AYIN
March 7, 2012
Oak Park Baptist Church – Wed Bible Study Series
Psalm 119:121-128 (ESV) – 16 of 22
Ayin – 16th letter of the Hebrew Alphabet
Read/show ALL verses b4 verse by verse teaching…
When we read these 8 verses we can see the humanity of the psalmist coming through on a grand scale. This is a prayer by the psalmist, but it is prayed by one who is frail, weak and scared… one who is helpless in his situation… this is the prayer that everyone of US have prayed at one time or another in our lives…
This is the prayer of a REAL human being… this is not the prayer of SUPERCHRISTIAN… this is NOT the prayer of some super spiritual person who is immune to the attacks of the enemy…
this is a prayer from a normal man, who experiences normal things, who deals with the things of life and the pain and suffering that comes with life in this broken world.
I bet we have ALL been where this psalmist was… we have been to the point where we cried out to God… for deliverance and safety… for accomplishment and success… YOU PRAYED THAT PRAYER, RIGHT? I believe we all have…
Let’s take these verses and see if we can break them down and get inside the mind and heart of the psalmist as he opens his heart and soul to God in his prayer…look at v.121 with me…
[show verse]
121I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors. OR Don’t leave me to the mercy of my enemies, for I have done what is just and right.
How often do we feel this vulnerable? How often do we fear that those who hate us or those who have shown a desire to hurt us… how often are we left as ‘open targets’?
I believe that we often believe we are open targets, but God is there to protect us and we just don’t see or sense Him.
Here the psalmist cries out that he has been living right, he has been following the Law of God and doing what God had commanded of His people… look what he says, “…I have done what is just and right…” [show highlighted verse here]
We need to understand that the psalmist is not merely speaking of keeping the law at this point. He understands that the letter of the law is there for him, but that there is a spirit of the law that he must also uphold.
When he says he has done what is “…just and right…”
I believe we can see this having 2 levels of meaning… 1st we can see that he is doing what the law requires of him, which he would consider to be the just thing to do… it is justice… it is the keeping of the law!
But we all know that you can be a so called ‘law abiding’ citizen and not do what is right all the time. AND understand I am not saying that you would be breaking the law when you were not doing what is right…
Do the right thing at the right time for the right reasons… THIS is what the psalmist is getting at. Having integrity and character to uphold what I would call the SPIRIT of the law or the SPIRIT of the commandments…
We know that Jesus dealt with this same thing with the Pharisees… they meticulously kept the law, to the detriment of other people. They often used the law to do things that were NOT RIGHT in the sight of God. They kept the letter of the law, but broke the spirit of the law!
But here is an example that many of us would understand… Let’s say that you’re a faithful church member and you’re doing all the things God expects of you as a faithful church member.
You attend church regularly as per Scripture…
You worship God with all your heart, mind, soul, body and strength… as per Scripture…
You give liberally to God thru your church, as per Scripture…
You study your Bible and pray daily, as per scripture…
But one day you were going to church OR to a Bible study and on the way you came across a man who was broken down on the side of the road.
You had the ability to help him, you had the means to help him, and you had a definite opportunity to help him… but you did NOT because you were headed to church and just couldn’t be late…!
You justify your actions because you did not want to MISS church, after all you are SUPPOSED to go to church… you did not want to MISS out on the blessing of worship, after all God calls us to worship Him!
You also did not want to suffer the chastisement of others that may condemn you for NOT being at church… you thought it would be shameful…
You proclaim you are doing this out of your love of God and you could claim the greatest Commandment as your Scripture that would validate this type of behavior (in your eyes)… You know… Love the Lord God will all your heart, soul, body, mind and strength…
But in reality you have NOT loved God because you have ignored what Jesus said was the 2nd most important commandment and that is to love your neighbor as yourself.
And then Jesus taught how the Good Samaritan went out of his way to help the one in need… we have to know it threw him off his schedule and budget… we have to know it was inconvenient… but he does it anyway!
We are called to love and live just like that… but when we don’t we can find ourselves living by the letter of the law and not by the spirit of the law…
So is this the right thing to do? While you may have stayed within the letter of the law as per your church membership… OR as per what you believe to be the expected behavior out of you as a church member…
However WHAT you did not do is actually what condemns you… NOT what you did do… Scripture says that what we know is right to do, and we do NOT do it… that is sin!
So as we read here, we find the psalmist is saying that he not only adheres to the letter of the Law, but he is faithful in doing what is right in the sight of God, or in other words, staying within the Spirit of the Law as well.
