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

Episode Date: February 9, 2023

In this episode, Jonny Ardavanis looks at the second half of Psalm 119. As noted in the previous episode, the immense length of this Psalm is equal to its profound depth of meaning. In this episode, Jonny details 11 heartbreaking tragedies that occur when we neglect God’s sufficient Word. If you haven’t already listened to the first episode in this series we encourage you to do so as it sets the framework for this wonderful passage of Scripture. Let’s Dial In!Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Erdovanis and this is Dial In. In this short series, we are considering the 119th Psalm, a psalm that is often noted for its length being the longest chapter in the Bible, but the length of this psalm is only matched by its profound depth as it fixes our attention upon the sufficiency of Scripture. As noted in our previous episode, 175 out of the 176 verses in this psalm speak directly to the power of the Bible in the Christian's life. In this episode, we will consider the final 11 stanzas and consequently 11 great tragedies when we neglect this precious book.

Let's dial in. Are you struggling with a certain besetting sin? The psalmist, who I take to be David, says, turn here. Turn to the scripture. Are you anxious about the future or despairing because of events in the past? The psalmist says, turn to God's word. Are you considering big decisions and desire the wisdom that comes from God as you navigate life's highways? The psalmist says, turn to God's precious book. As we covered in our previous episode, the first 11 stanzas of this psalm provide for us 11 great themes on God's word.

These are great blessings and promises to those who commit their life to God's word. And conversely, because these promises are only available to those who come to the well of God's word and drink, it is a great tragedy when those who possess this precious book neglect and forfeit what God offers through it. The first great forfeiture we looked at last week was the forfeiture of blessing when we don't commit our lives to God's word. The first great forfeiture we looked at last week was the forfeiture of blessing when we don't commit our lives to God's word. The opening verse of the psalm, as we will consider briefly before jumping into the final 11 stanzas, the psalmist says, how blessed is the man whose way is blameless, who walks according to the law of the Lord. How blessed are those who keep his

statutes, who seek him with all of their heart. To be blessed by God is to have God look upon your life with favor. But the blessing God provides also results in an internal and subjective state of true happiness. When the psalmist says, how blessed, he is saying, oh, how happy is the man that would turn here, that would devote their life to the scripture. And then what's the first thing he says after that? He says, how blessed are those whose way is blameless. To be blameless means to be holy. Therefore, the blessed man, the happy man is the holy man. The Christian can never find true happiness outside of personal holiness. Holiness and happiness are conjoined twins. And the reason the man is blessed is because his life is tethered, anchored, and planted in God's word.

Let me ask you a question that I asked at the beginning of the previous episode. Do you want a life of blessing? Do you want God's favor upon your life? The psalmist says, turn here, turn to God's word. As we come to the 12th stanza, we come to a great theme as we will consider that when we forfeit God's word, we forfeit life itself. In verse 92, David will say, if your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. David is not speaking figuratively here. I believe he is referencing points of pain and grief that were so

deep and so real that at times he wasn't sure if he would make it. There were times in his life where he was so close to danger, whether that was from the neighboring armies of the Philistines or from his father-in-law Saul, his life was lived on the edge. Now I feel fierce when I kill a spider, but David, David is a warrior. He's not dramatic. He kills bears and lions with his hands and he beheads giants. But he knows real grief, sorrow, and rejection and pain. And David says, if it wasn't for divine grace, my affliction might have thrust me into the grave.

But scripture cheered David's heart amidst the storms of life. David says, God uses his word to restore me, to revive me. One thing to note in verse 93, David says, by them you have revived me. Meaning that the psalmist here is always connecting the stream of power to the source of power. It's not just that the words of God revive him. It's that God himself employing his revealed word upholds David through the scripture. So write this on your heart. If I neglect God's word, my life, my vitality hangs in the balance. The 13th section gives us a 13th theme. When I forfeit or neglect God's word, I forfeit obedience in my life. We see this theme in verses 101 through 103. David says, I have restrained my feet from every evil way that

I may keep your word. He says, I have not turned aside from your ordinances for you yourself have taught me. David had previously said in verse 97 that he loves God's word. He says, oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all day long. David loves the scripture and his meditation upon it is both the cause and the fruit of his love for God. His familiarity for the scripture breeds an affection for the author of it. And because he loves God, he longs to obey God. He says, oh, that I may keep your word. I want to restrain my feet from every evil way. It's one thing to know the scriptures.

