The Reliable Guide of Scripture – Part 2
Psalms 19:1-14 (9-14)
April 30, 2017
Last time we met we began our look at this 19th Psalm.
And we did so because it answers for us a very important question.
When you look at the end of the Psalm, you actually see the desire of the Psalmist.
(14) “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”
We have here a Psalmist
Whose desire is that he might be acceptable to God.
And not just acceptable in action, but acceptable in motive.
• He is NOT just looking for a list of rules that he can do whereby God will accept him.
• He wants to know how even the very thoughts of his heart can be transformed into that which is acceptable to God.
Obviously for something like that we need more than just a list,
We need something which can accomplish a great work in our hearts.
Psalms 19 answers that question for us.
The thing which can accomplish this work
And make even our motives acceptable to God, is His perfect word.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”
It is God’s word which “performs its work in you”, and that is precisely what the Psalmist wants us to understand.
Now, he began by revealing to us the value of general revelation.
#1 THE MORE SEEN REVELATION
Psalms 19:1-6
And of course this is simply creation.
And just by looking at the majesty and order of consistency of creation one can actually learn a lot about the God who created it.
• David recognized His glory.
• David recognized His consistency
• David recognized His power
• David recognized His omnipresence
And if we wanted to spend the time on a separate study
There is great deal more we could learn about God
Just from looking at the general revelation of creation.
Paul said:
Romans 1:20a “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made…”
God’s creation does in fact tell us quite a bit about Him.
But as we said last time,
There is something we don’t learn much about from creation, and that is – WE DON’T LEARN MUCH ABOUT US.
More specifically, we don’t know how
That we can be made acceptable to the God of creation.
For that we need the second half of this Psalm.
The More Seen Revelation
#2 THE MORE SURE REVELATION
Psalms 19:7-14
And this is what we were looking at when we ran out of time last Sunday night.
There is in fact a more sure revelation.
That is what Peter called it.
2 Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
And this more sure revelation is TOTALLY SUFFICIENT
For revealing to us everything we need pertaining to life and Godliness
And how to be made acceptable to God.
2 Peter 1:3-4 “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
That is what David is saying too.
He is showing us why God’s word is so reliable
For showing one how to become acceptable to God.
And we already looked at 4 realities last time.
(7a) “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;”
And hopefully you remember that the word “perfect”
Means “without blemish”.
That is to say that God’s word is everything He intended it to be.
He neither needs nor desires any revision to what He has said.
And because it is without blemish it restores (literally converts) the soul.
It is God’s word which takes sinners and molds them into saints.
Ephesians 5:25-26 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”
We also saw:
(7b) “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
“sure” is AMAN which means
“stands firm, or believed, or faithful”
God’s word is reliable information,
It will never steer you wrong or leave you looking foolish.
I could probably go ahead here and tell you of another great Reformer.
• In Germany the Reformation began with Luther
• In Switzerland it began with Zwingli
In England the Reformation began with a man named William Tyndale.
In fact it is been said of Tyndale that he was the English Reformation.
Tyndale was a young man who grew up in a family of farmers,
• But who had enough money to send him to school at Oxford and eventually he went to Cambridge.
• While there, he became acquainted with some of Luther’s writings regarding Justification by Faith and spent much time pondering the doctrines.
• Tyndale became convinced that salvation would never come to England until people were allowed access to God’s word in their own language.
• At the age of 27 Tyndale decided to leave the academic circle so that he could devote himself more diligent to the study of the Greek New Testament that Erasmus had put out.
So Tyndale returned to his home town and took a job
Working for a family named Walsh who were high society
And often had priests over for dinner.
This time was influential to Tyndale.
• On one hand he is studying the Greek New Testament and building a conviction that unless England received an English Bible they’d never be converted.
• On the other hand he is listening to these priests who come to the Walsh home and can’t believe how ignorant they are in the Scriptures.
On one occasion Tyndale challenged one of the priests and in the heat of the argument the priest made the statement
“We had better be without God’s Laws than the pope’s”
To which Tyndale replied, “I defy the pope and all his laws…If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plough, shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost”.
(Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, 77)
From that moment on Tyndale set out to give us the English Bible.
• Now his life is filled with several twists and plots,
• But basically you should know that he was forced to flee various places and even to Germany where he lived as a fugitive for 17 years
• While there it was Tyndale who gave us our first English New Testament and even the Pentateuch in English.
• He was eventually lured into a trap by an undercover agent who pretended to be poor and who befriended Tyndale.
• Tyndale had been working on Joshua through 2 Chronicles, which was never confiscated and was put in the first ever complete English Bible known as “The Matthews” Bible, which would be published by John Rogers (Who published under the name Thomas Matthew), for which he was also killed. But was mostly the work of William Tyndale.
After a year and a half in prison, Tyndale was condemned a heretic, stripped of his priesthood and led to his death.
Tyndale was given one last chance to recant, which he refused,
And one prayer in which he prayed, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes”.
