MORE FRUIT

And Every Branch That Beareth Fruit, He Cleanseth, That it May Bear More Fruit—John 15:2

THE THOUGHT of fruit is so prominent in the eye of Him who sees things as they are, fruit is so truly the one thing God has set His heart upon, that our Lord, after having said that the branch that bears no fruit is taken away, at once adds: and where there is fruit, the one desire of the Husbandman is more fruit. As the gift of His grace, as the token of spiritual vigor, as the showing forth of the glory of God and of Christ, as the only way for satisfying the need of the world, God longs and fits for, more fruit.

More Fruit. This is a very searching word. As churches and individuals we are in danger of nothing so much as self-contentment. The secret spirit of Laodicea—we are rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing—may prevail where it is not suspected. The divine warning—poor and wretched and miserable—finds little response just where it is most needed.

Let us not rest content with the thought that we are taking an equal share with others in the work that is being done, or that men are satisfied with our efforts in Christ's service, or even point to us as examples. Let our only desire be to know whether we are bearing all the fruit Christ is willing to give through us as living branches, in close and living union with Himself, whether we are satisfying the loving heart of the great Husbandman, our Father in Heaven, in His desire for more fruit.

More Fruit. The word comes with divine authority to search and test our life: the true disciple will heartily surrender himself to its holy light, and will earnestly ask that God Himself may show what there may be lacking in the measure or the character of the fruit he bears. Do let us believe that the Word is meant to lead us on to a fuller experience of the Father's purpose of love, of Christ's fullness, and of the wonderful privilege of bearing much fruit in the salvation of men.

More Fruit. The word is a most encouraging one. Let us listen to it. It is just to the branch that is bearing fruit that the message comes: more fruit. God does not demand this as Pharaoh the task-master, or as Moses the lawgiver, without providing the means. He comes as a Father, who gives what He asks, and works what He commands. He comes to us as the living branches of the living Vine, and offers to work the more fruit in us, if we but yield ourselves into His hands. Shall we not admit the claim, accept the offer, and look to Him to work it in us?

"That it may bear more fruit." do let us believe that as the owner of a vine does everything to make the fruitage as rich and large as possible, the divine Husbandman will do all that is needed to make us bear more fruit. All He asks is, that we set our heart's desire on it, entrust ourselves to His working and care, and joyfully look to Him to do His perfect work in us. God has set His heart on more fruit; Christ waits to work it in us; let us joyfully look up to our divine Husbandman and our heavenly Vine, to ensure our bearing more fruit.

Our Father which art in Heaven, Thou art the heavenly Husbandman. And Christ is the heavenly Vine. And I am a heavenly branch, partaker of His heavenly life, to bear His heavenly fruit. Father, let the power of His life so fill me, that I may ever bear more fruit, to the glory of Thy name.

Taken from Andrew Murray
 

Warnings From Israel's History

2 Corinthians Chapter 10: 1-13)

1. For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.

2. They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

3. They all ate the same spiritual food

4. And drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the same spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

5. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

6. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

Some of the evil things they did were: They were idolaters, sexual immorality, grumblers, and testing God.

11. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

12. So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

13. No temptation has seized you, except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear (with His help). But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.


Who were these people and where did they come from?

a) They were Israelites who lived in Egypt, the land of bondage.

b) God heard their cries and had mercy on them.

c) God had Moses lead them out of Egypt in order to bring them into the promised land.

d) First, all the families had to sacrifice a one year old male lamb without blemish and brush it's blood over the door posts of their homes to show they were obedient to God's command... proving they had put their faith in what He had promised. They would have understood this sacrifice pointed toward the Promised Messiah of God.

e) They were led out of the land of Bondage by a cloud by day and a fire by night, and then passed through the Red Sea.

f) God provided for their journey; even their clothes and sandals, over the 40 years, did not wear out. God provided "daily manna" for them to feed on, and all drank the same spiritual drink from the rock that accompanied them. That rock was Christ.



1. Why did an eleven day journey take 40 years? (Actually more, because the original generation, all over 20 years of age, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, died out and it was the 2nd generation that finally crossed the Jordon into the promised land).

2. Even though God rescued them from bondage and provided for their needs, what were their hearts set on?

3. The Bible "warns" us we are to learn from their mistakes. What were their mistakes?

4. How do the type of mistakes they made relate to our day? To our life?

5. Are we "practicing" any of the above mentioned things the Bible warns us of?

6. Have we been freed from any particular bondage? If so, would you like to share as an encouragement to others?

7. Why is "grumbling" so bad? The Bible calls it "evil."

8. In what ways might we "test" God? The Bible also calls this "evil."

9. What do we spend most of our spare time on but find so very little, if any, time for God? What is my definition of an idol?

10. Who do we give glory to (credit), our self or God, when things work out? How about when things don't work out the way "we planned"?

11. Who sits on the throne of my heart, God or myself? What percentage of time would God occupy the throne ,and what percentage do I occupy the throne of my heart?

