Archive for January 2006
Psalm 119 Study
Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2006 at 5:22 PM by David Zavadil
I apologize for the layoff during December. As with most of you, my time during the month was very busy. A new year is here and ready to start afresh. I am beginning the year with a study on Psalm 119.
Psalm 119 is one of my favorite passages. It is simple, yet poignant. A jewel in the center of our Scripture. Charles Bridges, a contemporary of J.C. Ryle, has called Psalm 119, "twenty-two pearls upon one string." C.H. Spurgeon wrote, "This marvelous poem seemed to me a great sea of holy teaching, moving, in its many verses, wave upon wave; altogether without an island of special and remarkable statement to break it up." A poetical and Scriptural masterpiece, this chapter is worthy of every believer's study.
There is not title or author ascribed to this Psalm, yet this does in no way diminish its majesty. Written as a teaching Psalm, it has just as much to teach us in english as it did in the original Hebrew. As most of you know, if you want learn the Hebrew alphabet, Psalm 119 is a great teaching tool. Each section is identified by a letter of the alphabet. In the original Hebrew, each verse of the respective section begins with a word starting with the letter for that section. For instance, the first section is labeled aleph. Each verse in this section begins with a word beginning with the letter aleph.
Not only does this book offer us an education in the Hebrew alphabet, it offers us an education in the walk with God. Throughout the Psalm the author deals with elements of piety. Our walk with God. It is interesting to note that virtually every verse in this Psalm there is a reference to the Word of God. Let me illustrate with a few references.
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies.
The psalmist challenges us, the readers, to grow deeper in our walk with God, not just through our study of the Word, but through prayer and meditation also. Throughout the psalme we are challenged to move beyond the theoretical and philosophical to the practical. Our daily walk is one of practice, practice to live within the rigors of the world. The only way we can do this is though the strength of God. Psalm 119 guides us to the Word of God and the disciplines of our faith to find see his strength.
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New Friend and site to check out
Posted on Monday, January 09, 2006 at 10:38 AM by David Zavadil
Here is a new site to checkout. Mobile Ministry Magazine Written by my new friend, Antoine, this blog/magazine will keep those of us in the ministry up on the latest tech news. Check it out.
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Psalm 119 Aleph
Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2006 at 3:57 PM by David Zavadil
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! 4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! 6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. 8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!
The Psalmist begins this Psalm with a challenge to us all. The challenge is to our walk with Christ. Blessed are those whose way is blameless. What a challenge this is, for none of us seem to measure up. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans recites from the Psalmist (Ps 14:1-3; 53:1-3), 3:10 as it is written: “ None is righteous, no, not one; and thus implicates us all. We are not blessed, because we are not blameless. As hard as we try we can not be blameless, holy. The prophet Isaiah wrote, Isa 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. So who can be blessed? Who can walk blamelessly? The answer is found in the Word of God, those who walk in the law of the Lord! This does not mean that we are to live a works righteousness, based upon strict obedience to the law, for the law can not save man, only Jesus Christ. Rather, the psalmist is teaching us that we are to walk according to the precepts, the teachings set out in Scripture, and this begins with our faith in Christ.
There is a blessing that comes in the life of the believer as we live according to the Word of God. Verse two tells us that we are blessed as we keep his testimonies. Some have called the Scriptures, "An intimate love letter from the Father." This love letter gives us guidance to live according to God's will. The Jews were seeking to live by every jot and tittle of the law, they fail to see Christ for who he really is. Jesus condemned this behavior in John 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, The blessing comes from a right use of God's Word. It is meant to lead us to the Savior, Jesus, it is not to supplant the savior. We are blessed as we see the Scriptures pointing us to Christ and we follow His teaching found in these Scripture. That is why the psalmist writes, who seek him with their whole heart, and not "who read them as often or as thoroughly as they can." We are to seek Christ, the Scriptures point to Him. We are blessed as we seek Him with our whole heart through the proper use and application of His Word.
