A Picture Of Sanctifying Providence
024 A Picture of Sanctifying Providence
Psalms 119:65-72
October 5, 2025
You know the study.
· We are looking at “The Necessity of Sanctification”
You also know where we are in that study.
· We are examining: THE DYNAMICS OF SANCTIFICATION
We have talked about useless sanctifiers.
· Legalism, Mysticism, Asceticism
And we are currently looking at valuable or useful sanctifiers.
· Scripture, Prayer, Providence, Fellowship, and Obedience.
And we remember why these are useful sanctifiers.
· Namely because these are the tools the Holy Spirit uses to show us the glory of Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
Having looked at Scripture and Prayer,
This morning we started looking at Providence
As a tool used by the Holy Spirit to produce our sanctification.
We looked at Hebrews 12
We were reminded that our suffering and affliction (called “discipline” by the writer of Hebrews) is a tool of God to help us share His holiness.
Hebrews 12:10-11 “For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but [God] disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
In short, providence is a great tool for sanctification.
But TONIGHT I remind you of something we discussed this morning
Namely that it is NOT the suffering that produces righteousness,
But rather suffering correctly that produces righteousness.
It’s how you respond that matters.
· James told us to “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials…”
· Lots of people suffer but do not benefit from it.
Our objective is to recognize suffering as a tool of sanctification
And respond to it properly.
This morning we sort of outlined how to do that in Hebrews 12
And we listened as the writer of Hebrews told us
To focus on 3 things in our providential suffering.
1) CHRIST’S EXAMPLE
· He told us to fix our eyes on Jesus and to run like Him.
2) THE FATHER’S EXHORTATION
· He told us not to forget God’s instruction about suffering, not to think lightly of
it, and not to faint under it.
3) DISCIPLINE’S EFFECT
· Namely that it will produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness if we allow it to
train us properly.
That was the writer of Hebrew’s instruction
Regarding how to make the most out of your providential suffering.
IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT Hebrews 12 is by far NOT THE ONLY instruction in Scripture regarding suffering well.
The entire epistle of 1 Peter comes to us
As a dissertation on how believers should suffer in this world.
It is full of counsel and advice on how to make the most of your suffering,
Both for your sanctification and for God’s glory.
Want to talk about seeing the effect of suffering?
1 Peter 1:6-7
“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”
1 Peter 4:1-2
“Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
1 Peter 4:12-14
“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; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Want to talk about God’s instruction in suffering?
1 Peter 1:13-16
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 3:8-12
“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. “He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it. “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Want to talk about Christ’s example in suffering?
1 Peter 2:21-24 “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; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”
1 Peter 3:17-19 “For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,”
You see those same three points throughout Peter’s epistle.
LOOK TO CHRIST, LISTEN TO GOD, LONG FOR GLORY
It is a clear blueprint for how to make the most of your suffering.
Well, one of our objectives as we have looked at these useful sanctifiers
Is also to give something practical and tangible to hold on to and to apply.
When we talked about Scripture we saw the acronym:
R: eceive
E: xamine
A: sk
D: evote
When we talked about Prayer gave a verse to memorize.
Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
We want to do the same thing with Providence.
Hopefully you will remember those 3 points this morning as a way:
1. Focus on Christ’s Example
2. Focus on The Father’s Exhortation
3. Focus on Discipline’s Effect
But I also want to show you a picture of it.
I want to illustrate it.
And to do that tonight we are going to examine verses 65-72 of the 119th Psalm.
This is now the 3rd time we will study this segment together.
· We saw it first in our study of the 119th Psalm where we called it “Appreciating Affliction”
· We saw it again in our study of Psalms where we called it “Thinking About Discernment”
You can certainly go back and listen to both of those again
To gain more than what we will be able to cover tonight.
TONIGHT I WANT US TO LOOK AT THIS STANZA AGAIN
But I want you to see David
Using those truths we learned this morning.
AND I WANT TO GIVE YOU A STATEMENT TO QUOTE
(71) “It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn your statutes.”
