Psalm 119 is called the Alphabet of Divine Love, the Paradise of all Doctrines, the Storehouse of the Holy Spirit, and the School of Truth.
The Theme of Psalm 119
is
The Word of God
We not only have the new emergents, we also have the "Let's all be united" Chrislam, and all religions united together. It seems to me, God was against His people having alliances with, and worshipping with other religions. This does not mean we don't love the people who are caught up in them, as everyone else, and pray for their souls, it just means we do not worship as they do, or who they do. We do not mix Christianity with "any" other religion. The Bible says what has light to do with darkness? When Jesus prayed that we might be one in unity, He was praying for all the born-again Christians, not for mixing of all religions. How are so many theologians blind to that???
is
The Word of God
113. I hate the double-minded, but I love Your law.
114. Your are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word.
115. Depart from me, you evildoers, for I will keep the commandments of my
God!
116. Uphold me according to Your Word, that I may live; and do not let me be
ashamed of my hope.
117. Hold me up, and I shall be safe, and I shall observe Your statutes
continually.
118. You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, for their deceit is
falsehood.
119. You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love Your
testimonies.
120. My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments.
113-120. God is twice implored to uphold His servant (vv. 116,117). The destruction of those who make light of God's law or encourage skepticism regarding it may be compared to the fate of the Philistine lords, on whom Samson brought down the temple where they were celebrating, by overthrowing the pillars that supported it (Judges 16 25-30).
(James Neale and R.F. Littledale, 1879)
(James Neale and R.F. Littledale, 1879)
113. In this paragraph the psalmist deals with thoughts and things and persons that are the opposite of God's holy thoughts and ways. Evidently, he is in great fear of the power of darkness. But his soul is stirred to stand against them with determined opposition. Just as he began and earlier octave, "Oh, how I love Your Law!" (v.97), he begins this section with a declaration of hatred against what breaks the Law. The opposite of the fixed and infallible Law of God is the wavering, changing opinion of people. David had total contempt and abhorrence for the double-minded. All his reverence and regard went to the sure Word of testimony. In proportion to his love for the Law, was his hate of people's inventions. Human thoughts are worthless, but God's thoughts are true. We hear much about "people of thought," "thoughtful preachers," and "modern, or post modern thought." What is this but the old pride of the human heart? Vain man wants to be wise. The psalmist did not glory in his own thoughts.
Too many of our thoughts are double-minded and worthless in the sense of being sinful, evil, and foolish. The psalmist is not indifferent to evil thoughts. He looks on them with a hate as true as the love with which he clung to God's pure thoughts.
The previous octave was practical; this octave is thoughtful. There, the man of God watched his feet; here, he watches his heart. The emotions of the soul are as important as the actions of life, for they are the fountain and spring from which the actions proceed. When we love the law it becomes a law of love, and we cling to it with all our hearts.
I hate the double-minded. Vain thoughts come as unwelcomed guests, which, as soon as they are discovered, are turned out of door. (Thomas Watson, 1600)
114. You are my hiding place and my shield. David ran to God for shelter from the double-minded. There, he hid from their tormenting intrusions and solemn silence of soul, he found God to be his hiding place. When called into the world, if David could not be alone with God as his hiding place, he knew that the Lord would be with him as his shield, to ward of the attacks of the wicked suggestions. This is an experiential verse; it testifies to the writer's personal knowledge. He could not fight his own thoughts, or escape them, until he flew to God, and then he found deliverance. David ascribes that hiding place and shield to God.
I hope in Your Word. And well he might, since he had tried and proven it. David looked for protection from all danger and for preservation from all temptation to Him who had been the tower of his defense. It is easier to exercise hope where we have previously received help. God's Word always gives objects of hope and reasons for hope. His Word becomes the sphere and support of hope, and gloomy or tiresome thoughts are overcome. Hope of heaven is an effective rest amid fret and worry.
Hope is the sweetest balm that soothes our sorrows, the brightest beam that gilds our pleasures. Without hope no one can truly be happy.
(William Grant, 1814-1876)
115. Depart from me, you evil doers. Those who make a conscience of their thoughts are not likely to tolerate evil company. If we fly to God from vain thoughts, much more will we avoid vain persons. Kings are all too apt to be surrounded by people who flatter them and break God's laws. David purged his palace of such parasites. He would not harbour them under his roof. The king sent them packing with the words, "Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matthew 7:23).