The truths of Scripture lead us to Christ and enable us to see the way to lead a righteous life. How can we possible live like verse 3, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! We can only do this through faith in Christ, for our heartiest attempts pale against the powerful work of God in Christ. We always will do wrong save in the power and grace of Christ. As we walk in His ways, we are enabled to live righteously. Not by what we do, but by what He does in us.
As we have briefly glimpsed the grace of Christ in the previous verses, verse 4 points us to His authority. 4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. God did command his people to live according to His word, to teach them to their children and to constantly dwell on them. Deut 6: 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Today we seem to balk at the suggestion of even reading the Bible, yet here and in our Psalm, we are commanded to love God and His communication with us, His Word. We are not to just causally read the Scripture, treating it as we would the latest novel or magazine article, but we are to diligently study and read them. We are to go to lengths to learn what he has to say to us. Do you keep His precepts diligently or are they just light reading before drifting off to sleep?
With the Psalmist I cry out, 5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! I confess, it is difficult to get into and study God's Word. Work, family and the plethora of every day distractions hinder any serious study let alone reading. For pastors there is an added hindrance of the ministry. By that I mean that it is easy for us to sometimes view the Scripture as a work tool as opposed to a "love letter" leading to the life giver. We can easily consume ourselves in the study for a class or sermon in a manner that does not look to Christ, but focuses on our own intellect. The task becomes the goal instead of the relationship with Jesus. May I be a sentinel a guardian of the Word, allowing its use in my life only to point to Christ, never to be merely for work. Oh that I may be steadfast in keeping God's Word in a manner that brings HIM all the glory and not me.
What a promise I find in verse 6. Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. If my heart and eyes are fixed on the teachings that point to Christ, if my whole heart is seeking God, I will not be put to shame. Living according to the guidance of Madison Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue or even my own family and self, will only lead to shame. Apart from Christ, I will certainly cause shame in my life and will find myself shamed. The psalmist reminds us that a life fixed on Christ through the guidance of the Scriptures will not be shameful. As our eyes are fixed upon Christ we find the eternal blessings of the throne of God.
As we see these truths applied in our lives, we are lead to praise the Almighty King. Our hearts are lifted up as the Word of God works within us. 7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. When we wonder how we are to worship, how can we possible praise God, we should turn to His Scriptures. In them we find the promises of mercy and grace, the life and love that we all seek. As we find Christ in the Scripture, we are then lead to worship and praise, thus the Word now becomes not just a tool for worship but an element of our worship. Reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on the Scripture become acts of worship, turning our hearts to God.
8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! If the Scriptures point to Christ, lead us to the Cross and the Savior, then anything short, to deviate in any way, will only lead to our being forsaken. If we are not in constant seeking of Christ, constant communion we will find ourselves left behind. The plea of the psalmist is a cry to faithfulness, an exhortation to live faithfully in a faithless world. The Word of God is the gift God has given us to help us learn and understand how to live in this dark world. To try to live for Christ with out the God written instruction manual is like trying to build a house without blueprints. When you are finished it may look like a house, even smell like one, but when the winds and storms come, will it protect like a house? Will it still be standing after the storm? To try to live the Christian life without the Word of God is like the man in the airport five minutes after departure, wondering where everyone went to and will he ever get where he is going. The statutes of Scripture will carry us to Christ where Joh 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.
Edited on: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 4:10 PMPosted in Bible Study (RSS)
Psalm 119 Beth
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at 12:57 PM by David Zavadil
9 ¶ <BETH> How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 ¶ With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 ¶ I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 ¶ Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes! 13 ¶ With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. 14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
The psalmist begins this passage with a question. How can a young man keep his way pure? The question raises a question. Why is he picking on young men? Anyone who is a male, has married a male, born a male or has a father can probably answer the question. Young men tend to demonstrate, better than others, the influence of sin. Remember your school days? Who were the ones most often in trouble? The young men! When you purchase auto insurance, who's is most expensive? The young men! When we look at our prison population, who make up most of that population? The young men! sin is the problem we always deal with, young men provide us with the clearest picture of this struggle. Thus we are asked, How can a young man keep his way pure?
