Psalm 119, starting at 25.
The word right above it is left in Hebrew.
! It's one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
!
Because the whole psalm is an acrostic.
Daleth.
My soul clings to the dust.
Revive me according to your word.
I have declared my ways, and you answered me.
Teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts.
So shall I meditate on your wonderful works.
My soul melts from heaviness.
Strengthen me according to your word.
Remove from me the way of lying, and grant me your law graciously.
I have chosen the way of truth.
Your judgments I have laid before me.
I cling to your testimonies, O Lord.
Do not put me to shame.
I will run the course of your commandments.
For you shall enlarge my heart.
The word of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
Please be seated.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of the Lord stands forever.
Let's pray.
Oh, living God, the giver of life,
thank you for breathing out your scriptures,
and thank you for how your Holy Spirit now takes your scriptures,
and the word of God in the hand of the Holy Spirit, so to speak,
is sharper than a two-edged sword.
Lord, we pray, Lord, that your spirit will use your word,
and all that you reveal in your word about who you are,
and about Jesus Christ,
and the good news of salvation for sinners like us,
in God, through Jesus.
That you'll make this so clear today, Lord.
We pray that your word will wash over us, Lord,
like a tide from the most pure ocean,
that you'll cleanse us by your word, Lord.
You'll sanctify us.
You'll prepare our souls for eternity with you.
Lord, for those who are in darkness
and know nothing about your word,
we pray that today you will shine the glory
of who you are on these dear souls,
that they will not be the same,
that they will know you through your word, we ask.
Amen.
Oh, how lovely is the word of the Lord.
Amen.
Oh, how lovely is the word of the Lord.
That's my one message for you today,
but let's walk through this passage one verse at a time
and appreciate it more and more together.
Psalm 119 is anonymous.
It's also the longest chapter in the whole Psalter,
in the whole Bible.
Some possible authors include David
because many of the phrases and the style
is very similar to David's.
Another possibility is Ezra
because he was the priest who taught the people the law.
This would be a very fitting psalm
for them to sing over and over,
remembering this lesson of the precious word of God.
Others have supposed possibly Daniel or Jeremiah.
Both lived in a similar time.
Both were raised up by the Lord and were in exile,
so they're lamenting the loss
and longing to have that worship of God restored,
which comes through in this psalm.
Now, the beautiful thing about God's word
is while we don't need to know
who the human author was
because we have the divine author,
the Holy Spirit,
who breathed out all of Scripture.
And he does this in such a gentle, kind way.
As I mentioned,
Daleth is the Hebrew letter D.
So A, B, C, D.
It's early on in the sequence.
To use our own English spin on that,
the mood or the tone,
the condition of the author,
the human author,
is dire, depressed, and doubting.
Now, the Bible gives us here
one little snapshot, like a case study,
but we can turn to a number of other parts of the Bible
and we're going to hear very different tones,
very different styles.
The beautiful thing about God's word
is that the one Holy Spirit breathed it out
through the pen of over 40 different human authors
on three different continents
in three different languages.
Well, you know Hebrew in the Old Testament,
Greek in the New Testament,
what was the third?
There are portions, like in Daniel,
which were Aramaic.
Very good.
It was written over 1,500 years.
And despite all this diversity
and all this variance from a human perspective,
the Bible, the Holy Word of God,
reveals one way of salvation,
one God, one hope, one promise.
The one message of all the scriptures
is life in Christ alone,
by grace alone, through faith alone.
That's what it very clearly presents
to everyone who God will give an ear
to hear the good news.
2 Peter 1, verses 19 and 21 says,
we have the prophetic word confirmed,
which you do well to heed
as a light that shines in a dark place
until the day dawns,
knowing that scripture
came through holy men of God,
speaking as they were moved
by the Holy Spirit.
That's how this glorious,
lovely library,
this Bible came to be.
The reason I picked our passage today,
more broadly,
it's because all of Psalm 119
is all about the word of God.
Every single couplet
is going to mention the law,
the word,
the testimonies of God
in some form or another.
The whole psalm lifts up
the loveliness of God's word.
But the reason I chose Dalif,
specifically,
this little stanza,
is because we're so small,
I'm able to know our congregation
very well,
very easily,
very naturally.
