One of the questions my wife and I tend to ask each other often is, “What is the Lord teaching you?” We do this for accountability but also because we know the most important relationship in our lives is not first with each other, but with our God. Our relationship with God is not receiving disconnected information but hearing and heeding teaching from our relational God. Psalm 119:33-40 shows us this. It shows us that one of the reasons the Lord teaches us His Word is so we may keep it (verses 33-34). The Bible is not man’s revelation of God, but God’s revelation of Himself to man. Therefore, He is the one leading us and we are following (verse 35). Learning from the Lord begins by understanding Him and what He says in His Word. Yet, this is not merely information for the intellect. Learning from the Lord goes deeper and transforms the heart. It is not checking off a list but checking our hearts to see where our delights are. Where do we look for rest? Where do we look for relief? Where do we look for peace? Our eyes will be indicators of our hearts of what we are hoping in. What God’s Word gives to us, though, is the answer that He is the teacher for life and He is the Lord of life. He confirms His promise most clearly in Jesus Christ, His life, death, and resurrection for our salvation. Our response of repentance of sin and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord is evidence we fear Him, which shows we have listened to Him as teacher. As our hearts are transformed, we continually grow into the image of Christ, fighting the battle where we turn away from sin and long for God. Longing for God is proof we are learning from Him.
Reflection Questions
Where have you looked to something other than Christ for hope recently?
How would you answer the question, “What is the Lord teaching you?”
The longer I have lived, the more I recognize daily reliance on the Lord. Things I once took for granted, I realize are gifts from the Lord, even every single breath we take. The psalmist of Psalm 119 gets this and responds to this truth by crying out to God. He knows he is but dust and is clinging to the dust (verse 25a). In other words, he knows he is in need for his life and the only place that truly gives life is from God’s Word (verse 25b). As he comes in dependence to God, the Lord answers Him. Yet, as we can resonate, this dependence is not a one-time event but continual need for our lives. The patience we need in our parenting. The mercy we need for our marriages. The satisfaction we need in the Lord during our singleness. We need to meditate on the truth of God’s Word and come to Him in daily dependence. In the hard seasons of sorrow, we may feel weak and life may feel fleeting. But God’s Word in those times can strengthen us (verse 28). However, in the trials of life, we can be tempted to buy into the lies that God is not coming through on His promises or that He is not who He says He is. That is why we need to come back to the Word. He invites us to question, but by bringing those questions to Him, not questioning about Him to others. He is gracious toward us. That is why Jesus came to live a sinless life, die a sacrificial death, and rise again. Because of God’s grace! It is because of His grace, we can choose faithfulness, we can cling to His Word, and we will run to His commandments, not away from them. We look to God and His Word for life.
Reflection Questions:
When have you clung to the dust of life rather than to the testimonies of the Author of life?
What area of life do you need to be more intentionally depending on God?
Spiritual blindness. This is the greatest problem of our day. Men and women are born into this world spiritually blind, morally corrupt and desperately broken. The more you look into the issues of our day, the more you will see this reality laid bare.
The psalmist, likely King David, lays before us a masterful treatise on the Word of God in Psalm 119. Where we find ourselves today is verses 17-24. The author offers a beautiful prayer to start. He prays, “Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word (v. 17).” He appeals to God’s grace in the pursuit of living a faithful, Word-centered life. Next, he prays for the cure to man’s greatest problem. In v. 18, he prays, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Herein lies the solution to our spiritual blindness. It is not until the Holy Spirit awakens a soul to the reality of God and the glories of Christ in the gospel that a person will see the truth of their carnal condition. The Spirit of God must indwell the heart of man, regenerating him from being lost in sin to being found by grace. In the gospel accounts, there are many stories of Jesus causing the blind to see. These miracles were not just meant to restore defective eyes, they were meant to point to the greater reality of spiritual depravity. The Bible attests to the fact that all people are under the influence of sin. Satan has blinded sinners to the holiness of God (Eph. 2:1-3). We are stuck on self. We need rescue. Christ has brought it in the gospel! Just as the Apostle Paul was blind to his own sin before meeting Christ on the Damascus Road, we are blind as well. And just like the Apostle, we must encounter the glory of God in order for our eyes to be opened to the truth.
Beholding the glory of Christ leads to believing in Him and belonging to his family. When a person reads the Word of God, here referred to as the law, it is meant to transform him or her from the inside out. Furthermore, if we want to hear God speak to us, we must be regularly reading the Word of God. The voice of God is heard in the Word of God most clearly and authoritatively. We simply cannot know God’s voice and His will apart from reading and heeding the Word of God. V. 19 acknowledges the truth that the believer is a “sojourner on the earth” and is a plea for God to not hide his commandments from him. V. 20 is a standard every Christian should strive for. The psalmist writes, “My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.” May all of us pray for a heart to crave God’s word every day even more than food and water!
V. 21 attests to the fact that God rejects those who are against Him and who wander from His commandments. Following this is a plea to be protected from scorn and contempt. The one who keeps the Word of God is a magnet for God’s blessings. God looks upon his obedient servant with favor and grace. Perhaps v. 23 is a valid proof for Davidic authorship. Princes, or rulers of foreign nations, were “plotting against” him. King David was constantly on the run from harm before his official takeover of Israel including from Saul and the Philistines. Due to this, the first true king of Israel declared to God that “your servant will meditate on your statutes.” Facing opposition caused the king to seek the Lord through his Word. We must do the same!
Finally, v. 24 is a declaration of faith in God and his Word. He writes, “Your testimonies are my delight.” A heart centered on God’s Word is continually fed by its truth. To tie it up, he writes, “They are my counselors.” The testimonies of Scripture are attestors to the goodness and faithfulness of God. Also, they instruct us how we are to live. Psalm 119 opens our spiritual eyes to the glory of God, leading us to believe in His Word and to belong to His family. Repenting of sin and believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to be captured by the beauty of the Word of God. Do you know him? May we be children of the Word longing every day to be mastered by its truth. Amen.
Application Questions:
How can you use the Word of God to encourage other brothers and sisters in Christ in your church and community?
What sin in your life prevents you from longing for the Word of God and living according to its truth?
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