Sweeter Than Honey 9
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PSALM 119: 153-160
REVIVE US WHO LOVE YOUR WORD
In this section [Resh the 20th letter in the Hebrew alphabet] the psalmist draws still nearer to God in prayer, and gives reasons why the Lord should answer him. With boldness he pleads his intimate connection with the Lord's Word as why he should be answered. The special blessing that he seeks is personal revival, for which he cries to the Lord again and again.
The theme of revival has appeared previously in verses 25.
DALETH.
My soul cleaveth unto the dust:
Quicken thou me according to thy word.
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;
And quicken thou me in thy way.
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts:
Quicken me in thy righteousness.
So shall I keep thy law continually
For ever and ever.
Quicken me after thy lovingkindness;
So shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.
I am afflicted very much:
Quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word.
Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness:
O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment.
Define Quicken:
The psalmist asks God to be his advocate, to plead his cause. If this happens, not only will he be justified before his enemies, but he will be redeemed from the bondage of his affliction.
He then asks God to keep His promise and, "Revive me according to Your Word." Revive me is the key phrase in this section (vv.154, 156, & 159). It could mean "keep me alive, make me alive, give me life, reawaken me, or lift me up and keep me going." The psalmist knows how the Spirit of God has lift him up before and prays that God will make him so alive again. Notice he pleads the Word. The Lord will perform His promises.
Make what once was alive now dead Alive again...
I. Quicken Me BECAUSE OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES, 153-154
II. Quicken Me BECAUSE OF MY ENEMIES, 155-158
III. Quicken Me BECAUSE I LOVE YOUR WORD, 159-160
I. Quicken Me BECAUSE OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES, 153-154.
The psalmist again calls on God to deliver him because he had not forgotten His Word (vv. 153-154). Verse 153 opens with a plea that God respond to the psalmist's affliction by rescuing him. "Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I do not forget Your law."
There is a take on this passage that I feel might push the reader into thinking that your favor with God is an issue of earning it.
When many read this passage they read… “God I read the Bible today so you can’t let bad things happen to me.”
I hear something different. His plea is in accordance to the several verses I’ve already read. “according to thy Word.”
This makes the issue not one of duty to get but rather is an issue of perspective for our author. He makes his request for God’s help because he Knows that God will help any who put their faith and trust in Him.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he shall direct thy paths.
That is in the Old Testament...
God did not start favoring faith in the NT. Instead he has always cared about where your faith is placed. The author is demonstrating a faith in the Word. And it is demonstrated in his Prayer to the God he Trusts.
The writer's presents his case before God for divine arbitration. He is bold to ask because he has not forgotten God's Word. His affliction would not drive him away from God's Word nor could it lead him to act contrary to His divine commands. It is this very law which has assured him that God is his deliverer [rescuer, lit., "to extricate"].
His obedience to God's law indicates that he takes his faith in God seriously and thus can expect God to takes His part in their covenant relationship seriously also.
One of the secrets of prayer is to pray the Scriptures.
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
II. Quicken Me BECAUSE OF MY ENEMIES, 155-158
Two things are established in 155
1. The wicked have no access to Salvation...
This is directly connected to truth #2
2. They do not seek God’s Statutes
What is the mitigating factor for the wicked not having salvation? It is the fact that they lack the faith in the Word of God to even seek it.
The psalmist distances himself "from the wicked." Salvation, he asserts, is far from them because they do not seek God's Word. The reason salvation is not available to the wicked is because they will not seek nor respond to God's Word or statutes.
The wicked do not think the law of God worth enquiring after, but disregard it in the way they live and they way they believe. By their perseverance in evil they distance themselves further and father from God. The results is that God's salvation is far from them. They may talk about being saved, but they cannot know it or they would not remain wicked.
Sadly these wicked will not know what the Psalmist does...
Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord:
Quicken me according to thy judgments.
1. God’s Mercy is Great
2. Life is found in trusting His Judgments
Despite his faithfulness before God he does not ask for God to answer because of his own merit but because of God's mercies. God in His mercy does not give us what we deserve instead by His grace He grants what we do not deserve, salvation and deliverance. [Compassion is in the plural "compassions" which indicates intensive especially when great or many augments it.]
