Strengthen Me According To Thy Word
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Introduction
Introduction
The title for this lesson comes from Psalm 119:28
My soul melteth for heaviness:
Strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
The psalmist earlier expressed the sorrow of his soul and petitioned God for help: Psalm 119:25
My soul cleaveth unto the dust:
Quicken thou me according to thy word.
A look at these verses draws three main points:
What was the Psalmist going through?
What the psalmist asked God to do.
What the psalmist had resolved to do.
What The Psalmist Was Experiencing
What The Psalmist Was Experiencing
A study of the original language in Psalm 119:25, 28 indicates in vivid detail the depths of the psalmist’s despair.
He is portrayed by one commentator in verse 25 as, “prostrate on the ground, the face in the dust, unable to rise”
Another commentator would say, “the
psalmist recognized that his soul had adhered to the dust as if he were already dead and buried”
In fact, the psalmist was evidentally so distraught that he repeated his complaint in verse 28, “My soul melteth for heaviness”
The Hebrew verb may mean “to weep, fill with tears”… or else “be sleepless”…Delitzsch explains: “melting away in the trickling down of tears.” The meaning can be expressed, somewhat idiomatically, “My sadness is about to kill me;” “I have drowned in tears of pain.” In some languages there are idiomatic expressions for 28a; for example, “My heart melts like sugar because I am sorrowful”
A careful study of the entirety of Psalm 119 reveals clearly the extent of affliction experienced by the psalmist.
He cried out, “I am afflicted very much…I am small and despised…trouble and anguish have taken hold on me”(119:107,141,143).
He personalized his grief again and again throughout this psalm: “My soul cleaveth unto the dust…My soul melteth for heaviness…My soul fainteth for thy salvation…Mine eyes fail for thy word…My soul is continually in my hand…Mine eyes fail for thy salvation”(119:25,28,81,82,109,123).
His affliction was so severe that he repeatedly cried out to God (119:145-147).
What The Psalmist Asked God To Do
What The Psalmist Asked God To Do
The suffering psalmist asked God, “quicken thou me” (Psalm 119:25)
God was his only hope and without God he did not possess the strength and vitality to go on and face the future.
Hence he cried for God to revive him; to give him sufficient strength to get up out of the dust and live again.
The psalmist saw the Word of God as we should, a “lifesaver”
He knew that God’s Word had life-giving, reviving power.
Knowing this, he petitioned God to “Quicken thou me according to thy word” 11 times in this chapter.
It is important to note here that the psalmist not only asked God to quicken and strengthen him, but modified both requests with the phrase, “according to thy word”.
The psalmist was confident that God could provide life and strength through His Word.
This is shown in Psalm 119:114
Thou art my hiding place and my shield:
I hope in thy word.
A reading of Psalm 119 will shown the confidence the writer had in the Word of God
This confidence motivated him to ask God to employ His Word as the means where he could be quickened and strengthened.
What The Psalmist Resolved To Do
What The Psalmist Resolved To Do
God had done His part in providing the Word, but the psalmist understood that there was something God expected him to do.
Within the immediate context of our assigned text, one will find three firm resolutions:
Psalm 119:30 “I have chosen the way of truth: Thy judgments have I laid before me.”
In contrast to those who had chosen “the way of lying” (119:29) he had firmly resolved to follow the truth of God’s law.
Psalm 119:31 “I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O Lord, put me not to shame.”
Instead of clinging to the dust of despair (v. 25) he made the decision to cleave to the Word of God (v. 31)
Psalm 119:32 “I will run the way of thy commandments, When thou shalt enlarge my heart.”
The psalmist made many resolutions before God, but all of them in this chapter were revolving around the Word which God had spoken.
Let’s examine the broader context of this chapter
He resolved to obey the Word of God.
Psalm 119:33 “Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; And I shall keep it unto the end.”
He resolved never to forget the Word of God.
Psalm 119:16 “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”
He resolved not to allow the troubles of this life to lead him away from God and His Word.
Sometimes in the midst of one’s pain, one may become bitter against God and turn away from His Word, but the psalmist knew he must press forward to keep the Word Psalm 119:67 “Before I was afflicted I went astray: But now have I kept thy word.”
One of the most impressive things one reads in Psalm 119 is how ready the psalmist was to obey God even when things were not going well in his life.
Instead of becoming bitter, he chose the better and continually pledged to obey God.
All of the following passages in psalm 119 show the same pattern; the psalmist describes his persecution and then immediately pledges that he will not allow his affliction to deter him from keeping God’s Word:
“Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes” (23)
“The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law”(51)
“The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law”(61)
“The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart”(69)
“They had almost consumed me upon the earth; but I forsook not thy precepts”(87)
“The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies”(95)
“The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts”(110)
“I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts”(141)
“Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights”(143)
“Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies” (157).
“Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word”(161).
The psalmist was so committed to a course of obedience that he said to those who tried to lead him astray, Psalm 119:115 “Depart from me, ye evildoers: For I will keep the commandments of my God.”
What Does The Word Of God Mean To You?
What Does The Word Of God Mean To You?
If you were given an assignment to write an essay on the question above, what would you write?
While considering the question, it may be helpful to consider first what the Word of God meant to the author of Psalm 119.
The Word of God was more valuable than money.
Psalm 119:72 “The law of thy mouth is better unto me Than thousands of gold and silver.” He loved the Word more than riches, Psalm 119:127 “Therefore I love thy commandments Above gold; yea, above fine gold.”
The Word of God was music to his ears.
Psalm 119:54 “Thy statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage.”
The Word of God was sweet to his taste.
Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
The Word of God was light to his darkness.
“(105) Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path… (130) The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple”(Psalm 119:105,130).
The Word of God was right when everything else was wrong.
“Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way”(Psalm 119:128,142,151).
The Word of God was a good counselor in a world of bad advice.
Psalm 119:24 “Thy testimonies also are my delight And my counsellers.”
The Word of God was wondrous to his mind.
The psalmist said unto God: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law…Thy testimonies are wonderful”(Psalm 119:18,129). Some are amazed by the philosophies of men; the psalmist was awed by the Word of God.
The Word of God was the joy of his heart.
Consider how the psalmist said, Psalm 119:14 “I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, As much as in all riches.” While some dream about winning the lottery, or receiving a huge inheritance of wealth, the psalmist declared that he rejoiced in the way of God’s testimonies as much as he would if he had received all riches for his own possession.
The Word of God was the delight of his day.
Psalm 119:174 “I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; And thy law is my delight.” While the world finds its delights in carnal things, the psalmist delighted in the Word of God; not just in knowing the Word, but in doing what it commands. Even in the midst of “trouble and anguish,” brought on by his enemies, the psalmist still found reason to delight in the Word of God.
The Word of God was the love of his life.
Ten times the psalmist records his love for the Word of God in this chapter but note Psalm 119:47–48 “And I will delight myself in thy commandments, Which I have loved. My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; And I will meditate in thy statutes.”
The psalmist loved the Word more than gold, and meditated on it all day. He did not love the Word just a little, rather as was written Psalm 119:167 “My soul hath kept thy testimonies; And I love them exceedingly.”
The Word of God was the satisfaction for his yearnings.
Throughout this chapter it is echoed repeatedly how much the psalmist longed for the Word of God, but take note of Psalm 119:20 “My soul breaketh for the longing That it hath unto thy judgments at all times.”
The phrase “my soul breaketh” conveys a deep emotional longing for the Word.
You would be hard pressed to find a more vivid statement that Psalm 119:131 “I opened my mouth, and panted: For I longed for thy commandments.”
What Can The Word Of God Do For You?
What Can The Word Of God Do For You?
The perpetual investigation of the sacred writings will invigorate the child of God. Webster defines “invigorate” as: “to give life and energy to”.
What would possess a man, such as the psalmist, to put himself through many trials and sufferings to investigate the Scriptures?
It is because invigoration follows investigation. That is why a sacrificial effort to investigate God’s Word is worth it, because, the Word of God is, “living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12).
A daily study of the Word provides the reader with energy and strength that can be found in no other facet of life. Proverbs 24:5 “A wise man is strong; Yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.”
Paul would tell the Colossians this, Colossians 1:9-11
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Paul knew that in order for those brethren to walk worthy of the Lord, they would first need to be filled with the knowledge of His will.
He knew that as their knowledge of God increased, their strength to live the Christian life would also grow proportionately.
In other words, the more the Colossians investigated the will of God the more invigorated they would become in living out that will in their lives.
The teaching they received was the means by which they were rooted, built up, and established (Col. 2:7).
When the word of Christ dwells in us richly (Col. 3:16), we are “filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding…strengthened with all might” (Col. 1:9, 11).
Although the Colossians lived during the time of miraculous gifts, Paul did not identify the miraculous, direct workings of the Holy Spirit as the means of their strengthening.
Rather, it was the teaching of the Holy Spirit through the Word that led to their being rooted, grounded, strengthened and settled in the faith.
Likewise, it is through the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit establishes each obedient person in the faith
Romans 16:25 “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,”
Paul prayed for the Ephesians: Ephesians 3:16-19
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
This text clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit strengthens the inner man of the Christian.
