from someone.
In verse 19, he is separated from all men.
In verse 20, he feels separated from God.
In short he feels REJECTED.
He is caught in a difficult place.
He doesn’t seem to fit in in this world,
And yet he doesn’t seem to be getting all that he desires
Out of a relationship with God either.
Statements like, “My soul is crushed” do not indicate a man
Who is walking in the fullness of satisfaction.
There is an obvious distress in his life.
So on one hand there is a feeling of REJECTION in his life.
There is more.
Look at the first part of verse 22.
“Take away reproach and contempt from me”
Look at the first part of verse 23.
“Even though princes sit and talk against me.”
There we learn that not only is this man rejected,
But he is also under REPROACH.
• He is not a popular man.
• He is not a man that people speak well of.
• He is an outcast and people scorn him.
Now you are probably recognizing a similar attitude to the man from the first stanza of our Psalm, but this man is quite different.
That first stanza dealt with a man whose hardship was his own doing.
He disobeyed, and that is what left him in despair.
This man has no indication of disobedience.
Rather, he is just walking in a spot of rejection by the world (possibly even because of his righteousness)
But he is also failing to get the answers from God that he wants.
He is just walking in a tough spot.
Maybe you have been there.
Certainly Jesus promised His followers would be there from time to time.
John 16:2 “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.”
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
And the apostles who heard those statements obviously learned them,
For they passed them on to others.
1 John 3:13-14 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.”
1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”
The reality is that in a Christian life we will certainly
Walk through times of being rejected by the world.
We certainly are strangers and aliens in a foreign land,
For our citizenship is in heaven,
But there are times when we feel that separation more than others.
The dilemma is that often times when those hardships arise,
God isn’t instantly speaking.
You can certainly see evidence of this in the life of Jeremiah, or even Job.
Both of those men were righteous, suffered,
And yet still didn’t seem to be getting all that they wanted from God.
Perhaps the best example of a righteous man
Being rejected and reviled is Jesus.
Rejected:
Matthew 27:46 “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”
Reviled:
1 Peter 2:21-23 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”
Jesus walked through His darkest moment, His greatest distress
And yet felt not only rejected by men, but also abandoned by God.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THERE?
You walk through distress in which the world rejects you,
But turning to God doesn’t quickly produce any answers either?
You find your soul crushed with longing, but there is no quick relief.
No doubt those moments come in our lives.
This stanza shows us how to deal with those moments.
First, His Circumstance.
#2 HIS CRY
Psalms 119:17-19
It is certainly not uncommon to cry out to God from the midst of distress.
And if you have ever been in a situation when you feel all alone and people are talking about you, then certainly you cried out to God.
This man had three requests as he cried out to God.
1) FINISH ME (17)
“Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.”
“Deal bountifully” translates GAMAL
And it means “to deal fully or adequately with”
It can refer to “weaning” a child or fruit that is “ripened”
And so “deal bountifully” seems a little perplexing.
The Psalmist is not here asking for God to fill his cup,
Or to bless him financially, or something like that.
The Psalmist is asking for God to finish the work
He is doing through this distress.
He wants God to deal fully with him.
He wants God to complete the work.
He seems to be very aware that while trials are not pleasant
That God is using this trial to mold and shape him spiritually.
His request is that God will finish it.
“Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.”
And I love that statement.
Remember what James said about boasting?
James 4:13-15 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
James spoke of an arrogant man who thought he had it all under control.
The Psalmist is not walking in any such arrogance.
He realizes that until God finishes His work, he is at the mercy of God.
He isn’t going anywhere until God finishes this work.
His first request is for God to finish.
2) ENCOURAGE ME (18)
“Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.”
Here we find a man who is scouring the pages of Scripture
In search of something “wonderful”,
But who has thus far been prevented from seeing it.
This is a man who is looking for answers.
This is a man who wants to have the situation explained to him.
“Wonderful” is an interesting word.
One of the first times we find it used is in the book of Judges.
When Manoah and his wife
Want to know the name of the angel who spoke to them.
Judges 13:18 “But the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”
In other words, it is too lofty for you.
Job used it as well.
Job 42:3 “Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
Job used it as stuff he knew nothing about.
And that is where our Psalmist is.
• He knows God has a purpose.
• He knows God is at work.
• He knows God knows exactly what is going on.
He would just like God to clue him in a little.
He would like to see some of those “wonderful” things.
He would like to be encouraged a little
By being allowed to see what God is up to.
If you’ve ever been in distress, you’ve been there too.
Just crying out for God to give you just a little insight to encourage you.
3) ENLIGHTEN ME (19)
“I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me.”
Here it is similar to the last one, but a little different.
In that here he is not necessarily asking for insight into what is going on, here he would just like for God to tell him what to do.
“commandments” is a word that
Speaks of something specifically ordained.
Examples would be
• God’s command to Adam not to eat from the tree.
• God’s command to Noah to build the ark.
The psalmist wants one of those.
Just tell me specifically what to do.
But thus far he has gotten nothing.
He doesn’t know what God is doing, and he doesn’t know what to do.
He is just stuck in distress, crying out for God to do something.
Finish me
Encourage me
Enlighten me
Do something.
He is in distress, and you can feel his pain.
His Circumstance, His Cry
#3 HIS CRISIS
Psalms 119:20
We already talked about this a little,
But in light of his cry, it makes this situation a little more severe.
