Resisting Compromise (Psalms 119:121-128)
Resisting Compromise
Psalms 119:121-128
December 4, 2011
As you know, last Sunday night we took a bit of a shift in our focus
Here in this 119th Psalm.
The Psalmist seems to quit focusing on the affliction he is facing
And has started focusing more on those who are causing it.
In short, we don’t hear him say as much about affliction,
And we start hearing him talk about oppression.
The words are different in the Hebrew.
“affliction” translates ONI
And it relates to physical pain or mental distress, or illness.
It can even be translated “misery”
Psalms 107:10 “There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains”
Job 10:15 “If I am wicked, woe to me! And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head. I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.”
And we understand affliction.
“oppression” is different. It translates OSHEQ
And it relates more to being robbed or defrauded by another.
1 Samuel 12:3-4 “Here I am; bear witness against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.” They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.”
Malachi 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.”
And so it is clear to us that the Psalmist is no longer talking about
The physical pain or mental distress that he has been dealing with.
Now he is talking about those who are wronging him in some way.
And one important distinction to for us to understand as we study Is while affliction generally cannot be avoided, oppression can.
Affliction is general suffering, and we all know that it is coming in this life.
Affliction is promised.
Life is going to be hard.
But oppression is different.
It occurs at the hands of men who don’t like the direction we are traveling,
And who seek to wrong us because of it.
And the solution to stopping oppression is easy: TURN AROUND.
• If it offends men to go left, then start going right.
• If it angers men that you go north, then start going south.
• If it irritates men that you obey God, then stop obeying Him.
Affliction and Oppression are different.
And that means that they bring a different set of hardships to life.
The battle of affliction is not to lose your faith.
The battle of oppression is not to compromise your convictions.
When the enemy pushes us and pressures us and oppresses us
Because he doesn’t like the direction we are headed,
We must choose then and there whether we will give in to him or not.
Will we compromise, or will we stand?
That is the issue our Psalmist is facing.
• He isn’t facing a debilitating illness.
• He isn’t facing a general hardship.
• He isn’t facing a mental struggle.
Here he is facing oppressive pressures from others,
And he must choose to give in to them or stand against them.
We also face these pressures and temptations continually in life.
Our society is one that definitely chooses to oppress Christianity.
They do it in hopes that we will suppress the truth.
Scripture promises it.
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
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.”
Jesus clearly says they hate us because of His name.
If you don’t want them to hate you, then drop the use of His name.
We know what oppression is.
Furthermore we know what the Lord expects of us in the midst of it.
He expects us to stand strong.
I mentioned it last week, but take a glance at the 7 churches in Revelation Notice what they are commended or rebuked for.
Ephesus was commended:
Revelation 2:2 “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;”
Revelation 2:6 “Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
Pergamum was commended:
Revelation 2:13 “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”
And also rebuked:
Revelation 2:14-15 “But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”
Thyatira was rebuked:
Revelation 2:20 “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”
Philadelphia was commended:
Revelation 3:9-10 “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
It is obvious that the Lord never intended for His church
To conform to the pressures of the world.
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
So we know that men will oppress us and seek to turn us from the truth,
It has happened to Christ’s church since it began.
But we cannot succumb to it.
We cannot be conformed to this world.
We tonight we find or Psalmist in the midst of oppression,
Let’s see his, and how he handles it.
Four things:
#1 HIS DILEMMA
Psalms 119:121-122
It is quite easy to see that our Psalmist is dealing with oppressors.
He mentions them twice in these two verses.
“Do not leave me to my oppressors.”
“Do not let the arrogant oppress me.”
We even know who is oppressing him.
Here he calls them “the arrogant”
In the last stanza he called them the “double-minded” and “wicked” and “those who wander from Your statutes,”
He is oppressed by those who do not regard obedience
As an important thing.
• He finds that to be double-minded
• He finds that to be wicked
• He finds that to be apathetic
Here he finds it to be arrogant.
IS THERE ANYTHING MORE ARROGANT THAN TO SUPPOSE THAT WE KNOW BETTER THAN GOD, AND THAT OBEDIENCE ISN’T IMPORTANT?
That is what these men are.
