THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

CXIX. The Vast Value Of God’s Word

B. God’s Bright Future For A Youth

(Psalm 119:9-16 [Beth])

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

Growing up in today’s world is becoming more and more of a challenge:

(1) “(Y)oung adults are struggling to grow up” as “(m)ore” of them “are going to college, and degrees are becoming more expensive and less valuable . . . The Wall Street Journal noted in a 2021 story” that “even graduate students at top schools are taking on more than $100,000 in debt and garnering as little as $42,000-$48,000 annually after graduating . . . Since young adults are leaving college without a solid economic foundation and entering the workforce later . . . they’re less and less marriageable . . . Without the economic and social stability that comes with marriage, fewer people are buying homes – and the border crisis is rapidly accelerating the problem” as more people need housing, escalating home prices (“Redefining adulthood?”, Republican-American, September 23, 2024, p. 6A).

(2) It is becoming more difficult for our youth to identify good moral standards for their lives: (a) columnist Christine Flowers in her column, “We need to return to the world of 9/12/2001” (Ibid., p. 9A) reported, “(T)here are people quibbling about whether allowing a child to suffocate to death after a botched abortion is ‘killing’ a child or a (political) candidate’s way of fudging the truth.” (b) The truth is getting harder to obtain from the media: Christopher F. Rufo and Benjamin Roberts’ piece, “The Cat Eaters of Ohio” (Substack, Sept. 14, cited in “Quotable,” Ibid., Sept. 23, 2024, p. 6A) reported on their own investigation of former President Donald Trump’s claim that immigrants were eating pets in Ohio, and they found that the “‘the town is Dayton, not Springfield; cats alone were on the grill, not cats and dogs. But it does break the general narrative by the establishment media and its ‘fact checkers,’ who insist that this has never happened . . . (T)he logical next step . . . is to ask if it is happening more often, and elsewhere.’”

(3) America was built on the traits of hard work and fiscal responsibility, virtues that are hard to find being exampled by today’s elites: (a) Once again, Congress has stood in need of passing “a stopgap spending bill . . . to avoid a partial government shutdown.” (“Speaker Johnson calls off a vote on a bill to avoid a government shutdown,” Ibid., September 12, 2024, p. 9A) (b) China “is drowning in debt,” for “President Xi Jinping funded his nation’s spectacular growth over the last two decades by borrowing the equivalent of trillions of dollars,” and “(d)espite all the borrowing . . . (e)conomists . . . warn that China is in imminent danger of a deflationary spiral” with “mass layoffs.” (“Government incompetence and flying undies,” Ibid., September 18, 2024, p. 8A) (c) As for Europe, the “per-person gross domestic product” has been “nearly flat since 2008” as “(g)overnment spending is nearly half of Europe’s GDP, which hogs physical resources . . . while predatory tax rates punish production and welfare tempts workers away.” (Peter St. Onge, “Why have Europe’s economies flatlines since 2008?”, Ibid., September 11, 2024, p. 9A)

(4) Marxism largely fuels these problems, but it is an appalling ideology. For example, China’s “bureaucracy . . . chooses its managers by family connection and Communist Party loyalty rather than by diligence and expertise. So inept is China’s bureaucracy that even when it tries to do something right, the results can be laughable. A recent example is an attempt Sept. 2 to alleviate an ongoing and severe heat wave in China’s largest city . . . (W)ithout warning . . . the government tried to prove it could solve the problem – by launching more than 200 cloud-seeding missiles to create a rainstorm. The cloud-seeding did bring some welcome rain, but the storm also stirred 70-mph wind gusts. The result has been called the ‘9/2 Chongqing underwear crisis’ as thousands of undergarments that had been hanging to dry on balconies fell from the skies.” (Ibid., “Government incompetence and flying undies”)

Need: So, we ask, “In today’s world, how can a child, a teen, or a young adult hope for a bright future?”

I. Psalm 119:9 introduces a focus on discipling a na’ar, a “boy, lad, youth” (Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 1080; H. A. W., Theo. Wrdbk. of the O. T, 1980, v. II, p. 585-586), and since the feminine form of na’ar is the related noun na’ara for “girl, maiden, young woman” (Ibid., p. 586), we can apply this section to EVERY youth.

II. “Most interpreters regard the last clause” of verse 9 “as an answer to the question in the first,” requiring the infinitive lishmor (“to keep”) to act as a gerund (“by keeping”), a rare function here, so it is better to treat the whole verse as the one question, “By what means can a youth cleanse his path (so) as to keep (it) according to Thy Word?” (J. A. Alexander, The Psalms Trans. And Explain., 1975, p. 483; Ibid., Kittel)

III. Thus, Psalm 119:9 asks how a child, a teen, or a young adult can keep his or her way of life pure from sin so as to preserve it according to God’s Word, and that for blessing in his or her future!