It's an entirely different thing to long to obey them. Now, why does David long to obey? Well, in verse 103, he says, how sweet are your words to my taste? Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Question for you. Are the words of God sweet to you? Do you merely hear them or do you feed upon them? Are they your greatest delight? David can hardly measure the degree of the sweetness that comes from knowing God intimately. So he just cries out how how sweet. This is far more satisfying and wonderful than any other sin. Whether those words in the scripture be the promises of God or the warnings of God, all of God's words are wonderful. Therefore, the psalmist tells us that he restrains himself from every evil way

because he longs to keep and obey the word that he loves. And as he meditates on what he loves, sin becomes something not just that he rejects, but something that he detests. And in verse 104, something that he hates. Obedience is natural when sin becomes distasteful. David has a revulsion of everything untrue and everything ungodly. Write this on your heart. If I neglect God's word, I cannot possibly obey it. Now in the 14th stanza, we come to a 14th theme. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit illumination in my life. In verses 105 and 110, David will say, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. And then in verse 110, he says, the wicked have laid a snare for me,

yet I have not gone astray from your precepts. We walk and we live in a world of darkness. If you don't have, though, the light of God's word, you will fall. You simply cannot know your way around this dark, defiled, and polluted world if you do not firmly grasp the torch that is God's word. The word of God is your light in two ways. Number one, the word of God provides you with knowledge that helps you make decisions. The with who, how to, and where to questions of life are answered by the illumination that comes from scripture. Secondly, wickedness is crafty. Sin is strategic. It is aggressive. And God's word is the light you need to reveal what sin is. Satan is a hunter.

The wicked are trappers. And sin is a snare. And you will be tackled, tangled, and trapped if God's word does not show you the way to life. In verse 110, David says, the wicked have laid a snare for me. You need to understand something. The Christian life is not just hard. It's impossible. Spiritual dangers await us from every side and only God's power working through his word and as he works in our lives through his spirit, through which we can be enabled to see the

darkness for what it really is. Write this on your heart. If I neglect God's word, I walk in the dark. Now the 15th stanza gives us a 15th theme. If I neglect the scripture, I forfeit the fear of the Lord. In verse 120, David says, My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments. Have you ever truly

stood in awe of God? Such was David's response after meditating on the word of God. Do you want what older men or older women have in regards to their fear of the Lord? Well, then you need to plant the roots of your life near the stream of the living words of God. Calvin once said that we cannot understand who we are until we first understand who God is, but we will never know who God is unless we revel in the revelation that he has given to us. It is only as we behold God's holiness, justice, love, mercy, and sovereignty that we are compelled to stand in awe of him. David says his flesh trembles for fear of God, not the servile fear of a prisoner before his torturers, but the filial fear, which means the fear of a child who compares the smallness of his own hand dwarfed in the palm of his father's. David elsewhere talks about this awe of God in Psalm 8 when he says, Oh God, when I consider the heavens, the moon, and the stars that you have ordained, what is man that you would even think of me? How does the psalmist possess

such an awe of God? Well, the answer is simple. Much devotion to scripture, much awe of God. Write this question on your heart. Do I want to fear God? Well, then write this answer down. Then I must devote my life to his holy word. Well, the 16th stanza gives us a 16th theme. If I neglect the scripture, I forfeit truth. In verse 128, David says, therefore, I esteem right all your precepts concerning everything. I hate every false way. In contrast to every false way, the word of God is the only true way. David is saying, I love your word because it's the only thing I know for certain is certain. And as he grows in his understanding and love for the truth, he grows in his hatred of error.

David says, I esteem God's word concerning everything, meaning that if something contradicts the word of God, it contradicts the convictions of David. I esteem everything within this book to be true, David says. He then says, I hate every false way. A true believer is as adamant in what they hate as they are adamant about what they love. What's the answer to so much of the problems that we see today? Well, a suppression of truth, a neglect of the truth of God's word. So write this down. If I neglect the word of God, I neglect the truth that can only come from a God who cannot lie. Well, the 17th stanza gives us a 17th great theme. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit conviction.

In verse 133, David says, Establish my footsteps in your word, and do not let iniquity have dominion over me. When David prays that God would establish his footsteps in his word, he is praying the prayer of 1 Samuel 2, 9, which says the Lord keeps the steps of his saints. The word of God is used in this life for a believer that is to orient and establish his steps along a narrow path. David is saying, oh God, please set me in the direction to walk in your ways and enable me, God, through your word and by the power of your spirit to not turn

left or right. David says, I will march straight as the rudder of the word of God steers my life. And as I am steered by scripture, I will not succumb to or surrender to the iniquity that seeks to exercise dominion over me. When tempted by the king's food and drink, Daniel refused to compromise. And he said that he would not defile himself. It says that he purposed and resolved in his heart that he would obey God. But where do he draw the lines of conviction? Well, Daniel drew his lines of conviction upon the ruler of the word of God. So write this on your heart. If I neglect God's word, I forfeit conviction in my life. The 18th theme we find in the 18th stanza in verses 139 and 140. David says, my zeal has consumed me because my adversaries have forgotten your words. Your word is very pure. He then says this, and I like this. He says,

therefore, your servant loves it. Many people sometimes ask, where are the Whitfields of the day? Where are the Edwards and the D.L. Moody's of our day? Well, what was so special about them? Well, they loved the word of God. And the question that you must personally consider is how can you possibly be passionate about someone you do not know? The men and women most used by God are not always those who have the most gifting. Typically, it's those who are consumed with zeal and passion for the glory of God and for the word of God. David could not bear to think that others did not know, understand, or obey the words of God. Are you deeply burdened for those who don't understand or even possess the truth? David was.

