TEXT: Psalm 119:41-48

SUBJECT: Exposition of Psalm 119 #6: Waw

We return this evening to our study of Psalm 119 and--to the devout man great tribute to God's Word. He loved the Word; he wrote that we might join him in its celebration.

This stanza begins with two requests, followed by several promises. Let's look at each in turn--if the Lord provides.

The first thing he wants from God is the assurance of his salvation, v.41: "Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD--Your salvation according to Your Word". The Psalmist is a devout man; he's not praying for converting grace. What he needs is assurance; he needs to know--and to feel--that he belongs to Christ.

What was true of him is no less so of all believers. We need assurance. Not everyone agrees. The Council of Trent called it "an ungodly presumption". Many Calvinists seem to concur. They seem to think that if one is knows--knows without a doubt--that he is saved, he'll surely quit seeking the Lord, stop repenting of his sins, slack off in his service, and so on.

Common sense teaches otherwise. How can a man pray well unless he cries out "Abba, Father"? But no one lacking assurance can do that with conviction. How can one think of others' spiritual welfare if he's unsure of his own? Indeed, how can one love God unless he knows God "first loved us"?

But more than common sense can be recruited to prove the point. The Scripture teaches the same. One verse, in particular, stands out, Hebrews 9:14: "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself to God, purge your conscience of dead works to serve the Living God?" Note carefully: good works do not produce a good conscience, but are the product of a good conscience.

Thus the Psalmist prays for a fresh assurance of his salvation. Can he expect to receive it? Yes. Why? He tells us: "Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD--Your salvation according to Your Word". God promises assurance in His Word. Is that so? It is. To which "Word" did the Psalmist refer? We have no idea. But here's a good one for you, I John 5:13: "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God".

What must we do to gain an assurance of our salvation? We must identify the terms of salvation, i.e., answer the jailer's question: "What must I do to be saved?" Then we must comply with those terms: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved". We must then "trust" the Word. Has God promised salvation to believers, only to deny it to them? Finally, we must pray for the daily work of the Holy Spirit, which alone can make us "know that we know Him".

This, in an abbreviated form, is just what the Psalmist did. He knew salvation was of God's "mercies" alone. He discoverd that in His "Word". He "trusted" that Word. And he prayed fervently for it.

This is his first request.

The second thing he wants is wisdom, v.43: "And take not the Word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in Your ordinances". The first part of the verse is put in the negative, but carries with it a strongly positive meaning. To "not take the Word of truth utterly of of [my] mouth" means to "put Your word into my mouth". He wants the wisdom to speak up for Christ--especially in times of great pressure.

Will the LORD grant his wish? The Psalmist thinks so; he "hopes in [His] ordinances. He expects the Word to be given. Is he right? He is. Our Lord promised to give His people a Word when they most need it. Matthew 10:19: "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak".

The Word may be eloquent. Dr. Luther, before the Diet of Worms, said:

The Word may be simple. In the Middle Ages, a unnanmed slave converted to Christ and was sent to the stake. When given one last chance to discuss the matter with a learned doctor of the Church, he replied:

The Psalmist wants wisdom. The need was not his own; it is a perennial need. James assumes most of us don't have, but some of us will have the good sense to ask for it. When we do, we can expect to have it, if we ask for it in faith. The Psalmist did--and obviously got what he wanted. As the Psalm makes clear.

These are his two requests. What can we say about them? We can say this much: They are deeply spiritual petitions. He's not asking for money or health or more free time. He's asking for the things that matter most. He's seeking "those things that are above".

He's not alone. Read the prayers of Paul, for example. Though he himself was a needy man--poor, sick, and so on--he rarely prayed for material things. The people to whom he wrote suffered the same problems, but he chose to pray for other needs--needs that were greater than these. Spiritual needs were first on his prayer list.

Do they occupy the same place on ours? Have we become so earthly minded that we feel no need for things above? I pray we haven't.

He'll put his mind more fully into the service of Christ, v.48b: "I will meditate on Your statues". Meditation as used by the gurus means to empty one's mind. But the Psalmist intends just the opposite: He aims to fill his mind with God's Word. As Psalm 1 has it, to "Meditate on His Law day and night". And to "delight" in it.

The human mind--like all things created--is finite or limited. It is sad to recall how much of it is used for vanity. For quarelling, for amusement, and so on. The Psalmist wants to fill up his empty spaces with God's "statutes".

He will also put his mouth to work, vv.42,46: "So shall I have an answer to those who reproach me...I will speak of Your testimonies also before king, and will not be ashamed".

Of all earthly creatures, only one can speak. It is too bad he uses so many of his words to inflate himself or to deflate others or to even blaspheme God. The Psalmist intends to put his mouth to better use. He will speak up for Christ without fearing what others think of him. Prudence, of course, is needed in speaking up for Christ. There is, after all, "a time to keep silence". But there is also "a time to speak". To do this we need courage and a greater love for Christ.

Finally, he promises to put his whole life into the service of Christ, vv.44-45, 47-48. "So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts. And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love. My hands also I will lift up to Your commandmants, which I love..."

He intends to obey the Lord Jesus and to do it from the heart. "Not gudgingly or of necessity, for God love a cheerful giver". He intends to obey Him consistently--not in fits and starts, when he feels like it, when he's in a good mood, and so on--but "forever and ever". The obedience he offers Christ is not confining in its effect--it doesn't keep him from having his fun--but rather, sets him free; he "walks at liberty". The obedience is of more than heart and mind, it trickles down to his hands as he works for Christ and His people.

Let us, therefore, make the Psalmist's priorities our own. Let us pray--pray much for assurance and for wisdom. And, having received them--which we will--let us repay our Savior in some small measure by living lives of grateful obedience.

May God, the giver of all good things, give us both the gifts we need and the hearts to appreciate them. For Christ's sake. Amen.