Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Psalm 119: God’s Sufficient Word - Part I

Episode Date: February 2, 2023

In this episode, Jonny Ardavanis breaks down the first 11 stanzas of Psalm 119. This 119th Psalm is easily the longest chapter in the Bible, but the length of this psalm is equal to its profound depth of meaning. In this two-part series, I want to look at the 22 stanzas within this psalm and in doing so, detail 22 profound tragedies that come from neglecting God’s word in your life. Contrastly, there are within this psalm 22 blessings, 22 great and wonderful promises made to those, who like this psalm's author, commit their lives to the word of God.Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artavanis and this is Dial-In. In this episode, I will begin what is a short two-part series on Psalm 119. The 119th Psalm is often known for its length, as it is the longest chapter in all of the scripture. But sadly, because of its length, the beauty and depth of this psalm is often ignored. I want to look at the major themes within this psalm in this episode and in the following episode. After that, I will begin the series that was promised on the subjects of work, laziness, rest, and Sabbath. I've been working on and preparing for that study, and I'm excited for that to release in the weeks ahead. Well, without further ado, let's dial in. We live in a world where the Bible is increasingly marginalized and shoved into the corners of society, not just amongst those who oppose Christ, but in many contemporary churches,

many so-called Christian universities, many Christian companies. They want to do away with the Bible, or at least the parts they don't like, or the areas that aren't easy to swallow. Many attempt to distort and diminish the power and sufficiency of God's Word in your life and in my life. I want to draw our attention and focus our hearts upon the truth of Scripture in hopes that you are resolute in your commitment and diligent with your time to prioritize God's precious Word. This 119th Psalm is easily the longest chapter in the Bible, but the length of this Psalm is equal to its profound depth of meaning. In this two-part series, I want to look at the 22 stanzas within this Psalm,

and in doing so, detail 22 profound tragedies that come from neglecting God's word in your life. Contrastly, there is within the Psalm 22 tremendous blessings, 22 great and wonderful promises that's made to those who, like this Psalm's author, commit their life to the word of God. I want to give you an introduction to this long and voluminous Psalm before we begin. As mentioned, the unmistakable theme within the psalm is the Word of God. Out of the 176 verses, 175 of them speak specifically to the ministry of the Word of God in your life. The emphasis of those verses is not necessarily on the inspiration of Scripture, nor the infallibility of the Word of God. The focus is on the power, the sufficiency of God's holy word. The sufficiency of the Bible

means that scripture teaches us how to live for God. It equips us how to serve God and elevates our hearts and informs our minds to trust and know God. In Psalm 119, we find an expansion of the first three verses of Psalm 1. The first Psalm is intentionally placed at the beginning of the book of Psalms because of its message. It stands as an introduction to the Psalms, the doorway into the Psalms, and tells us from the very beginning how you and I can live a life of blessing. Psalm 1 details the reality that the blessed man is the man who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night. In verse 2, it's going to say the same thing in Psalm 1. There's this blessing attached to the man who devotes his life to the scripture.

Psalm 119 is a doubling down of the first Psalm. Psalm 119 becomes a much larger exposition of that which was given in precise exposition at the beginning. In similar fashion to how the 119th Psalm compounds on the teaching of the first Psalm, it also has much similarity with the 19th Psalm. In Psalm 19, verses 7 through 9, there are six titles, six perfections, and six effects that the Word of God has on our life. You can read more about these titles, perfections, and effects in an article I wrote on the For the Gospel blog. The one title of scripture that David gives in the 19th Psalm that draws my attention is when David says, the law of the Lord is perfect. The word perfect not only implies

the purity of scripture, but the sufficiency of scripture. When the psalmist says that the law of the Lord is perfect, he means that it lacks nothing. There is nothing you need to live your Christian life that you cannot find in your Bible. Everything that is needed to know the will of God and to do the work of God is contained within the scripture. Do you believe that? The sufficiency of scripture doesn't mean that the Bible is going to tell you who to marry exactly, but what kind of girl you should marry. The Bible doesn't tell you where you should live, but it gives you principles to live discerningly and wisely.

Everything necessary and everything God requires of us in Scripture is in Scripture, and because Scripture is perfect, we are forbidden to take away from or add to it. We don't need new dreams, new prophecies, or new traditions. God's word is perfect, meaning that when the Bible speaks, God speaks. A couple of notes on the structure of this psalm before we jump in to the tragedies of neglecting this book. There is nothing haphazard about the constitution of this 119th psalm. There is extreme intentionality, precision, and symmetry. In this Psalm, there are 22 stanzas of 8 verses, totaling 176 verses.