What are some ways we can begin changing who is going to direct our lives?

*****

These people were all covered by the blood of Christ (the promised One, the Lamb without blemish) because they took God at His Word and put their faith in the blood of the Lamb.

These people were rescued from the land of bondage that was under the rule of an evil, heartless, ruler. They were given hope for a new life in a new land of freedom. Bountiful blessings would be theirs as long as they looked to, and relied on God, and did not forget their deliverance and rebel against Him.

They were baptised into Moses under the cloud and in the Red Sea.

The history of God's people was one of rebellion and after being disciplined by God, they returned to Him and God had mercy on them. This scene repeated itself over and over again with God showing much patience with them and having to discipline them after a time (sometimes hundreds of years), then having mercy on them every time they called out to Him.

How would we describe our own sins of any of the above? Idolatries, sexual immoralities, grumblings and testing God?


We live in an age where every one of these things are all around us. We cannot help but recognize them because they are often "in our face" wherever we go. They are on TV, the internet, on signs in buses, malls, on the highways, on magazine covers etc. In our own strength, we cannot avoid falling to temptation to any, or even most of these things. We need supernatural, power of the Holy Spirit to live for Christ Jesus, and we need the Word of God to direct us and encourage us along our journey.

I think we all need to take occasional inventory of where we are spiritually, and ask ourselves, what are the things of this world that entangle me and hinder my walk with Christ Jesus?

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

~Annie~

THE HUSBANDMAN

And My Father is the Husbandman—John 15:1

A VINE must have a husbandman to plant and watch over it, to receive and rejoice in its fruit. Jesus says: "My Father is the husbandman." He was "the vine of God's planting." All He was and did, He owed to the Father; in all He only sought the Father's will and glory. He had become man to show us what a creature ought to be to its Creator. He took our place, and the spirit of His life before the Father was ever what He seeks to make ours: "Of him, and through him, and to him are all things." He became the true Vine, that we might be true branches. Both in regard to Christ and ourselves the words teach us the two lessons of absolute dependence and perfect confidence.

As Jesus only sought the Father's will and glory in everything, we should follow His example.  Jesus taught us many things by personal example. He taught His disciples how to pray.  He taught us how to handle conflict, how to treat those who slander us, mistreat us, or reject us.  He tells us to pray for them and to give them bread or water when they are hungry or thirsty. We are to repay evil with good and leave justice to God.  In this way we glorify God and His character is not defamed among the unsaved. We cannot do this in our own strength. We have been given the Holy Spirit as our Helper and Enabler. We must follow the example of Jesus. As Jesus (who is God in the flesh) chose to submit to the Father, we must also.  As Jesus chose to rely fully on the Father's direction and wisdom, we must also. As Jesus put His life and everything into the Father's hands for God's greatest good for all mankind, and for God's glory, so ought we.  The Father is the Husbandman, Jesus is the Vine and we as the branches must stay attached to the Vine for nourishment, and to the Husbandman for pruning and whatever else we need to grow and produce much fruit for His glory. This means spending time with the One we love and allowing Him to have His way in our life.

My Father is the Husbandman. Christ ever lived in the spirit of what He once said: "The Son can do nothing of himself." As dependent as a vine is on a husbandman for the place where it is to grow, for its fencing in and watering and pruning. Christ felt Himself entirely dependent on the Father every day for the wisdom and the strength to do the Father's will. As He said in the previous chapter (14:10): "The words that I say unto you, I speak not from Myself; but the Father abiding in Me doeth his works." This absolute dependence had as its blessed counterpart the most blessed confidence that He had nothing to fear: the Father could not disappoint Him. With such a Husbandman as His Father, He could enter death and the grave. He could trust God to raise Him up. All that Christ is and has, He has, not in Himself, but from the Father.             


God has proven His love and that He is trustworthy.  He knows the end from the beginning and every detail in between.  Who better to trust than the one who not only created, but keeps or holds up the universe. He has promised us that as He raised Christ from the dead, one day He will raise us up also.  We will be given new indestructible bodies that will last forever and not become diseased or injured.  That is something to look forward to.

My Father is the Husbandman. That is as blessedly true for us as for Christ. Christ is about to teach His disciples about their being branches. Before He ever uses the word, or speaks at all of abiding in Him or bearing fruit, He turns their eyes heavenward to the Father watching over them, and working all in them. At the very root of all Christian life lies the thought that God is to do all, that our work is to give and leave ourselves in His hands, in the confession of utter helplessness and dependence, in the assured confidence that He gives all we need. The great lack of the Christian life is that, even where we trust Christ, we leave God out of the count. Christ came to bring us to God. Christ lived the life of a man exactly as we have to live it. Christ the Vine points to God the Husbandman. As He trusted God, let us trust God, that everything we ought to be and have, as those who belong to the Vine, will be given us from above.


