Sermon Notes for July 25, 2010

Commitment in Psalm 119

Psalm 119:44 - 48

I. Introduction

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm, being an alphabetical psalm; it has 22 sections, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet; each section has eight stanzas, each beginning with its representative letter, resulting in 176 verses. Each verse, with the exception of 122 and 132, contains one of ten words used to refer to God’s Law. Last week we looked at the psalm’s prayer requests; this week we will look at commitments made by the psalmist; next week, what the psalm tells us about God.

II. Commitments in Psalm 119

A. Commitment to Worship

v. 7 "I will give thanks to Thee with uprightness of heart."

Hebrew yadaw means thanks or praise – root word "to shoot an arrow" -- praise for something specific. The specific: learning of God’s "righteous judgments (mishpat)

v. 171 "My lips shall utter praise" Hebrew tehillah praise, hymn of praise, act of public worship. The reason: "when You have taught me Your statutes."

Application: Commit to worship; in worship, thank God specifically for His fulfillment of His Word, for His righteous judgments. Worship include public expression in song and praise.

B. Commitment to Memorize

v. 16 "I will not forget (shakach - ignore, allow to wither) Your word." "Withering" is a good description of what happens to things in our memory if we do not work at keeping them fresh.

v. 93 "I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have kept me alive."

This explains why it is so important to commit God’s Word to memory -- God’s precepts give us life. These are the principles that guide us, keep us from harm, give light to our path (v. 105).

v. 11 -- the Psalmist provides the classic picture of memorization:

"Thy Word have I hid (tsaphan - hid, treasured up) in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee."

Application: Commit to memorize -- to add new information, to keep old information from withering through reviewing.

C. Commitment to Meditate

This commitment explains one way to use what we have memorized.

vv 15, 78 "I will meditate on Your precepts." siyach - muse, ponder, study, sing -- the word has a secondary meaning of "complain" which may refer the aspect of murmuring and chewing over a grievance. Much better to murmur and "chew over" God’s Word.

v. 27 "I will meditate on Your wondrous works." Many of God’s wondrous works are recorded in Scripture; but God is still doing wondrous works today, and He is working in our lives. We need to pay attention to what He is doing, and "meditate" -- muse, ponder, reflect on what He is up to in our lives.

Application: To spend time reflecting on, reciting, murmuring, chewing over the Word we have memorized; and likewise to reflect on God’s work in our lives and in our world today.

D. Commitment to Seek

v. 10 "I will seek you with a whole heart." Seek is darash -- to consult, enquire of God; to practice, to follow. Heart is leb -- mind, conscience, will, seat of understanding, soul; the core of being. God was pleased with David because David served Him with integrity of heart -- with an undivided, whole heart; 1 Kings 9:4. It was Solomon’s downfall, resulting in the division of the Kingdom, that his heart was divided because he allowed himself to be drawn into idolatry by his wives; 1Kings 11:4.

Application: to seek after God with all of our being; to have integrity of heart; do not halt between two opinions (1 Kings 18:21).

E. Commitment to Obey

vv. 32, 33 "I will run in the way of Your commandments, for Thou wilt enlarge my heart. I will keep . . .Your statutes."

The most often repeated commitment in Psalm 119 is the commitment to obey. v. 32 puts obedience into the context of grace -- the psalmist will be obedient not because of the strength of his commitment, but because God has given him the capacity, just as a runner gains capacity from a strengthened heart. Philippians 2:12 - 13 -- the essence of grace is God working in us, to will and to do according to His good pleasure.

v. 45 - "I will walk at liberty, for I keep Thy precepts."

Obedience has a wonderful result: freedom. This is a profound truth, and one which the world and the devil constantly refute with the lie that obedience to the truth means bondage. The opposite is true. To violate God’s law -- to sin -- is to be a slave(Jesus said this, John 8:34); freedom is found only in obedience empowered by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:1 - 15).

Further commitments to obedience are repeated in vv 69, 105, 106, 112, 145.

Application: yield to the grace of God for the strength to obey God’s Word.

F. Commitment to Pray

v. 48 "I will lift up my hands towards Your commandments." Lifting up the hands is a posture of prayer -- e.g. 1 Timothy 2:8; Lamentations 2:19, 3:41.

Herein is a secret of prevailing prayer: to ask according to God’s will (1 John 5:14 - 15). How can we be assured that we are asking according to His will? By basing our request on His Word, on some commandment or promise.

Application: to make prayer requests based on the promises of God’s word.

G. Commitment to Witness

v. 46 "I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and shall not be ashamed."

v. 172 "My tongue shall speak of Thy word." Speak = anah, to testify, to respond as a witness. The commitment of the psalmist parallels the commitment of Paul in Romans 1:16, and recalls the warning of Jesus that if anyone is ashamed of Him and His words, Jesus will be ashamed of Him at His second coming.

Application: to speak boldly our testimony for Jesus and His Word, and not be ashamed.

Decision/Commitment: Worship; memorize; meditate; seek; obey; pray; witness.