Psalms 119:17

Psalms 119:17 says, GIMEL.  First the identifier, then verse one says, Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.  David asked God to deal bountifully with him so that he might live and keep God's word.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, God has already dealt bountifully with us by giving us salvation, so we should keep His word for as long as we live.  Verse eighteen adds, Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.  I believe that David was asking for his eyes to be opened specifically so that he could see the wonderous things of God, and we should ask the same thing of God.  Someone may have perfect vision physically and still be spiritually blind.  Verse nineteen states, I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.  Though man was created to have dominion over the earth, due to sin, we have become strangers to the earth spiritually.  Heaven is our home spiritually, so we are simply passing through this world.  Verse twenty adds, My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.  David said his soul broke in longing for the judgments of God at all time.  We should long to follow God's judgments, or laws, at all times also.  Our judgments may be wrong, but God's never will. Verse twenty-one declares, Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.  Those who are too filled with self pride to accept Jesus Christ and follow God's laws are cursed to everlasting separation from God.  We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone, but once we are saved, we are still required to follow God's law, and if we don't, we will still be held accountable I believe.  We cannot be a follower of Christ and ignore God's commandments just because we are saved.  Verse twenty-two adds, Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.  David asked God to remove His reproach and contempt from him because he had kept God's commandments, but we know that David did not always do that, and neither do we.  For that reason, the only way to salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ.  For David, it was faith in the coming Messiah, and for us it is faith in the Messiah Who has come, Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-three says, Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.  David said that even though other leaders spoke against him, that he continued meditate on God's word.  We likewise should not be concerned with what the world says about us, but we should simply meditate on God's word.  Verse twenty-four adds, Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellers.  God's testimonies, or truths, should be our delight and counsellers as well.   Too often I believe we act as though following God's law is a burden, but it should be a delight instead. 

Psalms 119:9

Psalms 119:9 says, BETH. After the letter Beth, verse one says, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.  The question is asked how a young man can clean his way, and answered by saying to take heed to live according to the word of God. We know the first step is to accept Jesus Christ, the Word, as one's personal Savior and Lord.  Verse ten adds, With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  David said he had sought to follow God with his whole heart and not wander from God's commandments, though we know he often did.  This should be our goal as Christians, though we too will often fail.  Verse eleven states, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Like David, we need to hide God's word in our heart, and to do so, we must know what it says.  Verse twelve declares, Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.  David declared God to be blessed and asked Him to teach him His statutes.  Because God is God, we should want to learn His commandments and laws.  Verse thirteen adds, With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.  As David said he did then, we must declare God's judgments to the world today.  Verse fourteen continues, I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.  David said he rejoiced in God's way as much as he did in all riches.  I believe it would be accurate to say that David rejoiced in God more than all riches.  This should be our testimony today as well.  We must always put God before the riches of this world.  Verse fifteen states, I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.  David had already said he meditated on God's word, and now he said he would meditate on its precepts, or what it actually meant.  It is not enough to simply know scripture verses if we don't know what they mean and apply them to our life.  Verse sixteen adds, I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.  Like David, we need to delight in God's statutes and not forget His word.  Too often, there is a tendency to see God's law as a burden I believe, instead of something to delight in. 

Psalms 119:1

Psalms 119:1 says, ALEPH. This is the longest chapter of the Bible, and is divided into twenty-two parts, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  Verse one says, Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.  David says that the undefiled, those that walk in the law of the LORD are blessed.  We will never keep God's law all the time, because if we could Jesus Christ would not have had to die for our sins.  Yet, as Christians this is to be our goal. Verse two adds, Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.  We are keep His laws and to seek Him with our whole heart, or with all our thoughts and deeds.  Verse three continues,  They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.  We should always try to not allow sin into our lives if we are to be happy, and when we fail, we just immediately confess our sin and ask God's forgiveness.  Verse four states, Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.  God has commanded us, especially as followers of Christ, to keep His commands diligently.   To do this, we must know what God's word says and follow His will in all that we do.  Verse five adds, O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!  This is a plea that all of the actions of David be guided by God.  We also need to look to God in all our thoughts if we are to keep all our actions guided by His law.  Verse six continues, Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.  If we keep God's commandments, we will never be made ashamed by not keeping them.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, this should be our goal.  Verse seven declares, I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.  After we learn of God's righteousness judgments as Christians, we need to keep them with an uprightness of heart.  We cannot allow sin to fill part of our heart, but must be wholeheartedly devoted to God.  Verse eight adds, I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.  If we accept God's salvation, we are to keep His commandments, and we can be certain that once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord that God will never forsake us.

