I Have Treasured Your Word

Psalm 119:11,25-32

To treasure something is to place a high value upon it; to enjoy it; to spend time with it or thinking about it.  Our treasures have importance in our lives.  What do you treasure?  Do you treasure God’s Word?  Does the Bible have importance in your life; is it something you enjoy spending time with and thinking about?

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and it is all about the wonders and benefits of God’s Word.  One verse though seems to summarize the writer’s feelings about God’s Word and why he feels as he does:

“I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

The psalm writer treasures the Bible.  It is of great importance to him.  As you read the psalm, you discover that he spends time in the Word multiple times each day; that he meditates upon it, thinks about what he has read and lives his life based upon what God had instructed in His Word.  This psalm writer is the epitome of one who treasures God’s Word.

But, why?  Why does he do so?

The answer to this question he gives in the same verse: “so that I may not sin against You.”  God’s Word is the key to experiencing the fullness of what Christ offers…the abundance that is the Christian life.  Therefore, all believers should treasure the Bible.

Here are five specific reasons why all believers should treasure the Bible…5 things God’s Word gives me:

1. Life

“My life is down in the dust; give me life through Your word.” (vs. 25)

Life itself is received from the Word of God – the Living and written Word.  Still being under the penalty of sin, a person’s life is “in the dust,” as if they already were dead and decayed.  God’s Word changes this.  From Scripture we learn the path to real and lasting Life.

2. Understanding

“Help me understand the meaning of Your precepts so that I can meditate on Your wonders…I pursue the way of Your commands, for You broaden my understanding.” (vs. 27,32)

Understanding (which is knowledge perceived and applied) comes and is broadened by spending time treasuring God’s Word.  As a pastor, many times I have heard someone say: “I just want to understand!”  My response is to ask a question: “Do you really…do you really want to understand; and are you willing to do what is required to understand?”

Almost always their answer is, “Yes!”  So I direct them to these verses and ask them to simply spend time in the Bible.  Understanding comes and is broadened as we treasure God’s Word.

3. Strength

“I am weary from grief; strengthen me through Your word.” (vs. 28)

God’s Word provides strength to those who treasure it.  Through tough times, confusing times, even times when we are “weary from grief,” we can be strengthened.  You and I can receive an infusion of incredible strength – if we are spending time with the Bible.

Psalm 23 (perhaps the best known psalm; often heard at funerals) says this: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff – they comfort me” (vs. 4).  What exactly is God’s “rod and staff?”  What does He use to guide us, nudge us, rescue us when we need it, and to give us strength?  The answer is: His Word.

4. Clarity/Discernment

“Keep me from the way of deceit, and graciously give me Your instruction.  I have chosen the way of truth; I have set Your ordinances [before me].” (vs. 29-30)

By treasuring God’s Word we can better see and recognize deceit.  The lies and traps others might set are effective against those without clear vision.  But for the one who treasures Scripture, they are clearly seen because the Bible gives us clarity.

Likewise, treasuring God’s Word gives us the ability to discern untruth, whereever we might find it.  We can better detect untruth because we are becoming so familiar with the Truth!

Do you want to fall into the traps of deceit and untruths?  I presume not.  Therefore, to have clarity and discernment, treasure God’s Word.

5. Security

“I cling to Your decrees; Lord, do not put me to shame.” (vs. 31)

By treasuring the Bible – clinging to His decrees – I have confidence that I will not be ashamed in the end.  I will not be among those cast out of His presence for eternity.  I will be secure!

Every Christian has this confidence – as did the psalm writer – not because of any goodness or wisdom in us, but because of God’s promises.  How do we learn about those promises and come to know with confidence that we will not be shamed at the final judgment?  By now, the answer should be obvious: by treasuring God’s Word.

I love God’s Word and I desire to treasure it more and more.  As time goes by this becomes ever truer, for many reasons.  But certainly among those reasons, perhaps at the top of the list, are these five we have listed: life, understanding, strength, clarity/discernment and security.  All of these are found in one place…in one source: God’s Word!

