Subject: David #9 Title: David and the Word of God Text: Psalm 119:1-16

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1 Subject: David #9 Title: David and the Word of God Text: Psalm 119:1-16 Sunday Bulletin - December 14, David and the Word of God We are not sure who wrote Psalm 119. Among the best possible guesses is David. We know that he wrote half of the Psalms, and many orthodox Jewish scholars believe that he wrote as many as 125 of the among them Psalm 119. It certainly makes good sense. The psalm is a mosaic arranged around the central theme of God s law... the psalm is an acrostic. It consists of 22 stanzas, each consisting of eight verses, and each emphasizing, in order, a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each verse in each stanza begins with the letter of the alphabet to which the stanza is related. John Phillips In stanza #2, verses 9-16, there are seven different things that David does in his relationship with the Word of God to insure that he does not wander from the Lord s commandments. All of them have to do with the heart. They all depend upon having a fixed attitude and provide spiritual nourishment for the heart. Psalm 119:1-16 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. 5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! 6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. 7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. 13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. David Factoids: * 1,000+ mentions * 42 chapters * most published O. T. character * a man after God s own heart 1

2 Review: * Bitterness & Revenge * Seeking Refuge with the Enemy * Persecution * Friendship - Jonathan * Saul s Jealousy * Goliath * David s Songs * A Man after God s Own Heart The theme of Psalm 119 is the Law, which is referenced in 173 of the 176 verses. God is mentioned in every verse. The psalm contains 70 prayer requests and mentions suffering in 66 verses. The psalmist is resolved to know, keep and love God s Law. The psalmist uses eight synonyms for the Word of God: 1. Law 2. Testimonies 3. Precepts 4. Statutes 5. Commandments 6. Judgments 7. Word 8. Ways The first stanza shows us what will happen in the life of those who make the Word of God the very center of their life! Psalm 119 tells us that the Bible is eight things to the believer. The Bible is: 1. Water for cleansing (9) 2. Wealth and treasures (14, 72, 127, 162) 3. A companion and friend (24) 4. A song to sing (54) 5. Honey (103) 6. A lamp (105, 130) 7. Great spoil (162) 8. An heritage (111) The Bible does eight things for the believer: 1. It blesses (1, 2). 2. It gives life (25, 37, 40, 50, 88, 93). 3. It gives strength (28). 4. It gives liberty (45). 2

3 5. It imparts wisdom (66, ) 6. It creates friends (63). 7. It gives comfort (76, 92). 8. It gives direction (133). The Believer is to: 1. Love it (97, 159). 2. Prize it (72, 128). 3. Study it (7, 12, 18, 26, 27). 4. Memorize it (11). 5. Meditate upon it (15, 23, 48, 78, 148). 6. Trust it (42). 7. Obey it (1-8). 8. Declare it (13, 26). Seven Things that David Does in His Relationship with the Word of God: I. Obey the Word - take heed thereto according to thy word (9) * The Scriptures are written and read with the expressed goal of obedience. * Read with a willingness to obey! * Continually adjust your thinking and behaviors to meet God s expectations. * This must be a conscious decision. * Everything else we will say will be meaningless if we neglect a decision to obey. II. Memorize the Word - Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee. (11) * We memorize things that are extremely important: home address, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, birthdays, etc. * Repetition is a key to learning. * Cross referencing * John 14:26, But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. * Hide them in your heart, not just your mind, through obedience, loving the law. III. Learn the Word - Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. (12) * Learning accelerates when one lives in a proper relationship with the Lord. Obedience is vital to growth. Learn and do! Spiritual growth is more than an intellectual exercise, it is the positive spiritual transformation of the whole person; mind, heart and will. * Knowledge puffs up, charity edifies * Grace and truth 3

4 * II Timothy 2:15, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Learning opportunities: - Big picture - First things first discipleship - Life groups - NSBI - Sunday and Wednesday services - Reading program - #Word365 - Self-study IV. Speak the Word - with my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth (13) * Love God, Love People, Serve Others, Tell Everyone. * You don t really know something until you have opened your mouth and declared what you have learned to someone else. * We are all to be teachers. Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the fi rst principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. * A disciple takes the words, truths and principles of the master, lives them, and passes them on! (Bill Bonnell, Rudy Tag, Mike Ireland, Rick Grape, etc.) Learning accelerates when one becomes the teacher. * II Timothy 2:2, And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. * Life to life contact * Joshua 1:8, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth... * The words of the Book should always be in our tongues. *...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks... (Matthew 12:34-35) V. Prioritize the Word - I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. (14) * The Psalmist knows that there are no riches that compare to the riches of the Word of God. 4

5 * Jim Ryun - Born Silver medal 1968 Olympics (1500 m) - First high school athlete to break the 4 minute mile - U. S. House of Representatives High school record of 3:55.3 (1965) stood for 36 years. - Jim Ryan, a Christian, was asked if his Christianity affected his competitive edge. After hesitating for a moment, Ryan said, Becoming a Christian did not cause him to run slower, he always wanted to do his best. His conversion changed his priorites - winning was no longer everything! * When you have grown in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God has a firm grip on your heart, you will be compelled to rethink all of the priorities of your life. * Where will you now spend your time, energy, money and talent? More and more you will submit your resources to the work of God in your life. * Contrary to popular opinion - the greatest thing in life is not retiring to a warm sunny climate to wait to die! VI. Meditate on the Word - I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. (15) * Joshua was commanded to meditate (Joshua 1:8). * Meditation may be compared to a spiritual triathlon. It encompasses a wide variety of disciplines: reading, praying, memorizing and personal application. * Meditation is a time when one can logically bring the mind and heart of God to the forefront of one s logic and thinking processes. Think your life and decisions through using Scripture as your measuring stick. VII. Remember the Word - I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. (16) * Reading, repetition and practice leads to remembering. We have a penchant for forgetting. Our minds must be used by processing information that will be stored near the surface. Information, precepts that are readily available until holiness becomes habitual. Then we need constant reminders. * We are never told to stop reading, you have done enough. * Scripture is inexhaustible. One will always learn something and be reminded of that which we have forgotten. II Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 5

6 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: Review: Obey the Word. Memorize the Word. Learn the Word. Speak the Word. Prioritize the Word. Meditate on the Word. Remember the Word. Invitation * Decide to do. * Come forward for a prayer of dedication. * Pick up your journal/plan if you have made a firm commitment. 6