Just as Christ Jesus never did anything apart from His Father, we cannot do anything of value apart from Christ Jesus.  It is the Father who puts in the regenerated Christian the "will" to desire and do  God's will and way.  Apart from Him we cannot produce spiritual fruit.  If we do not stay attached to the Vine we will spiritually dry up and become useless dried up branches. Therefore, whatever good we do, the glory always belongs to God.

Isaiah said: "A vineyard of red wine; I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." Ere we begin to think of fruit or branches, let us have our heart filled with the faith: as glorious as the Vine, is the Husbandman. As high and holy as is our calling, so mighty and loving is the God who will work it all. As surely as the Husbandman made the Vine what it was to be, will He make each branch what it is to be. Our Father is our Husbandman, the Surety for our growth and fruit.  For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Php.2:13) 

What God promises, He delivers in His own timing and in His own way.  As long as we belong to Him throught Christ Jesus, He will watch over us.  He will grow us spiritually by putting in us a new heart that desires after Him and His way.  This new heart will progressively desire to take on Christ-like attitudes and character and the Christ-like love will fill the soul. We still need to run the race and put off whatever hinders us in this race.  We must keep focused on Christ Jesus and the reason He went to the cross.

Blessed Father, we are Thy husbandry. Oh, that Thou mayest have honor of the work of Thy hands! O my Father, I desire to open my heart to the joy of this wondrous truth: My Father is the Husbandman. Teach me to know and trust Thee, and to see that the same deep interest with which
Thou cares for and delights in the Vine, extends to every branch, to me too.




Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
In all you ways, acknowledge Him,  and He shall direct your paths. 
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Blue:  Andrew Murray
Yellow:  Annie
 

THE VINE

I am the True Vine—

John 15:1

ALL earthly things are the shadows of heavenly realities—the expression, in created, visible forms, of the invisible glory of God. The Life and the Truth are in Heaven; on earth we have figures and shadows of the heavenly truths. When Jesus says: "I am the true Vine," He tells us that all the vines of earth are pictures and emblems of Himself. He is the divine reality, of which they are the created expression. They all point to Him, and preach Him, and reveal Him. If you would know Jesus, study the vine.

In the same way that the vine is the created expression of the divine reality of Christ Jesus, were we not also meant to be a created expression of Christ Jesus?   Jesus says that we are to be sanctified by His truth.  His Word is truth John 17:17).  We are to get our spiritual nourishment from Him and cling to Him always. As we allow the Holy Spirit to take the Word of God and help us to progressively put off old sinful attitudes and replace them with Christlike attitudes... as the New Testament teaches, we will grow spiritually and bear more and more fruit for His glory. We cannot do this in our own strength.  Just as the branch must rely on the vine to be nourished and produce fruit, we must rely on Christ Jesus for our spiritual nourishment and His Holy Spirit to enable us to bear much fruit for the Father's glory.  The five fingers of grace that enable us to grow spiritually and bring us into a closer, and deeper relationship with the Father are: The Father who chose us, the Son who purchased us with His blood, the Holy Spirit who is our Helper, the Word of God, and communion in prayer. Through these graces our love will deepen for our God and for others. As a result, we will reflect the character and love of Christ to others in our life. Although it won't be perfect in this life, once we are glorified it will be.

How many eyes have gazed on and admired a great vine with its beautiful fruit. Come and gaze on the heavenly Vine till your eye turns from all else to admire Him. How many, in a sunny climate sit and rest under the shadow of a vine. Come and be still under the shadow of the true Vine, and rest under it from the heat of the day. What countless numbers rejoice in the fruit of the vine! Come, and take, and eat of the heavenly fruit of the true Vine, and let your soul say: "I sat under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste."

I am the true Vine. This is a heavenly mystery. The earthly vine can teach you much about this Vine of Heaven. Many interesting and beautiful points of comparison suggest themselves, and help us to get conceptions of what Christ meant. But such thoughts do not teach us to know what the heavenly Vine really is, in its cooling shade, and its life-giving fruit. The experience of this is part of the hidden mystery, which none but Jesus Himself, by His Holy Spirit, can unfold and impart.

I am the true Vine. The vine is the living Lord, who Himself speaks, and gives, and works all that He has for us. If you would know the meaning and power of that word, do not think to find it by thought or study; these may help to show you what you must get from Him to awaken desire and hope and prayer, but they cannot show you the Vine. Jesus alone can reveal Himself. He gives His Holy Spirit to open the eyes to gaze upon Himself, to open the heart to receive Himself. He must Himself speak the word to you and me.

I am the true Vine. And what am I to do, if I want the mystery, in all its heavenly beauty and blessing, opened up to me? With what you already know of the parable, bow down and be still, worship and wait, until the divine Word enters your heart, and you feel His holy presence with you, and in you. The overshadowing of His holy love will give you the perfect calm and rest of knowing that the Vine will do all.

I am the true Vine. He who speaks is God, in His infinite power able to enter into us. He is man, one with us. He is the crucified One, who won a perfect righteousness and a divine life for us through His death. He is the glorified One, who from the throne gives His Spirit to make His presence real and true. He speaks—oh, listen, not to His words only, but to Himself, as He whispers secretly day by day: "I am the true Vine! All that the Vine can ever be to its branch, "I will be to you."   (Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 52:13--53:12)

What is the Vine to the branch? 