Our question must be how does He do so? By itself, Ephesians 3:16 reveals nothing about the manner in which the Holy Spirit accomplishes this strengthening.
There is an important note to make here, there is nothing whatsoever in this passage that indicates that He does so directly by Spirit to spirit contact.
So, is there any other writing from the apostle Paul that might explain how this strengthening by the Holy Spirit occurs?
Indeed, both Colossians and Galatians give us a more active look into the means whereby the Spirit strengthens the Christian.
As we put Ephesians 3:16 beside Colossians 1:6-11 we will see that both passages discuss this topic of strengthening.
As we go further, if you put Galatians 5:22-23 next to Colossians 1:6-11 you will discover that both passages address the topic of being fruitful.
As we put these three passages together we learn that when the child of God is filled with the knowledge of God’s will, he will be fruitful in every good work, including the good work of producing the fruit of the Spirit.
When the child of God increases in the knowledge of God, he will be strengthened with all might and bring forth fruit to perfection (Col. 1:9-11; Luke 8:15).
The Word of God is the instrument and tool whereby the Holy Spirit strengthens Christians (Eph. 6:17).
Hence, when the child of God is willing to investigate the Scriptures on a daily basis, he is energized to live for God.
Our Saviour said in Matthew 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
Just as the physical food sustains and nourishes the physical body, the Word of God nourishes the soul of man and energizes the Christian.
In fa
ct, Job regarded the nourishing of his soul with God’s Word as more important than feeding his physical body Job 23:12
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips;
I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
Will You Resolve To Put The Word Of God Into You
Will You Resolve To Put The Word Of God Into You
Despite the obvious importance and benefit of reading the Scriptures, there is still widespread neglect.
Failure to meditate upon the Divine precepts did not originate with this generation. In fact, on five separate occasions Jesus suggested that the problem with certain people of His day was that they had not read the scriptures (Mat. 12:3-5; 19:4-6; 21:16, 42; 22:29-33).
In each of the foregoing passages, Jesus made his point by asking, “Have you not read?”
The ignorance of the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day is amazing, especially in view of the fact that the synagogue and school were inseparable.
The center of education for the Jewish boy was the Bible.
Yet, Jesus observed that either the people had not read the scriptures, or they had read them so carelessly that they failed to apprehend the truth.
Without a doubt, similar conditions prevail today.
Never have Bibles been so readily available and never has the drought of Bible knowledge in society been so appalling.
This generation needs again to hear Jesus say: “Have you not read?”
Imagine His also saying: “No wonder family problems, marriage problems, and doctrinal problems exist. No wonder death still frightens.”
Indeed, is it any wonder? If Jesus were on earth today, it would not be too long before he would ask, “Have you not read?”
And quite frankly the vast majority of mankind would have to admit: “No, we have not.”
But why is the Bible neglected and not read nor studied? Many reasons could possibly be given, but note the following three:
The Bible’s existence is taken for granted.
During the Dark Ages of Catholic tyranny, copies of God’s Word were not available to the common man. The Bibles were chained to pulpits.
However, today they are everywhere, with the majority of households owning a multiplicity of Bibles.
Sometimes, one never wants a drink of water until the well has run dry.
Perhaps more devotion and attention would be given to the Bible if a serious threat arose from within the government to gather them up and burn them.
Most do not love the Author enough.
The story is often told of a young lady who finished reading a book with the remark that it was the dullest story she had ever read. She took the book, boxed it up, and stored it in the attic.
As time marched on the young lady met a man and grew very fond of him. Ultimately, she accepted his proposal to marry. One evening at dinner, while making conversation, she said to her fiancé, “I happen to have a book in my library whose author’s name, and even initials, are exactly the same as yours. Isn’t that a coincidence?” To her amazement, he replied that it was not really a coincidence at all considering the fact that he had authored the book.
That evening, after he dropped her off at her house, she scurried up into the attic and rummaged through the box of books she had stored there. When she found the book written by her fiancé, she sat down and started to read it again. Suddenly, the book she formerly regarded as among the dullest ever written was now a real page-turner. She couldn’t put it down.
What happened? What transformed the book from dry and dusty to enjoyable and exciting?
It was her relationship with the author. This time, she knew and loved the author.
In a similar way, the child of God is attracted to meditate upon the Bible because he knows and loves the Author. It is a message from the Father!
Most are to addicted to television and other forms of entertainment.
When was the last time your spent 1, 2, maybe 3 hours doing something that in the grand scheme of things was useless?
Why is it that the same folks who are to busy to read and meditate on God’s Word are the exact people who you can find idly sitting and staring at a screen all day?