So what the psalmist is saying is that he has kept the law but that he is also living a life that would please God, and BECAUSE of this we find him crying out to God for protection…
“God I have served you, so I need to know that you are going to be there for me…please don’t abandon me, please don’t leave me alone and helpless before my enemies!”
God protect me because I have been living for you…keeping Your law and doing what is right in your eyes.
This is a human reaction to the dangers around us… we want assurances from God of His protection. He has promised that He would be there for us and never leave us…
The psalmist is calling on that promise… However I want you to understand that the psalmist is NOT bartering with God here!
I don’t believe that he is trying to tell God that because of his obedience that God OWES him protection… this is absolutely NOT the attitude by the psalmist in this verse!
But what we DO find the psalmist claiming and crying out for is the deliverance of the promise of God! This is a promise from God that has already been made…
The psalmist is saying, “God you have promised, I believe in that promise, I desire that promise and I am waiting on and claiming that promise!
[show verse]
122Give your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me OR “Please guarantee a blessing for me. Don’t let the arrogant oppress me!”
Here again in this verse the psalmist is crying out for the promise of God’s protection and deliverance from his enemies.
He does not want to be oppressed by those who oppose God, and thereby sit in opposition to him… He is crying out for God’s promise!
But we find another nuance added to his prayer. He begins his prayer with “I have been living up to Your law and standards, so please keep your promise of protection…”
But in this verse we see he takes that perspective a step deeper when he says, “God, I have been living in accordance with your law and doing the right things, so please keep your promise of protection AND I pray a blessing on my life…”
Here I see the humanity of the psalmist coming through as He mentions his accomplishments in v.121 and then cries out for a blessing in v.122.
However, we cannot believe that the psalmist is fixated on a system of blessing for obedience… or a works based reward system from God.
What we must presume is that the psalmist’s cry is the same as it was in v.121 when he cries out for the promise of God’s protection and deliverance to those who serve Him…
However, the psalmist is crying out for God to keep His promise of blessing to those who obey and serve Him… once again this is NOT about his performance or his faithfulness BUT it IS all about God’s promise and God’s faithfulness!
These 2 verses reveal a human need to be assured by our Heavenly Father that when we are in need, that he will supply that need… it doesn’t matter what the need is… it could be for protection, it could be for deliverance, it could be for blessing… but when we have a need, we want to know that God is listening and will fulfill His promise to us!
I love these verses because it reveals the human nature… the REALNESS of the psalmist. He is like you and me, fragile and vulnerable and totally dependent on God.
So often we place him, and others onto a pedestal and think that they don’t know what WE have to deal with in life… that we have it worse than they did… but here it reveals that this psalmist was FULLY human was FULLY dependent on the promises of God as we are today!
[show verse]
123My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise… OR My eyes strain to see your rescue, to see the truth of your promise fulfilled.
Once again the theme of God’s promise being fulfilled is part of the psalmist’s prayer. Here his humanity shows more than the other 2 verses in that it could almost seem as if he may have doubts in his mind about God fulfilling His promises…
He says, “…my eyes LONG for Your salvation…” or as the NLT tells us, “…my eyes strain to see Your rescue…” In other words, what the psalmist is saying here is… I’m in a situation God and I am calling on your promise of deliverance and protection.
I want to trust in YOUR promise, I know that you have promised these things to me… BUT I JUST DON’T SEE IT right now… I am struggling with my doubt, I am struggling with my faith!
How many times have you been THERE? I know that I seem to constantly camp out in this area… seeming to know that God has promised deliverance and guidance, but not being able to see it right away, brings doubt and a struggle within my faith!
Do you struggle with your faith? Many of us do, but faith is the evidence of things NOT seen… so often we demand SIGHT in our faith of God, when that is not faith at all! We don’t really have faith in God because we want PROOF of what God is going to do…
We fail to hold to the promises of Scripture and we cry out for God to PROVE Himself to us by blessing us or delivering us… have you been there lately?
Here the psalmist states that he LONGS for God’s salvation. This statement reveals a heart that is seeking after God and has long been seeking after him. It reveals a sense of patience on his part, but also a sense of expectancy on behalf of the psalmist.
[show verse]
124Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes… OR I am your servant; deal with me in unfailing love, and teach me your decrees.
Now in this verse we find the psalmist confessing his lack of faith AND crying out for the unfailing love of God and for His mercy. What we can see is that he is basically calling on God to deal with him thru his unfailing love…
This phrase, “…deal with Your servant according to Your steadfast love…” OR as the NLT puts it, “…deal with me in unfailing love…”
They reveal that the psalmist found true solace in what he considered to be a love from God that he could count on… a love that would NOT let him down! The love of His God and Savior!