And they oppress those who do seek righteousness.
And so not only do we see that our Psalmist is oppressed,
But we also see why.
“I have done justice and righteousness;”
He is NOT oppressed because of something wicked he has done.
He is oppressed because of something righteous he has done.
1 Peter 4:15-16 “Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”
Just because a person is oppressed by another,
Does not necessarily indicate that they are Godly.
It may just indicate that they are a meddler or a thief, or an evildoer.
But that is not the problem of our Psalmist.
He is righteous, and he is still oppressed.
In fact, he is oppressed because of it.
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
And so we recognize the cause of his oppression.
But beyond that we also come to the realization
That there is nothing he can do about it.
His only option to stop the oppression is to stop living righteous,
But that really isn’t an option at all,
For then you quit offending man and start offending God.
That is why he is asking God to intervene.
“Do not leave me to my oppressors.”
“Be surety for Your servant for good.”
“Do not let the arrogant oppress me.”
And so you can see our Psalmists dilemma.
He is oppressed and has done all he can, short of give in to them.
Maybe you have been in a dilemma like that.
It will be good to find out what kept the Psalmist from compromising.
His Dilemma
#2 HIS DESPERATION
Psalms 119:123-125
We’ve seen that first statement before.
“My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation And for Your righteous word.”
Earlier, when he spoke of his affliction, he said:
Psalms 119:81-82 “My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word. My eyes fail with longing for Your word, While I say, “When will You comfort me?”
Now he says the same thing in regard to his oppression.
God, I am waiting for you to come.
Wednesday night we talked about the vindication of the Lord
And we closed by listening to James tell us to be patient.
James 5:7-11 “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”
Three times James mentioned the coming of the Lord
Or the nearness of the Judge.
And he continually told us to be patient
As we wait for Him to come and vindicate us.
Well, that is precisely what the Psalmist is doing.
• He knows he has done right.
• He knows he has lived righteous.
• It is that righteousness that causes him to be oppressed.
So naturally he started waiting for the Lord to come and vindicate him.
The only problem is he is growing tired of waiting.
The verbal attacks and the mocking of the wicked
Seem to go on without ceasing.
• How long he has gone to his workplace and been the scorn of the wicked…
• How long he has endured their mocking…
• How long he has been maligned for his convictions…
He knows some day God will come and vindicate him,
He just wonders when it will be.
And that is why his statement turns into a request.
(124) “Deal with Your servant according to Your lovingkindness and teach me Your statues.”
In short, be merciful to me.
Step in! Deliver! Help me!
Quit letting them walk all over me and oppress me.
(124) “I am Your servant; give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies.”
That is the third time he referred to himself as God’s servant.
And here he does so to remind God that he is committed to Him.
That is to say:
“God, I’m on Your side, please be on mine”
I watching for Your appearing…
I’m listening for Your word…
I’m desperate for You.
Perhaps you’ve been there too.
You felt the oppression of the double-minded; of the wicked,
And you wondered if God was ever going to put them in their place.
Certainly our Psalmist was desperate like this.
His Dilemma, His Desperation
#3 HIS DEPENDANCE
Psalms 119:126
I love this prayer, because it is so real.
“It is time for the Lord to act, For, they have broken Your law.”
We call this being a tattle tale.
• He has had enough of waiting…
• He has had enough of enduring…
• He has had enough patience…
He goes to God and says, “Enough is enough, it is time for You to deal with those wicked pagans.”
Ever been there?
Ever reach a point of difficulty that you actually decide
That God’s timing needs to become your timing?
The Psalmist has reached this point.
• These men are disobedient.
• These men “have broken Your law.”
• These men are “double-minded”
• These men are “wicked”
• These men “wander from Your statutes”
Enough is enough, it is time for you to get them.
You can almost hear Jonah here waiting for the destruction of Nineveh.
Our Psalmist has had enough.
NOW HERE IS THE POINT.
The Psalmist is crying out to God as if to say: I CAN’T BEAT THEM!
I’ve been righteous.
I’ve walked in justice.
But they still oppress me.
I’ve waited and waited, but they still oppress me.
I’ve been obedient, but they still oppress me.
I can’t beat them.