Love it.  Treasure it.  Hide it in your heart…and be blessed!

A Wind that Passes

Psalm 78:39b

Often we think too highly of ourselves.  Pride creeps into our countenance, or flippantly gallops through our being.  The result is the same: we think too highly of ourselves.

Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of how God sees us.  After all, His view is the only one that really matters.  And how He sees you and me is recorded by the psalmist:

“…a wind that passes and does not return…” (Psalm 78:39b)

Contemplate this and you will be humbled.  Quickly you see there is no place for pride in one’s thoughts, attitudes or actions.  No matter the position I hold nor the number of years I live, I have all the substance and staying-power of…wind!  And not even a powerful, gale-like, constant wind.  But rather, a wind that passes quickly and is never felt again.  The same is true of you; of all individuals.  Truly, there is no place for pride in any of us.

This passage really impacted me recently…to the point I could not stop thinking about it.  I was profoundly struck by the brevity of life, the nothingness of life.  What do I have that is of any real importance?  What do I do that really matters?  Like the wind, I may blow for a moment but then I am gone and will never return.

The longer I contemplated this passage, the more my depression gave way to inquiry.  I don’t think God included this thought in Scripture just to knock us down; but rather, to challenge us. 

Two things, it seems to me, become increasingly important as one contemplates how like the wind we are.  First, we must serve faithfully.  With whatever number of days we have, we must use them – each and every one – faithfully serving God, being obedient to His plan and desire for our lives.  Obedience and faithfulness are commanded of Christians, and rewards for such are promised.  What else is there of importance, other than to serve faithfully He who saves you, loves you, and guarantees your eventual entrance into Heaven?

Second thing we must do is finish well.  As does the wind, one day I will pass away and be no more.  Nothing I can do about that.  But until then, there is a lot I can do.  I can run the race to win!  I can strive each day to accomplish something of value for the Kingdom.  I can fight the enemy and encourage the family.  And I can keep doing so until the day of my departure.

Dear friend, I will not be here long.  But for as long as I am here, let me serve faithfully each day He who loves me so.  Let me impact a life, build the Kingdom and touch eternity…and let me do so until the day I leave.

I may blow only for a moment; then disappear.  But I am resolved to blow faithfully and to blow well…for as long as I have breath.

Victory Promised

Psalm 60:6-8

In this passage, David rejoices in the military/political victory God has given.  The amazing aspect is this…war was still raging.  The battle was ongoing.  The outcome was still unsettled, from a human perspective.  So why does David rejoice?

David had heard from God; and what God gave was His word.  God made a promise to David.  He promised “by His holy nature” – this is what’s meant by “God has spoken in His sanctuary” (vs. 6).  God made a promise based on His character/nature.  There was no way – and David knew this – for this promise to go unfulfilled.  God had stated it…it would be.

As the battle rages around you, do you have such faith?  I think God intends for us to know Him so well, to trust Him so deeply, that we too can have such confident faith.  In fact, to not have such faith in God is to fundamentally not trust Him.  This is sin.

The promise was from God, but it was for David.  So when verses 6b-8 are in quotations, it is God speaking words that David could claim.  It’s as if God put the words in David’s mouth for him to say out loud.  Let’s see what he said.

6 “I will triumph!  I will divide up Shechem.  I will apportion the Valley of Succoth.  7 Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine, and Ephraim is My helmet; Judah is My scepter.  8 Moab is My washbasin; on Edom I throw My sandal.  Over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

David rejoices for God has promised two important things.

First, the battle in his own kingdom would be successfully completed (vs. 6b-7).  “I will triumph,” David said.  Shechem he would possess, as he would the Valley of Succoth, and do as he pleased with both – dividing and apportioning them as he desired.