This Psalm is perfectly ordered and arranged. For each and every single verse, there are two lines, an A line and then a B line. No verse in the entire psalm contains either one line or three lines. Every verse contains two. Furthermore, all eight verses of the first stanza begin with Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. All eight verses of the second stanza begin with Bet, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This type of structure and symmetry continues all the way through the 22nd stanza with every verse in that 22nd stanza beginning with the

22nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There is an amazing order, an amazing design and structure of the psalm. And the message within that structure is saying something to you. If you devote your life to this book, there will be balance, order, structure, peace, and symmetry to your life. In this psalm, there are 14 titles for the word of God. And with this, we are to deduce that the Bible is so perfect and so complete that no one title entirely encapsulates the whole of the entirety of scripture. In the first stanza alone, verses 1 through 8, every verse contains a reference to the word of God. And in those eight verses, there are seven titles for the word of God, and only five and eight verses, five and eight, have overlap.

The psalmist throughout Psalm 119 is going to refer to the Bible as the law. This means that the Bible is authoritative. The Bible doesn't give us suggestions to consider, but laws to follow. The word law is mentioned 25 times in the psalm. The author will also refer to the word of God as the testimonies of God, the witness of who God is. Now, when someone gives their testimony, they speak out of their heart and out of their mind and share their experience. This is what the Bible is for God himself. It is the testimony concerning who he is. And the psalmist will refer to the word of God as the testimonies of God 23 times in the psalm. It will also refer to the word of God as the ways of God or the precepts of God,

the statutes of God, the commandments of God, the judgments of God, the word of God. The psalmist who I take to be David writes his magnum opus on the scripture. And what I will set out to do in this episode is, as I've mentioned, not necessarily to go verse by verse, although that is a worthy study, but rather to extract 22 of the main themes, one from each of these 22 stanzas, all of these themes having to do with what you do with God's holy word. From these 22 stanzas, I will focus on 22 tragedies that result from neglecting the word of God in your life.

I'll cover 11 tragedies in this episode and 11 in the following. Buckle up with me. We will go fast. Section number one or stanza number one. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit blessing in my life. Psalm 119 verse one says, how blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. How blessed are those who observe his testimonies, who seek him with all of their heart. The blessed ones, the happy ones, are not those with full bank accounts or academic or athletic achievements. The happy ones are those whose life is saturated with the word of God. The Bible says happy, cheerful, delighted, rejoicing are those whose heart roots sink deeply into the soil of God's word. So blessed, he will say it again in verse two, how blessed. Blessedness

is ascribed to those who treasure up the testimonies of God. And in their searching of the scripture, there comes an understanding. And in their understanding a love. And in their love for scripture and the God who wrote it, there comes an obedience to the scripture. This produces a life marked by the blessing of God. From the outset, the psalmist wants to ask you a question, whether you're at home or in the car or in your bedroom. Do you want to live a life of blessing? Well, then devote your life to the scripture

and write this on the tablet of your heart. If I neglect God's word, I neglect God's blessing in my life. Stanza number two, if I neglect the word of God, I forfeit purity. The psalmist asks a question in verses nine through 11. How can a young man keep his way pure? And then he gives us the answer By keeping it according to your word With all of my heart I have sought you Do not let me wander from your commandments

Verse 11 Your word I have treasured in my heart That I may not sin against you Has there ever been a more important question? And was there ever a more important time Than to ask this question in a man's youth? That question being How can a young man keep his way pure?

The answer is simple, by keeping it according to the word of God. Although the answer to this important question is simple, it is no easy task. Souls are ravaged because what is fundamental and known is often neglected and ignored. There is no nobler ambition that can lie before a young man than to be pure. But nothing might be more difficult than living a life of purity in a world of pollution and impurity. The world, the flesh, and the devil seek to destroy young men and young women alike, and the broad road that leads to destruction is easy to find. But the narrow road of purity is never stumbled upon. It is followed precisely by following the map that

is God's word. The psalmist testifies to a certain reality. It is not enough to desire purity. It must be sought by pursuing and permeating our minds with the precious truth of scripture. The Christian is to seek God with their whole heart in his word because as they do so, it's not just that they are reminded of the warnings against impurity, even though there are many, but it's that as we do so, we are thrust into greater communion and intimacy with God. And increased intimacy results in increased hatred of sin and increased love for righteousness. Write this on your heart. If I neglect God's word, I neglect the path to purity. And if God's word is not my priority, neither is my purity. Stanza number three, if I neglect the word of God, I forfeit wisdom in my life.