I can’t make them stop.
I can’t defend myself.
And it is at this point that the world would chime in:
“If you can’t beat ‘em; join ‘em”
And that is the dilemma we talked about at the beginning.
It is the temptation to compromise.
• Do I let up on my convictions?
• Do I soften my stance?
• Do I learn to act a little less righteous?
• Do I cover my light and hide it under a bushel?
• Do I try to conform a little so as not to stand out so much?
Many a Christian has done just that.
And it has caused the Lord to grieve.
It is called becoming politically correct.
• The world loves homosexuality, maybe we shouldn’t oppose it.
• The world loves feminism, maybe we should ignore God’s roles.
• The world loves pluralism, maybe we should embrace false religion.
• The world loves universalism, maybe we should forget about hell.
• The world loves mysticism, maybe we should just go on our feelings.
• The world loves sin, maybe we should ignore repentance.
• The world loves self, maybe we should cater to them.
And really the list could go on and on and on.
And more than one Christian
Has collapsed under such societal pressure
And become conformed to the standards of the world
Just to get a little relief from the oppression.
They let go of their convictions
Simply because that is the only way to get relief.
THEY COMPROMISE.
And if we are honest, we can all find times when we did as well.
But the encouragement we get from the text tonight
Is that we find the secret to not doing it next time.
Our Psalmist has clearly said that he can’t beat his oppressors.
He knows that he is at the mercy of God.
He has done all he can, but he can’t stop them.
But he refuses to join them.
#4 HIS DEVOTION
Psalms 119:127-128
I really like how the NIV translates this verse.
“Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.”
The NIV translators went with the word “because”
Instead of the word “therefore”
And when you read the text it really makes more sense.
To read it as “therefore” makes it sound like he loves God’s commands
Because the wicked have broken them.
But that is not the point.
His point is that he hates what they do
Because he loves God’s commands.
He is telling you why he will not compromise.
He is telling you why he will never join them.
He is telling you why he hates their false way.
And the reason is because he loves God’s word!
“Therefore I love Your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold.”
I told you earlier, that the word “oppression”
Often carries a financial connotation with it.
The word for “oppress” is even translated “rob”
Micah 2:2 “They covet fields and then seize them, And houses, and take them away. They rob a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.”
And so it is quite possible that the oppression this man has received
Has even brought with it a financial hardship.
Maybe they don’t shop in his store…
Maybe they don’t give him good deals at the market…
Maybe they have dragged him to court…
Maybe they have given him fines…
But it is very possible that the oppression has caused a financial strain,
And that would cause many to cave.
But not our Psalmist.
Regardless of the oppression, regardless of the financial difficulty,
He is not going to compromise.
WHY?
“I love your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold.”
We sing:
“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather be His than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands. I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.
I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause; I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause; I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame. I’d rather be true to His holy name, than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.
He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom; He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb; He’s all that my hungering spirit needs. I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.”
So did the Psalmist.
So financial hardship couldn’t cause him to cave,
He loved God’s word more than money.
But that is not the only reason he wouldn’t cave.
The other is because “I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything.”
The other reason he wouldn’t compromise is because
He has come to a place where He believes God is right.
Sometimes we compromise because of the pressure,
Other times we compromise because of a lack of conviction.
(We aren’t sure if we really believe what Scripture says.)
If we aren’t sure God is right when it is easy,
We most certainly won’t hold our convictions when it is difficult.
But the Psalmist was convinced.
He knew God is right.
He said, “God is right about everything, all the time.”
“I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything.”
And because of this conviction he said, “I hate every false way.”
We see that even though he was in a battle he couldn’t win,
He refused to compromise.
BECAUSE:
• He loved God’s word more than anything in this world.
• He believed God’s word is always right about everything.
And there is our secret to resisting compromise.
Believe God is right about everything all the time,
And love His will more than the things of this world.
And if we reach that point, we are through with compromise.
So tonight we take encouragement yet again
To fall in love with the word of God.
To read it, to search it, to apply it, to obey it, to prove it, to love it.
And as you learn to love the word of God,
Find an unyielding resolve to keep obedience
Even in the midst of oppression.
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