Perhaps it is the case that this parody of the Twenty-Third Psalm is all too accurate to be fun, please listen carefully:
The TV is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
It makes me to lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the scriptures.
It destroys my soul.
It leads me in the paths of sex and violence for the sponsor’s sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian responsibilities,
There will be no interruptions; for the TV is with me;
Its cable and its remote control; they comfort me.
It prepares a commercial before me in the presence of my worldliness;
It anoints my head with humanism;
My coveting runneth over.
Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house watching TV “forever.”
How many can list every character from their favorite TV show?
How many sports fans can recite the statistics for their favorite players on their favorite teams, but have no idea where to find the passages which would teach the gospel plan of salvation?
Without a doubt, the neglect to inspect God’s Word can be traced all the way back to someone’s heart: “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”(Mat. 6:21).
Of course, a thorough familiarity with God’s Word does not come by osmosis. Indeed, a real knowledge of the scriptures involves blood, sweat, tears, and toil.
It is no wonder that he told the young preacher in 2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
He commanded the Ephesians to “be filled with the Spirit”(Eph. 5:18) and explained how to do so in his correspondence to the Colossians: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom”(Col. 3:16).
Obviously, it is impossible for the Word of Christ to dwell in one abundantly if one does not devote oneself to daily study and meditation of that Word.
When a farmer sows sparingly, he reaps sparingly. Likewise, when a Bible student studies sparingly, his harvest of knowledge is sparse, as well.
Take thought to these illustrations:
A young man once asked Socrates what he must do to become a learned man. Socrates took him by the hand and led him out into a stream of water. He then plunged his head beneath the water and held it there. After some difficulty, the young man was able to get loose and came up gasping for air. Socrates asked, “When your head was under the water, what did you want more than anything else? The young man replied, “AIR.” Socrates then said, “When you want knowledge as badly as you wanted air, you will become a learned man.”
There was once a poor prisoner who was confined in a dungeon where there was no light except for a few moments when his food was brought in. Upon hearing the prison keeper approaching, the prisoner made it a habit to get his Bible and during the few moments the lights were on he would spend his time reading the Bible. When asked why, he replied that he could find his mouth in the dark but he couldn’t read in the dark.
(How does this compare with the modern church member who seldom opens his Bible at home, is spasmodic in his attendance at worship services and seldom if ever attends Bible classes?”)
Consider also the story of William McPherson. After a tragic explosion, Mr. McPherson found himself with no hands and no eyes. In his despair, he turned to the Word of God. However, he could not read Braille with artificial hands. He attempted to read the Braille with his lips, but the dynamite had exploded in his face and he had no feeling left in his lips. One day he tried to read the dots with his tongue and discovered that he could distinguish the Moon system of dashes. Unfortunately, his tongue became sore and bled constantly. Sometimes, he would stay up the entire night just to learn a single letter of the alphabet. Eventually, he mastered the entire alphabet and read the entire Bible with his tongue four times before his death (source unknown). Some with far greater capabilities have not read the entire Bible even once, much less four times.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Psalmist said, Psa. 119:9-11
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed thereto according to thy word.
With my whole heart have I sought thee:
O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
That I might not sin against thee.
The original language in verse nine of the foregoing communicates a very vivid picture:
The word rendered his way (Heb. orach) signifies a track, a rut, such as would have been made by the wheel of a cart. A young sinner has not beaten a broad path, but rather has transgressed again and again in the same manner, creating a sinful rut. How shall he escape? By “taking heed to Your Word.” Heeding the Word of God leads to a godly lifestyle. Ignoring the Word of God leads to a godless rut.
The psalmist celebrated the fact that he had found his way out of a godless rut. As a stranger upon the earth (Psa. 119:19) he longed for something beyond this life. Earthly things brought him no peace. He could celebrate the fact that he had found the source for true peace: Psalm 119:165
Great peace have they which love thy law:
And nothing shall offend them.
As one lives his life and faces times of tribulation, like the psalmist, one can make it through by turning to God’s Word.
If young people will carry the Bible in their hearts while they are young, it will carry them when they are old.
Simply put, the invigoration needed to live the Christian life is available, but only if one is persistent in one’s investigation of the sacred writings.
The Word of God is able to strengthen the heart and, if studied, to give one an inheritance among them which are sanctified (Acts 20:32).
It is crucial to remember that true joy comes only when one makes application of that which one has read.
Revelation 1:3 .
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Jesus said, Luke 11:28
blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
A Christian’s responsibility is not merely to possess a copy of the Bible, nor is it his duty merely to read the words that are found in the Bible. Rather, his responsibility toward the Word of God is to read it and heed it which is the only lasting pathway to peace, strength’ and life.
