August 28, 2024 • 18 mins
Transcript and 🌟NEW!!! Study Guide and 3-Day Devotional - available on the page for this episode at JenniferGRichmond.com
In this episode, I explore Psalm 119:121-128 and the significance of the Hebrew letter "ayin." We dive into what it means to dwell richly in God’s Word, the importance of expectation in our walk with Him, and how we can approach God with confidence, knowing He will act according to His steadfast love.
If you'd like to read the Hebrew/English version...https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt26b9.htm
Read the Blog post for this message: here. A Bible study You'll Love"Galatians: Free and Filled." Sept-November, 2024 - a 12-week study through Galatians. Details/Register here.
"Rediscovering Dad"Did you see the exciting news? I discovered a great treasure! A collection of cassettes from 1981 containing recordings of my dad's messages through the Psalm 119! Read about that here. Bookmark the series here and look for new episodes Mondays August-October, 2024. His insights are so helpful! You will blessed, and, like me, you'll wish we had all of his teachings!
"So Glad You Asked""So Glad You Asked" - podcast series where we'll tackle your burning questions about the Bible and life. Submit your questions through the link below
Podcast schedule:
- Sundays - "So Glad You Asked" (every other week)
- Mondays - "Rediscovering Dad" (Aug-October, 2024)
- Wednesdays & Saturdays - "How to Study the Bible" (April-August, 2024)
- "Galatians: Free & Filled" Messages and lessons coming soon (Sept-Nov, 2024)
Dwelling in the Word and letting the Word dwell in us richly is different than reading the Bible or reading a devotional with Bible passages. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly and return the favor by dwelling in the Word - not "doing" Bible study, not simply reading - but moving into the Word with heart, soul, mind, and strength. It's being intentional in making a shift from treating the Word of God like a self-help book to letting it dwell in us as the living Word of God that it is.
Growing Deeper...-
Daily Scripture Reading Plan: Create a plan to read a portion of Psalm 119 each day, focusing on one stanza (eight verses) at a time. As you read, reflect on the meaning of the Hebrew letters and how they relate to your life. Write down your thoughts and any specific ways you feel God is speaking to you.
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Journaling with Expectation: Begin a journal where you write down your prayers and expectations as you study the Bible. Reflect on how God has acted in your life in the past and how you expect Him to work in the future. Periodically review your entries to see how God has answered and guided you through His Word.
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Memorization and Meditation: Choose a verse from Psalm 119 that resonates with you and commit it to memory. Throughout the day, meditate on that verse, considering how it applies to your current situation and how you can live it out. Use it as a reminder to keep your eyes fixed on God’s promises.
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Group Bible Study: Gather a small group of friends or family members and go through Psalm 119 together, one stanza at a time. Discuss the meaning of each passage, how it challenges or encourages you, and how you can apply it to your lives. Encourage one another to dwell richly in God’s Word throughout the week.
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Personal Prayer Time: Set aside dedicated time each day to pray through the principles learned in this podcast. Focus on confessing your sins, asking God for understanding, and approaching Him with boldness and expectation. Use Psalm 119:121-128 as a guide for your prayers, asking God to help you see and understand His will.
The new series, "So Glad You Asked" has launched! I'm taking your questions about the Bible, living the Christian life, dealing with difficult situations/people/life issues...really anything on your mind and I'll share my thoughts and responses. I'd love to hear from you. No question is off-limits - Submit questions about this or any topic to DwellingRichly@gmail.com or https://www.jennifergrichmond.com/podcast/#question
Share with others and thanks for saying Hi! Leave a Comment ⤵
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome back. I'm Jennifer Richman, and this is the Dwelling Richly podcast,
where we love God, heart, soul, mind, and strength.
We are women who enthusiastically and intentionally dwell in the Word and let
the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.
You can find Bible studies and teaching like this on my blog and right here on the podcast.
So subscribe to this channel wherever you're listening and tap that little church bell.
(00:23):
If there's a notification bell, you can click so you can get notified whenever I drop a new episode.
