07.18.07
Posted in Psalm 119 at 3:34 pm by
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Psalm 119:33-40
Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes;
and I shall keep it unto the end.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law
yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Make me to go in the path of thy commandments;
for therein do I delight.
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies,
and not to covetousness.
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;
and quicken thou me in thy way.
Stablish thy word unto thy servant,
who is devoted to thy fear.
Turn away my reproach which I fear
for thy judgments are good.
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts:
quicken me in thy righteousness.
A helpful way to understand the message of this psalm is to see it as the psalmist’s personal testimony of what he encountered in his attempt to walk in the path of God’s righteous way. We have already noted that the central theme of Psalm 119 is the Word of God. In fact, God’s Word is described by eight different words occurring throughout the psalm, each of which directs attention to an important aspect, quality, or function the Bible has for the life and walk of an obedient believer.
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05.21.07
Posted in Psalm 119 at 4:59 pm by
Psalm 119:25-32
My soul cleaveth unto the dust
quicken thou me according to thy word
I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me
teach me thy statutes.
Make me to understand the way of thy precepts:
so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
My soul melteth for heaviness:
strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
Remove from me the way of lying:
and grant me thy law graciously.
I have chosen the way of truth
thy judgments have I laid before me.
I have stuck unto thy testimonies
O LORD, put me not to shame.
I will run the way of thy commandments,
when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
In this edition of “Truth Talk†we continue our study of Psalm 119 by looking at the fourth stanza. The first stanza (vv. 1-8) stressed the priority of personal obedience of God’s word as the foundation for living a life that pleases God. The psalmist further developed this truth in the second stanza (vv. 9-16) by revealing that such obedience requires an attitude that desires to know God’s Word as well as an aptitude to diligently retain and obey the instruction contained therein. The third stanza (vv. 17-24) revealed this kind of life will encounter strong resistance from those who opposed God and His Word.
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03.29.07
Posted in Psalm 119 at 4:58 pm by
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For several editions now we have been examining Psalm 119. We have discovered that whoever wrote this psalm had a deep desire to live a life pleasing to God. And, this was no mere whim or fleeting thought banished by the first obstacle or trial encountered on the path. His desire, as well as the path by which such a life could be lived, is meticulously detailed in the twenty-two stanzas which compose the psalm. Since our study has stretched out over a number of editions of “Truth Talk,†I thought it would be helpful to step back and review the path we have been walking with the Psalmist before moving ahead to the next segment of the psalm.
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01.31.07
Posted in Psalm 119 at 1:36 am by
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17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. 18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me. 20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. 21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. 22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes. 24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.
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12.27.06
Posted in Psalm 119 at 6:53 pm by
Download the December 2006 PDF Issue of TWFL Magazine featuring this and other helpful articles and resources!
A new TV commercial features a pastor asking the audience if Jesus would shop at Wal-Mart, and then cites some of the alleged reasons why Jesus would boycott the retailer.
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11.26.06
Posted in Psalm 119 at 3:06 pm by
We’re taking a break from our Psalm 119 study - but Dr. Sam Horn has a great article this month on “Preserving the Bond of Peace.”
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10.12.06
Posted in Psalm 119 at 3:21 pm by
Download the October issue of The Word For Life Magazine in PDF
How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! 12 Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes! 13 With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. 16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
In this edition of “Truth Talk†we are continuing our examination of the second stanza of Psalm 119. The first stanza (vv. 1-8) stressed the priority of personal obedience of God’s word as the foundation for living a life that pleases God. The psalmist further develops this truth in the second stanza (vv. 9-16) by posing the question “By what divine means can a man shape his character so that his resulting conduct is pure, right, and in line with God’s expectations?†In the last edition of “Truth Talk†we noted that these eight verses reveal this worthy aspiration will require a heart attitude oriented to such a pursuit (vv. 9-11). This attitude must drive the seeker to the right source for direction in his pursuit (v. 12). Furthermore, it will require the passionate and consistent investment of committed effort as one personally engages in this pursuit (vv. 13-16). And, as we saw last time, it begins with my heart and not just my head. I must do more than merely agree that God’s Word is important in my pursuit of personal sanctification, I must develop a genuine, wholehearted passion to please God (vv. 9-11). Read the rest of this entry »
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09.08.06
Posted in Psalm 119 at 5:48 pm by
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Welcome to another edition of “Truth Talk.†As we have seen in our study of Psalm 119, the central theme presented by the psalmist is the importance of the Word of God for shaping the thinking and ways of those who desire to be blessed by God. Each of the twenty-two stanzas supports and develops the centrality of God’s Word as the primary and foundational means of living a life that pleases God. The first stanza stressed the priority of keeping God’s Word personally and passionately in every venue of life. In the second stanza, the psalmist revealed the divine means by which a person may cultivate a life that is clean and pleasing to the Lord. The question at hand is, “How can a man so shape his character that his resulting conduct is pure, right, and in line with God’s expectations?†The eight verses comprising this section provide a three-fold answer. This worthy aspiration will require a heart attitude oriented to such a pursuit. This attitude must drive the seeker to the right source for direction in his pursuit. And, it will require the passionate and consistent investment of committed effort as one personally engages in this pursuit.
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05.31.06
Posted in Psalm 119 at 8:13 am by
Download the August issue of The Word For Life Magazine in PDF
The central theme of Psalm 119 is the importance of the Word of God for shaping the thinking and ways of those who desire to be blessed by God. This message is set forth in twenty-two stanzas arranged as an alphabetic acrostic. Each stanza supports and develops the centrality of God’s Word as the primary and foundational means of living a life that pleases God. The first stanza introduced this theme and drew attention to the priority of keeping God’s Word personally and passionately in every venue of life. But, how is the reader to accomplish this daunting task? The psalmist has already informed him that such an endeavor will require divine enablement from God. In the second stanza, the psalmist continues to probe this question and reveals the divine means by which a person may cultivate a life that is clean and pleasing to the Lord. The question at hand is, “How can a man so shape his character that his resulting conduct is pure, right, and in line with God’s expectations?†The eight verses comprising this section provide a three-fold answer. This worthy aspiration will require a heart attitude oriented to such a pursuit. This attitude must drive the seeker to the right source for direction in his pursuit. And, it will require the passionate and consistent investment of committed effort as one personally engages in this pursuit. Read the rest of this entry »
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12.06.05
Posted in Psalm 119 at 7:19 pm by
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The first edition of Truth Talk explored the structure and nature of Psalm 119 and concluded the author carefully crafted each of the twenty-two stanzas to reflect a particular aspect of the central theme – the Word of God. By constructing the psalm as an alphabetic acrostic, the author intended to give his readers a full and authoritative treatment on this topic. At the heart of this psalm lies the truth that God’s Word is necessary for living that pleases God. But the psalmists acknowledged that apart from God’s enablement, men are powerless to understand or obey what God has said. Whoever the psalmist was, he understood that the ultimate goal of God’s Word is the shaping of life and the means for such shaping is whole-hearted obedience. Such obedience must rise from proper attitudes and motives toward God and His Word, and should manifest itself in all of life’s ways for all of life’s days. Such obedience apart from divine enablement is out of man’s reach. Read the rest of this entry »
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