He is crying out to God, wanting to see something encouraging,
Wanting a simple command of what to do.
But he has yet to receive it.
This statement is not a statement of one who is satisfied.
This is a statement of one who has yet to get what he wants.
“My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times.”
And you can just feel his desperation.
He is consumed with getting an answer from God
And the weight of God’s silence is seemingly more than he can bear.
His “soul is crushed”
That is a crisis.
Things are rough, and you can’t seem to get an answer from God at all.
Furthermore the weight of God’s silence has you broken.
His Circumstance, His Cry, His Crisis
#4 HIS CONFUSION
Psalms 119:21-22
And at this point our heart just really goes out to the guy.
He understands that God is right to cause some people to suffer.
(21) “You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, Who wander from Your commandments.”
The Psalmist understands that there are those “arrogant” people
Who are in reality “cursed”
Because they are under the rebuke of God.
He understands why they are rejected.
He understands why they suffer.
What our Psalmist is having difficulty with is
Why he personally is suffering,
Since to the best of his knowledge, he has obeyed God.
(22) “Take away reproach and contempt from me, For I observe Your testimonies.”
Can’t you just hear his confusion here.
“God I understand why You rebuke the wicked, but why are You rebuking me?”
He is not the first to feel this way.
Turn To: Job 31
It would be one thing if I had turned away from your word,
Then I would understand this silent treatment I am getting.
“But God, I have tried to do all that You said,
And so I am confused as to why you won’t answer me.”
So look at where this man is.
• He is a stranger on earth, and people are talking about him.
• He has been crying out to God for answers and solutions, but thus far God hasn’t granted him an answer.
• And God’s silence almost makes it feel like even God is against him, and if that is so, he can’t figure out why, for he has walked in obedience up this point.
We call this a life of distress
And it is a place that even believers sometimes walk.
Job did
Maybe you remember John the Baptist getting there when he asked Jesus, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”
Even Jesus did.
And we find this sentiment all throughout the Psalms.
Psalms 13:1-4 “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.”
Psalms 69:16-21 “Answer me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good; According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me, And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in distress; answer me quickly. Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it; Ransom me because of my enemies! You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor; All my adversaries are before You. Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, And for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
Psalms 88:14 “O LORD, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?”
Psalms 89:46-47 “How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire? Remember what my span of life is; For what vanity You have created all the sons of men!”
We see that sentiment from God’s people frequently.
And maybe you have been there too.
You don’t know of any sin, yet you are hated by men,
And when you try to take it to God, you still don’t find any satisfaction.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Well, that is where we learn a great example from our Psalmist.
#5 HIS COMMITMENT
Psalms 119:23-24
I like the “Even though” here.
Here the Psalmist says, it is bad, and it may stay bad,
But I am not rejecting Your word.
“Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your servant meditates on Your statutes.”
They may be talking, and I may not be getting any new answers.
But in the meantime, I have decided just to meditate on Your statutes.
As I told you last week, “statutes” refers to
Something engraved with an iron stylus.
These are the “Thou shalt nots” of Scripture.
When the Psalmist can get nothing new or refreshing or “relevant” He simply determines to continue to feast
On the simple revealed commands of God.
He is committed.
(24) “Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors.”
And this statement is especially beautiful.
“Your testimonies also are my delight”
“testimonies” are the examples of times
God has come through in the past.
It is like when you are in distress so you read the book of Job
To see that it all turned out well in the end.
Or it is like when you read that familiar passage from Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
Or that familiar passage from Romans.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Those are testimonies that God is faithful.
And here the Psalmist says, “I may not know what God is doing,
And I may not be getting a clear answer as to what to do next,
So I will just keep reading how God has always been faithful in the past
And I will let that counsel me.”
That is tremendous commitment.
That is faith without sight.
And it is a great example for you and me.
Maybe God hasn’t explained the situation to you,
And maybe you don’t have a roadmap for what to do next.
Well don’t get mad at God and abandon His word altogether.
Instead, meditate on His commands so that you stay obedient,
And take joy in all the testimonies of Scripture
That God has never failed His people yet.
• Read Daniel’s testimony about how God delivered him from the lions.
• Read David’s testimony about how God delivered him from the giant.
• Read Job’s testimony about how God delivered him out of despair.
• Read the disciples testimony about how Jesus rescued them from the raging sea.
Let God’s faithfulness (as revealed throughout Scripture)
Counsel you on how to walk.
Continue trusting God and continue going to His word.
That is what the Psalmist did.
And with that we learn a great deal
About the sufficiency of God’s word.
God’s word is sufficient even when
It doesn’t give you the answer you are looking for.
God’s word is enough even when
It doesn’t show you the thing you most want to know.
Maybe you want to know “why” or “what next”
And God’s word doesn’t tell you that.
But keep reading it, for even if God’s word doesn’t tell you “why”
It can still encourage you and lift you up
As it continually reveals God’s faithfulness.
In short, God’s word is enough, even when you don’t think it is.
So if you ever find yourself in distress again, like this Psalmist,
Don’t get discouraged, and don’t give up on God.
Continue going to God’s word.
Continue to meditate on His clear commands.
Continue to find joy in His countless testimonies.
That is what this Psalmist decided to do, and it will work for you too.
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