Let's go ahead and get into the Word. All right. Well, again,
welcome back. And this is the How to Study the Bible series.
And you might be thinking, I haven't heard you do that intro before.
You're right. I have not done that intro for a while, and I'm bringing it back. I'm bringing it back.
(00:46):
And I kind of revisited some older podcasts. I thought, you know what?
I like that intro. I'm bringing that back. I'm bringing the music back.
I'm bringing it all back.
Here we are. And so, yeah, we're almost done. We're rounding the corner.
Hello, computer. Hello. We're rounding the corner to being done with our study
(01:07):
for the summer, which has been how to study the Bible.
And, you know, of course, we're in Psalm 119. And today we'll be opening up
the 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ayin, ayin, and dig into that, what that looks like.
And, you know, of course, the entire concept of this study, just a quick review
(01:27):
and reminder, especially for those of you who are new,
is to take principles from the Word of God that help us better fulfill the exhortation
from Colossians 3, verse 16,
which is the cornerstone foundational verse of this entire ministry,
Dwelling Richly, where it says, Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.
(01:54):
And then we return the favor.
We don't just do Bible study. We don't just check it off our list.
We don't just read the Bible.
We dwell in the word. We make it a rich time in the word, and we're careful
that we don't just turn it into something we're trying to get done.
So the point of this particular study has been to focus on principles that teach
(02:14):
us to inform us about how we can study the Bible.
And I mentioned this, I think in the last podcast, but I mentioned that I dig
into the word like this, and I really want to dig in, like really break down
all the scripture for this particular passage that we're on.
But that's not the.
(02:36):
Point of this particular study. And I've been thinking, I've been thinking more
and more that maybe it's time to do a deep dive, big, full-on study in Psalm 119.
And if you've been following the podcast and maybe my blog, you have seen,
I hope if you haven't, you need to because it's super awesome,
but you've seen the Rediscovering Dad series that I started.
(03:00):
I found my dad's cassettes from previous messages from way back in the olden
days, back in 1981, when he was teaching a Sunday school class at Newberry Park Baptist Church.
I was in, I was, it was like eighth grade. Yeah, about eighth grade, ninth grade.
Anyway, it doesn't matter. The point is I found the cassettes and I've been
remastering those and posting those.
(03:22):
And the, of course, the cassettes are, most of them are all from Psalm 119. Isn't that crazy?
Here I am teaching it or working through do it. And that's what happened,
just so happened in God's beautiful, amazing divine providence.
So anyway, all that to say, we are in a how to study the Bible mode.
And so we're letting scripture inform us and teach us and give us more principles
(03:45):
on how to be better students of the word, better dwellers in the word, right?
And so that's what we're going to continue to do. And maybe at a future point,
I would like to maybe integrate the teaching I got from my dad,
eight lessons from him, unfortunately, only those eight, and integrate those
(04:06):
with some of my own thoughts and studies and put together a full-on Bible study on Psalm 119.
That's what I'm thinking about, praying about, talking to the Lord about. out. So we'll see.
It'll be a while before I do that, but I will continue to talk to the Lord about
that and see what He leads me to do. All right, let's go ahead and get into the Word.
(04:26):
We're in again Psalm 119. We'll be in verses 121 through 128.
I'll be reading today again from the English Standard Version.
A question came up recently, what kind of Bible should I be reading from?
We've talked about this earlier, earlier, earlier in the beginning of this series,
and I Read a Bible that you can read.
How's that? There's a simple answer. Read a Bible that you can read.
(04:48):
Read a Bible that you can, you know, it's not so complicated to process.
You can't understand it. The English Standard Version is written at about a
6th or 7th grade reading level, believe it or not.
And so, no offense if you have trouble reading it, but it is,
if you look it up, it's about a middle school level, reading level.
(05:09):
There's other translations that are great. You can read the New International,
the New English translation.
I use both of those in my studies. New American Standard is a little more challenging.
King James is chunky for sure. But what I like about the ESV is it's just literal
enough to not interpret.
Honestly, here's a freebie, but all translation is interpretation.