For I will keep the commandments of my God! Since David found it hard to keep the commandments in the company of the ungodly, he gave them their marching orders. He must keep the commandments, but he did not need to keep their company. Because Jehovah is our God, we resolve to obey Him and chase from sight those who would hinder us in His service. It is a grand thing for the mind to come to a point and be steadfastly fixed in holy determination.
116. Uphold me according to Your Word that I may live. It was so necessary for the Lord to uphold His servant that David could not live without it. Our souls would die is the Lord did not continually sustain them. Every grace that makes spiritual life true life would decay if He withdrew His upholding hand. It is a sweet comfort that this great necessity of upholding is provided in the Word. We do not have to ask for it as for an uncovenanted mercy; we simply need to plead for the fulfillment of the promise, uphold me according to Your Word. He who has given us eternal life has in that gift secured for us all that is essential. And since gracious upholding is one of the necessary things, we may be sure that we have it.
And do not let me be ashamed. David spoke of his hope as founded on the Word (v.114). Now he begs for the fulfillment of the Word to justify his hope in the sight of all. We would be ashamed of our hope if it were not based on a sure foundation, but this will never happen in our case. We may be ashamed of our words, thoughts, and deeds, for they spring from us, but we never will be ashamed of our hope, for that springs from the Lord our God. This is the frailty of our nature. Unless we are continuously held up by grace, we will fall so badly as to be ashamed of ourselves and ashamed of the glorious hopes that are the crown and glory of our life. Even though the man of God had spoken the most positive resolutions, he still felt that he could not trust his solemn determination. Hence his prayers. It is not wrong to make resolutions but it will be useless unless we season them well with believing cries to God. David meant to keep the law of the Lord, but he first needed the Lord of the law to keep him.
The life of God's children is the death of sin; where sin is alive, that part is dead to God. When God's children find themselves dull or slow to good things, or when they can not rejoice in the promises of God or find their souls delighted with God's law, they consider themselves to be dead. (Richard Greenham, 1537-1591).
117. Hold me up and I shall be safe. Unless You hold me up I will fall. We are saved by past grace, but we are not safe unless we receive present grace. The psalmist vowed to keep the Lords commands, but here he pleads with the Lord to keep him---a sensible course of procedure. We need this blessing, for in every way our adversaries seek to cast us down. To be safe is a happy condition and that door is through Jesus, and held open by God, Himself to the least of us.
And I shall observe Your statutes continually. In obedience is safety, and in being held up is obedience. No one will outwardly keep the Lord's statutes for long, unless they have an inward reverence and respect for them, and this will never happen unless the Lord's hand perpetually upholds the heart in holy love. Perseverance to the end (continuous obedience) comes only through the divine power of he Holy Spirit. We veer off like a faulty bow unless we are kept right by Him who first gave us grace. Happy are they who realize this verse in life. Upheld through life in a course of unswerving integrity, they become safe and trusted as they maintain a sacred delicacy of conscience unknown to others. They feel a tender respect and reverence for the Lord's statutes, which keep them clear of the inconsistencies and conformities to the world that are so common in others. Thus, they are pillars in the house of the Lord.
Hold me up and I shall be safe. Conscious of my weakness and the danger of the slippery path before me, I am reminded that the safety of every moment depends on the upholding power of the Holy Spirit...my God. The ways of temptation are many and imperceptible---their unspeakable---that I can do nothing but go my way, praying at every step, hold me up and I shall be safe.
(Charles Bridges, 1794-1869)
118. You reject all those who stray from Your statutes. There is no holding up for them. They are thrown down and trodden underfoot because they choose to wander in the way of sin. Sooner or later, God will set His foot on those who turn their foot from His commands; this has always been and will always be until the end. "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is the good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." (Matt.5:13). God puts the wicked away like dross. They are fit only to be thrown out, as road metal is to be walked on.
For their deceit is falsehood. They call it far-seeing policy, but it is an absolute falsehood, and it shall be treated as such. People call it clever diplomacy, but the man of God calls a spade a spade and declares it to be nothing less then a falsehood. He knows that their deceit is a falsehood in the sight of God. People who stray from the right road invent pretty excuses to deceive themselves and thereby quiet their consciences and maintain their credits. But their mask of falsehood is too transparent. God rejects falsehoods, which are only fit to be crushed into the dust by His feet.