And this psalm,
this stanza in particular,
is for those who feel dead.
Yes, Christians,
who have the Holy Spirit,
but we feel a deadness.
We need reviving.
It's for Christians who feel weak,
and that's who we are.
Some of us,
army crawled this morning
just to be here.
It's for those who are so aware
of their sin
and hate their sin.
And it's for us who feel very unloving
much of the time.
That's why I picked it.
It's because I don't want to just tell you
what God's word is.
I want you to be reminded
and experience it
in the condition that we are right now,
in our weakness.
Let the power of God's word in Christ
wash over us.
So here's four encouragements
from this passage.
Number one,
when your soul clings to the dust,
ask the Lord to disciple you
in his word.
When your soul clings to the dust,
ask the Lord to disciple you
in his word.
Look at verse 25.
That's exactly what the psalmist cries out.
My soul clings to the dust.
Revive me according to your word.
I have declared my ways
and you answered me.
Teach me your statutes.
By the light of nature,
every one of us can clearly see
God's goodness, wisdom, and power.
So every one of us,
before this holy God,
is left without excuse.
We sit here knowing that
God is my creator.
He is holy and just,
and I owe him worship.
We know this.
Yet we also know that we fall
short of his glory,
don't we?
We don't glorify and enjoy God,
even though that's the end
for which he created us.
And so we know what dust is,
the way the psalmist uses it poetically.
God made us human beings
from the dust.
Dust we are,
and to dust our bodies
shall return.
So when he says,
my soul clings to the dust here,
dust stands for
the lust of our flesh,
this body that we're in
in this life,
our pride in this life,
worldliness.
That's the dust
that his soul is clinging on to.
We know what this is like,
don't we?
Ephesians 2, 3,
speaking to the church,
people like you and me,
reminds us that
we were all slaves to the dust.
By nature,
children of God's wrath.
We all once conducted ourselves
in the lust of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of our fallen minds.
He says,
my soul clings to the dust.
That verb,
to cling,
it's used and translated
in other parts as cleaves.
It sticks to it.
It's intimately joined together.
It's a bond
that's exceptionally tight.
It's like two objects
that are glued together,
unwavering,
deep affection for that thing.
Specifically in Genesis 2, 24,
it's the exact same word
used to describe
how a man will leave
his father and mother
and shall cling
or cleave to his wife
and the two will be one flesh.
And this is what
the psalmist is saying.
My soul clings
to the dust.
Put it in our own words,
it could be like this.
My body
will return to dust
when I die.
I know this.
But my inner man,
my soul,
still clings
for this perishing life.
My thoughts,
my desires,
my personality,
who I am inside,
it clings to this earth,
the dust from which
I was made.
And so what's the solution?
Look again at this verse.
He says,
revive me according
to your word.
I've declared my ways
to you.
I've confessed
this is who I am
and you answered me.
You spoke.
He says,
teach me
your statutes.
The solution
is the same for us
as for the psalmist.
because this is my condition,
because this is the
bent of my soul.
I need God himself
to disciple me.
Teach me
according to your word.
Look in verse 25.
He uses that
to describe the scriptures.
He calls it
the word of God.
This is one of seven terms,
one of seven titles
given to the scriptures.
The word of God
is the most broad.
It's the way
that God has revealed
or unveiled
and made known
what his promises are.
He says,
Lord,
I'm declaring this
to you about my ways.
My soul is crooked.
If left to myself,
my soul
will still actively
and persistently
choose dust
over glory.
If left to myself,
I will hold tightly
to this world
instead of
to the world to come.
If left to myself,
my affections
will grasp
tightly to this life
instead of the next.
My flesh is too powerful
for any other philosophy,
any other course of study,
any other teacher.
No other source of truth
in this world
is sufficient
to give me
the knowledge of God,
to know the will of God,
that it's necessary
for salvation,
that God reveal himself
to me.
And in his word,
he's given us
the full revelation
of how he can bring life
to a soul
that's twisted like that.
The psalmist
confesses,
Lord,
I need you to speak to me.
Answer me,
he says.
In verse 26,
teach me your statutes.
This is how God speaks to him
and answers his cry.