The psalmist knew and understood that regardless of his sin or lack of faith that God would deal with Him according to His love…
Just what does the psalmist mean when he mentions the ‘unfailing’ love of God? Well he is speaking about the covenantal relationship and God’s promise of love and deliverance of His people… to love them and be their God!
God may have to discipline them from time to time, but His love never ceased! His unfailing love was always there for them…
As with the psalmist, this means a great deal for us today, as well! It does not mean that God will always be pleased with our actions! We often fail Him and let Him down! This does not mean that God is always going to speak kind to us and coddle us in our sinfulness… There will be times it means that God will be angry and discipline us!
HOWEVER, what the psalmist is clinging to AND what we must realize is as well is that in WHATEVER situation God is acting… and in whatever manner God chooses to deal with us, it is always going to be out of His unfailing and faithful love for us! This is a comforting promise for all believers!
[show verse]
125I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies! OR Give discernment to me, your servant; then I will understand your laws.
Once again the psalmist is crying out to God for a promise… it is not deliverance this time! The promise he is seeking in this verse is the promise of revelation.
Godly wisdom to discern what is needed to be pure in God’s eyes is what the psalmist is praying to God for in this verse… “…give me understanding…” OR “…give discernment…” [show highlighted verses here]
These are not demands of God but a cry for the deliverance of yet another promise of God’s covenant with His people!
In Job we find Job relating that godly understanding comes only from ONE source and that is God Himself! [show Job 12:13 [NLT] verse here]
“But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are His…”
Here the psalmist reveals that he understands true wisdom only comes from God and he is crying out for God to deliver into his heart the wisdom of God, the discernment of God…
But I want us to understand what his purpose for this understanding is… it is NOT for HIS benefit, but it is because he wishes to serve God better!
Look at the verse as it says, “…I am Your servant…” [show highlighted verse here] signifying a full submission and obedience to God’s calling! The psalmist recognizes who is in control here… He understands that God is the boss, and HE is the servant! In our world today, many of us adhere to the “Jesus is my co-pilot” mentality.
In other words, I am going to take this as far as I can take it and then I am going to ask Jesus to guide me when I can go no further… Well if Jesus is your co-pilot then you are sitting in the wrong seat!
You need to have the attitude of the psalmist here in this verse who recognizes his place in God’s kingdom. So when we realize this from the psalmist we can see that his cry is not for his own gain, but so that he can better serve God.
How often do we cry out to God for wisdom and discernment… only for it to be for OUR own good and for our own selfish desire? God honors those who honor Him and His kingdom.
What we must submit to is the same as the psalmist… we must say, “God I need your wisdom and understanding so that I can be YOUR servant and serve YOUR kingdom…”
But this is a two fold request… the psalmist recognizes his submission to God in service, but he also says, “…that I may know Your testimonies…” [show highlighted verse here] In other words, the psalmists desire is to know God more… to see HIS plan and purpose… to see His will! So when HE is in doubt, God’s word will clarify God’s mission for him…
It is great when we read God’s word and God’s will is revealed to us in a very vivid manner… We need to seek the wisdom of God in understanding and knowing His word!
When He grants His godly wisdom upon us, we will be able to discern the right and perfect will of God! But lets understand that this begins with the believer WANTING to study Gods word… and seeking to grow in God’s wisdom!
I believe this verse ties in directly with v.121 where the psalmist not only wants to know the LETTER of God’s law, but thru godly wisdom and discernment he wants to know the SPIRIT of God’s law as well!
[show verse]
126It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken. OR LORD, it is time for you to act, for these evil people have violated your instructions.
The humanity of the psalmist rears its head again here as the implication of this verse is that he is crying out in frustration over the wickedness of the evil ones…
The psalmist is calling God into action… and I don’t see this as a demand of God but rather a call for the promise of God to be delivered.
God had long promised that those who opposed Him would be punished… that those who disobeyed Him would be punished!
The psalmist was aware of many people who had disobeyed God and had opposed God, and he had seen God punish them, but here we find him crying out one more time for God to fulfill that promise of destruction of the evil ones…
Now this is a prayer that may seem counter-intuitive for the believer today, as we should NOT seek the eternal destruction or demise of anyone in our world today… BUT when there are those in our lives where their wicked ways are pressing down upon us, we can call for God to delivers us FROM them OR to deliver them away from us!
We must always seek to see those outside of God’s grace come to know Christ as Lord and Savior… but that does not mean we have to like their sinful ways OR live with them IN their sinful ways!
Sin is evil and we should never make excuses for it… we must always pray away sin…by that I mean we must confess our own sin in prayer to God, but we must also pray that those we know would confess their sin to God as well!