119. You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross. God does not trifle with the wicked or handle them with kid gloves. He judges them to be the scum of the earth and puts the wicked away from His church, away from their honors, away from the earth, and away from Himself. He says, "Depart from me, you cursed" (Matt. 25:41). If a good person feels forced to put away evil doers, how much more will the thrice holy God put away the wicked? They looked like precious metal, they were intimately mixed with it, and they were laid up in the same pile. But the Lord is a refiner and everyday He removes some of the wicked from among His people, either by making a shameful discovery of their hypocrisy or by consuming them from the earth. They are put away as dross never to be recalled. As metal is improved by losing its alloy, the church is better for having the wicked removed.
The wicked of the earth. The wicked ones have no right to be with those who are not of the world. The Lord perceives them to be out of place and harmful. He puts them away, all of them, leaving none of them to deteriorate His church. The process will one day be perfect, no dross will be spared, no gold will be left impure. Where will we be when that great work is finished?
Therefore I love Your testimonies. Even the Lord's severity stimulates His people's love. If God allowed us to sin with impunity, He would not fully be the object of our love of our admiration. God is glorious in holiness because He rids his kingdom of rebels that defile it. In the evil days, when God's punishment of sinners has become the butt of skeptical contentions, the mark of a true saint is that he loves the Lord a great deal more because of His merited judgment of the ungodly.
120. My flesh trembles for fear of You and I am afraid of Your judgments. God's words of judgment are solemn, and His deeds of judgment are terrible; they may well make us afraid. At the thought of the Judge of all, His piercing eye, His books of record, His day of court, and the operations of His justice, we may well cry for cleansed thoughts, hearts, and ways, lest His judgments fall on us. When we see the great Refiner separating the precious from the vile, we may well feel a godly fear, lest we be put away by Him and ground under His feet.
Love in the previous verse is consistent with fear in this verse. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). Fear with torment is cast out, but affectionate fear leads to reverence and obedience.
Commentary taken from Treasury of David...Charles Spurgeon
My thoughts on verse 113...
Today we have so many different religions, so many different versions of the gospel which according to Paul are no gospel at all..and should be accursed (Gal. 1:6-9). We have theologians who want to remove parts of the Bible which have to do with the Gospel message. They want to remove the story of Adam and Eve. Without the first Adam in Genesis, they remove all Adam's imputed sin to us. Without the first Adam, how would the last Adam fit in Romans? You know, the One who paid the penalty for Adam's imputed sin to us, and our own sin, and imputed His righteousness to us in its place, by shedding His blood on a cruel cross. I heard they want to remove the resurrection of Jesus, as well. Without the resurrection, we have no hope. If Jesus didn't rise again, we will all die in our sins. How many souls are being deceived by these blinded religious leaders? All people need to get familiar with their Bibles so they don't fall for this deception that is in the works.
For I will keep the commandments of my God! Since David found it hard to keep the commandments in the company of the ungodly, he gave them their marching orders. He must keep the commandments, but he did not need to keep their company. Because Jehovah is our God, we resolve to obey Him and chase from sight those who would hinder us in His service. It is a grand thing for the mind to come to a point and be steadfastly fixed in holy determination.
116. Uphold me according to Your Word that I may live. It was so necessary for the Lord to uphold His servant that David could not live without it. Our souls would die is the Lord did not continually sustain them. Every grace that makes spiritual life true life would decay if He withdrew His upholding hand. It is a sweet comfort that this great necessity of upholding is provided in the Word. We do not have to ask for it as for an uncovenanted mercy; we simply need to plead for the fulfillment of the promise, uphold me according to Your Word. He who has given us eternal life has in that gift secured for us all that is essential. And since gracious upholding is one of the necessary things, we may be sure that we have it.
And do not let me be ashamed. David spoke of his hope as founded on the Word (v.114). Now he begs for the fulfillment of the Word to justify his hope in the sight of all. We would be ashamed of our hope if it were not based on a sure foundation, but this will never happen in our case. We may be ashamed of our words, thoughts, and deeds, for they spring from us, but we never will be ashamed of our hope, for that springs from the Lord our God. This is the frailty of our nature. Unless we are continuously held up by grace, we will fall so badly as to be ashamed of ourselves and ashamed of the glorious hopes that are the crown and glory of our life. Even though the man of God had spoken the most positive resolutions, he still felt that he could not trust his solemn determination. Hence his prayers. It is not wrong to make resolutions but it will be useless unless we season them well with believing cries to God. David meant to keep the law of the Lord, but he first needed the Lord of the law to keep him.