Shechem was a pleasant city in Mount Ephraim; in the center of the region on David’s side of the Jordan River.  This ancient city appeared in Scripture several times.  Abram camped near it (Gen. 12:6).  Jacob bought ground there (Gen. 33:18,19).  The Hivites lived there (Gen. 34:2), but were slaughtered by Simeon and Levi (Gen. 34:25-29).  Shechem became a city of refuge for the Israelites (Joshua 20:7).  Joseph was buried there (Joshua 24:32); and it was where Joshua’s farewell address occurred (Joshua 24:1,25).  In the time of the Judges, Shechem had become a center of idol worship (Judges 9:1,4-7), and was destroyed (Judges 9:23,45).

The Valley of Succoth was in the heart of the region on the other side of the Jordan River.  Jacob once resided there (Gen. 33:17); and it was the site of Israel’s first camp (Ex. 12:37).  The valley belonged to the tribe of Gad. 

Gilead and Manassah are mentioned next in God’s promise.  These two comprised an area east of the Jordan River; a tableland between the Arnon and Jabbok rivers assigned to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh.  Of many things that happened in the area, some of the more notable include David taking refuge there (2 Samuel 17:26,27), and it being the birthplace of Elijah (1 Kings 17:1).

Shechem and the Valley of Succoth, along with Gilead and Manasseh, meant that conquest and  victory on both sides of the Jordan were being promised to David.  His kingdom would possess all these lands, and he would be able to do with them as he desired.

As his kingdom expanded and become victorious, David was promised military and political strength.  “Ephraim is My helmet” meant these people would furnish him with soldiers for his lifeguards and his standing forces.  Ephraim was the most numerous and powerful of all the tribes.  “Judah is My scepter” shows that Judah would furnish David with able judges for his courts of justice.

With the kingdom’s success and stability inwardly promised, God gives His second promise: the battle against enemies outside the kingdom also would be victorious.

Moab would become David’s washbasin…they would be enslaved and given the lowest drudgery.  In ancient Persia, a royal attendant carried the washbasin for the king both when in battle and when on a journey.  Moab, God promises, will not only carry David’s washbasin, but serve as the washbasin attendant – signifying total subjection of the Moabites to David’s kingdom.  The fulfillment of God’s promise is recorded in 2 Samuel 8:2.

Next God deals with Edom: “on Edom I throw My sandal.”  The Edomites were crafty and malicious; but David would utterly defeat them.  In ancient times, this act of throwing one’s sandal on or over something or someone was a sign of subjugating them.  Abyssinian kings cast a shoe on something as a sign of forcible possession.  Thus, David would do to Edom, God promised.

And finally, God promised victory over the Philistines.  The people of Goliath, they were a constant irritant to the Israelites for most of their history.  David bested them many times (2 Samuel 5:17-25).  But they were not ultimately defeated until their destruction by Pharaoh (Jeremiah 47:1-7).

David was in a battle…war was raging.  In the midst of these circumstances God made a promise, and David believed Him.  Remember the first words in this section:

“I will triumph!”

Such faith and confidence in God always results in His miraculous activity on your behalf.  Don’t fear the enemy.  Don’t run from the battle.  If you are serving the Lord as He has directed, then know this one thing for sure: “The battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47)…there is no way you can lose!

Interesting Note:

This passage from Psalm 60:6-8 is repeated verbatim in Psalm 108:7-9.  The first six verses of Psalm 108 are quoted from Psalm 57:7-11.  Psalm 108 has the heading, A Davidic psalm; but only because it is compiled out of two earlier psalms he did pen.  It is very unlikely he took pieces of earlier psalms and wed them together.

Good Affliction

Psalm 119:67,71

afflicted - distressed so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish.

Nobody likes to be afflicted.  It is not pleasant, fun or enjoyable…there is nothing about affliction that would make one say, “Oh boy, I hope to be afflicted today!”  No sane person desires to be “distressed…severely,” to experience “persistent suffering or anguish.”  It is something we avoid at all costs, if at all possible.