Psalm 119 verses 23 and 24, David says, even though princes sit and talk against me, your servant meditates on your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight. They are my counselors. The word of God gives you wisdom and perspective that men cannot provide. Do you need wisdom in your life? Well, look to the word of God. Are you praying through a relationship, your future? Well, wisdom awaits you in the word of God. While David's enemies took counsel with each other against him, David took counsel from the word of God.

If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously, the book of James says. But how does God give his wisdom generously? Well, because he has provided all we need pertaining to a life of godliness within his word. Write this on your heart. If I neglect the word of God, I neglect the wisdom of God in my life. The fourth stanza gives us a fourth tragedy of neglecting the word of God. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit strength from God. The psalmist will say in verses 25, my soul cleaves to the dust. Revive me according to your word. He'll then say in verse 28, my soul weeps because of grief.

Strengthen me according to what? Your word. Question for you. Are you downcast? Are you in despair? Well, the word of God will lift you up. David says his soul cleaves to the dust, meaning that he felt like sorrow was a super glued reality to his life. He then will say my soul weeps,

meaning that he melts with heaviness of heart and felt like he was powerless to raise himself from the sorrow that he felt. Have you ever felt this way? This is why the psalmist says in verse 28, strengthen me according to your word. David is saying I can't lift my soul out of this pit. Only God's word can give me strength. In Psalm 19, 7, David will also say that the word of God revives the soul. The word of God offers spiritual electrolytes for your spiritually

depleted soul. The word of the Lord is what created us and it is what sustains us and strengthens us in the midst of life's storms. Write this on your heart. If I neglect the word of God, I neglect the strength that only God can provide. The fifth stanza gives us a fifth tragedy of neglecting this precious book. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit joy. The psalmist will say in Psalm 119 verse 35, make me walk in the path of your commandments for I delight in it. Maybe you've been told that there is joy in the Lord. Yes, that is true. But the joy that is found in the Lord is only expressed and experienced by the obedient. The psalmist says, make me walk in the path of your commandments because this obedience to the word of God stems from an understanding of it in the previous verse.

And this understanding of scripture produces an affection for God and his word. And then the spirit of God convinces the heart of the beauty of living in obedience. And the joy that comes from that is inevitable. How can you and I have joy regardless of the circumstances? Well, you can rest confidently in the character of the God you call Father. But without God's word, you are a stranger to the character of God. And consequently, you are a stranger to unassailable joy. Write this on your heart. If I neglect the word of God, I neglect the joy that only God can provide. The sixth stanza gives us a sixth theme. If I neglect the

word of God, I forfeit an understanding of the love of God. In verse 41 of Psalm 119, David says, may your loving kindness also come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your word. We thank God for his love, but often fail to contemplate his love because our lives are often inconsistent in the word of God, which details and declares his love for us. The love of God is a declared reality throughout the scripture. God himself will say in Isaiah 54 10, though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you. In John 15, verse 12, Jesus will say, I have loved you. In John 13, 34, Jesus will say, as I have loved you, love one another. God's love comes to

the psalmist through the word of God, because in that word, God declares his love and demonstrates his love through what? Well, the psalmist tells us your salvation according to your word. Do you ever doubt the love of God, that he truly and deeply loves you? Could I suggest that it might be because you are weak in the word? David prays, may your love come to me, O God. How? By means of the study of scripture. Write this on your heart. If I neglect God's word, I forfeit depth in my understanding of God's love for me. The seventh stanza, if I neglect the word of God, I forfeit hope in my life. In verses 49 and 50, David will say, remember the word to your servant in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction that your word

has revived me. God never gives hope that is untethered to reality. The hope of the Christian is never disappointed because God never excites false hope and always keeps his promises. The hope offered to us in the scripture is not like the hope of the world. The hope of the world is rooted in wishful thinking. The hope of the Bible is rooted in a God who cannot lie and who keeps his promises to us. Although the Christian hope is different from the hope of the world, your life will be starved of hope if it's not cemented in God's word. Write this on your heart. If I neglect God's word, I neglect the hope his word provides.

The eighth stanza gives us a eighth tragedy if we neglect this word. We forfeit the favor of God. In verse 58, David will say, I sought your favor with all of my heart. Be gracious to me according to your word. Do you want the smile or the favor of God upon your life? Have you ever cried out like Moses in Psalm 90 verse 17 when he says, let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and confirm for us the work of our hands?