(05:33):
You cannot move from one language to the next without some type of interpretation.
But in my humble opinion, the English Standard Version is readable,
and more often than not, I feel that it is more faithful to the original understanding,
and the original wording than other translations.
(05:57):
And I find even the NIV, which I enjoy, takes some liberties and does a little
bit more of the heavy lifting for us.
And I would rather just have the stricter reading of the word and we can work to understand it.
ESV has its own challenges. We can talk about that another time, but I like it.
That's what I use the most. And I use the N-E-T and the N-I-V.
(06:17):
There you go. There's my little tidbits on that.
All right. today. Let's go ahead and continue on. I'm excited to talk about this one.
We've got some great principles here for us today. So grab your Bible,
follow along, whatever translation you are reading from.
I will be putting in the show notes links to the Hebrew.
If you would like to practice and keep on working on your Hebrew,
make sure you look for those.
All right, let's go ahead and check this out.
(06:40):
Psalm 119 verses 121 through 128.
I have done what is just and right. I do not leave, not I do not,
but do not leave me to my oppressors.
I have done what is just and right. Do not leave me to my oppressors.
Give your servant a pledge of good. Let not the insolent oppress me.
(07:00):
My eyes, hold on, put a pin on that one. That's important.
My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love.
Ooh, there's that beautiful word we've talked about, chesed, before.
(07:21):
Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love and teach me your statutes. I am your servant.
Give me understanding that I may know your testimonies.
It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken.
Therefore, I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.
(07:42):
Therefore, I consider all your precepts to be right. I hate every false way.
Good, good, good stuff. All right. So the reason why I paused there and kind
of made mention of having put a pin in that on verse 123, it says, my eyes, my eyes.
(08:05):
So that That phrase, that word, my eyes, it actually is what this, what ayin means.
The letter, the 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet is the letter ayin, and it means eyes.
It means eyes. By extension, it means to see, all right?
(08:27):
It means to look, to understand, and because of the way the Hebrew language
is very holistic, Realistic.
It also means to obey. So in the same way that Shema means to hear,
it doesn't just mean to hear, it means to listen and obey.
So ayin is I, and it means to see, and it means to understand,
(08:48):
and it means also to obey.
So that's the connection there. Again, it's one of the reasons why I like the
ESV, because of the way they try their best to work the syntax,
text, which is the order of the words,
because we know Psalm 119 is all organized so that the first letter of every
word and the first word of every stanza begins with the letter,
(09:11):
the theme letter, I guess, if we want to say it that way, of that stanza.
So we're in the 16th letter of the alphabet, which is the letter ayin,
which means every single word begins, the first word of each verse begins with ayin.
And so in the ESV, it says, for example, in verse 123, my eyes, so that is the ayin.
(09:33):
It's a slightly different form of that word, but it's the same root.
All right. So the principle I want us to see as we're, ironically,
I see, the principle I want us to see as we're taking a look at this psalm,
there's actually going to be a couple.
And the first one is along the lines of kind of a let's make a deal idea,
because I want us, I want me, I want
(09:58):
you to go into God's word with the expectation that God is going to act,
that God is going to do the right thing. We expect it.
And so we come to the word and we say, all right, Lord, here's what's happening in my life.
I might, I mean, bearing it on my shoulders, I'm carrying it with me in a sense,
but I'm going to set down that backpack full of whatever I've got going on in my life.
(10:21):
I'm going to set it down and I'm just going to approach your word for you.
And I'm going to, I'm just going to set everything else down around me.
And I'm going to get into your word and approach it for who you are.
And I'm going to have an expectation that you are going to act.
Listen again, as I read it again, how the psalmist has this expectation that God's going to act.
(10:46):
And this means he knows who God is.
He has a right understanding of who God is.
He has seen God act in the past. He has faith that he's going to act in the
future, and he is coming to God with a righteous heart.
He is taking what the New Testament teaches us in 1 John 1.9,
(11:10):
if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to do what?
Cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So the psalmist is going,
and if you've been listening to my dad's messages, you know my dad I believe
that Ezra wrote Psalm 119.