That’s a great perspective!
You will find many more in Scripture,
But I want to give you that one to get you started.
So when you ponder Scripture,
· WRITE DOWN that acronym found in Proverbs 2:1-4 and apply it to your reading of Scripture.
When you ponder Prayer,
· WRITE DOWN Psalms 139:23-24 as a great prayer to get you started seeking Christ and sanctification in prayer.
And when providence hits you in the face in the form of affliction
· WRITE DOWN Psalms 119:71, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn your statutes.”
So there’s your practical guide.
First, let’s remember the description of the Psalmist’s affliction.
(69-70) “The arrogant have forged a lie against me; With all my heart I will observe Your precepts. Their heart is covered with fat, But I delight in Your law.”
David has become the victim of a slander campaign.
He is the subject of the enemies lies.
Whoever coined the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” was lying.
False accusation, slander, gossip, verbal abuse, mockery, etc.
· These are vicious weapons.
· They ruin lives.
He starts by IDENTIFYING HIS ENEMY.
· He calls them in verse 69 “The arrogant”
It is the Hebrew word (ZADE)
It speaks of “puffed up, inflated, presumptuous” men.
- David actually prayed not to be like them:
Psalms 19:13 “Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.”
There it is translated “presumptuous”,
But it is the same word here rendered “arrogant”.
- He references these men 6 times in the 119th Psalm
(21, 51, 69, 78, 85, 122)
- And they are a people spelled out in Scripture as headed for destruction.
Isaiah 13:11 “Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.”
Malachi 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
They are people who lack discernment of their own fallenness.
They think themselves better than they are.
They are the type of people Jesus referred to who attack the “speck” in their brother’s eye when there is a “log” in their own eye.
These are the people who have banded together to attack David.
David also refers to them as those whose “heart is covered with fat”.
They have spiritual arteriole sclerosis.
- They have a hardened heart.
- They are desensitized to their own condition before God.
- They cannot hear the truth.
- They cannot discern the truth.
That’s partly why David is praying in verse 66,
“Teach me good discernment and knowledge”
I don’t want to be hard-hearted and arrogant like those men.
And the specific attack is that these arrogant and hard-hearted men have “forged a lie” against David.
“forged” is the word (ta-FOUL)
It actually means “to plaster over” or “to sow up.”
We would better understand by saying, “They smeared my name”.
· Or “They smeared my reputation”
· Or “They drug my name through the mud”
Job 13:4 “But you smear with lies; You are all worthless physicians.”
That is what David is up against
And if you’ve ever been the victim of such a thing
You know how painful it can be.
It is a unique form of suffering when someone attacks you
With the intent on assassinating your character.
I think we can all agree that
None of us would prefer to receive such a trial in our lives.
And yet, we again understand the sovereign PROVIDENCE OF GOD.
What did David say again?
Psalms 139:16 “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”
This smear campaign that David was enduring
Was the providence of God in David’s life.
So was God angry at David?
Was God punishing David?
NO! David repeatedly holds to the fact that all he did was right.
(69-70) “The arrogant have forged a lie against me; With all my heart I will observe Your precepts. Their heart is covered with fat, But I delight in Your law.”
This isn’t God’s punishment on David.
This is God’s providential discipline in order to sanctify David.
Discipline isn’t always punishment.
· Think about when a coach makes you go through training.
· You run sprints, it is to get you in shape.
· A coach will have you do this whether he is mad at you or not.
Now, I don’t know what David specifically has in mind,
But I can give you an example of a time when this happened to David.
TURN TO: 2 SAMUEL 16:5-12
It is when David was fleeing from Absalom.
Did you catch David’s perspective in suffering there?
Not only did David persevere under it, but he recognized it
As coming from the providential hand of God.
So, you have sort of the BACKDROP to this stanza.
David is a victim of slanderous attack.
SO LET’S SEE if we can apply those same principles we learned this morning to David’s situation.
So first let’s ask:
#1 CAN YOU SEE CHRIST’S EXAMPLE IN THIS SUFFERING?