The life of God's children is the death of sin; where sin is alive, that part is dead to God. When God's children find themselves dull or slow to good things, or when they can not rejoice in the promises of God or find their souls delighted with God's law, they consider themselves to be dead. (Richard Greenham, 1537-1591).
117. Hold me up and I shall be safe. Unless You hold me up I will fall. We are saved by past grace, but we are not safe unless we receive present grace. The psalmist vowed to keep the Lords commands, but here he pleads with the Lord to keep him---a sensible course of procedure. We need this blessing, for in every way our adversaries seek to cast us down. To be safe is a happy condition and that door is through Jesus, and held open by God, Himself to the least of us.
And I shall observe Your statutes continually. In obedience is safety, and in being held up is obedience. No one will outwardly keep the Lord's statutes for long, unless they have an inward reverence and respect for them, and this will never happen unless the Lord's hand perpetually upholds the heart in holy love. Perseverance to the end (continuous obedience) comes only through the divine power of he Holy Spirit. We veer off like a faulty bow unless we are kept right by Him who first gave us grace. Happy are they who realize this verse in life. Upheld through life in a course of unswerving integrity, they become safe and trusted as they maintain a sacred delicacy of conscience unknown to others. They feel a tender respect and reverence for the Lord's statutes, which keep them clear of the inconsistencies and conformities to the world that are so common in others. Thus, they are pillars in the house of the Lord.
Hold me up and I shall be safe. Conscious of my weakness and the danger of the slippery path before me, I am reminded that the safety of every moment depends on the upholding power of the Holy Spirit...my God. The ways of temptation are many and imperceptible---their unspeakable---that I can do nothing but go my way, praying at every step, hold me up and I shall be safe.
(Charles Bridges, 1794-1869)
118. You reject all those who stray from Your statutes. There is no holding up for them. They are thrown down and trodden underfoot because they choose to wander in the way of sin. Sooner or later, God will set His foot on those who turn their foot from His commands; this has always been and will always be until the end. "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is the good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." (Matt.5:13). God puts the wicked away like dross. They are fit only to be thrown out, as road metal is to be walked on.
For their deceit is falsehood. They call it far-seeing policy, but it is an absolute falsehood, and it shall be treated as such. People call it clever diplomacy, but the man of God calls a spade a spade and declares it to be nothing less then a falsehood. He knows that their deceit is a falsehood in the sight of God. People who stray from the right road invent pretty excuses to deceive themselves and thereby quiet their consciences and maintain their credits. But their mask of falsehood is too transparent. God rejects falsehoods, which are only fit to be crushed into the dust by His feet.
119. You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross. God does not trifle with the wicked or handle them with kid gloves. He judges them to be the scum of the earth and puts the wicked away from His church, away from their honors, away from the earth, and away from Himself. He says, "Depart from me, you cursed" (Matt. 25:41). If a good person feels forced to put away evil doers, how much more will the thrice holy God put away the wicked? They looked like precious metal, they were intimately mixed with it, and they were laid up in the same pile. But the Lord is a refiner and everyday He removes some of the wicked from among His people, either by making a shameful discovery of their hypocrisy or by consuming them from the earth. They are put away as dross never to be recalled. As metal is improved by losing its alloy, the church is better for having the wicked removed.
The wicked of the earth. The wicked ones have no right to be with those who are not of the world. The Lord perceives them to be out of place and harmful. He puts them away, all of them, leaving none of them to deteriorate His church. The process will one day be perfect, no dross will be spared, no gold will be left impure. Where will we be when that great work is finished?
Therefore I love Your testimonies. Even the Lord's severity stimulates His people's love. If God allowed us to sin with impunity, He would not fully be the object of our love of our admiration. God is glorious in holiness because He rids his kingdom of rebels that defile it. In the evil days, when God's punishment of sinners has become the butt of skeptical contentions, the mark of a true saint is that he loves the Lord a great deal more because of His merited judgment of the ungodly.