Psalms 118:19

Psalms 118:19 says, Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:  David said that if God opened the gates of righteousness that he would go in.  God opened the gates of righteousness for evermore by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, but we like David must choose whether to go in or not.  Verse twenty adds, This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter. Jesus, is the gate that we must enter through in order to be made righteous by His sacrifice.  Verse twenty-one states, I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.  David said he would praise God because God had heard him and had become his salvation, and so should we as followers of Christ. Verse twenty-two adds, The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.  David was speaking of the promised Messiah, Who is Jesus Christ.  Though He was rejected by men, even the religious leaders, Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of salvation.  Verse twenty-three continues, This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.  Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is God's plan, and it is the only one available.  Verse twenty-four declares, This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.  As Christians, this should be our declaration every day.  We should rejoice because this is a day that God has made.  Verse twenty-five adds, Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.  God will save us now, immediately, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ and we will have a new spiritual prosperity.  Verse twenty-six says, Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.  David called on those that came to God to be blessed, and we are.  Verse twenty-seven adds, God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.  Jesus Christ is the light of the world, and if we accept His gift of salvation, we need to present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices.  Verse twenty-eight states, Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.  Like David, if God is our God, which can only be true if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, then we are to praise and exalt Him.  Verse twenty-nine adds, O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. We like David should also give thanks to God daily, because God's mercy lasts forever.  If we are a Christian, we are not saved one day and lost the next, but we are saved forever by God's enduring mercy.

Psalms 118:10

Psalms 118:10 says, All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.  David felt the world was against him, but since God was with him, he could destroy them all.  If we feel that everyone is against us as Christians, we would not be the first to feel that way, but as long as we are faithful to God, He will always be with us, and that is all that matters.  Verse eleven adds, They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.  David continues to speak about being surrounded by his enemies and about his faith that by faith in God he could destroy them all.  We can destroy any enemy of our spiritual life as long as we continue to put our faith in Jesus Christ.  Like David, we don't do by our own power, but by the power of God.  Verse twelve continues, They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.  This is a continuation of David's faith that even if his enemies were to surround him like bees, in the name of God he could destroy them with thorns of fire.  God will always provide the perfect way to help us defeat our enemies, if we call on Him in faith to do so.  Verse thirteen states, Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.  David gave God credit for victory over his enemies, and so must we as followers of Christ.  If we start to face our enemies by our own power, then we will often fail.  Verse fourteen adds, The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.  As David said then, God is our strength and song, and He has become our salvation.  Unless this is true, then we are spiritually lost, and no matter how successful we may be in the world, we are still defeated and without everlasting hope.  Verse fifteen declares, The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.  We should be rejoicing when we gather together in God's name because we have salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Of course, we should also rejoice wherever we are for the same reason.  Verse sixteen adds, The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.  David said the right hand of God, which is seen as dispensing justice, should be exalted, but so should everything about God.  God should first be exalted for His mercy in sending Jesus Christ to die in our place.  Verse seventeen continues, I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.  David said that his enemies wouldn't destroy him, but that he would live to declare God's works.  This is our calling for as long as we are alive today.  We must proclaim the works of God, especially His work in offering us salvation.  Verse eighteen concludes, The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.  David said that at times God had chastised him till he was sore, but that God had never given him over to death.  We are told that God chastises those that He loves, but that He has also given them everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ if they will accept it. 

Psalms 118:1

Psalms 118:1 says, O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.  The first few verses of this Psalm calls on people to give thanks to the LORD because He is good and His mercy endures forever. Verse one seems to call on everyone do this, as really everyone should.  Even though we know that many people will never give thanks to God, we should still call on them to do so.  Verse two adds, Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.  Next, the people of Isreal, God's chosen people, were called on to say that God's mercy endures forever.  We as followers of Christ today must tell the world that God's goodness is everlasting.  Verse three continues, Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.  The house of Aaron were the priests, and we could apply this to preachers today, but since we are a priesthood of believers as Christians, I believe it applies to all of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse four concludes, Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.  This says that those who fear the LORD, God's people, should proclaim His mercy.  As I have stated many times, I don't believe that fear the LORD,, means to be afraid of Him, but to acknowledge His power compared to our helplessness.  Verse five states, I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.  After emphasizing the need to praise God and declare His mercy, David said that he called on God in his time of distress and that God answered him and set him in a large place.  If we are in distress today, God will set us free spiritually if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ.  Even if we are not freed from the distress physically, we have been freed spiritually forever and have an everlasting home in the great space of heaven.  Verse six adds, The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?  Since as followers of Christ, we know like David did that God is on our side, then we should say like he did that we will not be afraid.  We can also ask as David did what can people do to us that would cause us to be afraid and not put our faith in God.  The people of the world are powerless to do anything that would separate us from God's mercy.  Verse seven continues, The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. David said that since God was with Him that He would see his desire for those who hated him carried out.  We should want even those who hate us because of our relationship with God to be saved, but if they aren't, one day we will see them sent away to everlasting punishment.  Verse eight declares, It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. As David said, it is better to put our faith in God than to put our faith in mankind.  Verse nine adds, It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.  David then said it is better to put our faith in God than to put our faith in worldly rulers.  

Psalms 117:1

Psalms 117:1 says, O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.  This is the shortest chapter in the Bible, and it calls on all the nations and people to praise God.  This should be our desire today, even if it never happens.  We can be certain that it never will unless we as followers of Christ praise God in all that we do and whatever may be going on in life.  Verse two adds, For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.  We are then told why we should praise God, and that is because of His merciful kindness.  It is because of God's merciful kindness that we have salvation made available to us.  We did nothing to deserve salvation, but God out of His mercy gave it to us as a free gift if we will accept it.  This is the reason we should praise Him everyday.  What God says is the truth, and His truth will endure forever.  We need never fear that what is the truth of God will change from time to time.  Then, the psalm closes with a call once more for us to praise God.  We should not just praise God at certain times or in certain places, but we should praise Him continually wherever we are.