The psalmist quickly answers the question, By guarding it according to your word. What does this tell us? First, environment and upbringing won't protect us from falling into sin. Money won't protect us from sin. It is only as we look to God's Word and find His directions for avoiding sin that we can keep from it. Note it is not the Word that saves, but the one it points too. Reflect on these passages for a moment I Cor 10:13; I Cor 6:18; I Timothy 6:11; II Timothy 2:22 . The Scripture gives us guidance as to how to avoid sin and keep our way pure. This brings up a thought for parents. Rather than dwelling on choosing the right friends and environments, focus on teaching your child the Word of God. As the Word begins to dwell with in them, as they begin to use it to find answers, they will choose the right friends and environments.
In verse 10 we find the author combining two elements of Christian piety. 10 ¶ With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! In this brief verse we find both a reference to the Word of God but also a reference to prayer. The author desires to know and seek God and cries out to Him. He has realized and teaches us that prayer and the Word together can keep us from wandering. It is hard to look at something else when your sight, mind and ears are focused on God.
11 ¶ I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Returning back to the question he asked in verse 9, the psalmist speaks about dealing with sin. How do we store up the word in our hearts? Reading and study is good and necessary, but what if you don't have the book with you? We can store the word by memorization and meditation. For most of us the meditation is easy to understand, it is the meditation that is more difficult to comprehend. A simple picture to remember is that of a cow chewing its cud. It takes a mouthful of grass, chews it, swallows, brings it back up, chews it some more and then repeats the process. Meditation of Scripture is just the process of chewing on and bringing back to memory the Word of God. Memorize the passages I gave earlier, in the paragraph on verse 9, then each day for the next week, bring them back to memory and think on them. Ask God to show you something new through them. Meditate on them. As the Word becomes a daily part of our thought process we find we move away from sin.
As we begin to grow in the Word of God and experience victory over our sinfulness, we are naturally led to praise God. 12 ¶ Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes! God is to be praised for He is the only one who can keep us from sin, the only one who can give us the strength not to sin, thus he deserves our praise.
What happens when we seek God with our whole heart, dwell on his word and praise him? We want to talk about Him. 13 ¶ With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. Remember your first love? All you wanted to do was talk about them. Your friends probably got sick of hearing, "she did this" and "she did that..." When we fall in love with God, as the psalmist has pictured for us, we want to talk about them. As we share, we take our faith from the intellectual element to a verbal. It becomes something we can give away.
Verse 14 returns the the relationship. 14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. What do you delight in? What is it that makes you excited? The psalmist challenges us to consider God's Word our delight. What do you do when you delight in something? You want to be with it, hold it, know it as much and as often as you can. If you delight in something or someone, you never want them to leave your side. Oh, how I am challenged. Do I really delight in God's Word? Can I live without it in my life? If i had the choice between Bill Gate's billions and the Word of God what would I choose? For the psalmist the answer was easy. How about for you?
15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. Because the Word is a delight, valuable beyond all riches, we are to meditate on it. We are to focus our eyes upon God and his Word. Why is it that the psalmist keeps returning to meditation instead of studying? What is the difference between the two? When we study the Word of God we make focus on a single theme, but we tend to get the big picture of that theme. When we meditate on the Word, we chew down through the theme, become singularly focused. What does this verse, word, thought teach? How does it apply? We become focused on learning His ways. Study should lead us to meditation as we take what we learn in our study and ruminate on it throughout the day.
As our understanding and meditation of the Word grows, we will find ourselves delighting in the Word. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Our delight will lead to a hunger that will only be filled by the Word. It will constantly be on our minds, keeping us from forgetting it and pointing out to us day in and day out how God expects us to live. This intimate love letter from God is his directive on how to live for Him. As we make it a part of our lives, we live more and more for Him. What can you do today to ensure that the Word of God becomes your delight?
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Psalm 119 will be a little late
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 10:51 AM by David Zavadil
Brothers and sisters,
I had intended to have the study on Gimel completed today. However, with this being my last week in Dalton as Stated Supply, my focus has been elsewhere. I hope to get the study posted by the end of the week. I pray your forgiveness for the tardiness and look forward to expounding the Word of God for you.
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