120. My flesh trembles for fear of You and I am afraid of Your judgments. God's words of judgment are solemn, and His deeds of judgment are terrible; they may well make us afraid. At the thought of the Judge of all, His piercing eye, His books of record, His day of court, and the operations of His justice, we may well cry for cleansed thoughts, hearts, and ways, lest His judgments fall on us. When we see the great Refiner separating the precious from the vile, we may well feel a godly fear, lest we be put away by Him and ground under His feet.
Love in the previous verse is consistent with fear in this verse. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). Fear with torment is cast out, but affectionate fear leads to reverence and obedience.
Commentary taken from Treasury of David...Charles Spurgeon
113. In this paragraph the psalmist deals with thoughts and things and persons that are the opposite of God's holy thoughts and ways. Evidently, he is in great fear of the power of darkness. But his soul is stirred to stand against them with determined opposition. Just as he began and earlier octave, "Oh, how I love Your Law!" (v.97), he begins this section with a declaration of hatred against what breaks the Law. The opposite of the fixed and infallible Law of God is the wavering, changing opinion of people. David had total contempt and abhorrence for the double-minded. All his reverence and regard went to the sure Word of testimony. In proportion to his love for the Law, was his hate of people's inventions. Human thoughts are worthless, but God's thoughts are true. We hear much about "people of thought," "thoughtful preachers," and "modern, or post modern thought." What is this but the old pride of the human heart? Vain man wants to be wise. The psalmist did not glory in his own thoughts.
My thoughts on verse 113...
Today we have so many different religions, so many different versions of the gospel which according to Paul are no gospel at all..and should be accursed (Gal. 1:6-9). We have theologians who want to remove parts of the Bible which have to do with the Gospel message. They want to remove the story of Adam and Eve. Without the first Adam in Genesis, they remove all Adam's imputed sin to us. Without the first Adam, how would the last Adam fit in Romans? You know, the One who paid the penalty for Adam's imputed sin to us, and our own sin, and imputed His righteousness to us in its place, by shedding His blood on a cruel cross. I heard they want to remove the resurrection of Jesus, as well. Without the resurrection, we have no hope. If Jesus didn't rise again, we will all die in our sins. How many souls are being deceived by these blinded religious leaders? All people need to get familiar with their Bibles so they don't fall for this deception that is in the works.
We not only have the new emergents, we also have the "Let's all be united" Chrislam, and all religions united together. It seems to me, God was against His people having alliances with, and worshipping with other religions. This does not mean we don't love the people who are caught up in them, as everyone else, and pray for their souls, it just means we do not worship as they do, or who they do. We do not mix Christianity with "any" other religion. The Bible says what has light to do with darkness? When Jesus prayed that we might be one in unity, He was praying for all the born-again Christians, not for mixing of all religions. How are so many theologians blind to that???
~Annie~
Dear Annie, Again you have very interesting thoughts that you have shared with your readers. I was unaware of people trying to change the Bible and to take portions out of it. God states in several places in the Bible that He doesn't want people to add to or to take away from the Bible and He says is emphatically. Thank you making me more aware of this abominable thing that some are suggesting.
ReplyDeleteDebbie http://bible-passages.blogspot.com
Dear Annie, I was out of town and didn't have my resources with me to help me locate the verses that are extremely significant to your comment. Actually, I did have my Bible, but didn't realize that the verses I wanted to quote are on the very last page of the Bible.
ReplyDeleteRevelation 22:18-19 "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
God doesn't sound like He will be just mildly displeased with those people who are talking about making changes to the Bible. Fortunately, we have people like you who draw attention to people who try to convince us otherwise.
Debbie http://bible-passages.blogspot.com
Dear Annie, I waited to make a comment on the second paragraph of your insights on your blog until I got my resources. I wanted to quote some Bible passages that speak against the idea of all religions becoming one.
ReplyDelete"And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth." Exodus 23:13. (If God says this, do you think He would like us acknowleging other gods in one religion?)
Here are some related passages:
"Unto thee it was shown that thou mightest know that the LORD He is God, there is none else beside Him." Deuteronomy 4:35
"I am the LORD: that is My Name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images." Isaiah 42:8
"Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." Isaiah 44:8
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else: I am God, and there is none like Me." Isaiah 46:9
"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the LORD of Hosts; I am the First, and I am the Last; and beside Me there is no God." Isaiah 44:6
We should think about condoning actions like this as noted in this passage: "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is a partaker of his evil deeds." 2 John 1:9-11.