Please listen to his messages. So good. I wish he had done one on this section.
(11:30):
I would have been using it to help me.
But the psalmist is coming with that heart of having been cleansed.
Like, I know I'm right here.
I'm right with you. It's confidence. He's confident.
He's not constantly like, oh, I don't know if I'm worthy. I don't know.
No, he's confident. He knows. He has the same amount of confidence in his own righteousness.
(11:51):
Not out of pride. He's very humbly for God, but because he knows God,
he knows he's on the side of the right, what's right with God.
So listen to what he says.
I've done what is just and right, confidence, not kowtowing,
not meowing. Oh, I don't know. What was me? No.
So he says, don't leave me to my oppressors. Look, God, I'm on your side here.
(12:13):
Don't leave me. Don't abandon me to the bad guys here.
And then verse 122, and he has this approach of expectation from God.
Give me, give me your servant. Give me a pledge.
Let's make a deal. Pledge to me. This is the same word.
The idea is a mortgage payment, a payment that is surety, that holds together. other.
(12:36):
Everything is on the line. And God, give me that pledge, everything on the line of good.
And don't let the insolent oppress me. All right. And then he says in verse
123, my eyes long for your salvation.
The idea here is someone who is looking out across the horizon and in expectation.
Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, knowing for sure it's going to
(12:59):
happen, in longing for your salvation.
I'm looking out and I know that I know that you're going to come for me for
the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
And in your Bible, if you're taking notes right now, I want you to make a connection.
I want you to underline the word salvation. I want you to connect to righteous promise.
What is our salvation? It is a righteous promise. And the psalmist is fully
(13:20):
expectant that that is going to happen.
He has that much faith and trust, no doubt at all.
And then he says, let's make a deal in a sense.
It's not really that word, but it's deal with your servant according to your steadfast love.
In other words, I know I'm on the right side here, but I won't put up myself
for surety. I'm not putting myself up as a pledge.
(13:42):
You deal with me according to your steadfast love. Because there is nothing
more faithful, more sure, more true than the chesed, the steadfast love of the
Lord never ceases, right?
His mercies never come to an end. And deal with me according to your steadfast love.
(14:03):
There is nothing more faithful than that. And the psalmist knows it.
And what? Teach me your statutes. While I'm sitting here waiting,
I have absolute expectation in you.
Just continue to teach me your statutes. And I'm sitting here in the form of a servant.
Give me understanding then. I'm waiting. I'm ready to learn.
Give me understanding that I may know your testimonies.
(14:27):
Now, I love this idea of testimonies, because the idea of testimonies is the
idea of something that's already happened that I could put forth so that other
people can see, oh, God did that, right?
Right? When we say, I testify to this, we're putting up our hand in a pledge, like we're.
(14:47):
Like we're in a courtroom and we're testifying that it's true.
I may know your testimonies, the things that prove you to be true.
I want to constantly know them.
And he says, verse 126, kind of this middle sandwich, if you think of it that
way of this little section, it's time.
It's time. It's time for the Lord to act. I have an expectation and it's time for you, Yahweh, to act.
(15:11):
Your law has been broken. And again, we go back to, as we approach the word,
How do we study the Bible?
We study the Bible, confessing our sins, cleaning that slate before him,
and coming before him with the expectation that he is going to act on our behalf,
out of righteousness, out of his steadfast love, and it's time.
(15:31):
And so I can come before God and I can, it almost sounds like we're being too
demanding because we feel like we want to be careful, want to be super duper humble.
But I want us to approach the word of God and God and our time with God,
with boldness and say, God, I know I'm right here because I'm fully confessed up.
I've laid it all out. I've been willing to be taught by you and you've continued to teach me.
(15:55):
Therefore, let me just tell you right now, I'm 100% sure of this as a result
of everything I've saying. That's the word therefore.
I love your commandments.
And this is how much I love them, above gold, above fine gold.
Gold's great, but fine gold, even better, right?