Psalms 119:69-70
What we are asking here is:
Can you think of a time when Christ was falsely accused or slandered?
Matthew 26:59-60 “Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward,”
· Or how about when He stood before Pilate and was accused of leading an insurrection?
· Or how about when He hung on the cross and was mocked as a man at odds with God and a liar?
I’ll show you another one I think is very interesting.
Mark 3:20-22 “And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
· He went home and His own family accused him of being crazy.
· The obviously called out a local scribe to assess Jesus and that man’s professional opinion was that Jesus had a demon.
· Even His family turned on him.
Yes, Christ understood what it was to be falsely accused.
Did Christ ever deal with those who were hard-hearted and unrelenting in these attacks?
Matthew 13:14-15 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’”
Mark 6:1-6 “Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.”
There’s His hometown again.
And that’s not to mention
All the debates between Jesus and Pharisees or Chief Priests.
John 8:43-47 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
He understood it.
You can easily see Christ’s suffering here.
But we are not only interested in Christ’s suffering,
We want to see Christ’s example.
And Peter spelled it our for us didn’t he?
1 Peter 2:22-24 “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; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”
There it is.
· Christ, the author and perfector of faith, running the race before you as an
example.
· He taught us how to deal with slander and a smear campaign.
· He refused to retaliate and kept trusting God.
YOU CAN SEE CHRIST HERE.
If you suffer such an affliction in your life
It will help you to see Christ in it.
If you’ll worship Christ here the Spirit will transform you into His image.
That is true in every form of affliction.
· Corie Ten Boom saw a Jesus who hung naked on a cross and she fellowshipped with Him in her own humiliation.
Now I realize that DAVID DOES NOT MENTION Christ here
As an example he looked to in his suffering.
But he does in other places.
Take for example the famous:
Psalms 22:1 “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.”
Jesus wasn’t quoting David when He hung on the cross.
That was David in his suffering looking ahead and quoting Jesus.
· We know that Isaiah saw Christ’s glory long before Christ arrived.
· We know that Abraham saw Christ’s day and rejoiced.
· David saw it too, along with His suffering.
And David took His example as an example and followed it.
So in this affliction David is able to focus on Christ’s example.
#2 CAN YOU HEAR THE FATHER’S EXHORTATION THIS SUFFERING?
Psalms 119:65-66
Interesting what David says here.
“You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to your word.”
It is very interesting to note
· That while it is the arrogant who are actually slandering David,
· David can see who is ultimately dealing with him.
This is certainly an attack of the enemy on David.
There’s no way around that.
But in an even greater sense this is God
Providentially dealing with David in order to sanctify Him.
· David is not confused about the sovereign prerogative of God.
· David is not concerned that Satan is running free apart from God’s control.
We heard it in the Shimei account.
David knew that God had ordained even the slander he was receiving.
And David here recounts that God is right and true and good
In all His ways, even when those ways include my suffering.
David will even say in verse 68, “You are good and do good”
Isn’t that what Paul taught us about God?
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.”
Well, David knew that too.
Where did David learn that?
He says, “You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.”
You have done exactly what You said You would do in Your word.
Proverbs 3:11-12 hadn’t been written yet, but David knew it.
Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His reproof, For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”
David knew that God had never promised
A life free from suffering or slander.
I THINK OF JEREMIAH HERE.
He had forgotten that.
Listen to some of the complaining of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 15:15-18 “You who know, O Lord, Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach. Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, Nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation. Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable?”
Jeremiah 20:7-8 “O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the Lord has resulted In reproach and derision all day long.”
He felt like God had put Him through something unjust and unpromised.
But all you have to do is
Go back to the very day God commissioned Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 1:17-19 “Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them. “Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land. “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.”
The writer of Hebrews would say to Jeremiah, “You have forgotten the exhortation of the Lord”
We often do.
David didn’t.
He seemed totally aware of what God has said in His word
Regarding the suffering of the righteous.
David saw this as a providential means of sanctification.
And David was fully on board with it.