But that’s the point.  Affliction cannot always be avoided.  Sometimes it’s necessary.  And sometimes, it is a tool God uses for our good.  Read these verses from Psalm 119:

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.

71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn Your statutes.

Psalm 119 expresses the psalmist’s delight in God’s Word…it is a psalm of praise and adoration for the Bible.  But in this section of the psalm, the subject turns to affliction.

The writer admits he experienced a wilder time in his life.  At some point he “went astray.”  Many probably have done similar.  Thank God that He doesn’t quit, or turn His back on us, when we do!  Instead, He loves us through it…sometimes using affliction.

Obviously, the affliction the psalmist endured brought good into the his life.  Affliction turned him around…brought him back to God’s Word.  So the end result of the severe distress that caused “persistent suffering or anguish,” was, in his own words: “good for me.”

How could affliction possibly be good?

For the psalmist, it caused him to pause on the path he was traveling.  If affliction stops us in our tracks; if it turns us back to God; if it encourages us to pick up His Word, to read it and apply it in our life…then affliction indeed has done a good and powerful work.

Are you experiencing affliction?

Look at your life carefully.  Might there be something amiss; might God be using this experience to draw you back to Him?  If there is something wrong, repent.  Pick up His Word again.  Read it; study it; let it speak to you.  Pray.  Spend time with the Lord.

May your testimony in the future be, as it was for the psalmist: “I went astray…but God allowed affliction to get my attention.  Because of that severely distressing time I no longer go astray, and I know and follow the Bible better than ever before.  So yes, for me affliction was good!”

8 Things God Does

Psalm 146:6-10

The first part of this psalm tells us how to be happy – that true and lasting happiness comes to those who trust in, and walk with, God.  But how?  What does God do to really help me be happy (or blessed; for often in Psalms happy and blessed are synonymous).

In verses 6-10, the psalmist lists 8 things God does or provides for those who trust Him.  This is not an exhaustive list, obviously; but does give some good reasons for trusting God and finding our happiness in Him.

1.    God executes justice for the righteous (vs. 7a).  He makes sure that in the end all debts are paid; all rewards are distributed.  God will make all things right… sometimes in this life, but certainly in the final judgment.  The last phrase of verse 9 tells what God does for the unrighteous: “He frustrates the ways of the wicked.”  Walk with Him and receive justice.  Walk in wickedness and receive frustration!

2.    God gives food to the hungry (vs. 7b).  Jesus told the disciples that God fed the birds of the fields and that He knows our daily needs as well; so we should not worry.  Trust God, walk with Him, and be fed – abundantly, with overflowing proportions.

3.    God frees the prisoners (vs. 7c).  “I’ve never even been in jail!” you might be thinking.  You are still a prisoner – either a prisoner to sin, which leads to death; or of righteousness, which leads to eternal life.  Again, walk with God and you receive blessings and happiness.  Decide to walk without Him and you will remain in jail!

4.    God opens the eyes of the blind (vs. 8a).  Spiritually speaking, God gives us the ability to see and understand His truths.  Walk with Him, trust Him, place your hope in Him and your knowledge of God and His ways, expectations, benefits, etc., will deepen.  As it does, your walk becomes more of a blessing – providing even more happiness.

5.    God raises up the oppressed (vs. 8b).  Sin, frustration, sometimes just life…all have a way of causing us to live oppressed.  We stumble under the weight of guilt, remorse, failures and shortcomings.  What can we do about it?  Nothing.  What can God do about it?  Take it away!  With those weights gone, we can rise up.  Jesus is the One – the only One – who can take away those burdens.

6.    God loves the righteous (vs. 8c).  God is love.  His love is available to all who seek it.  And having His love – His true, pure, everlasting love – is certainly a blessing we are unworthy of; yet one He wants to bestow.  Perhaps the Bible’s most famous verse, John 3:16 tells us: For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believed in Him would not perish, but have eternal life.  God’s love, freely given…that really should make us happy!