After this Tyndale was strangled, burned, and blown up with gun powder.
See Tyndale understood what David was talking about.
All the religion in the world couldn’t make a man wise,
But knowledge of the word of God most certainly could.
Tyndale saw the ignorance that existed in the priests,
And vowed to make the boy in the field more wise than they.
It was unwavering faith in the Scripture to make one wise
That literally led to the Reformation sweeping through England.
David knew that very thing as well.
Next David taught us:
(8a) “The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.”
They are “right” in the sense that they do not offend the conscience,
Which is why they can bring joy to a guilty heart.
• We may rightly feel guilty for many things we do in this life, but never do we feel guilty for obeying God’s word.
• God’s precepts do not offend the conscience.
• God’s precepts do not produce guilt when they are obeyed.
There is joy in obedience.
Jesus said:
John 15:10-11 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
And finally we learned
(8b) “The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Which reminds us that there is no ulterior motive to God’s word.
It will never deceive or distort or give faulty information.
That is why David says it “enlightens the eyes”
God’s word always reveals truth, it always portrays what is accurate.
And as we said last time, this is even why some people don’t like it.
But none the less we see what David is revealing.
God’s word is that which can:
• Convert your soul
• Guide you in wisdom
• Comfort your heart
• And grant you discernment
You can see why David is convinced that God’s word is that
Which can help him become acceptable to God.
Well, David wasn’t finished.
He also said:
(9) “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever.”
In this one David actually lists an EFFECT of God’s word,
Rather than God’s word itself.
He refers to “the fear of the LORD”,
It is that fear which is produced through a study of God’s word.
As God’s word reveals Him, the more we see His glory and our sinfulness. This leads to an undoubted awe and fear of the LORD.
But David says that this “fear” is “clean”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Ever read Leviticus about all the things that are either considered “clean” or “unclean” (same word)
That which is clean may draw near to God,
That which is unclean must dwell outside the camp.
Here we have a Psalmist who wants to know how to be acceptable to God
And he has learned that God’s word has the ability to produce in him
A “fear of the LORD” which is in fact acceptable to God.
Remember what Jesus said?
John 15:1-4 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”
David knows that it is God’s word which produces fear of the LORD
And it is this fear of the LORD which makes a person clean.
And this, by the way, “endures forever”
It is not short-lived or ineffective.
And then David closes this descriptive section by saying
(9b) “The judgments of the LORD are true, they are righteous altogether.”
“true” is EMETH
And it doesn’t just mean true, it means “reliable”
Or “truth that has been tested and found true”
Genesis 42:16 “Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.”
We are talking about that which has been proven true.
And David says that is certainly the case with God’s word,
It is battle-tested and time honored.
It can be rested upon and leaned upon, it will never lead astray.
Now, that is just David’s assessment of God’s word.
• It Converts sinners
• It gives Wisdom to fools
• It gives Peace and Joy to the guilty
• It gives Discernment to the blind
• It produces Fear and Reverence which God accepts
• And it is battle tested and proven to do all of these things
And this is the pathway to learning how to be acceptable to God.
It all starts with the word of God.
It contains everything we need to take a selfish, sinful, foolish, guilty, blind, and unclean human being
And convert him, make him wise, discerning, clean and obedient.
If you have a desire for your entire being to be acceptable to God
Then it all begins with the word of God.
This was precisely what the Reformers came to believe.
• This was Luther placing faith in the Scripture over the word of popes and
councils.
• This was Zwingli determining to throw out anything that wasn’t prescribed in
Scripture.
• This was Tyndale knowing that the Scripture was the key to bringing genuine
salvation to England.
Scripture is the more sure word.
And you see why SOLA SCRIPTURA is so important.
THIS SCRIPTURE HAS SUCH VALUE.
And that is what David continues focusing on here in the 19th Psalm.
Speaking of the Lord’s judgments, David says:
(10) “They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
To David there was no possession as valuable as the Scripture.
We certainly don’t have time to cover it, but consider that 119th Psalm where David outlines his love of God’s word.
Psalms 119:72 “The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”
Psalms 119:27 “Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders.”
But my favorite stanza is: MEM
Psalms 119:97-104 “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, For You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.”
David knew the value of God’s word to make him wise
And to guide him in truth and thus he proclaimed it sweeter than honey.
And again we could chase a massive rabbit here
And seek to expose all the ways in which God’s word is valuable,
But if you’ll notice there is one reason David mentions here
As to why God’s word is so sweet to him.
(11) “Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”
David understood that God’s word was more than just wisdom to the foolish, but it was literally guidance to the lost.
It was like Peter said:
2 Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
David saw God’s word as a great warning sign
Of potential threats and dangers.
And to fully appreciate this, all one has to do is think for a moment
Where you might be had God not given this revelation to us.
BUT LET’S GET EVEN MORE SPECIFIC.
What specifically did God’s word warn him about?
David here is not talking about some sort of mystic experience
Where God’s word warned him of a lion around the bend
Or of a Philistine hiding in the bushes.