We can never come to the point where accept sinful behavior or wicked behavior as something tolerable or acceptable! Sin must be prayed away…
I see this as the psalmist calling for God to act because of the wickedness of these people… but what action is he calling for? That is not EXPLICIT here…now the this verse DOES seem to imply that the action the psalmist is calling God to is judgment or destruction! However, could we not also see God being a redeeming and reconciling God with repentant sinners?
Once again we need to remember that when God acts on ANYTHING, it is out of his great love! He IS love!
Sometimes His actions are in a manner of discipline or punishment that may seem harsh, but we must realize its goal is always repentance and is ALWAYS done out of His great love!
God will punish those who sin against Him, but He will also FORGIVE those who have sinned but now come with a repentant heart!
When the psalmist cries out for God to act… the implication is God’s wrath or vengeance, but it could also be God’s unfailing love seeking to forgive and reconcile the sinner!
This is why all our prayers for others should be for their salvation & reconciliation before God. It should never be for punishment for their actions…although as humans we tend to WANT to see those who hurt us be punished! But we should pray for their forgiveness and deliverance because we have ALL been there at one time or another![show verse]
127Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold. OR Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold.
In this verse the psalmist is revealing to the best of his ability how valuable he believes God’s word is in his life! As humans we place value on things we care about… things we love!
In a marriage we value our spouses and our children because we love them… we value them higher than any other person and we value them higher than any other material thing…
We love them and place high value on them because they are our loved ones… they are our family! Here the psalmist is revealing his love for God’s word… he placed the highest of material value onto God’s word as he declared it more valuable than the finest of gold…
Another perspective about this verse is that the psalmist believed that God’s Word was far more valuable than any wealth…
Matthew Henry in his commentary on Psalm 119:127 we find him telling that the word of God answers all purposes and situations in life… FAR better than money does!
This is because it enriches the soul towards God; and therefore the psalmist loves it FAR better than gold, for it had done for him what gold could not do, and would hold fast during the difficult times of life when the wealth of the world would fail him.
Do we place God’s word OVER all when it comes to value in our lives? Do we find God’s wisdom and discernment to be the thing we seek after and know will benefit us greatly?
I believe far too often we place TOO much value on the things of this world and NOT enough value on the things of God! When we are studying God’s word this is revealed to us and we are able to discern the RIGHT value of all things!
We can come to the same conclusion as the psalmist in that God’s word is the most valuable possession one can ever attain… it is a gift FROM God out of His love for His creation, but a gift that we must put into practice in our lives to see benefit from it! Do you value God’s word as you should?
[show verse]
128Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way. OR Each of your commandments is right. That is why I hate every false way.
Finally in this section, after giving God’s word the highest of value in his life… the psalmist makes the declaration of God’s precepts being right in his sight!
This could seem rather presumptuous of the psalmist but this is NOT his approval of God’s word… The psalmist is NOT saying here that he has looked at God’s word and God has his approval…
But rather this is the psalmist’s assent to God’s righteousness and faithfulness… It is the psalmist coming to the realization after study of God’s law, just how wonderful God truly is!
This is the psalmist proclaiming what God has revealed to him through God’s word! Again this is God taking the initiative and humanity being the beneficiary of God’s actions! This is a proclamation of WORSHIP on behalf of the psalmist!
Here I can hear him saying, “God is great and greatly to be praised!” I can hear him saying, “God is good… ALL THE TIME!” This is the psalmist praising God for His word and the good it brings into his life!
We all need to proclaim God’s WORTH in our lives as well! God’s word is here for our benefit and it is out of God’s unfailing love that we can know Him and know His will and discern His word!
But not only are we to proclaim the TRUTH of God’s word in our lives, but we are also called to shun the evil ways of this world! We are expected to live lives that hate every evil way (as the psalmist says here)
Far too often we find those who profess Christ as Savior, extolling the goodness of God, but in their life they are NOT shunning the evil of this world, but rather they are living as close to the world as they can…
We are called to live holy and set apart lives… living those lives in the full realization of God’s love and promises to all those who profess Him as Lord in their lives…
So as we live our life as God’s called out ones… we must understand that we can only live that sort of life through the GIFT of God’s promises! We can know we are protected and delivered in any and all situations, even though we may not understand those situations…
Even when we are being disciplined by God because of our sin we can still know He loves us and desires our confession of sin and wants to forgive us and reconcile us to Him!
God’s word is great… God’s Word is right… God’s word is worthy for us to take it into our hearts and live by its commands! Are you hiding His word in YOUR heart tonight! PRAY!