7.    God protects foreigners (vs. 9a).  Foreigners, in this verse, means those the in-crowd may consider outcasts.  Remember high school?  Were you part of the in’s or the out’s?  If you were an in, do you remember how your group felt about the out’s and how they were treated – ridiculed, or at best just ignored?  If you were an out you probably don’t think about high school very often – not a pleasant memory.  Now that you are an adult, are you an out?  Do you know who cares for you – really cares?  God.  He is on your side, if you walk with Him.  Talk about the ultimate in crowd!

8.    God helps the fatherless and the widows (vs. 9b).  The fatherless and the widows were the down-and-outs; the lower, unprotected class, with no rights or representation in society.  Well, except that God decided He would be their champion – He would take up their cause!  And He offers you and me the same provision.  Why walk alone.

Live for God.  Walk with Him in faith and obedience.  Experience these eight benefits, and so many more, that He offers us each day.

And experience happiness…real, true and lasting happiness.

Looking for Happiness

Psalm 146:5

To slightly change an old song: people everywhere, all the time, are looking for happiness in all the wrong places!

Oddly enough, many are looking for happiness in the same places they are looking for love (the original word in the song).  Some look in local bars; many in a new relationship, job, city…the list goes on and on.  All this looking occurring and precious few finding true and lasting happiness.  Of course the song tells us why no one is finding it.  They’re all looking in the wrong places.

Where should one look?  For true, lasting happiness where do I go?  Where do we find such a thing?  Is it even possible?

Well yes, it is possible to be blessed (in the Psalms happiness often means blessed); to be blessed beyond belief; to find and have true, lasting happiness.  You can find it too, if you look in the right place – actually, if you look to the right person.

Read verse 5: Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord His God.

If you want to blessed, to find happiness, look to God.  Specifically, look to Him as your source for help and the One in whom you place your hope.  Do so, and you will find happiness – the true and lasting kind.

Trusting the Temporal or Eternal

Psalm 146:3-5

Trust is a part of everyday life…you cannot get away from it.  When you sit down, you trust the chair to hold you.  As you drive, you are trusting other drivers to stay in their lane and follow the rules.  We trust our spouses and our friends.

We trust often, each day.  Trust is a part of life.  And even though we all have had our trust broken at times, we still have to trust – even when we don’t want to, or are afraid to trust.  Our need is: knowing who to trust.

In Psalm 146, the psalmist makes it clear.

3 Do not trust in nobles, in man, who cannot save.  4 When his breath leaves him, he returns to the ground; on that day his plans die.  5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord His God.

Very clearly we are told who not to trust: nobles, or man.  This is counter-intuitive; it certainly goes against what we see in society.  The nobles are the highly placed and esteemed; the powerful, famous and wealthy in our world.  They are the ones many people look to – trust in – for guidance, insight and answers.

Yet the psalmist says not to trust in these; and gives two reasons.  First, they cannot save.  When you need real help – effective assistance in a time of great need – these will not be there for you.  Here’s a news flash: the powerful and wealthy in this world don’t know you, and truly don’t care.  They certainly don’t mind espousing their opinions for everyone else’s consumption.  But do you really think they care for you and the problems of your life?

And look at what the psalmist wrote.  Even if they did care, they really have no adequate answer…they cannot save you!  Why trust someone who cannot really help?

Second reason for not trusting the nobles is that they die!  When they die all their great ideas and plans die with them (just like happens with regular folks).  Why trust someone who will not be there for you all your life?  Sooner or later, they are leaving this planet.  What will you do then?

The psalmist has an answer.  Instead of trusting in the temporal (temporary, bound in time on this earth as we are), trust in the Eternal!  Read verse 5: “Happy (or blessed) is the one whose help is the God of Jacob.”  The one who trust in God is happy because God can really help – indeed, He desires to; and He won’t let you down by leaving – He always will be here for you.  Both verse 6 and verse 10 say that God is forever.

So the question is…are you trusting someone temporal, or are you trusting the One who is eternal?