And it's the second term used,
statutes.
Statutes describe
God's binding,
permanent decrees.
Statutes are permanent
because the literal Hebrew word
is engraving something
in stone,
inscribing it
somewhere that won't get erased.
These are the statutes of God.
He says,
Lord,
your word is stable.
My soul is not stable.
I'm going to put myself
under your teaching,
your statutes over me.
And you discipline me,
you disciple me.
You correct my heart.
You be my teacher.
I'll be your student.
And your statutes
are my curriculum.
Revive me, Lord.
Put your life
inside my body.
My body,
my flesh,
it's like a bag of dust.
Breathe life into me,
enliven me
according to your word.
And he says
he trusts God to do this
because God has promised
this in his word.
And the psalmist
didn't have the full revelation
which we do now.
We can turn to 1 Peter 1.23
and be reminded
how we too
are born again
of incomparable,
incorruptible seed
through the word
of God
which lives
and abides
forever.
It's the same prayer
in the New Testament.
And this means this.
God is the one
who spoke
and creation
came to be.
And that same
word of God
that creates
life
is just as powerful
to revive again
my soul
and to sustain
his life
inside of me.
So dear brothers
and sisters,
when your soul
is clinging
to the dust
and it will do
this again
as long as
we're in this life,
ask the Lord
to disciple you
according to
his word.
One more time.
And if you
feel spiritually
dead today
or at another
moment maybe
later this week,
through
his word
the Lord
promises
to revive you
again.
Oh how lovely
is the word
of our Lord.
The second
encouragement
is this.
When your soul
is depressed
meditate on
what the Lord
has done
in his word.
When your soul
is depressed
meditate
on what
the Lord
has done
in his word.
Look at verse 27.
Make me understand
the way
of your precepts
so shall I
meditate
on your
wonderful works.
My soul
melts
from heaviness.
Strengthen me
according
to your word.
When was the
last time
you experienced
this level
of depression?
I know that
for some of us
it was just
this past week.
Verse 28
he describes it
as the soul,
the inner man
melting
because of a
great heaviness.
can you imagine
the weight
it would take
to collapse
your soul
down to that
point
of liquefying
it
and letting
it drip
out of your
body.
It's like
he's saying
I don't know
how to describe
it but
the heaviness
upon me
is so
unbearable.
My body
is like a
vessel
that's just
leaking out
my very soul.
what he says
next in verse
27
make me
understand
the way
of your
precepts.
God
I can't even
understand
what's going
on inside
my own
soul
and so
please
make me
understand
your
precepts.
And here's
the third
word he uses
in this
stanza
to describe
the word
of God
it's
precepts.
Precepts
highlights
the detailed
specific
instructions
appointed
by God
to govern
his people.
And it's
something that
we won't
understand
naturally.
We can't
just sit
there with
God's
word and
completely
grasp it
on our
own.
It has
to be
the Holy
Spirit
illuminating
it,
teaching
it,
showing
through
meditation
on God's
word
the details
inside
his word
that are
life-giving
that are
a blessing
for us.
He prays
so to
speak,
take my
thoughts
off of
myself
and put
my thoughts
on your
word instead.
Lord,
I'm so
depressed
by my
own guilt,
by what
I have
done,
so teach
me to
meditate
instead
on your
wonderful
works.
Strengthen
me,
Lord,
as I
ponder
you,
what you
have done
as recorded
in your
word.
Romans
15,
4 tells
us,
this is
why we
have
the
Bible.
God's
word
was
written
for
our
learning
that
we
through
the
patience
and
comfort
of
the
scriptures
might
have
hope.
Turn
to the
scriptures
when we
need
hope,
when our
souls
are
depressed.
We
can
thank the
Lord
and the
language
of our
confession.
God,
you have
revealed
yourself
in writing.
By
your
word,
you
establish
and
comfort
the
church
with
greater
certainty
against
the
corruption
of the
flesh,
the
malice
of
Satan,
and the
worldliness
of the
world.
Because of
your
statutes,
we know
the
truth.
And this
authority
that God
gives us
through
his
word
does not
depend
on the
testimony
of any
person
or
church,
but on
God,
the
author
alone,
who is
truth
itself.
Your
word is
a perfect
treasure
of
heavenly
instruction.
It
has
God
for
its
author,
salvation
for
its
end,
and
truth
without
any
mixture
of
error
for
its
matter.
How
lovely
is
the
word
of
God.
So
brothers
and
sisters,
when your
soul
is
depressed,
meditate
on what
the
Lord
has
done
as
recorded
in
his
word.
If
you
feel
weak,
remember
how
through
his
word
the
Lord
promises
to
strengthen
you
and
me.
How
lovely
is
the
word
of
our
Lord.
The
third
encouragement
is
this,
when
your
deeds
accuse
you,
lay
before
you
what
the
Lord
has
decreed
in
his
word.
When
your
deeds
accuse
You
lay
before
you
what
the
Lord
has
decreed
in
his
word.
Look at
verse
29.
The
psalmist
prays,
remove
from
me
the
way
of
lying
and
grant
me
your
law
graciously.
30.
I
have
chosen
the
way
of
truth.
Your
judgments
I
have
laid
before
me.
In
these
verses,
the
psalmist
knows
the
temptation
to
lie,
to
sin.
He's
in need
of
grace.
He
sees
options
before
him.
He's
tempted
away
from
the
truth
and
the
Lord
persuades
him
on
the
way
of
truth.
And
he
says
in the
last
phrase
there,
your
judgments
I
have
laid
before
me.
This
is how
God
did
it.
So
he's
guilty.
He's
accused.
He's
wrestling
with his
own
sin.
The
Bible
tells us
that the
devil is
the
accuser
of
God's
people.
Even
though
Christ
has
silenced
our
adversary
before
the
throne
of
God,
the
devil
gets
no
audience
in the
throne
of
heaven
to
accuse
God's
people
any
longer.
But
the
devil
still
accuses
you
and
me
to
ourselves,
doesn't
he?
The
devil
lays
our
recent
and
past
sins
before
us.
The
devil
speaks
condemning
thoughts
into
our
ears.
The
devil
tries
to
burden
God's
people.
with
guilt.
And how
is it
that the
Lord
ministers
to us
in those
moments?
Verse
29,
he says,
remove
from me
the way
of lying.
Lord,
I don't
ask you
to lower
your
standard
of
righteousness.
A
lie
is a
lie.
And I
have a
bent
toward
being
deceitful.
But he
says next,
grant me
your law
graciously.
Your law
is good,
but I
can only
receive
from you
the grace
that the
law exposes
my great
need of.
And here
he uses a
fourth term
for the
word of
God,
law.
The
Hebrew word
is Torah.
The first
five books
of the
Bible and
also the
law.
So it's
the law
of God.
It can
mean teaching
or direction,
instruction.
It's
revelation
that
steers
the
believer
away
from the
path
of
deceit
that
leads
to
destruction.
He
says your
judgments
I have
laid
before me.
And there's
the next
term,
the fifth
one,
judgments,
the judgments
of God.
Another
English
translation
would be
rules or
ordinances.
These are
God's
legal
declarations
about what
is right,
true,
and good.
2 Timothy
3.15
says help
me to
know the
holy
scriptures
which are
able to
make you
wise for
salvation
through faith
in Jesus
Christ.
And so
what he
does,
the psalmist
crying out in
his sin is
to say Lord
your judgments
what you have
said is right
and wrong,
I lay it all
before me.
I don't
dodge your
law,
I don't
try to
bend it or
find a way
to work
around it.
It's all
laid before
me.
And now
you need
to minister
your law
to me
in a
gracious
way.
And so
what God
does is
he gospels
him through
it.
And that's
what the
Lord loves
to do,
it's to
gospel you
and me
out of
our guilt
time and
time again.
We can
rehearse this
together this
way.
We can
pray like
the psalmist
Lord,
I know
you are
holy and
just.
I know
your law
is good.
Lord,
I'm a
sinful
law
breaker.
I lay
all your
judgments
before me
and that's
what it
makes me.
I confess
my heart
is deceitful,
my lips
have lied,
and I've
rejected the
way of
truth.
But I
know from
your word
that I
deserve a
capital
punishment
for my
sin against
you.
When I
sin against
you,
I'm acting
as if I'm
God.
But yet,
Lord,
in your
same word,
you show
that you are
gracious to
me.
you bound
yourself to
a wretched
sinner like
me by
your covenant
of grace.
You've
ministered your
law graciously
to me.
And it's
by the
blood of
the only
substitute
that you
could rightfully
accept.
That's the
life and
the death
of Jesus
Christ.
He's the
one who
chose the
way of
truth when
I failed.
Your
judgment
that I
must pay,
you took
upon yourself
instead,
upon our
Savior,
the Lord
Jesus.
We know
by your
word,
your decree
to save
a people
for yourself.
We know
by your
word,
your decree
to love
us in
Christ while
we were
still your
enemies.
We know
by your
word,
your decree
before the
foundation
of the
world to
redeem us
in Christ.
We know
by your
word,
your decree
to be
our God
and to
have us
be your
people.
forevermore.
We know
this by
your word
and I've
laid all
of your
word in
front of
me to
receive your
grace one
more time.
We can
thank the
Lord for
his lovely
word.
His holy
scriptures are
the only
sufficient,
certain,
and infallible
standard of
all saving
knowledge,
faith,
and obedience.
obedience.
We praise
God through
the Holy
Spirit.
It's his
spirit who
makes us
to see the
heavenliness of
the contents
of the
Bible,
the power
of the
system of
truth,
the majesty
of the
style,
the harmony
of all the
parts,
and the
central focus
on giving
all glory
to God
in Jesus
Christ by
his word.
So,
brothers and
sisters,
when your
deeds accuse
you,
lay before
you what
the Lord
has decreed
in his
word.
When you
feel sinful
before the
holy God,
remember that
through his
word,
the Lord
removes you
from the
way of sin.
He reminds
you you're
covered in
Christ's
righteousness.
And we have
certainty of
this because
it comes from
the very
word of God.
himself.
Oh,
how lovely
is the
word of
our Lord.
Or the
fourth and
final encouragement
for today
is this.
When you
cling to
what the
Lord has
declared in
his word,
he shall
direct
your desires.
When you
and I
cling to
what the
Lord has
declared in
his word,
he shall
direct
our desires.
Look at
verse 31.
He says,
I cling
to your
testimonies,
O Lord.
Do not
put me
to shame.
I will
run the
course of
your
commandments,
for you
shall
enlarge
my
heart.
You
notice this
beautiful
full circle.
It's a
great
redirection
of the
psalmist's
soul from
where he
started in
this stanza
and where
he is now
at the
end of
it,
isn't
it?
At the
beginning of
this stanza,
when he
started this
prayer,
you remember
what his
soul clung
to?
You can
say it,
it clung
to the
dust.
In
verse 25,
but now
look at
what the
soul clings
to,
it's the
same word,
the same
verb in
verse 31,
I now
cling to
your
testimonies.
Here's our
sixth term
for the
word of
God,
testimonies.
These are
God's
solemn
witnesses
!
about
his
own
character
and
his
covenant.
It's
so
glorious,
it's
so
otherworldly
that no
human mind
could conceive
of a
creator
God,
and that
this God
would covenant
himself to
a people.
It's God
self-testifying,
it's the
testimonies of
who God
is,
preserved for
us in
writing,
so that we
can have
certainty
and believe.
it's like
the psalmist
says,
I've
tasted
now by
the end
of the
stanza
in your
word that
you are
God.
I've
experienced
through your
word that
you are
good,
and now
I'm stuck,
I cling
to Christ
through the
ministry of
the word.
I cling
now to
your
testimonies.
Lord,
you have
knit my
soul
intimately
together with
Christ,
your living
word.
I'm glued
to your
word.
I have a
deep affection
for you,
oh Lord,
through your
word,
your
testimonies.
The quality
of your
word is
incomparable.
It's
lovely.
The
perfections
of your
word are
matchless.
Lord,
I'm trusting
your testimonies,
your promises,
your word.
I trust,
I receive,
I rest in
your word.
Lord,
by your
help,
I'm not
hedging my
bets anymore.
I'm throwing
myself on what
you've promised
with abandon.
That's what he
says,
let me not
be put to
shame,
Lord.
Prove
yourself
true.
