Psalms 119:105-120

We will read tonight two of the stanzas which make up the 119 th Psalm, beginning at the 105 th verse.

Psalms 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

God's Word is full of brilliance; it is always giving out its blessed light. It casts a light upon all our daily life. It is a light for the house, and a light for the way, and happy is the man who never walks abroad without this lantern to light up his pathway. There are many pitfalls on the road, and many places where the traveler's garments may soon be besmeared, so he has great need of this light to guide him.

Psalms 119:106. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.

I scarcely remember ever hearing of a man swearing, and then approving of it, but this kind of swearing is right enough: «I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.» We are to determine, with the most vehement resolution, that, God helping us, we will keep his righteous judgments; for, if we have only a weak resolution, we usually fall short even of our own determination. What shall we do then if that determination is itself weak? Some of us have lifted our hands to heaven, and pledged ourselves to the living God that we will be his faithful people.

«High heaven, that heard the solemn vow,

That vow renewed shall daily hear.»

Psalms 119:107. I am afflicted very much:-

Here is a good man, a better man than most of us, a man who is determined to do right, yet he gets into trouble because he is determined to do right. God's wheat will be threshed, his gold will be put into the furnace. If you were worth nothing to him, God might not take the trouble to afflict you; but when you are resolved to do right, you may expect that resolution to be tried and tested; and if it is worth anything, it will stand the trial. «I am afflicted very much:»-what will be the next words, «Lord, deliver me»? No, no.» Lord, bring me out of the furnace»? Nothing of the sort.» I am afflicted very much:»-

Psalms 119:107. Quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.

«Give me more spiritual life; give me more spiritual strength; that is what I most need.» Oftentimes, that prayer is answered by the affliction itself. We are afflicted very much, and by that very affliction the Lord quickens our graces, strengthens our souls, drives away many of our wandering thoughts, and brings us nearer to himself.

Psalms 119:108. Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,-«

My prayers, my praises, my testimonies, my ministries, accept them all, O Lord,»-

Psalms 119:108. And teach me thy judgment.

He who teaches others needs teaching himself. He who hopes that what he says will be accepted by those who hear it opens his ear to hear what God says to him. There will be no acceptance of what thou sayest to others unless thou dost accept what God says to thee.

Psalms 119:109. My soul is continually in my hand:

David's life was often in jeopardy. Saul hunted him as a partridge upon the mountains. He was sometimes very sick, and ready to die. Perhaps also, at times, he was in such great sorrow that he felt as if his soul was a thing that he held in his hand. We do not know exactly where our soul is, but we usually think of it as being somewhere in the very center of our being. David says that he had his soul in his hand, where he might at any time lose it; but what else does he say?

Psalms 119:109. Yet do I not forget thy law.

«If I have even to die for it, I am willing to die for it. If I have to lay down my life because I will do right, I will do right even while I lay down my life.»

Psalms 119:110. The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.

«If I had done so, I should have been caught in their snare, but as I kept straight on in the way of thy precepts, it little mattered how many snares they laid for me.»

Psalms 119:111. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever:-

Some take their own thoughts for their heritage, but it is a poor portion for anyone to have. Some take other men's philosophies for their heritage, but such a heritage as that is soon gone. But some of us can say, with regard to the eternal and immutable truth of God, that we have got such a grip of it that we cannot give it up. There may come a thousand other changes; but, by God's grace, there will be no change in this matter: «Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever:»-

Psalms 119:111. For they are the rejoicing of my heart.

Well may a man love that which rightly makes him glad. Shall we ever forsake that which is the source of our greatest comfort? If some men had greater gladness in the gospel, they would be more true to it. If they had ever eaten the sweet, and enjoyed the fat things full of marrow, they would never go away from the old old gospel which has made their hearts so glad.

Psalms 119:112-19. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statues always, even unto the end. I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.

Notice that the word «vain» is not in the original, the psalmist wrote, «I hate thoughts,» yet the word for thoughts includes the idea of mere thoughts. So, if any teaching in the world is the result of human thought alone, you may not rely upon it for a moment, for the Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity,» and they never will be anything better than that. The thoughts even of the most profound and the best instructed of men will not bear the weight and pressure of an immortal soul's eternal interests. Revelation is the one reliable thing that we can rest upon. What God has spoken is all true, but as for what men have thought, I have been so often disappointed and deceived that I can say, with the psalmist, «I hate mere thoughts: but thy law do I love.» In the law of the Lord there are verities, certainties, immutabilities, here may we abide, and rest securely.

Psalms 119:114. Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

For thou wilt be sure to do as thou hast said. Thy promises are not like men's, they cannot be broken, and when I get one of thy promises, O my God, I hide behind it, I am protected by it, and I am comforted through it.

Psalms 119:115. Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.

Holy men often find that, in order to be holy, they have to be solitary. It sometimes happens that the force of evil companionship is too much for the gracious heart to bear, and the Christian man has to say to the ungodly, «Depart from me.» Now, if even godly David had to say to evil-doers «Depart from me,» you need not wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ will one day say to all impenitent men, «Depart from me, ye evil-doers.» If we keep the commandments of our God, we shall often have to walk in a separate path from the ungodly; and even if we do not keep ourselves to ourselves, we shall keep ourselves to our God.

Psalms 119:116. Uphold me-

I thought we should soon come to that petition. We have been reading about David's resolutions, and we might have thought that he was too bold in speaking so positively, but now he shows us the modesty of his mind: «Uphold me»-

Psalms 119:116. According unto thy word, that I may live:

The Lord upholds us as a nurse holds up a little child, and teaches him to walk. «Uphold me,» O Lord, for I cannot stand by myself. My good resolutions will soon evaporate unless thou dost sustain me. There is a gracious promise which just answers this petition, «I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.»

Psalms 119:116. And let me not be ashamed of my hope.

O my God, never let me have to say that I have hoped in thee in vain! I know I never shall, but I trust to thee not to disappoint me. «Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth me »

Psalms 119:117. Hold thou, me up,-

One is fond of that short, simple prayer, first it is, «Uphold me,» and then, «Hold me up;» either way it is equally good: «Hold thou me up,»-

Psalms 119:117. And I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.

When God holds us up, there is no fear of our falling down; we have respect unto his statutes when he has respect unto us.

Psalms 119:118-19. Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit is falsehood. Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross:-

Perhaps some of you have seen the great heaps of slag lying outside the furnace, that is a picture of the ungodly: «Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross:»-

Psalms 119:119. Therefore I love thy testimonies.

What! does love to the truth, and to the God of truth spring out of this putting away of the wicked? Yes, even the stern justice of God makes his people love him, and love his truth. I am of the same mind as the children of Israel were when Pharaoh and his army were swallowed up in the Red Sea, and the emancipated slaves sang unto the Lord who had triumphed so gloriously. Some cannot do that because their sympathy is so entirely with the wicked, but the destruction of all that is evil creates a flow of joy in the heart of the true believer. Still, it is a fearsome joy, full of holy awe and trembling.

Psalms 119:120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.

Well may we also tremble when we see how terrible God is out of his holy places. There is a fear which is akin to love. As there is a fear which perfect love casts out, so is there another fear which love dandles on her knee, and such is the fear which David felt. May we too ever have that holy awe of God in our hearts! Amen.