THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: God's Nurture Of The Inner Man In The Life Of Faith

CXIX: Appreciating And Applying Scripture For Every Spiritual Need, Psalm 119

F. Waw - Using Scripture To Anticipate Insults For Righteousness

(Psalm 119:41-48)

I. Introduction

A. Psalm 119 is about the profitable use of God's written Scriptures, with the psalm being formed as an acrostic where each section contains a Hebrew letter that begins each of the eight verses in its respective section.

B. Section "Waw" in Psalm 119:41-48 explains the victory over the anxiety of anticipating a future confrontation from one who will insult him for righteousness in some way, so we view it for our insight:

II. Using Scripture To Anticipate Insults For Righteousness, Psalm 119:41-48.

A. The verse numbering system in the Hebrew text matches that of the English Bible (Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 1081), so we stay with the English Bible's numbering system for this lesson.

B. We thus translate Psalm 119:41-48 (as follows):

1. "May Your loyal love come to me, O Jahweh, Your salvation according to Your promise," Psalm 119:41.

2. "Then I will answer a word to the one who speaks insults against me, for I trust in Your word," v. 42.

3. "And do not utterly snatch this word of truth from my mouth, for I hope in the verdicts of Your Law," 43.

4. "I will observe Your Law continually forever and ever" (Psalm 119:44)

5. "and I will walk about in a wide place (free from pressure) for I have sought out Your precepts," v. 45.

6. "I will speak of Your testimonies before kings and I will not be put to shame," (Psalm 119:46)

7. "for I delight myself in Your commandments which I love," (Psalm 119:47)

8. "and I will reach out my hands for Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your decrees," Psalm 119:47-48.

C. We consider significant observations regarding this psalm (as follows):

1. In verses 41-43, the psalmist describes his victorious use of Scripture to anticipate insults he faces for righteousness sake in some way (as follows): (a) he longs for God's loyal love to save him regarding an impending, worrisome event he is about to face, v. 41. (b) That event is a confrontation from a foe who speaks insults against him, v. 42b. (c) To handle this worrisome future confrontation, the psalmist trusts a promise in God's Word about such a confrontation so he can aptly answer his foe and see God fulfill His promise in overcoming the insulter's damaging efforts, v. 42a, 43. [Note: IF we believers regularly read Scripture, Christ's Matthew 10:16-20 promise along with John 14:26 applies to help us in such a situation!]

2. Verses 44-48 report marvelous blessings that God provides for victoriously handling such confrontations: (a) people who use Scripture this way are so relieved at the victory they gain in such confrontations that it leads them consistently and faithfully to observe God's Word, Psalm 119:41-43 with 44. (b) Another blessing is the relief from oppression that the insulting party had intended to bring upon the psalmist by his sharp insults, v. 45. (c) A third blessing is the feeling of relief from being intimidated that the insulting party had wanted to bring upon the psalmist, v. 46-47. (d) A development of the psalmist's victory over his confrontational opponent is a greater loyalty to and appreciation of God's Word to the psalmist's enhanced personal fellowship with the Lord, the Author of Scripture, Psalm 119:48.

Lesson: If a believer expects to face verbal insults or persecution for righteousness sake in some way, he can be confident that IF he knows a Scripture promise and speaks accordingly in the conflict, God will bless him in relieving him of the oppressive, intimidating effects of the insulting party, the believer will grow in his appreciation of the practical value of Scripture's application to life and he will see himself motivated to be even more faithful to reading and using Scripture in his life as it applies in particular to crisis confrontations he faces.

Application: (1) If we face a potential future verbal attack by a party for righteousness' sake (for righteousness in some realm), instead of letting a gnawing anxiety rise in our hearts that creates emotional havoc and defeat while under fire from the insulter, may we rest assured that claiming applicable Bible promises in the crisis will release us from the pain and intimidation the insulter desires to produce in us, all to God's glory. (2) Thus, we do well to read Scripture on a regular basis that the Holy Spirit in applying Matthew 10:16-20 can cause us to recall in fulfilling John 14:26 that we need under fire for God's blessing. (3) A practical suggestion: I have found that God often uses what believers have RECENTLY read for help in confrontations they face, so keep reading His Word.