The Vine is deeply rooted and draws up moisture and nutrients to supply the needs of the branch.  Without the nutrients and moisture coming from the Vine, the branches would soon wither and dry up. Because the Vine supplies the branches with all that they need, the branches are able to bear fruit.

In the same way, we as the branches must rely on our life-giving nutrients from God's Word and the Holy Spirit.  We must stay connected to the Vine (Jesus) in order to be spiritually healthy and able to produce fruit.  If we disconnect from the Vine and try to live in our own strength, we will eventually dry up and our spiritual life will be ineffective to do any good.  Jesus said, without Me, you can do nothing (John 15:5).

Holy Lord Jesus, the heavenly Vine of God's own planting, I beseech Thee, reveal Thyself to my soul. Let the Holy Spirit, not only in thought, but in experience, give me to know all that Thou, the Son of God, art to me as the true Vine.

~Andrew Murray~


(Annie's comments on page are highlighted in yellow).

 
How should this work out in my life? 

What do I  need to do?

~Annie~


Please feel free to share thoughts on this.  I would love to hear from others.

Psalm 1:1-6

This Psalm reveals the contents of the entire Book of Psalms.  It is the psalmist's purpose to teach the way to blessedness and to warn of the sure destruction of sinners.

This Psalm may be called the Psalm of Psalms, because it contains the vigor and extract of Christianity. It carries blessedness in its architecture. (Thomas Watson, 1600)

Those who are in Christ are godly and blessed.  Those who are in Adam are
still under the curse.  In Christ the curse is removed because Christ became a curse for us.  In Ephesians1:3 the Bible tells us that the believer in Christ has been blessed with all spiritual blessings.

1.  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,  nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

3.  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

4.  The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff that the wind drives away.

5.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

"As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow" (1 Peter2.2). (2 Peter 2:2-9)

To enable spiritual growth, we must develop a hunger for God's Word and practice it in our lives.  "But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves...He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:22,25).

 

 

 

1.  The blessed man is one who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.  He receives wiser counsel.  He walks in the Lord's commandments.  The ways of obedience are pleasant paths of peace.  His footsteps are ordered by the Lord, and not by the world's crafty and wicked devices.  It is  rich sign of inner grace when the outer walk is changed, and ungodliness is far from our actions.

Nor stands in the path of sinners.  His company is more select.  Although a sinner, he is now a blood-washed sinner, made alive by the Holy Spirit and renewed in heart.  Standing by the strength of God's rich grace, in the congregation of the righteous, he refuses to fellowship with evil.

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful.  He finds no rest in the atheist's scoffing.  Let others mock sin, eternity, hell, heaven, and the Eternal God, this man has learned a better philosophy.  He has too great a sense of God's presence to hear His name blasphemed.  The seat of the scornful may be lofty, but it is near the gate of hell.  Flee from it.  It will soon be empty and destruction will swallow the one who sits on it.

Note the graduation of the first verse:

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

When people live in sin they go from bad to worse.  At first they merely walk in the counsel of the ungodly.  Their evil is practical rather than habitual, but they become accustomed to evil.  They stand in the way of open sinners who willfully violate God's commandments.  If left alone, they become malignant teachers and evil enticers. They sit in the seat of the scornful. 

 

The blessed man, the man to whom all the blessings of God belong, cannot fellowship with these characters.  "What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?"(2 Corinthians 6:14).  He puts away evil things as garments defiled by the flesh (Jude 3).  He comes out from among them and is separate.  (2 Corinthians 6:17).  He suffers reproach because He trusts in the living God.   (1 Timothy 4:10)

2.  Now mark his positive character.  His delight is in the law of the Lord.  He is not under the law as a curse.  He is in the law.  He delights to be in it, he delights to meditate in it, to read it by day and to meditate in it at night.  He takes a text and carries it all day.  In the night when sleep forsakes his eyes, he ponders the Word of God.  In prosperous days, he sings songs from God's Word, and in affliction's night, he finds comfort with promises from the same Book.

The law of the Lord is the true believer's daily Bread.  In David's day it was a small volume of inspiration, only the first five Books of Moses.  How much more should we value the entire written Word?   Let me ask, "Is your delight in the law of the Lord?  Do you study God's Word?  Do you make it your right hand, your best companion, and your hourly guide?"  No?  Then the following blessing is not yours.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

3.  He shall be like a tree planted.  Not a wild tree, but a tree planted, chosen, considered property, cultivated, and secured from the last terrible uprooting.  "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted" (Matthew 15:13).

By the rivers of water.  Even if one river should fail, God has another.  The rivers of pardon, the rivers of grace, the rivers of promise, and the rivers of fellowship with Christ are never failing sources of supply. He is like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season.  Seasonable graces, timely figs that are full flavored.  The one who delights in God's Word, delights in being taught by it, has patience in suffering, faith in trials, and holy joy in prosperity.  Fruitfulness is an essential quality of a gracious person.

