PSALMS LESSON 122
We will now begin the verse by verse study of the 119th Psalm.
This is the longest chapter in the entire Bible. Psalms 119:1
"{ALEPH.} Blessed [are] the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law
of the LORD."
We see, in this verse, the hope of a man to be as this one who
walked in the law of the LORD. We have discussed before that there is
a state beyond being saved and knowing the LORD as Saviour. There is a
place in our growth, if we are truly to be the blessed of God, that we
can do no less than to make Jesus Christ our Lord. To know Him as Lord
means that we walk in His will. The law of the Lord is not grievous to
those who love Him. Undefiled, in the Scripture above, means without
blemish.
Psalms 119:2 "Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and
that] seek him with the whole heart."
Testimonies means witness in the verse above. Jesus taught a
beautiful Gospel of love, when He walked upon the earth as Saviour of
mankind. We have talked so much about God not wanting the mind of man.
He wants our heart. The testimony of Jesus was that He destroyed sin
and death for all who will believe. He broke the curse that had been
brought on mankind in the garden of Eden. Men and women who trust in
the Lord Jesus Christ are no longer sons of men, but sons of God.
Psalms 119:3 "They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways."
This, again, is speaking of walking in the salvation you have
received from the Lord Jesus. Repent is a very misused word. It is
good to be sorry for your past sins, but repent means that you will
turn from that old way of life and walk a brand new life with Jesus.
In the new life, He will not only be with you, but He will be in you.
Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself for me." When we are baptized, we are buried with Christ and
we rise to new life in Him. We must walk the path of this new life,
and not go back into a sinful way of life again.
Psalms 119:4 "Thou hast commanded [us] to keep thy precepts
diligently."
We are to carefully guard our salvation. It is the most prized
possession we have. It leads to eternal life. We must not get careless
about the things of God. Sin is separation from God.
Psalms 119:5 "O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!"
The way of the Lord is lit up with the Light of Jesus. It must
not be an uncertain path. We must gird up our mind and do the will of
God. To receive the blessings of God, we must be obedient children to
the Father. We must keep our feet on the path that leads to Him.
Psalms 119:6 "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect
unto all thy commandments."
Guilt and shame are the products of sin. Only those who have not
kept their way are ashamed, when they face the Lord as Judge. When we
keep His commandments, we will be eager to stand before Him and hear
Him say well done.
Psalms 119:7 "I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when
I shall have learned thy righteous judgments."
We can not do the will of God, until we know what that will is.
The way to learn His will, is to study His Word {Bible}, for in it is
the secret to life with Him. The only praise that can be pure is
praise that originates in a heart stayed upon Him. Even our praise is
sweeter when we have a clear conscience, and know that all is well
with our soul.
Psalms 119:8 "I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not
utterly."
To live the life that the Lord would have us to live, we must
determine in our heart as this psalmist did to keep his statutes. This
is a promise from the psalmist who would not be able to face the life
without the Lord.
Psalms 119:9 "{BETH.} Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his
way? by taking heed [thereto] according to thy word."
If there is one theme that goes through all of this chapter of
Psalms, it is the Word. We must not only read the Word of God, but we
must hide its teachings in our heart, so that we might not sin against
God. The only way to be totally clean, is to be washed in the blood of
the Lamb and be totally clean. His blood does not just cover sin, but
does away with it.
Psalms 119:10 "With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me
not wander from thy commandments."
This Psalm sounds so much like David to me. He may have succumbed
to the sin of the flesh at one time, but he was a man whose heart was
pure before God. The desire of his heart was to please God at all
times. Let me wander not from thy commandments, is so near to lead me
not into temptation. The psalmist, here, is aware of the weakness in
his flesh. He knows that only with the Lord directing his every
decision, can he not wander into temptation.
Psalms 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might
not sin against thee."
I look around me today and sin is on every side. It seems that
the world has gone mad. Even many professing Christians are involved
in a sinful life style. The problem with all of these people, is that
they do not even know right from wrong. They have not hidden the Word
{Bible} away in their heart. They do not even know what sin is. The
Bible is our road-map through life. Those who do not carefully read
the map, get lost. Some are so sure they do not need help, that they
do not see the need for the Bible. How wrong they are. The secret to
life is in God's Holy Word {Bible}. The determination of our hearts is
to hide the Word of God so deeply in our heart that there will be no
room for anything else. We will be so full of His Word that there will
be no place for sinful desires. Sin originates in the heart. If the
heart is full of God, you will not desire to sin.
Psalms 119:12 "Blessed [art] thou, O LORD: teach me thy
statutes."
This is the desire of all people, who have disciplined themselves
to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples of old asked Jesus to
teach them to pray. They, also, would get Jesus away from the world
and ask Him to teach them what the parables He taught meant. Jesus
sent all the believers a Teacher and guide. In the book of John, He
promised to send the Comforter, who would guide and teach all of His
Holy ways. John 14:26 "But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things,
and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you." Notice, {bring to remembrance}. You must hear it, before it can
be brought to remembrance. The Word of God {Bible} speaks truth to us.
Psalms 119:13 "With my lips have I declared all the judgments of
thy mouth."
This is a declaring by the psalmist, that the words coming from
his lips are the teachings from the Lord's mouth. Judgements, here,
could, also, be spoken of as the true statements of the Lord. The
judgements of the Lord are printed in red in most Bibles. It is a very
good idea to concentrate on these Scriptures. They contain life.
Psalms 119:14 "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as
[much as] in all riches."
If the psalmist here is David, and I believe it is, then he had
many of the material things of this earth that we call wealth. He is
saying, that the Word of God is more valuable to him than all these
material things. If you could keep only one of your worldly
possessions and had to give all the other things up, would the thing
you chose be your Bible? If not, material things are a god to you.
Psalms 119:15 "I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect
unto thy ways."
This is a very strong statement of commitment. He is saying, when
I am not reading your Word, I will be thinking on its teachings. This
is a man stayed upon God. When making decisions, He will see if the
answer he is about to give, lines up with the Word of God. If it does
not, he will change his answer, until it does line up with the Word.
To have your mind stayed upon God is a very healthy situation. Thy
ways are above my ways, O Lord. Teach me thy ways. Make thy ways my
ways.
Psalms 119:16 "I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not
forget thy word."
Some men, who had been in prison for many years, said, the thing
that kept them alive and with hope, was the Scriptures they could
remember from their earlier teachings. Some of them even wrote every
one they could remember in the sand of their prison floor. To know the
Word of God and hide it away deep within yourself is one thing that no
one can take away from you. It is pleasant to remember the teachings
of the Lord. Nearly all true believers have many Scriptures they have
memorized. In time of trouble, it gives you something to hang on to.
If I had to summarize this lesson, I would say that the most
urgent task in our life is to read the Word {Bible} and hide its
teachings deep within our heart. Use it to help us through this life
and quote it aloud to others who are searching for the truth. The two
great powers in this world today, are the spoken and the written Word
of God.
Questions 122
1. Quote verse 1 of Psalms chapter 119.
2. What is a state beyond being saved, if we are growing in the Lord?
3. To know Him as Lord means that we walk in His ____.
4. What does undefiled, in verse 1, mean?
5. What does testimonies mean in verse 2?
6. What was the Gospel that Jesus taught?
7. When you receive Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, you are no longer
sons of men, but _____ of ___.
8. God does not want our mind, He wants our _______.
9. What is verse 3 speaking of?
10. What does repent really mean?
11. Quote Galations chapter 2 verse 20.
12. What does the Christian's water baptism mean?
13. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts ____________.
14. What is the most prized possession that we have?
15. Sin is separation from _____.
16. What is the way of the Lord lit with?
17. _____ and _____ are the products of sin.
18. Who are ashamed, when they face the Lord as Judge?
19. What must we do, before we can do the will of God?
20. How can we learn the will of God?
21. What determination must we have, that is spoken of in verse 8?
22. What does the author believe to be the theme of this Psalm?
23. How is the only way to be totally clean?
24. David may have succumbed to the flesh, but his ______ was stayed
upon God.
25. Quote Psalms chapter 119 verse 11.
26. Why are some Christians living in sin?
27. What is the Word?
28. The _____ is our road-map through life.
29. What is the determination of the author about the Word of God?
30. What is the desire of all who have disciplined themselves to
follow Jesus?
31. Who is our Teacher and Guide?
32. What is the statement {bring to remembrance} telling us?
33. What is the psalmist speaking with his lips in verse 13?
34. How can you separate the judgements of the Lord from the rest of
the Bible?
35. What is more valuable to the psalmist than the material things of
life?
36. Would you choose the Bible above all of your worldly possessions?
37. What does the word meditate tell us in verse 15?
38. Quote Psalms chapter 119 verse 16.
39. What kept some of the prisoners going, when they were locked up
for years?
40. What is one thing that can never be taken away from you?
41. What are the two great powers in the world today?
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