2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The next section of PS 119 that the Lord directs me to take up is PS 119: 41-48, the spiritual meaning of the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, vav. The issue that is brought out in this passage is victory through the word. “Show me how much You love me, Lord, and save me according to Your promise. Then I can answer those who insult me because I trust in Your word. Enable me to speak the truth at all times, because my hope is in Your judgments. I will always obey Your law, forever and ever. I will live in perfect freedom, because I try to obey Your teachings. I will announce Your commands to kings and will not be ashamed. I find pleasure in obeying Your commands, because I love them. I respect and love Your commandments; I will meditate on Your instructions.” With these words spoken from his heart, our Psalmist is a picture of an ideal man of faith. It is hard not to come to love and respect this writer, because he fits the mold of a number of OT prophets and NT disciples who have showed us real courage of faith through the Scriptures that God reveals about them. Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the messages in this passage.
While teaching my Sunday school class yesterday morning, a subject came up that is very important to me. Since the OT saints were faithful but died before Christ’s Atonement, is salvation open to them? HE 12: 18, 23-24 sheds light on this issue. Hebrews is a letter written to Jewish believers in Christ around 63-65 AD who were being persecuted by their traditional Jewish former leaders, friends, and families. The letter was written to encourage them to keep their faith. “You have not come, as the people of Israel came, to what you can feel, to Mt. Sinai with its blazing fire, the darkness and the gloom, the storm…” “You have come to the joyful gathering of God’s first-born sons, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, Who is the Judge of all mankind, and to the spirits of good people made perfect. You have come to Jesus, Who arranged the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that promises much better things than does the blood of Abel.” The “first-born sons, whose names are written in heaven” is the church. The “good people made perfect” are the OT saints. So, the answer to the question above is that those who died in faith before the Atonement with have the opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior and to access salvation, just as we who endure in our faith who live after Christ’s death on the cross do. Our Lord is a loving and just God. There will be a transformation “by the renewal of their minds “[RO 12: 2] and a completion of their salvation.
Please read EX 4: 10-17, which is the story of Moses’ commission by God as a prophet. This story is important, because it demonstrates God’s ability and willingness to put His words in human mouths, even those mouths which don’t speak well. EX 4: 12, [God speaking to Moses] “Now go! I will help you to speak, and I will tell you what to say.” It is significant that this citation is given so early in the Scriptures, because it announces that principle that God wanted us to know about from an early time in mankind’s history. We see this mentioned in another context, the test of a real prophet in DT 18:21-22. “You may wonder how you can tell when a prophet’s message does not come from the Lord. If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord and what he says does not come true, then it is not the Lord’s message. That prophet has spoken on his own authority, and you are not to fear him.” God wants us to seek Him out in response to His invitation to come to faith. He wants to do His work through us. If we are faithful, we will let Him put His words in our mouths and do His work through us. We, are blessed enough to living in the church age and are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us understand the meaning of God’s words. We can put a capital “W” on the last word of that sentence [JN 1: 1-4]. 2 COR 6: 3-10, which I hope you will read, speaks of the hardships and persecution God’s servants must often face. Yet, we see how God equips the faithful o deal with them. 2 COR 6: 7,“By our message of truth, and by the power of God, we have righteousness as our weapon both to attack and defend ourselves.” Truth is defined so beautifully in HE 4: 12 that I simply can’t resist citing it here. “The word of God is alive and active, sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where the soul and the spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of a man’s heart.”
Our Psalmist knew there is freedom for those who live obeying God’s teachings. It’s the same message Christ gives in JN 8: 32, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” RO 8: 1 reveals to us, There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.” RO 8: 28 reminds us that, “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose.” If my understanding discussed above about access to salvation for the OT prophets is correct, this wonderful promise applies to them, the same as it does to those of the church age who live and die in faith. One of the most beautiful citations of the Bible (and one of my favorites) is PS 119: 105 [from the KJV], “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” To me, the world is like a cave that is pitch black. I’m claustrophobic and suffer from night blindness, so I’m describing it as a pretty uncomfortable place at times. It is for any person of faith, because of the evil and lies all around us. However, God’s word pierces that darkness and allows us not to feel hemmed in by the threat of spiritual death (eternal condemnation). The Psalmist and any person of faith understands this and feels like He wants to spend His life thanking God for the light which His teachings brings into one’s life.
Our Psalmist is a perfect picture of the apostle Paul in his assertion in verse 46, “I will announce Your commands to kings and I will not be ashamed.” In RO 1: 16, Paul asserts, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel; it is God’s power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles.” When the Psalmist reveals his heart with the words, “I find pleasure in obeying Your commands, because I love them. I respect and love Your commandments; I will meditate on Your instructions,” it causes my heart to soar. That is because I share his love for God’s word and desire to meditate on it myself. The love the Psalmist, I, or any person of faith feels for God’s words (His Word) is a gift we are given by the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!
PRAYER: O Lord, we can have so much thankfulness in our hearts for the great gift that You give us of your teachings and Your Word, Jesus Christ. You are a just and righteous God, Who does not penalize a faithful person because of the time in history in which he was born. By giving us the words of the Psalmist, You allow us to see he has the heart of a faithful and loving servant, just as those who are faithful before and after him are given as a manifestation of Your abundant love. You put Your words in our mouths and in our hearts to guide us, protect us, equip us to deal with persecution and hardship, to reveal Your magnificence to us, and show us Your love. By Your grace, You grant us victory over evil and freedom from eternal condemnation. We are saved, justified, in process of sanctification, and able to share in the hope of the resurrection. What greater love can there be? We adore, honor, glorify, praise, and humble ourselves before you. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet, zayin in PS 119: 49-56. Know that Your Lord loves You from the bottom of His heart. Never feel that You are alone or without hope. We are blessed by sharing our faith in the One on Whom we can all rely seven days a week. Peter and I also send you our love.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn