Monthly Archives June 2015

Vs. 163 — I hate and abhor lying, But I love Your law.

Charles H. Spurgeon:

A double expression for an inexpressible loathing. Falsehood in doctrine, in life, or in speech, falsehood in any form or shape, had become utterly detestable to the Psalmist. …  Both love and hate are contagious, and when they are sanctified the wider their influence the better. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 424). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

Thomas Manton:

“I hate and abhor lying”: not only “hate” it, nor simply I “abhor” it, but “hate and abhor,” to strengthen and increase the sense, and make it more vehement. Where the enmity is not great against the sin, the matter may be compounded and taken up; but David will have nothing to do with it, for he saith,—I loathe and abhor it, and hate it with a deadly hatred. Slight hatred of a sinful course is not sufficient to guard us against it. (Manton, Thomas. The Complete Works of Thomas Manton. Vol. 9. London: James Nisbet & Co., 1872.)

Prayer:

Father, I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your law. I ask for help to guard my own tongue, and also my heart from deceiving and being deceived. Thank you for helping me to see the evil of deception and its vile destructive nature and work. I can still remember how such sin enslaved me and worked it poison through me to hurt others. But Christ as liberated me; freed this soul from its captivity and put to death that wretched man of sin. Being in Christ, continue to work this sanctification out, giving me a growing hatred towards this sin of falsehood, even all sin, and a growing love and praise for truth and righteousness. Help me to never use people, manipulate people, slight people in any form or manner. Cut my heart with a dragger every time my selfishness raises its head and begins down such paths. Stop me with a holy, crushing conviction. I do not want my old man, that flesh nature of sinfulness, to lift its head in any form, especially falsehood. Truth be my love and therefore I will exalt Your word! Christ as set me free, and I am free indeed! Amen.

Psalm 119:162 (NKJV) — 162 I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.

To love God’s word, to enjoy His peace, to wait for His salvation—this is the employment, reward, and joy of faith.—God’s word will profit him little who prefers the favor of princes to the mercy of God, and dreads their power more than he does God’s hand. (Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Moll, C. B., Briggs, C. A., Forsyth, J., Hammond, J. B., … Conant, T. J. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Psalms (p. 602). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

Charles H. Spurgeon:

We too have to fight for divine truth; every doctrine costs us a battle, but when we gain a full understanding of it by personal struggles it becomes doubly precious to us. In these days godly men have a full share of battling for the word of God; may we have for our spoil a firmer hold upon the priceless word. Perhaps, however, the Psalmist may have rejoiced as one who comes upon hidden treasure for which he had not fought, in which case we find the analogy in the man of God who, while reading the Bible, makes grand and blessed discoveries of the grace of God laid up for him,—discoveries which surprise him, for he looked not to find such a prize. Whether we come by the truth as finders or as warriors fighting for it, the heavenly treasure should be equally dear to us. With what quiet joy does the ploughman steal home with his golden find! How victors shout as they share the plunder! How glad should that man be who has discovered his portion in the promises of holy writ, and is able to enjoy it for himself, knowing by the witness of the Holy Spirit that it is all his own. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 423). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

Prayer:

Father, I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure. Time spent in the holy scriptures reaps a clarity and  understanding in truth. It also give me a fulfillment that is like nothing in this world or this life. I would have to say that it is beyond this world and indescribable with human words. Sometimes joy; sometimes a presence of peace; sometimes a convicting; sometimes an answer; sometimes light. You give according to Your lovingkindness and my need. Such grace, yes, such grace. There is no treasure that compares to You speaking to me in and through the scriptures. Thank you, Lord.

Vs. 161 — Princes persecute me without a cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your word.