(66) “Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Your commandments.”
I’m ready Lord, do what You must.
· Sanctify me.
· Purify me.
· Grow me.
David was not fainting under the Lord’s reproof
And he most certainly was not taking it lightly.
He could see the example of Christ
He was remembering the exhortation of the Father.
And then that third question
#3 CAN WE SEE DISCIPLINE’S EFFECT IN THIS SUFFERING?
Psalms 119:67-68, 71-72
Now that is discernment isn’t it!
(67) “Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.”
HOW MANY OF US
· Can say that very thing about a time of affliction in our lives?
· Can see that our affliction produced in us a new level of sanctification that was previously lacking?
David was under no delusion
About the effect of God’s discipline in his life.
It made him more obedient.
That is why he could confidently say:
(68) “You are good and do good; Teach me Your statutes.”
This affliction was exactly what I needed.
· I am now listening.
· Teach away.
And then we skip down to verse 71
(71) “It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.”
WHAT PERSPECTIVE!
It is so hard to say that in the midst of our affliction,
But how many have said it after the fact!
It’s hard to see suffering or pain or illness or loss or slander or financial distress as a good thing in the midst of it, but we are called to.
See God’s goodness in it.
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord”
David didn’t regard it lightly.
He saw it as a good and necessary thing in his life.
And do you want to see the remarkable effect?
Look at this!
(72) “The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”
DAVID LEARNED TO VALUE GOD’S WORD.
THAT IS ALL THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD.
It was God using evil men to accomplish sanctification in the life of David.
· And David saw that.
· And David praised God for that.
· And David rejoiced in that.
I’ve often told people that we very rarely receive
Our “Aha!” moments regarding our suffering in this life.
· Joseph got one, he saw why he suffered.
· We don’t know that Job did in this life.
Most of us will never get that great explanation as to “Why?”
That we so desperately want in this life.
That is coming in eternity when we will know fully and be fully known.
Only then will we fully understand the ramifications of our suffering.
But THAT DOESN’T MEAN we get no understanding here.
I doubt David knew how his response in this Psalm would encourage you 3,000 years later until he stood before the Lord.
But David didn’t have to know the full benefit to see some benefit.
David could see that at the very least
God had renewed a passion for His word in David through this trial.
THAT IS A GOOD THING!
That is what we are looking for in our affliction.
We are looking to see the effect of discipline in our lives.
How about this?
2 Corinthians 1:8-10 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,”
What did Paul learn?
· He learned to crush the idol of self-sufficiency and trust only in God.
· He learned to have compassion on those who suffer.
Jeremiah 29:10-14 “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘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. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”
What did the children of Israel learn?
· To seek God with all their heart.
· To stop trusting in idols.
Hebrews 5:7-9 “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,”
What did Christ learn?
· He learned the pains of obedience.
· He was trained to be a sympathetic and merciful high priest.
Maybe you have seen such results in your suffering.
And you likely don’t even know the full effect of it.
· Joseph saved his brothers.
· Moses saved his people.
· Paul saved Gentiles
· Peter saved Jews
· Jesus saved us all
All through their suffering.
What if your suffering is the means God will use to save your brothers or your sisters or your children or your friends?
If God told you ahead of time that I need you to suffer this affliction for 5 years but it will produce salvation in your children, you’d gladly sign up.
BUT HE DOESN’T.
He just tells us to trust Him and know that He is working all things for our good.
So we look for the good we can see.
As a first fruit of an even greater good we can’t see.
At the very least God used this affliction to give David a greater love for God’s word.
On a grander scale David wrote the entire 119th Psalm about his love for God’s word and it contains treasure that has led the lost to salvation and encouraged God’s children for centuries.
I doubt David could see that, but God could.
But you see those principles again in effect.
Apply them in your suffering.
1. Look at Christ’s example
2. Remember the Father’s exhortation
3. Focus on Discipline’s effect
And burn this verse into your heart:
“It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.”
That is how you suffer properly
That is how providence becomes an effective tool
For your sanctification.