Whose leaf does not wither.  His finest word will be everlasting.  His little deeds of love will be remembered.   Not only is his fruit preserved, but also his leaf.  Neither beauty nor fruitfulness will be lost.


And whatever he does shall prosper.  Blessed is the one who claims this promise, but we must not estimate the promises fulfillment with our eyesight.  When we judge by feeble sense, we often reach Jacob's mournful conclusion, "All these things are against me" (Genesis 42:36).  Although we know the promises, we are so tried and troubled that sight sees the reverse. Nevertheless, to faith's eye this Word is sure; we perceive that our works prosper even when everything seems against us.  It is not outward prosperity that the Christian most desires and values; it is soul prosperity.   We frequently, like Jehoshaphat, make ships to go to Tarshish for gold, but they are wrecked at Ezion Geber (1 Kings 22:48).  Yet even here we find true prosperity, because it is often for the souls health that we are poor, bereaved, and persecuted.  Our worst things are often our best things.  Just as a curse is wrapped in the mercies of the wicked, a blessing is concealed in the believers' crosses, losses, and sorrows.  The saints' trials are divine farming that produces abundant fruit.

 
4.  We have now come to the second part of the psalm.  This verse uses the ill condition of the wicked to heighten the coloring of the righteous.  A more forcible translation of the Latin and Greek is, "Not so the ungodly, not so."  From this we understand that whatever good is said about the righteous is not true of the ungodly.  As we have seen in the opening of the Psalm, these are the beginners in evil and the least offensive of the sinners.  If this is the sad condition of those who quietly continue their morality and neglect God, what is the condition of open sinners and shameless unbelievers?

The first sentence is a negative description of the ungodly; the second sentence is the positive picture.  This is their character, like the chaff, intrinsically worthless, dead, unserviceable, without substance, and easily carried away.  This is their doom, the wind drives away.  Death with its terrible blast, will hurry them into the fire and they will be consumed.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

5.  They will stand there to be judged, but not to be acquitted.  Fear will grip them, they will not stand their ground.  They will flee and not stand in their defense.  They will blush and be covered with eternal contempt.  Well may the saints long for heaven where no evil dwells, nor sinners in the congregation of he righteous.  All earthly congregations are mixed; every church has a devil.  Tares grow in the same furrow as the wheat (Matthew 13:25).  No floor is totally free from chaff.  Sinners mix with saints, as dross mingles with gold.  God's precious diamonds are still in the same field with pebbles.  Righteous lots, this side of heaven, are continually vexed by the men of Sodom (Gen.13:13).  Let us rejoice that in "the general assembly and church of he firstborn who are registered in heaven" (Hebrews 12:23), not one soul is unrenewed.  Sinners cannot live in heaven.  They would be out of their element.  Living in a tree would be easier for a fish than living in paradise would be for the wicked.  Heaven would be an intolerable hell for those who persevere in iniquity.  May God grant that we have a name and a place in His courts above.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.


6.  Or as the Hebrews more fully express it, "The Lord is knowing the way of the righteous."  He is constantly looking on their way.  Although it is often in fog and darkness, still the Lord knows the way of the righteous.  "The very hairs on your head are numbered" (Matt.10:30).  He will not allow your foot to be moved (Psalm 121:3).  "He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).

But the way of the ungodly shall perish.  Not only shall they perish, but their way shall perish.  The righteous carve their names on the rock, but the wicked write their memories in the sand.  The righteous plow the earth and sow a harvest that will never be fully reaped until we enter eternities joys.  The wicked plow the seas and there seems to be a shining trail behind their keel.  Nevertheless, the waves will pass over it and the place that knew them will know them no more.  The way of the ungodly shall perish.  If it exists in memory, it will be a bad memory.  The Lord will cause the wicked's name to rot. It will become a stench in the nostrils of the good.  It will be known only to the wicked themselves by its corruption.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.  David terrifies us about prosperity, but commends trials and adversities.  This is the wisdom of the cross. (Martin Luther, 1483)

May the Lord cleanse our hearts and our ways that we may escape the ungodly's doom and enjoy the blessings of the righteous.

Commentary of Charles Spurgeon (1869) taken from the Treasury of David.

Annie's comments

 

The Christian life is compared to a walk (see Eph.4:1).  We are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called v.17.  We must no longer walk as the world does, in the futility of their minds. (Eph.5:2,15, paraphrased.)  We must walk in love, as Christ loved  us and gave Himself up for us (as we must give up worldly ways) as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Rom.12:12). For at one time we were children of darkness, (under Satan's influence,)  but now we are light in the Lord, we need to walk as children of light. We need to look carefully at how we walk, not as unwise, but as wise.