Yes, confirm the work of our hands. The psalmist is saying, oh God, I know that only the endeavors that you bless actually last. And for that reason, the psalmist is crying out in verse 58, I want the favor of God upon my life. Well, God extends his favor and presence to those who live according to his word, not favor in the materialistic or monetary sense, but the favor that you and I need most, that being the grace of God. The favor of God is seen as he extends to us his grace

and enables us to live according to his truth. This draws our attention to something important. The favor of God upon our life is never earned. It is always a mercy. It's always a work of grace. Write this on your heart. If I neglect God's word, I forfeit the favor of God upon my life. Are you tracking with me?

Just in this regard, God uses means and instruments to provide his favor. And although he is sovereign, we will give an account because we are responsible to seek his favor as we see in this 58th verse. I want God's favor in my life. Don't you? Well, the ninth stanza gives us a ninth theme. In verses 65 and 66, we see that if we neglect the word of God, we forfeit discernment in our life. David will say, you have dealt well with your servant, in verse 65, O Lord, according to your word. And then in verse 66, he says, Last year, I asked Pastor John MacArthur what he thought the greatest danger was facing the church today.

And he responded by saying, well, what's the greatest danger in the human body? And he said, a weak immune system. Because if you have a weak immune system, you could die of a thousand different diseases. He then said in the church, it's the same thing, a weak immune system, which means that there's an inability in the Christian to discern truth from error. Discernment is absolutely crucial if we are to live a life that honors God. And God gives generously his discernment to eager eaters of truth. The wise man or woman recognize their own ignorance and runs to the word of God to provide perspective that they do not possess. The Holy Spirit working through the word of God enables us to draw hard

lines when necessary and to live balanced when necessary. Write this on your heart. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit discernment from God. The 10th stanza gives us a 10th theme. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit influence over others. In verses 74 and then again in 79, David will detail this very reality. In verse 74, he says, May those who fear you see me and be glad because I wait for your word. In verse 79, he says, May those who fear you, watch this, turn to me, even those who know your testimonies. Leadership isn't always thrust upon those who previously had no interest in leading. 1 Timothy 3 says that if anyone aspires

to be an elder, it is a what? A noble, fine, and good thing. Do you want to be a leader? Well, David expresses his desire to be a leader, an influence that others may follow. So he prays, may those who fear you turn to me, God, even those who know your testimonies. David wants to be an influence, not for David's glory and for David's recognition, but for God's glory and God's exaltation. And only those who understand and obey God's word can look around and say, hey, everybody, follow me. Paul says this very thing. He says, follow me as I follow Christ. Here the psalmist prays, O Lord, as I look to your word and obey it, allow for me to be a catalyst for others to fear you,

to serve you, to love you. Oh, I want others to come magnify the Lord with me. Write this on your heart. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit influence for the kingdom of God. This 11th stanza gives us our 11th theme for this episode. And that is, if I neglect the word of God, I forfeit the comfort that can come from God. And we see this in verses 81 and 82. And then again, in verse 88, David says, my soul languishes for your salvation. I wait for your word. In verse 82, he says, my eyes fail with longing for your word

while I say, when will you comfort me? Verse 88, revive me according to your loving kindness so that I may keep the testimony of your mouth. In the midst of great weariness, anguish, and even depression at times, David in the bottom of the pit cried out to God to provide him with what he couldn't provide for himself. His eyes are failing because he has been waiting for something for a long time, and sometimes eyes speak louder than words. And David's eyes, amidst the tears, cry out, O God, comfort me according to your precious word. The comfort God provides is not merely a hand on your shoulder. It's a hand of strength that lifts you up. The comfort God provides is not merely a hand on your shoulder. It's a hand of strength that lifts you up. The etymology of the word comfort itself should show

us this. This comes from a compound word, kum, which means with, and forte, which means strength. So comfort means with strength. The comfort of God is the strength to pick us up when we are cast down. And David asks, when will you comfort me, O God? Meaning that David expected no real comfort in this life other than the comfort that comes from heaven. Have you ever felt comforted in a way that only God can provide? Well, this is a familiar experience by those who are mature in Christ. Isn't it precious that God is our comforter? He comforts us. And David says this happens through his word.

Write this on your heart. If I neglect the word of God, I neglect the comfort that only God can provide. Don't you want to live in your life and devote your life to God's precious word? This book alone promises blessing. It promises purity and wisdom, strength, joy, an understanding of God's love, the hand of God's favor, the discernment that comes from God, influence for the kingdom of God, and the comfort that comes from him. We will pick up the rest of these themes

in the next 11 stanzas in our next episode. But until then, stay dialed in.