And then the last Last verse, therefore, as a result of everything I've said,
therefore, wrapping it all up right here, I consider all your precepts to be
(16:18):
right. And just so we're clear, I hate every false way.
I hate it. I hate every false way too.
I hate it if it's in me and I hate it if it's in you and I hate it if it's in
the world. Why? Because I want to be on God's side.
I don't want to be personally on the side of wrong, the oppressors, the insolent. So...
(16:40):
It's why we have to approach the word with expectation, expectation,
where we go to God's word and in terms of the idea of how do I study the Bible?
How do I get into the Bible?
We prayed up, we confess our sins,
we are asking God to open up, open up our heart, make sure, clean us out,
(17:03):
and then we have an expectation he is going to act.
And again, with the focus of Ayin, the 16th letter of the alphabet,
verse 123, where is he looking?
He's looking out toward that horizon. My eyes long for your salvation,
for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
As you study the word, as you pray, as you become a better student,
(17:26):
better dweller in the word, that could be your prayer.
I long for your salvation, Lord.
Help me understand your will. Help me understand your way.
And I have an expectation that you're going to act. And I'm telling you right
now, Lord, this is time. It's time to act.
And so get on your knees, get on your knees for yourself, get on the knees for
(17:46):
your family, get on the knees for your husband, and get on your knees for your church.
Ask God, God, break through my church, break through our groups,
break through my own heart. I want to be on your side. I long for your salvation.
I look for it. My eyes are up for you.
I don't want anything else in the way. I hate every false way.
(18:10):
As we approach the Bible, as we decide what it looks like to study and dwell
in God's word, let's approach it with that type of boldness and expectation from God.
As always, I love being in the word with you. Leave a comment,
say hi, tell me what you're learning, engage back, let me hear from you.
And know as always, you are loved and you are prayed for. I look forward to
(18:34):
being back here again with you real soon. Bye-bye for now.
Welcome back. I'm Jennifer Richman, and this is the Dwelling Richly podcast,
where we love God, heart, soul, mind, and strength.
We are women who enthusiastically and intentionally dwell in the Word and let
the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.
You can find Bible studies and teaching like this on my blog and right here on the podcast.
So subscribe to this channel wherever you're listening and tap that little church bell.
(00:23):
If there's a notification bell, you can click so you can get notified whenever I drop a new episode.
Let's go ahead and get into the Word. All right. Well, again,
welcome back. And this is the How to Study the Bible series.
And you might be thinking, I haven't heard you do that intro before.
You're right. I have not done that intro for a while, and I'm bringing it back. I'm bringing it back.
(00:46):
And I kind of revisited some older podcasts. I thought, you know what?
I like that intro. I'm bringing that back. I'm bringing the music back.
I'm bringing it all back.
Here we are. And so, yeah, we're almost done. We're rounding the corner.
Hello, computer. Hello. We're rounding the corner to being done with our study
(01:07):
for the summer, which has been how to study the Bible.
And, you know, of course, we're in Psalm 119. And today we'll be opening up
the 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ayin, ayin, and dig into that, what that looks like.
And, you know, of course, the entire concept of this study, just a quick review
(01:27):
and reminder, especially for those of you who are new,
is to take principles from the Word of God that help us better fulfill the exhortation
from Colossians 3, verse 16,
which is the cornerstone foundational verse of this entire ministry,
Dwelling Richly, where it says, Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.
(01:54):
And then we return the favor.
We don't just do Bible study. We don't just check it off our list.
We don't just read the Bible.
We dwell in the word. We make it a rich time in the word, and we're careful
that we don't just turn it into something we're trying to get done.
So the point of this particular study has been to focus on principles that teach
(02:14):
us to inform us about how we can study the Bible.
And I mentioned this, I think in the last podcast, but I mentioned that I dig
into the word like this, and I really want to dig in, like really break down
all the scripture for this particular passage that we're on.
But that's not the.
(02:36):
Point of this particular study. And I've been thinking, I've been thinking more
and more that maybe it's time to do a deep dive, big, full-on study in Psalm 119.