It begins with a step of faith in trusting Christ and it grows as we take further steps in obedience to His Word.  Walking involves progress, and as Christians, we are to make progress by applying Bible truths to our daily life, allowing them to change our attitudes deep down in our hearts

It is possible for the believer "to walk in darkness," outside the will of God (1 John 1:5-7.)  It usually progresses from  first "standing" or hanging out with worldly people at worldly places, and listening to worldly counsel. By doing this, he is standing in the path of sinners who might otherwise want to know Christ. He has become an obstacle to them because they see him as a hypocrite.  Why would they believe one gets a new life in Christ if they don't see evidence of it

 
Soon the Christian gets comfortable being in this atmosphere and doing what they do, and going where they go. He is now "sitting."  Before he knows it, he is talking their talk and walking their walk.  He now does not want to hear God's Word or be exhorted for his attitudes that reflect the world's, not Christ's character.  He does not want to be seen as a goody two shoes. He has become scornful of other Christians who walk in the light of the Word of God and by His Spirit.   He is now  "walking in" the counsel of the ungodly.

These Christians need much prayer and need to understand how to grow spiritually in Christ Jesus and the Word of God.  They need Christian friends to let them know they love them are praying for them, and will be available for them.  I can't help wonder if many of these Christians were even taught what it means to live for Christ and how we should order our day with time with God in Bible reading, meditation, prayer, reflection on our life, where we are spiritually, and how to progressively grow.  If only they knew that the more you read and reflect on God's Word daily, seeking help to apply God's ways and principles to our daily life, the more we will want to do this. God will cause us to become hungrier and more thirsty for His Word and His Spirit.  I think this is where "the more we have, the more we are given" comes into play.  On the other hand, what we have, we will lose if we don't keep refilling our hearts and minds with His Word and Spirit. I am not speaking about losing salvation here. I am speaking of spiritual life in Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Let us not give up praying for these Christians that God will do whatever is necessary in their lives to bring them to understanding that Christ died to free us from the power of sin so we could stop living in it, and live for Him instead.  Pray that God would change their desires to love His will, His way, and His Word.  Only God can make us grow.  He has shown us how to grow and given us everything we need for life and godliness through His Son, His Word, and through His Spirit.

~Annie~

Love to hear comments from readers... :)

Psalm 119: 169- 176

Psalm 119 is called the Alphabet of Divine Love, the Paradise of Doctrines, the Storehouse of the Holy Spirit, and the School of Truth.

 

The Theme of Psalm 119

is

The Word of God

169.  Let my cry come before You, O Lord; Give me understanding according to

         Your Word.

170.  Let my supplication come before You; deliver me according to Your Word.

171.  My lips shall utter praise, for You teach me Your statutes.

172.  My tongue shall speak of Your Word, for all Your commands are righteous.

173.  Let Your hand become my help, for I have chosen Your precepts.

174.  I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight.

175.  Let my soul live and it shall praise You; and let Your judgments help me.

176.  I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget

         Your commandments.

169- 176.  The psalmist is approaching the end of the Psalm, and his petitions gather force and fervency.  He breaks into the inner circle of divine fellowship and falls at the feet of the great God whose help he is imploring.  This nearness creates the most lowly view of himself and leads him to close the Psalm on his face in deep humiliation, begging to be found like a lost sheep.

169.  Let my cry come before You, O Lord.  David is afraid that he will not be heard.  He is conscious that his prayer is nothing better than the cry of a poor child or the groan of a wounded animal.  The psalmist fears that his cry will be shut out from the ear of the Most High.  He boldly prays that it will come before God, in His sight, under His notice, and looked on with His acceptance.  David goes further and pleads, Let my cry come before You, O Lord.  He wants the Lord's close consideration to his prayer. He uses a figure of speech to animate this prayer.  Picture his prayer like Esther venturing into the royal presence, pleading for an audience (Esth.5:2) and finding favor in sight of the blessed and only Potentate.  It is sweet when our prayer has obtained an audience, when it has trodden the sea of glass before the throne and comes to the footstool of the glorious seat around which heaven and earth adores God.  It is to Jehovah that this prayer is expressed with trembling earnestness.  Our translator, filled with holy reverence, translated the Word, O Lord.  We crave an audience from no one else, for we have confidence in no one else.


Give me understanding according to Your Word.  This is the prayer that the psalmist is exceedingly anxious about.  With all his getting he would get understanding; whatever else he misses, he is resolved not to miss this priceless blessing.  He wants spiritual light and understanding as it is promised in God's Word, as it goes from God's Word, and as it produces obedience to God's Word.  David pleads as if he had no understanding of his own and needs it to be given to him. Give me understanding.  David had understanding acccording to human judgment, but what he sought was an understanding according to God's Word.  This is quite different. To understand spiritual things is the gift of God.  to have judgment enlightened by heavenly light and conformed to divine truth is a privilege that only grace can give.  Many who are wise in the ways of this world are fools according to the Word of the Lord.  May we be among those happy children who will be taught by the Lord.

