PSALMS LESSON 127
 
     We will continue the verse by verse study of the 119th Psalm in
Psalms 119:89 "{LAMED.} For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in
heaven."

     Settled, in this particular Scripture, means station. I Peter
1:25 "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.  And this is the
word which by the gospel is preached unto you."  The Word of God will
never change as this Scripture and the one above clearly state.
Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall
not pass away."

     In the last lesson, we saw the affliction of the psalmist. In
this lesson, we see the psalmist seeing the unchangeable nature of the
Word of God. It was this same Word that created the world. God spoke -
it became.

     Psalms 119:90 "Thy faithfulness [is] unto all generations: thou
hast established the earth, and it abideth."

     God's faithfulness, is like His Word. It never fails. I have said
this before, but it is absolutely amazing that God could make this
ball we call earth, and fling it out into space, and tell it to stay
there, and it does exactly as He said. Abideth means, continues to
remain. This same God is faithful to each person, one at a time, upon
this earth.

     Psalms 119:91 "They continue this day according to thine
ordinances: for all [are] thy servants."

     He is Creator, we are His creation. The Creator controls His
creation. The whole universe and everything, and everyone, in it is
kept in order by the order established at creation. We are not only
His servants, but we are His creation. He can do with His creation,
whatever He wants to.

     Psalms 119:92 "Unless thy law [had been] my delights, I should
then have perished in mine affliction."

     Many people do not understand that the moment of our death is set
by the Lord. We die, when He says it is time. We live, until He says
it is enough. The psalmist had read and studied the Word of God so
much, that he knew he was in the hands of God. He says, if I had not
studied the Word of God, I would have just given up and died.

     Psalms 119:93 "I will never forget thy precepts: for with them
thou hast quickened me."

     How many of us have been sick unto death {seemingly}, and then
God came along, and put that extra spark of life in us, and we lived?.
That extra spark is His Spirit. At the moment, it is fresh in his
memory, but he is promising himself and God that he will never forget.

     Psalms 119:94 "I [am] thine, save me; for I have sought thy
precepts."

     Precepts, in this particular instance, means appointed mandate,
or commandments. The Psalmist here is giving back to God, that which
already belongs to Him. He is committing himself to God. This is total
commitment to God. He has studied the commandments of God and has
totally given himself to that teaching. We cannot save ourself. He
speaks correctly, when he asks God to save him.

     Psalms 119:95 "The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: [but]
I will consider thy testimonies."

     The wicked may wait to destroy, but they cannot get near those
who are covered in the blood of the Lamb. He is placing all his trust
in the Word of God, which he has hidden away in his heart. Proverbs
16:7 "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to
be at peace with him."

     Psalms 119:96 "I have seen an end of all perfection: [but] thy
commandment [is] exceeding broad."

     The psalmist is aware that even though he loves God, and studies
God's Word, he is not perfect. Only One who ever lived upon this earth
was perfect, and that was Jesus Christ. The Word of God is so broad
that it speaks of perfection. It, also, shows the way to perfection.
In this imperfect world with imperfect people, we are not perfect. He
is suddenly aware that he is not perfect, just forgiven.

     Psalms 119:97 "{MEM.} O how love I thy law! it [is] my meditation
all the day."

     To study the law of God is a very good thing. In our study on
Leviticus, we could see types and shadows of Jesus, the Lamb of God.
We see from the following Scripture, that there was a definite need
for the law. Galatians 3:24 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster
[to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." No
one could perfectly live up to the law. It just made all of mankind
very aware that they needed a Saviour. He is saying, that he thinks on
the law of God all the day long. When a person meditates upon
something, it is their choice. That is what is meant by my meditation.

     Psalms 119:98 "Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser
than mine enemies: for they [are] ever with me."

     The people who do not study the Word of God, have no perfect
example of how to live before them. The Word of God is very helpful in
our day to day affairs of life. We are told who to marry, and who we
should not marry. Husbands are told how to be a good husband. Wives
are taught how to be a good wife, children are told how to treat their
parents. We are even told how to conduct day to day transactions in
business. In fact, a government could run its affairs with no problem
at all with the laws God set up in Leviticus. It would make a person
very wise, if he studied the Word of God everyday. If a problem arose
that he did not know how to handle, he would just grab the Bible and
look up the answer in God's Word. How much more wise could you be than
to have the knowledge of God at your fingertips?

     Psalms 119:99 "I have more understanding than all my teachers:
for thy testimonies [are] my meditation."