III. Quicken Me BECAUSE I LOVE YOUR WORD, 159-160
In contrast to his treacherous enemies the psalmist loved God's Word and wanted to live it out. Thus he boldly profess his love for the Word and then asks God to revive him in verse 159.
Consider how I love thy precepts:
Quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.
Thy word is true from the beginning:
And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
He prays again the third time, using the same words, "Revive me." He was stunned by assaults, languishing under their incessant malice. What he wanted was revival, restoration, renewal; therefore he pleaded for more life. His love for God's Word or precepts enables him to boldly pray and he asks God to take his love into consideration.
Notice the reality of God’s quickening work… It follows a hardship that makes things feel as if they are dead. But the Psalmist concludes...
Thy word is true from the beginning:
And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
The Word of God is as trustworthy today as the first time Moses put pen to parchment.
"The sum of your Word is truth" means all of it can be trusted. The totality of God's written revelation is not just true-it is truth. A half-hearted faith and a half-hearted preaching will never bring revival. We must believe the totality of God's revelation, which is both true and eternal. The Bible has been through the shredder because of destructive criticism for most people today. Weak in authority, the church endures with a weak faith. Billy Graham struggled with the question of biblical authority before his career-changing Los Angeles crusade years ago. Finally, he got down on his knees, spread the Bible before him, and prayed, "Lord, I take this book as Your inspired word by faith." From that prayer, he arose with a new sense of power and became the most famous evangelist of our generation. Such renewed commitment today will bring renewed faith and spark the revival for which we pray. [Williams, S. 379].
IN CLOSING,
Quickening or Reviving a spirit is not an endeavor of emotional soothing.. It is the application to the already declared Word of God.
It is like the plant that lives in the Office upstairs. That poor thing has been put through more endurance tests than the old die hard batteries. (Have I dated myself enough) That poor plant will go without care for days on end. And when we finally realize that it is on its last leg. My wife will see it and wonder why she trusts me to keep that thing kickin. So she will water it… Put it out in the sun. and boom that thing comes roaring back.
When the water is applied the leafs bulk up and take on new strength. What looked dead is quickened. It is not the plant but the water and sun that do the work. But we put our trust in the plant. Maybe He’ll get revived… Maybe he’ll repent… Maybe He’ll get sick of sin… Don’t trust the plant trust the word. Sadly many of God’s people trust in their upbringing or logic, or strength.
Consider one more truth...
I. Quicken Me BECAUSE OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES, 153-154
II. Quicken Me BECAUSE OF MY ENEMIES, 155-158
III. Quicken Me BECAUSE I LOVE YOUR WORD, 159-160
Let me ask you do hear the plea in this Text…
Make me alive, because of my Circumstances
Make me alive, because of my Enemies
Make me alive, because I love your Word
I can’t help but hear the new life I found in the one that Is made alive. Jesus was the only one who rose from the dead. He was aware of His Situation in the Garden of Gethsemene. He was aware of His Enemy when he prayed “father forgive them for they know not what they do.” He was aware of God’s Word when he “said not my will but thine be done.” or I came to do the will of my father.” or the many times he pointed to the Word as the reason for doing what he did. Including going to the Cross for you and I.
Baptism...
And just like we saw this morning Little Rowan came and presented himself for Baptism he indicated that his new life is found in Christ Jesus. He was buried in likeness of Christ’s Death and walk of a New Life...
A Life that is Promised in the Word.
Renewal in the law.
Notice the authors lack of self dependence.
When Paul pointed to the wall, came away with a clear picture of his own sinfulness.
Good Bible preaching will always do three things one glorify the cross.
Two install the gospel is the only hope.
Three humiliate the center, not in that order
because until man sees the law he will not be humiliated himself until he is humiliated. He will find his dependence in himself and not in Christ.
This is why Jesus so boldly announced blessed are they that mourn. Notice the morning was first preceded by the porn spirit
The law cannot give life, without the law man cannot see his desperate need for life. And that precious life can come home from a dependence on Jesus Christ.