Don't
stop being
faithful now,
Lord.
I need
your steadfast
love again
now.
I need
your covenant
faithfulness
again.
run.
And I
love verse
32.
He says,
I will run
the course
of your
commandments.
Here's the
seventh and
final term
for the
word of
God.
Commandments.
Commandments
are God's
authoritative
orders.
It's what a
king pronounces
over his
kingdom.
They provide
a clear,
defined path
for how the
citizens of
the kingdom
are to
live.
And he's
saying,
Lord,
prove
yourself
once more
like you
always do.
And notice
how he's
asking it
in prayer
form.
Verse 32.
I will
run the
course of
your
commandments,
but he
hasn't run
yet.
And he
says,
for you
shall
enlarge
my heart.
God
hasn't
enlarged
his heart
yet.
He's
praying
this with
hope,
trusting
the promises,
trusting
what the
king has
said.
It's
still in
prayer
form,
but it's
prayed as
a believer
who has
known God's
tender mercies
and who
needs them
again.
It's a
believer who
knows that
God's mercies
are new
every morning.
How do we
know this?
From his
word.
He said so.
It's like he's
saying,
Lord, I know
you will do
this again
because you
are faithful.
You promise
yourself to
your people
again and
again in
your word.
I love
how we
sing this
when we
hide it
in our
hearts.
Lamentations
3, 22
and 23.
The word
of God.
The steadfast
love of
the Lord
never fails.
His mercies
never come
to an end.
They are new
every morning.
Great is
thy faithfulness,
O Lord.
Lord.
And then
he says,
I shall
run for
you shall
enlarge
my heart.
Our legs
run toward
whatever our
hearts consider
lovely,
don't they?
That's what
we move
toward.
We move
closer to
something we
love.
We come to
love something
when we
behold it
as lovely.
And it's
true that
the more we
love something,
in general,
despite our
own weakness,
the faster
we will move
to that
thing.
Our hearts
are small,
so that's
our problem.
We don't
have great
capacity to
behold how
lovely God
is.
And so,
first the
Lord has
to enlargen
the heart.
He has
to make
our hearts
capable of
great love.
The wonderful
word in
English for
a great
heart,
an enlarged
heart,
is
magnanimity,
magnanimous.
It means
big-hearted.
That's what
the Spirit
does to
Christians.
He expands
our capacity
for love,
and he
fills us
with more
love for
God,
because God
first loved
us.
So for you
and I,
who in our
flesh,
we feel
unloving,
remember that
through his
word,
the Lord
promises to
enlarge
our hearts.
We can
be fully
persuaded and
assured,
like the
psalmist of
the infallible
truth and
the divine
authority of
the scriptures.
And these
come from the
internal work of
the Spirit,
who bears
witness by and
with the
word in our
hearts.
Much more
powerful than
our own
flesh.
So when you
and I
are tempted
to cling to
the dust
one more
time,
we trust
the word
of God,
the promises
of God,
and the
power of
the Spirit
to apply
the word
of God,
to cause
our hearts
instead to
cling to
what God
has declared
in his
word,
trusting he
will,
by his
power,
direct our
desires back
toward him.
Oh,
how lovely
is the
word of
our Lord.
Let's pray
and thank
him.
Oh,
Father,
it's so
marvelous to
think of
how you
even
communicate
with us,
Lord,
our creator,
and how
you have
acted in
human history
every single
generation,
how you've
revealed yourself
and you've
testified of
who you are
in your
word.
We thank
you for
this treasure,
Lord,
and how
through the
scriptures,
by the
work of
the spirit,
you draw
us to
yourself.
You magnify
your glory
to us.
You cause
us to
behold your
loveliness.
And your
spirit then
applies this
powerfully,
pulling our
hearts closer
and closer
to Christ.
Lord,
we praise
you that
Jesus ran
perfectly the
course of your
commandments.
needs.
Thank you
that you
give us
a desire,
Lord,
to be
closer to
you,
to walk
as a
disciple of
Jesus.
We thank
you for
our Lord
Jesus who
turns to
us and
says,
simply,
follow me.
May you be
glorified in
our lives,
in the life
of this
church,
we pray,
for Christ's
sake alone.
Amen.