There was an even greater danger
Which David would have never been able to see
Or defend against had God not warned him.
(12-13) “Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 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.”
What a great question.
“Who can discern his errors?”
How do you know if the things you do are right or wrong?
(Because they seem right to you)
I can illustrate the fault in that very quickly.
There are two women in my life that are more important to me than any other. I want to please them, I learn from them, they are important to me.
One is obviously my WIFE and the other is my MOTHER.
But I promise you, you have never met to women
With a greater difference regarding WHAT SEEMS RIGHT than these two.
If you were to walk outside and see a sign on the grass which reads, “Keep off the grass”.
Carrie would not only obey the sign,
• She would pause and find her kids to make sure they are aware of the sign,
• And would do everything within her ability to make sure no one under her
control walked on that grass.
If a hat blew off of my son’s head and landed on the grass, before Carrie would let him go get it, she would make sure and find whoever is in charge of that grass to get special permission and perhaps a temporary permit for them to venture on to the grass and retrieve the cap.
(Obviously I’m exaggerating here a little, but the point is…a rule follower)
My mom on the other hand would walk out the door, read the sign and say, “They don’t really care”
and then lead the kids across the grass
Just to prove it isn’t hurting anything.
And I could go on and on with their differences regarding things like:
Eating junk food, going to bed on time, speeding, etc.
My point is I don’t know of any two people
Who have the same inner sense of what is “right”
So how in the world are you ever going to discern what is right or wrong according to God in your life?
You’re just going to do what seems right to you?
(Like the period of the Judges)
That might be fine if pleasing yourself was the only objective.
David loves God’s word because it helps him see “his errors”. That is those things which God sees as “errors”.
And discerning his errors was what led David to repentance
That he might be acquitted of these “hidden faults.”
If he had never been exposed, he would have never repented and then never been acquitted.
Paul said essentially the same thing.
Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.”
• It was God’s word that showed him his sin and ultimately led him to
repentance.
• Paul wouldn’t have even known that coveting was wrong had God’s word not
exposed it.
Ever had God’s word do that to you?
You’re just reading along and all of a sudden – BAM! –
God confronts something in your life?
Only God’s word can do that.
It can expose what is hidden.
And you couldn’t know it otherwise.
Charles Spurgeon was not a reformer, rather he was a student of the reformation and a powerful preacher in England.
He wrote:
“In the Lateran Council of the Church of Rome, a decree was passed that every true believer must confess his sins, all of them, once in a year to the priest, and they affixed to it this declaration, that there is no hope of pardon but in complying with that decree. What can equal the absurdity of such a decree as that? Do they suppose that they can tell their sins as easily as they can count their fingers? Why, if we could receive pardon for all our sins by telling every sin we have committed in one hour there is not one of us who would be able to enter heaven, since, besides the sins that are known to us and that we be able to confess, there are a vast mass of sins, which are as truly sins as those which we lament, but which are secret, and come not beneath our eyes. If we had eyes like those of God, we should think very differently of ourselves.”
(Spurgeon, Charles H. [The Treasury of David Volume 1; Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA] pg. 274)
Only God’s word has the ability to expose your sin to you.
Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
When David spoke of God’s word warning him,
He wasn’t talking about dangers on the outside.
He was talking about dangers within his own evil heart.
AND THAT’S NOT ALL.
David also valued God’s word because of the way IT SUBDUED HIS STUBBORN WILL.
(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.”
“presumptuous sins” are those which
Most greatly reflect our stubborn human will.
It is when we know better, but defiantly choose to do it anyway.
And David saw God’s word as a check against such defiance.
I chalk this up to the relentless nature of God’s word.
I’ve shared with you before how I wasn’t truly saved until I was 19, even though I had made a decision at the age of 8.
• And during my teenage years I was a typical teenage boy.
• I can assure you that regardless of an outward morality, my heart was as
carnal and immoral as anyone’s.
• I could not read the Bible during my teenage years without reading a verse
about lust or sexual immorality.
And despite my rebellion, God just wouldn’t quit.
His word refused to relent, until finally He drew me home.
David knew that the flesh is far too powerful a foe to conquer on our own.
If given the opportunity we will rebel every time.
However, God’s word is a powerful agent
Able to subdue the will and break the bondage of the flesh.
In short, God’s word was the only thing able to take a sinful man like David and mold him into a man who acceptable in the sight of God.
And again, this was David’s cry.
(14) “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”
• That is the desire…
• That is the goal…
• To be “acceptable” to God.
And when David wanted to know what this was,
There was only ONE PLACE TO TURN; the Scripture.
“They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
And when Peter wanted to know what this was,
There was only ONE PLACE TO TURN; the Scripture.
Because “we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place”
And this bore true for men like Luther and Zwingli and Tyndale as well.
These men found that SCRIPTURE ALONE WAS THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW the life which was acceptable to God.
And then these men died to make sure the world knew it.
That is really the foundation of the Reformation.
SOLA SCRIPTURA.