Thomas Manton:

There is an awe of the word, not that maketh us shy of it, but tender of violating it, or doing anything contrary to it. This is not the fruit of slavish fear, but of holy love; it is not afraid of the word, but delighteth in it, as it discovereth the mind of God to us; as in the next verse it is written, “I rejoice at thy word.” This awe is called by a proper name, reverence, or godly fear; when we consider whose word it is, namely, the word of the Lord, who is our God, and hath a right to command what he pleaseth; to whose will and word we have already yielded obedience, and devoted ourselves to walk worthy of him in all well-pleasing; who can find us out in all our failings, as knowing our very thoughts afar off (Ps. 139:2), and having all our ways before him, and being one of whom we read,—“He is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins” (Josh. 24:19), that is to say, if we impenitently continue in them. Considering these things we receive the word with that trembling of heart which God so much respects. (Manton, Thomas. The Complete Works of Thomas Manton. Vol. 9. London: James Nisbet & Co., 1872.)

Charles H. Spurgeon:

“But my heart standeth in awe of thy word.” He might have been overcome by awe of the princes had it not been that a greater fear drove out the less, and he was swayed by awe of God’s word. How little do crowns and sceptres become in the judgment of that man who perceives a more majestic royalty in the commands of his God. We are not likely to be disheartened by persecution, or driven by it into sin, if the word of God continually has supreme power over our minds. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 423). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

Prayer:

My God, whom I fear in holy reverence, princes persecute me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your word. If there be a time when I am unjustly treated or wrongly accused of unlawfulness, give me faith to trust in Your hand of justice, and to bring to light in the hearts of those in authority the bare truth. Help me to hold fast to Your promises that I may remain above approach and speak wisdom and truthfulness. I will fear no man, for You are God; what can man do to my soul? Nothing! Therefore, whatever be the road that Your providence has prepared for me, give me ample grace to carry the Gospel. Keep me true to my King. Keep my heart in awe of Your word. And I will see Your hand at work, knowing that You are neither idol nor slumber. Amen.

Vs. 160 — The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

Prayer:

Father, the entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. All that You have said is true and pure; it is truth. Yes, it is truth. Your word is truth for all generations and for all creation, as it is for all aspects of our lives. Your judgments are righteous because they are according to Your word, which is truth. Open our eyes to see Your word with clarity, and conviction. Take our hands and lead us into the open waters to discover the treasures of truth that  are within Your word. Although our flesh nature may recoil or rebel, or even fear from such a journey; though our limited, human reasoning find no ground or footing to stand, plunge our hearts into the sea of Thy word that we may learn all Thy ways. By Your Spirit, teach us and conform our entire lives to Thy word that we may learn to swim in the pure waters of truth. For in such waters we will live and breathe in the freedom that is in Christ. Free from ourselves, from man, from all that opposes truth. We will also see with clarity the righteousness of all Your judgments and ways. There, in such depths, we will see more clearly Thy will, Thy glory, and Thy face. We will see God. Amen.

Vs. 159 — Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.

William Cowper:

He saith not, consider how I perform thy precepts; but how I love them. The comfort of a Christian militant, in this body of sin, is rather in the sincerity and fervency of his affections than in the absolute perfection of his actions. He fails many times in his obedience to God’s precepts, in regard of his action; but love in his affection still remains; so that both before the temptation to sin, and after it, there is a grief in his soul, that he should find in himself any corrupt will or desire, contrary to the holy will of the Lord his God; and this proves an invincible love in him to the precepts of God.

Charles H. Spurgeon:

This is a sure test: many there are who have a warm side towards the promises, but as for the precepts, they cannot endure them. The Psalmist so loved everything that was good and excellent that he loved all God had commanded. The precepts are all of them wise and holy, therefore the man of God loved them extremely, loved to know them, to think of them, to proclaim them, and principally to practise them. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 415). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

A. R. Fausset:

He begs to God to behold this, not as meritorious of grace, but as a distinctive mark of a godly man.

Prayer:

Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness. Your Spirit has given me a love for Your commands and precepts, as He has for Your promises. Thank You. Quicken me to walk in them. May they be the guard rails in my life to keep me in the way of peace and joy. May they be the living water that nourishes the Gospel that is planted in my soul. Do this, I pray, according to Your lovingkindness that has been made manifest in and through the Incarnate One–my Redeemer.