And if you've been following the podcast and maybe my blog, you have seen,
I hope if you haven't, you need to because it's super awesome,
but you've seen the Rediscovering Dad series that I started.
(03:00):
I found my dad's cassettes from previous messages from way back in the olden
days, back in 1981, when he was teaching a Sunday school class at Newberry Park Baptist Church.
I was in, I was, it was like eighth grade. Yeah, about eighth grade, ninth grade.
Anyway, it doesn't matter. The point is I found the cassettes and I've been
remastering those and posting those.
(03:22):
And the, of course, the cassettes are, most of them are all from Psalm 119. Isn't that crazy?
Here I am teaching it or working through do it. And that's what happened,
just so happened in God's beautiful, amazing divine providence.
So anyway, all that to say, we are in a how to study the Bible mode.
And so we're letting scripture inform us and teach us and give us more principles
(03:45):
on how to be better students of the word, better dwellers in the word, right?
And so that's what we're going to continue to do. And maybe at a future point,
I would like to maybe integrate the teaching I got from my dad,
eight lessons from him, unfortunately, only those eight, and integrate those
(04:06):
with some of my own thoughts and studies and put together a full-on Bible study on Psalm 119.
That's what I'm thinking about, praying about, talking to the Lord about. out. So we'll see.
It'll be a while before I do that, but I will continue to talk to the Lord about
that and see what He leads me to do. All right, let's go ahead and get into the Word.
(04:26):
We're in again Psalm 119. We'll be in verses 121 through 128.
I'll be reading today again from the English Standard Version.
A question came up recently, what kind of Bible should I be reading from?
We've talked about this earlier, earlier, earlier in the beginning of this series,
and I Read a Bible that you can read.
How's that? There's a simple answer. Read a Bible that you can read.
(04:48):
Read a Bible that you can, you know, it's not so complicated to process.
You can't understand it. The English Standard Version is written at about a
6th or 7th grade reading level, believe it or not.
And so, no offense if you have trouble reading it, but it is,
if you look it up, it's about a middle school level, reading level.
(05:09):
There's other translations that are great. You can read the New International,
the New English translation.
I use both of those in my studies. New American Standard is a little more challenging.
King James is chunky for sure. But what I like about the ESV is it's just literal
enough to not interpret.
Honestly, here's a freebie, but all translation is interpretation.
(05:33):
You cannot move from one language to the next without some type of interpretation.
But in my humble opinion, the English Standard Version is readable,
and more often than not, I feel that it is more faithful to the original understanding,
and the original wording than other translations.
(05:57):
And I find even the NIV, which I enjoy, takes some liberties and does a little
bit more of the heavy lifting for us.
And I would rather just have the stricter reading of the word and we can work to understand it.
ESV has its own challenges. We can talk about that another time, but I like it.
That's what I use the most. And I use the N-E-T and the N-I-V.
(06:17):
There you go. There's my little tidbits on that.
All right. today. Let's go ahead and continue on. I'm excited to talk about this one.
We've got some great principles here for us today. So grab your Bible,
follow along, whatever translation you are reading from.
I will be putting in the show notes links to the Hebrew.
If you would like to practice and keep on working on your Hebrew,
make sure you look for those.
All right, let's go ahead and check this out.
(06:40):
Psalm 119 verses 121 through 128.
I have done what is just and right. I do not leave, not I do not,
but do not leave me to my oppressors.
I have done what is just and right. Do not leave me to my oppressors.
Give your servant a pledge of good. Let not the insolent oppress me.
(07:00):
My eyes, hold on, put a pin on that one. That's important.
My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love.
Ooh, there's that beautiful word we've talked about, chesed, before.
(07:21):
Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love and teach me your statutes. I am your servant.
Give me understanding that I may know your testimonies.
It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken.
Therefore, I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.
(07:42):
Therefore, I consider all your precepts to be right. I hate every false way.
Good, good, good stuff. All right. So the reason why I paused there and kind
of made mention of having put a pin in that on verse 123, it says, my eyes, my eyes.
(08:05):
So that That phrase, that word, my eyes, it actually is what this, what ayin means.