170.  Let my supplication come before You.  It is the same earnest petition but with a slight change of words.  David humbly calls his cry a supplication, a beggar's petition.  Again, he asks for an audience and an answer.  There might be hindrances in the way to getting an audience, and so he begs for their removal, saying, let it come before You.  Other believers are heard, so let my supplication come before You. 

Deliver me according to Your Word.  Rid me of adversaries, clear me of slanderers, preserve me from temptations, and bring me out of affliction, as Your Word has led me to expect.  It is for this that he seeks understanding.  His enemies would succeed through his folly, if they succeeded at all.  but if he exercised a sound discretion, they would be baffled, and he would escape.  The Lord, in answer to prayer, frequently delivers His children by making them wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matt. 10:16).


171.  My lips shall utter praise, for You teach me Your statutes.  David will not always be pleading for himself; he will rise above selfishness and give thanks for the benefits received.  The psalmist promises to praise God when he has obtained practical instruction in the godly life.  This is something to praise God for; no blessing is more precious.  The best possible praise proceeds from people who honor God not only with their lips but also with their lives.  We learn the music of heaven in the school of holy living.  Believers whose lives honor the Lord are sure to be people of praise.  David would not only be grateful in silence but also would express gratitude in appropriate terms.  His lips would speak what his life had practiced.  Eminent disciples speak well of the master who instructed them. And this holy man, when taught the statues of the Lord, promises to give all the glory to whom is is due


172.  My tongue shall speak of Your Word.  When he finished singing, he began preaching.  God's tender mercies may be either spoken or sung.  When the tongue speaks of God's Word, it has a fruitful subject.  Ths speaking is the leaves of a tree of life for the healing of the nations (Rev.22:2).  People will gather to listen to such talk, and they will treasure it in their hearts.  Our problem is that, for the most part, we are full of our own words and speak but little of God's Word.  If only we could come to the same result as this godly man, and say, My tongue shall speak of Your Word.  Then, we would break our sinful silence.  we would no longer be cowards and half-hearted, but true witnesses for Jesus.  It is not only of God's works but also of His Word that we are to speak.  We are to extol its truth, wisdom, preciousness, grace, and power, and then tell all that it has revealed, all it has promised, all it has commanded, and all it has affected.  This subject gives us plenty of sea room; we may speak forever.  The tale is forever telling, yet untold.



For all Your commandments are righteousness.  David appears to have been delighted with the perceptive part of the Word of God.  His chief delight lay in its purity and excellence.  When a man can speak this from the heart, his heart is indeed a temple of the Holy Spirit.   David had said, "Your testimonies, which You have commanded, are righteous and very faithful" (v.138).  Here he declares that they are righteousness itself.  God's law is not only the standard of right but the essence of righteousness. This the psalmist affirms on each and every precept, without exception.  He felt like Paul, "The law is holy, and the commandement holy and just and good" (Rom.7:12).  When believers have so high an opinion of God's commandments, it is little wonder that their lips are ready to extol the ever-glorious One.

173.  Let Your hand become my help.  Give me practical comfort.  Do not leave me to my friends or Your friends.  Put Your hand to the work. Your hand has both skill and power, readiness and force; display all these qualities for me. I am willing to do my utmost, but what I need is Your help.  This is so urgently required that if I do not have it, I will sink.  Do not refuse me Your comfort.  Great as Your hand is, let it light on me, even me.  This prayer reminds us of Peter walking on the sea and beginning to sink.  Peter, too, cried, "Lord, save me" (Matt.14:3i). 

For I have chosen Your precepts.  This is a good argument.  You may ask help from God's hand when you have dedicated your hand entirely to the obedience of the faith.  I have chosen Your precepts.  His election was made; his mind was made up.  In reference to all earthly rules and ways, in preference over his own will, he had chosen to be obedient to the divine commands.  Will not God help such a person in holy work and sacred service?  Assuredly, He will.  If grace has given us the heart to will, it will also give us the hand to perform.  Whenever we are under the constraints of a divine call, we are engaged in any high and lofty enterprise, and if we feel that it is too much for our strength, we may always invoke God's right hand in words like these.

174.  I long for Your salvation, O Lord.  David speaks like old Jacob on his deathbed (Gen.49:33).  all the saints, both in prayer and in death, appear as one, in word, deed, and mind.  He knew God's salvation, and yet he longed for it.  He had experienced a share of it and was led to expect something still higher and more complete. There is a salvation to come.   We will be clean delivered from the body of this death and set free from all the turmoil and trouble of this mortal life.  We will be raised above the temptations and assaults of Satan and brought near God, to be like Him and with Him forever and ever.

I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight.  The first clause tells us what the saints long for, the second clause informs us about their present satisfaction.  God's law, as contained in the ten commandments, gives joy to believers.  God's law, that is the entire Bible, is a continuous source of consolation and enjoyment to all who receive it.  Though we have not yet reached the fullness of our salvation, in God's Word we find so much concerning a present salvation that we are even now delighted. 