And that's why he says in verse 140, therefore, your servant loves the scripture. He's saying, this is the best. Maybe you would say you're a passionate person, but are you passionate about the right things and about the right one? Are you passionate about God himself? Write this on your heart. If I neglect God's word, I forfeit the passion his word provides because it alone allows me to know the person of Jesus Christ. In the 19th stanza, we find the 19th theme.

If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit the intimacy that I can have with God. In verse 147 and 151, David says, I rise before dawn and cry for help. I wait for your words. He says, you are near, O Lord, in 151, and all of your commandments are truth. Do you actually know God or do you know just about God? In verse 148, David says that he longs for midnight. Why? Because it's at that time when everyone else is asleep that David has the

freedom and the liberty and the privacy to meditate upon the words of God. The word of God is David's meat and drink. They sustain him and energize him. But not only that, it says in verse 151, that through God's word, David experiences the nearness of God. Obviously, David, the one who wrote Psalm 139, knew that God is everywhere. In 139, David will say, where can I go from your spirit or where can I flee from your presence? David knew that God was omni and is omnipresent. But there is a difference between knowing that he is near theologically and sensing that God is near in your life personally. And as David meditates on the word of God,

the presence of God becomes all the more real to him. David doesn't want to doctrinally affirm God's presence or God's goodness. He wants to taste and see God's goodness and he wants to experience God's nearness. David was a man after God's own heart because his heart was intimately conjoined with God's precious word. Write this on your heart. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit intimacy with God. In the 20th stanza, we find a 20th theme. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit

salvation. In verse 155, David says, salvation is far from the wicked. Now why? Why is salvation far from the wicked? He says, for they do not seek your statutes. The reason salvation is foreign to those who live in wickedness is because the word of God is foreign to them. Destruction is the destiny of those who do not know the word of God. In Romans 10, it says, faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Therefore, those who do not know the word of God can never be saved. David's daily reliance was upon the love and mercy of God. And God's word details not only the salvation that we need

in order that we might be made right with God, but the salvation we need in order that we might be made right with God, but the salvation we need from temptation and fear and anxiety. We are being saved. It says in first Corinthians that we are saved and are being saved until one day we are totally saved. And from beginning to end without the scripture, we are totally damned. But David bids us to consider these truths and write the following on our hearts. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit salvation. In the 21st stanza, we find a 21st theme as we begin to land the plane on this wonderful psalm. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit praise.

David says in verse 164, seven times a day, I praise you because of your righteous ordinances. God's word is God's reminder to live a life of praise. David says in verse 162, that I will rejoice at your word as one who finds great spoil, spoil meaning riches. The word of God, which produces an awe of God, serves as a catalyst for the joy that can only come from a life of frequent praise to God. The loot gleaned here from David's excavation of scripture is more valuable to him than any of the conquests of neighboring kingdoms. David is not restricting himself when he says that he's going to praise God seven days, but seven here refers to the number of perfection,

meaning that David's life is totally committed to praising God indefinitely. For in God's word, he finds infinite goodness in God's character, and a meditation upon this goodness cultivates constant praise. Write this on your heart. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit a life of praise. And finally, in the 22nd stanza, we find a 22nd theme. If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit answers to prayer. In verses 170 and 173, David says, let my supplication come before you. Deliver me according to your word. Then he says, let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. God's word provides God's answers to many of man's prayers.

In James, we read that we have not because we ask not, meaning our greatest problem in life is not unanswered prayers, but unoffered prayers. And many of the prayers we believe are unanswered are actually prayers that are answered and awaiting us in the word of God. Are you praying for wisdom? Are you praying for direction? Are you praying that God would help you to trust him? Are you praying for peace? Well, God uses instruments and means to answer our prayers. And the supplication that the psalmist offers is answered by God through his sufficient word. This is the testimony of scripture. So many times God answers our prayers when we run to his word. Write this on your heart.

If I neglect the word of God, I forfeit answers to many of my own prayer requests. Well, this, of course, is just a glimpse of all that is written within this wonderful 119th Psalm. But as we surveyed it briefly over the last two episodes, the question must be asked, don't you want to just devote your life to this precious book? Don't you want your life changed by God's spirit working through his holy and sufficient word? Well, I pray you do. Stay dialed in.