Text: Psalm 119:73-80
Tenth stanza of Psalm 119 – This lesson focuses on God as our Creator, the giver of life. This should cause us to serve the Lord and do so in a certain way. Let us notice the connection between God being our Maker and our Master.
God is Our Creator (v. 73)
- In the beginning, He created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) – He gives life to each one of us (Psalm 139:13-16; Acts 17:25-26); the creation shows His “eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20), and His wisdom (Proverbs 8:30)
- As the psalmist recognized this, he asked for understanding (v. 73) – seeing the creation ought to cause us to seek for God (Acts 17:25-27; 14:15-17)
- “Give me understanding” – How? … through His revealed word (Deuteronomy 29:29); since God is our Creator, He can certainly make His word understandable; we can understand the Bible (Ephesians 3:4)
God is the Giver of Spiritual Life (v. 77)
- Not only does God provide physical life, but spiritual life as well – as we were born, we can be born again (1 Peter 1:23); raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)
- This is according to His compassion/tender mercies – not something we can acquire on our own; salvation is by grace (Acts 15:11), but this does not mean it is unconditional (cf. Acts 2:38; 10:48)
- We must obey to be saved (Hebrews 5:9; cf. Psalm 119:1, 9, 17, etc.) – not that we earn anything (Luke 17:10), but we must still obey to have spiritual life
We Enjoy Fellowship with Those Who Fear God (v. 74, 79)
- Since God is the Creator, He also has the power to destroy the world (2 Peter 3:4-7, 10) – this should give us reason to fear Him (Hebrews 12:26-29); fear and obedience are necessarily connected (Ecclesiastes 12:13; Acts 10:34-35)
- Naturally, there should be fellowship between those of like mind (1 John 1:3)
- “See me and be glad” (v. 74) – we should hold our brethren in high regard (1 Thessalonians 3:6)
- “Turn to me” (v. 79) – we come together that we might work in a common cause (Ephesians 4:16)
God Provides Affliction and Comfort (v. 75-76)
- He afflicts us (v. 75) – discipline that comes from God’s word; His “judgments are righteous,” meaning His word is always right (Psalm 19:9); therefore, His affliction is for our good (Psalm 119:71)
- He provides comfort (v. 76) – must be according to His word; no help to cry “peace” when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14)
We Must Maintain a Clean Conscience (v. 78, 80)
- “Meditate on Your precepts” (v. 78) – more than just going through the motions; God’s word must be in our hearts and on our minds (Hebrews 8:10)
- “May my heart be blameless” (v. 80) – sincerity, not hypocrisy (Matthew 23:27-28); God is our Creator, so there is nothing hidden from Him (Hebrews 4:12-13); we should live so that we have nothing to be ashamed of before Him (1 John 2:28-29)
Conclusion
- God is our Creator – gave us physical life; offers us spiritual life as well
- But we must keep His word – from the heart; not just an outward appearance of righteousness
- We must work together in this and continually work to conform our lives to His will