The letter, the 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet is the letter ayin, and it means eyes.
It means eyes. By extension, it means to see, all right?
(08:27):
It means to look, to understand, and because of the way the Hebrew language
is very holistic, Realistic.
It also means to obey. So in the same way that Shema means to hear,
it doesn't just mean to hear, it means to listen and obey.
So ayin is I, and it means to see, and it means to understand,
(08:48):
and it means also to obey.
So that's the connection there. Again, it's one of the reasons why I like the
ESV, because of the way they try their best to work the syntax,
text, which is the order of the words,
because we know Psalm 119 is all organized so that the first letter of every
word and the first word of every stanza begins with the letter,
(09:11):
the theme letter, I guess, if we want to say it that way, of that stanza.
So we're in the 16th letter of the alphabet, which is the letter ayin,
which means every single word begins, the first word of each verse begins with ayin.
And so in the ESV, it says, for example, in verse 123, my eyes, so that is the ayin.
(09:33):
It's a slightly different form of that word, but it's the same root.
All right. So the principle I want us to see as we're, ironically,
I see, the principle I want us to see as we're taking a look at this psalm,
there's actually going to be a couple.
And the first one is along the lines of kind of a let's make a deal idea,
because I want us, I want me, I want
(09:58):
you to go into God's word with the expectation that God is going to act,
that God is going to do the right thing. We expect it.
And so we come to the word and we say, all right, Lord, here's what's happening in my life.
I might, I mean, bearing it on my shoulders, I'm carrying it with me in a sense,
but I'm going to set down that backpack full of whatever I've got going on in my life.
(10:21):
I'm going to set it down and I'm just going to approach your word for you.
And I'm going to, I'm just going to set everything else down around me.
And I'm going to get into your word and approach it for who you are.
And I'm going to have an expectation that you are going to act.
Listen again, as I read it again, how the psalmist has this expectation that God's going to act.
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And this means he knows who God is.
He has a right understanding of who God is.
He has seen God act in the past. He has faith that he's going to act in the
future, and he is coming to God with a righteous heart.
He is taking what the New Testament teaches us in 1 John 1.9,
(11:10):
if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to do what?
Cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So the psalmist is going,
and if you've been listening to my dad's messages, you know my dad I believe
that Ezra wrote Psalm 119.
Please listen to his messages. So good. I wish he had done one on this section.
(11:30):
I would have been using it to help me.
But the psalmist is coming with that heart of having been cleansed.
Like, I know I'm right here.
I'm right with you. It's confidence. He's confident.
He's not constantly like, oh, I don't know if I'm worthy. I don't know.
No, he's confident. He knows. He has the same amount of confidence in his own righteousness.
(11:51):
Not out of pride. He's very humbly for God, but because he knows God,
he knows he's on the side of the right, what's right with God.
So listen to what he says.
I've done what is just and right, confidence, not kowtowing,
not meowing. Oh, I don't know. What was me? No.
So he says, don't leave me to my oppressors. Look, God, I'm on your side here.
(12:13):
Don't leave me. Don't abandon me to the bad guys here.
And then verse 122, and he has this approach of expectation from God.
Give me, give me your servant. Give me a pledge.
Let's make a deal. Pledge to me. This is the same word.
The idea is a mortgage payment, a payment that is surety, that holds together. other.
(12:36):
Everything is on the line. And God, give me that pledge, everything on the line of good.
And don't let the insolent oppress me. All right. And then he says in verse
123, my eyes long for your salvation.
The idea here is someone who is looking out across the horizon and in expectation.
Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, knowing for sure it's going to
(12:59):
happen, in longing for your salvation.
I'm looking out and I know that I know that you're going to come for me for
the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
And in your Bible, if you're taking notes right now, I want you to make a connection.
I want you to underline the word salvation. I want you to connect to righteous promise.
What is our salvation? It is a righteous promise. And the psalmist is fully
(13:20):
expectant that that is going to happen.
He has that much faith and trust, no doubt at all.
And then he says, let's make a deal in a sense.