     Unless the teacher spent as much time in the Word as he has
spent, this would be true. Absolute Truth is in the Word of God. The
teachers opinions are not always correct. Sometimes the teacher is
basing what they believe on some other textbook, which is not
necessarily so. The type of understanding that the psalmist is
speaking of here is a gift from God through the Holy Spirit, who is
the true Teacher.

     Psalms 119:100 "I understand more than the ancients, because I
keep thy precepts."

     He has the benefit of learning from the mistakes that the
ancients made. Learning the teachings of God, and then keeping His
commandments, would put him in a place of more knowledge. As I said,
this type of knowledge would have been taught him by the Holy Spirit
of God. The lesson opened unto him would be the Word of God. God will
not just open your brain and pour in this knowledge. He will give you
the ability to understand it more and more as you study. The Holy
Spirit brings it to remembrance. That means you had to read and study
it first, then He makes you remember. It takes some effort on your
part. Hide God's teachings deep within your heart. They will be there,
when you need them.

     Psalms 119:101 "I have refrained my feet from every evil way,
that I might keep thy word."

     He is speaking of the Bible teaching him the importance of living
holy before the Lord. He says, I have disciplined my walk to match up
with the Word of God. Many today do not believe it is necessary to
walk holy before the Lord. The Bible teaches that you must walk the
salvation that you have received. When you repent, it means that you
have turned away from your life in the flesh and are walking in the
spirit.

     Psalms 119:102 "I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou
hast taught me."

     I really believe that this is the secret. To walk in the will of
God for your life, you must know what that will is. The psalmist has
not departed from God's judgements, because he knows what God's
judgements are. He has diligently studied the Word of God, and is
using what he learned to guide his life. Most people who do not
believe it is important to walk the holy life, spend very little, if
any time, truly studying God's Word. They are not familiar with what
the Bible says. They have taken someone else's word for what the Bible
teaches.

     Psalms 119:103 "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! [yea,
sweeter] than honey to my mouth!"

     Have you ever had the sensation that the psalmist is speaking of
here? He has read it so much, that it is sweetness to his inner most
being. This reminds me of the book that John was told to eat, that was
sweet in his mouth as honey. The sweetness of the Word, to me, is that
as I study it, it seems to be so personal to me. It is so ageless,
that it is current today. Look with me at what Jesus said about this.
Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God." We are to partake of the Word of God {Bible} as often
as you would physical bread. The Word feeds the soul of man.

     Psalms 119:104 "Through thy precepts I get understanding:
therefore I hate every false way."

     This is speaking of those who love the Truth, and despise the
lie.  The false way is the wide way that leads to destruction. Not
only is the psalmist thankful that he learned the way of God and would
not be led into this false way again, but he hates this way that
others might be deceived into falling in. This false way is the path
that leads to the father of all lies, Satan. Again I must stress, the
thing that kept the psalmist, here, from getting in that false way was
his understanding of the Word of God. The Word of God contains life.
The false way leads to death.




























                             Questions 127

1.  In verse 89, we read that God's Word is settled where?
2.  What does settled mean in this particular Scripture?
3.  Quote 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 25.
4.  In Matthew chapter 24 verse 35, we read that ________ and _______
    shall pass away.
5.  What does abideth mean?
6.  What is amazing to the author about the earth?
7.  What keeps all of God's creation in order?
8.  What did the psalmist say, caused him to live in verse 92?
9.  Who sets the moment of our death?
10. What quickened the psalmist in verse 93?
11. What is the extra spark of life that God gives us?
12. What does precepts, in verse 94, mean?
13. Quote Proverbs chapter 16 verse 7.
14. Who is the only One who ever lived perfect upon the earth?
15. The psalmist is not perfect, just _________.
16. Where is the law of God given in the Bible?
17. Why should Christians study the law?
18. Quote Galations chapter 3 verse 24.
19. In verse 98, what had made him wiser than his enemies?
20. What are some very important things about how to live, that the
    law in Leviticus tells us?
21. What would make a person very wise?
22. What could possibly make him wiser than his teacher?
23. What advantage did he have over the ancients?
24. The Holy Spirit causes us to remember what?
25. What had the psalmist refrained his feet from?
26. What does repent really mean?
27. How can you walk in His will?
28. Why do people not understand that you must lead a holy life?
29. His Word is sweeter in his mouth than what?
30. Through Thy precepts, I get _______________.