175.  Let my soul live. Fill it full of life.  Preserve it from wandering into the ways of death, and allow it to enjoy the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Let my soul live to the fullness of life, to the utmost possibilities of its newly created being, and it shall praise You.  My soul will praise You for life,  new life,  for You are the Lord and Giver of Life.  The more my soul lives, the more it praises, and when it will live in perfection,  it shall praise You in perfection.  Spiritual life is prayer and praise.

And let Your judgments help me. While I read the record of what You have done, in terror or in love, let me be revived and developed.   While I see Your hand at work on me and on others, chastening sin and smiling on righteousness, let me be helped both to live aright and to praise You.  Let all Your deeds in providence instruct and aid me in the struggle to overcome sin and to practice holiness.  This is the second time in this section that David has asked for help.  He was always in need of help, and so are we.

176.  This is the finale, the conclusion of the whole matter, I have gone astray like a lost sheep---often willfully, wantonly, and even hopelessly except for Your intervening grace.  In times past, before I was afflicted, before You had fully taught me Your statutes, I went astray from the practical precepts, from the instructive doctrines, and from the heavenly experiences that You set before me.  I lost my road!  I lost myself!  Even now, I am prone to wander and have already roamed.

Lord, restore me. Seek Your servant. David was not like a dog that somehow or other always found its way back.  He was a lost sheep that goes further and further from home.  Yet, he was the Lord's sheep.  He was God's property, precious in His sight, and so he hoped to be sought in order to be restored.  However far he might have wandered, he was still not only a sheep but also God's servant, he had the power to pray.  David cries, Seek Your servant, and hopes to not only be sought but also forgiven, accepted, and taken into work again by his gracious Master.  Notice this confession.  Frequently, David defended his innocence against foul-mouthed accusers, but when he comes into the Lord's prescence, he is ready to confess his transgressions.  Here, he sums up not only his past but also his present life under the image of a sheep that has broken from its pasture, forsaken the flock, left the shepherd, wandered into the wilderness, and became lost.  The sheep bleats, but David prays. Seek Your servant.

His argument is forcible, For I do not forget Your commandments.  I know the right, I approve and admire the right.  And what is more, I love the right, and long for it.  I cannot be satisfied to continue in sin. I must be restored to the ways of righteousness.  I have a homesickness for God!  I long after the ways of peace.  I do not and cannot forget Your commandments or cease to know that I am always happiest and safest when I scrupulously obey them and  find all my joy in doing so.  If God's grace enables us to maintain the loving memory of God's commandments in our hearts, it will surely restore us to practical holiness.  That man cannot be utterly lost whose heart is still with God.  If he is gone astray but is still true to his soul's inner desires for God, he will be found and fully restored.  Remember the first verse of this Psalm while you read the last verse.  The major blessing does not lie in being restored from wandering but in being blamelessly upheld to the end.  It is ours to keep the crown of the causeway, never leaving he King's highway for Bypath Meadow or for any other flowery path of sin.  Lord, uphold us to the end.  Yet, even then, we will not be able to boast with the Pharisee, but we will pray with the publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13) and with the psalmist, Seek Your servant.

175-176.  Though like a sheep estranged I stray,

                  Yet have I not renounced Your way.

                  Your hand extend, Your own reclaim;

                  Grant me to live, and praise Your name.

                  (Richard Mant, 1776-188)

Commentary by Charles Spurgeon and taken from The Treasury of David

169. Let my cry come before You, O Lord; Give me understanding according to Your Word.

My thoughts on verse 169...

There are times in all our lives when we will be so angered, or confused, or hurting, and we know we need to deal with this matter, but don't know how, or do not want to, but know we must.

It could be a matter of having to forgive someone, but not wanting to because their heartless, planned actions caused our dying loved one to die sooner than he had to, because someone else wanted to play god.  And we are feeling a lot of anger and even hatred toward them because of it.  We feel robbed of precious time with our loved one and even worse, we were unknowingly helping the nurse by following her instructions.  Not until after the death of the loved one, did we find out she used our trust in her to hasten the death of our loved one.

When something that brings such strong emotions against another arises in us we cannot just let it simmer and boil. As a child of God, we know we must forgive.  This isn't always possible without God's help.  In Psalm 62, He tells us to pour out our heart to Him. When we do this, when we tell Him exactly what we are feeling, and even that we don't feel we can even want to forgive this person, but know we must.  He will speak to our heart.  He will remind us of all that His Son forgave even though none of us deserved it.

God is gentle when we cry out to Him and pour out our pain and are totally honest about what we are feeling.  He reminded me, that "she doesn't know Me."  I felt I needed to pray for her salvation, and her family's.   I have poured out my heart on other occasions and remember God has spoken to me in the same way.  He is always gentle, always speaks into my heart not in verbal words but like thoughts He puts into my heart.  I have learned something by this and that is that one cannot keep hating the one whose salvation they are praying for on a regular basis.  I still hate with a passion euthanasia and abortion but the people doing these things do not know Jesus as their Savior, or they wouldn't be doing these things.  I think we should all pray for the salvation of all those involved in the taking of lives for any reason.

~Annie~