It's not really that word, but it's deal with your servant according to your steadfast love.
In other words, I know I'm on the right side here, but I won't put up myself
for surety. I'm not putting myself up as a pledge.
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You deal with me according to your steadfast love. Because there is nothing
more faithful, more sure, more true than the chesed, the steadfast love of the
Lord never ceases, right?
His mercies never come to an end. And deal with me according to your steadfast love.
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There is nothing more faithful than that. And the psalmist knows it.
And what? Teach me your statutes. While I'm sitting here waiting,
I have absolute expectation in you.
Just continue to teach me your statutes. And I'm sitting here in the form of a servant.
Give me understanding then. I'm waiting. I'm ready to learn.
Give me understanding that I may know your testimonies.
(14:27):
Now, I love this idea of testimonies, because the idea of testimonies is the
idea of something that's already happened that I could put forth so that other
people can see, oh, God did that, right?
Right? When we say, I testify to this, we're putting up our hand in a pledge, like we're.
(14:47):
Like we're in a courtroom and we're testifying that it's true.
I may know your testimonies, the things that prove you to be true.
I want to constantly know them.
And he says, verse 126, kind of this middle sandwich, if you think of it that
way of this little section, it's time.
It's time. It's time for the Lord to act. I have an expectation and it's time for you, Yahweh, to act.
(15:11):
Your law has been broken. And again, we go back to, as we approach the word,
How do we study the Bible?
We study the Bible, confessing our sins, cleaning that slate before him,
and coming before him with the expectation that he is going to act on our behalf,
out of righteousness, out of his steadfast love, and it's time.
(15:31):
And so I can come before God and I can, it almost sounds like we're being too
demanding because we feel like we want to be careful, want to be super duper humble.
But I want us to approach the word of God and God and our time with God,
with boldness and say, God, I know I'm right here because I'm fully confessed up.
I've laid it all out. I've been willing to be taught by you and you've continued to teach me.
(15:55):
Therefore, let me just tell you right now, I'm 100% sure of this as a result
of everything I've saying. That's the word therefore.
I love your commandments.
And this is how much I love them, above gold, above fine gold.
Gold's great, but fine gold, even better, right?
And then the last Last verse, therefore, as a result of everything I've said,
therefore, wrapping it all up right here, I consider all your precepts to be
(16:18):
right. And just so we're clear, I hate every false way.
I hate it. I hate every false way too.
I hate it if it's in me and I hate it if it's in you and I hate it if it's in
the world. Why? Because I want to be on God's side.
I don't want to be personally on the side of wrong, the oppressors, the insolent. So...
(16:40):
It's why we have to approach the word with expectation, expectation,
where we go to God's word and in terms of the idea of how do I study the Bible?
How do I get into the Bible?
We prayed up, we confess our sins,
we are asking God to open up, open up our heart, make sure, clean us out,
(17:03):
and then we have an expectation he is going to act.
And again, with the focus of Ayin, the 16th letter of the alphabet,
verse 123, where is he looking?
He's looking out toward that horizon. My eyes long for your salvation,
for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
As you study the word, as you pray, as you become a better student,
(17:26):
better dweller in the word, that could be your prayer.
I long for your salvation, Lord.
Help me understand your will. Help me understand your way.
And I have an expectation that you're going to act. And I'm telling you right
now, Lord, this is time. It's time to act.
And so get on your knees, get on your knees for yourself, get on the knees for
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your family, get on the knees for your husband, and get on your knees for your church.
Ask God, God, break through my church, break through our groups,
break through my own heart. I want to be on your side. I long for your salvation.
I look for it. My eyes are up for you.
I don't want anything else in the way. I hate every false way.
(18:10):
As we approach the Bible, as we decide what it looks like to study and dwell
in God's word, let's approach it with that type of boldness and expectation from God.
As always, I love being in the word with you. Leave a comment,
say hi, tell me what you're learning, engage back, let me hear from you.
And know as always, you are loved and you are prayed for. I look forward to
(18:34):
being back here again with you real soon. Bye-bye for now.
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