IV. Psalm 119:10-16 then answers this question, providing important insight on blessing in a youth’s future:

A. The means required for motivating the youth to heed Scripture, mentioned in verses 10b and 12b, is for God to teach him or her God’s decrees and not let the youth go astray from them. In today’s spiritual arrangement, a youth must know Christ as Savior to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9b) so as to rely by faith on the Holy Spirit to be taught (John 14:26) and guided by Him (John 16:13).

B. Consequently, the youth is to perform certain functions under the Lord’s guidance (as follows):

1. He or she must follow the Lord’s leading wholeheartedly, Psalm 119:10a.

2. He or she must follow the Lord’s leading in his heart, not in just an external manner, Psalm 119:11.

3. He or she should verbally communicate God’s truth to others with whom he relates, Psalm 119:13.

4. He or she must joyfully apply Scripture to life, for doing so leads to comprehensive blessings, verse 14:

a. The youth should joyfully apply Scripture in life as if he were obtaining hon, the Hebrew noun for “goods, substance in sufficient quantity to be considered ‘riches’ or ‘wealth’” (Ibid.; Ibid., H. A. W. vol. II, p. 213)

b. Since material welfare was God’s reward for obeying Scripture under the Mosaic Covenant (Deuteronomy 28:1-14), the psalmist implied that God provided for the needs of the youth who joyfully obeyed Scripture!

5. The youth must meditate on God’s Word while engaged in applying it in his walk, Psalm 119:15.

6. He or she must delight in the Word of God, Psalm 119:16a.

7. He or she must not forget Scripture (v. 16b), and the Holy Spirit today reminds believers of it, John 14:26.

Lesson: Even today, a child, a teen, or a young adult can have a bright future if he or she is in right relationship with God so as to heed Scripture wholeheartedly, in the heart, verbally communicating God’s truth with others, joyfully applying it with an awareness that God will provide all he or she materially needs, meditating on Scripture as it is applied, delighting in God’s Word and not forgetting Scripture in the Holy Spirit’s enabling.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) May we as a youth apply Psalm 119:9-16 for blessing.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and/or provide additional guidance . . .)

We apply Scripture to the issues of concern mentioned in our introduction for edification (as follows):

(1) On the challenge of college loan debts and inadequate paying jobs after graduation, and the hardship it produces on economic and social stability, prospective marriages, family planning, home buying with a nationwide housing shortage that is aggravated by the border crisis, (a) Psalm 119:14 reveals that heeding Scripture brings one under God’s oversight of meeting one’s material needs. (b) Also, Proverbs 24:27 teaches that one should prepare his work in the field to solidify a good income before building his “house,” what can refer to building structure and/or a family to dwell in it (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Prov. 24:27). Planning for the right career field to earn a good income and how to address the costs of higher education training must occur before one obtains a house and acquires a family! (c) To accelerate one’s reaching these goals, one can consider attending adequate but far less expensive schools than renowned universities or selecting a good trade school as an option, and some employers are eager to train young people for lucrative positions if they have a good work ethic. (d) Part time employment while in college can ease student loan debt and (e) free, self-education in many fields is available online or in area libraries.

(2) On the lack of moral standards in the culture and society, applying Psalm 119:10-16 where the youth is exposing his or her mind to Scripture as a way of life will guide him or her into a righteous life with God’s blessing.

(3) On the needed character traits of hard work and fiscal responsibility for a better life as opposed to the harm of aligning with Marxist thinking, (a) Proverbs 22:7 claims the rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender, so avoiding debt contrary to what many world governments do can help one avoid financial bondage and be able invest to see his money provide a good income. (b) Also, Proverbs 22:3 claims that the prudent sees danger and hides himself where the naïve go on and suffer for it. (+) Caution in handling one’s finances is important in view of today’s many scammers and identify thieves, and (+) taxes can drain one’s finances in retirement if one is on fixed income, so investing in Roth IRAs and Roth 401ks where withdrawals are tax free help lessen tax burdens for retirees with their withdrawals from regular retirement accounts. (+) Better yet, if a 20-year-old puts $10,000 in a reputable Roth IRA Growth Mutual Fund and just lets it sit there, not even adding to it, at age 65, he’ll be a millionaire, tax-free from that fund! (c) Proverbs 10:4, 12:24, 13:4, 22:29 and 27:23 teach that diligence produces respectively wealth, leadership, satisfaction, fame and sustaining a family’s welfare! If we are diligent, we will enjoy greater wellbeing!

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. May we then apply Psalm 119:9-16 for blessing as a child, teen, or young adult for a bright future.