PSALM 119:25-32 DALETH

What happened when you worked hard at school and you received top
marks in all the exams? You deservedly sat back and enjoyed the
relief of not having to study for a while. Rightly so, serious studying
takes a lot out of you, it drains you. But then, after the summer
holidays, you have to get back into it again.

One of the dangers in getting good marks is that you might start to take
for granted the hard work that is necessary. I shall soon be receiving
essays again and, - keep it to yourself if you know of any of the
students, - but generally we dont always give the highest marks for the
first essay. We wouldnt want the students to drop their standards and
think the task is too easy.

In the previous section, - gimel, - the psalmist has had a good time
studying Gods Word; he concluded by saying, v.24 Thy testimonies also
are my delight and my counsellors. What a difference now! He has gone
from the mountaintop into the valley; he has left the heights and now he
is in the depths. He has fallen from delight and he is now in the dust,
v.25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust.

Im sure you have found it the way I have found it and the way the
psalmist describes it here. There are times when all is going so well,
everything is falling into its proper place. When you sit down to study
Gods Word the lessons are jumping out at you and you are so
encouraged; work is going well, family life also if it would only stay
this way all the time, life would be great!

But we have lived long enough to know that in life we experience the
highs and the lows, - glad times and sad times. Here is the psalmist and in
the previous section he was rejoicing in the Lord and His Word. Sadly,
look at what has happened now. He has sunk! He has fallen on his face to
the ground. He hasnt the energy to pick himself up again.

Isnt it so true that the enemy attacks us the hardest when we are enjoying
the blessings of God! If you are faithful in Gods work you will know the
opposition the opposer throws at you and you come to expect it. When
things are going well, it is so dangerous and so unadvisable to lay down
our armour. We ought not to take anything for granted.
2
Remember how Samson made the mistake of fooling around with
Delilah, and Eve, she ought never to have had the conversation she
had with the serpent the enemy never becomes your friend, no matter
how wide the smile on his face!

Here in this section the psalmist is down. He is so low. Yes, He is down
but, praise God, he is not out!

He turns in the only direction the believer should turn he turns to the
Lord in prayer and he makes four simple requests in order for him to get
back onto his feet again

REVIVE ME v.25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me
according to thy word.
Look at this: His enemies were slandering his name (v.23 Princes also
did sit and speak against me).
They were closing in on him and restricting him (v.61 The bands of the
wicked have robbed me). They were causing mischief for him.
They were spreading lies and stories about him that had no
foundation (v.69 The proud have forged a lie against me).
They were causing him to suffer (v.83 I am become like a bottle in the
smoke).
They were trying to rob him of his confidence, as they despised him
(v.141 I am small and despised).
And they even threatened his life (v.109 My soul is continually in my
hand).
It is no wonder his soul cleaveth unto the dust.
Turn over please to Jer. 32:2 For then the king of Babylon's army besieged
Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison,
which was in the king of Judah's house. 3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut
him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD,
Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall
take it. Then turn to Jer. 37:4, Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the
people: for they had not put him into prison. 5 Then Pharaoh's army was come
forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard
tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. 6 Then came the word of the
LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7 Thus saith the LORD, the God of
Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of
me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to
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Egypt into their own land. 8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight
against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.
Now the princes and rulers in J erusalem did not appreciate what
J eremiah was saying so, in 37:15 we read, Wherefore the princes were wroth
with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the
scribe: for they had made that the prison. 16 When Jeremiah was entered into
the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;
17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him
secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah
said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of
Babylon. 18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended
against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in
prison? 19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying,
The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? 20
Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray
thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of
Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
Now turn to Jer. 38:6, Then took they J eremiah, and cast him into the
dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison:
and they let down J eremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water,
but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
Here is an apt description of someone who cries out to the Lord,
Ps.119:25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy
word. The writer of this psalm is surrounded by a prison out of which
there seems to be no escape accept by calling out.
You remember, in a previous psalm (Ps. 40), the psalmist rejoiced in
the Lord, v.2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new
song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.
How often when we look at all around us and there is no release from
that which is pressing in then, the only direction to look is the
direction the psalmist looked also, quicken thou me according to thy word.
When you look into Gods Word you find real people who have
suffered all types of real trials, pains and anxieties.
They teach you that when life seems to be at its very worst, God
comes along with His very best and gives you the grace you need, II Cor.
12:9 My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me. Lord, quicken me, REVIVE ME.

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TEACH ME v.26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach
me thy statutes. 27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I
talk of thy wondrous works.
The Lord never does anything without having a reason. He is orderly
and planned, nothing takes Him unawares or is outside of His will.
Nothing!
What is the way to proceed then? Well, it is proper, of course, to pray
that the Lord will deliver you out of the situation in which you find
yourself,
v.134 Deliver me from the oppression of man
v.153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me
v. 154 Plead my cause, and deliver me
v.170 Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to
thy word.
But sometimes He doesnt deliver you immediately. Sometimes he
might deliver you to permit circumstances to crowd round you again.
Why does God do this sort of thing? Why does God allow the
believer to suffer then to save him out of it to suffer again?
At the very base of it all, as part of this world we are subject to all
that happens in it including suffering and illness and trials, - being a
Christian does not make you exempt.
However, - and this is not belittling illness and trials, - turn to James
1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience
have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5 If
any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering. What does all that mean?!
What the psalmist is teaching us here is that there are still many
lessons we need to learn in the school of life. For the Christian, temporal
life is preparation for eternal life.
Heaven is perfect and we are not, Lk. 3:5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth, - the Lord is continuing to
work to make us fit for Glory.
Instead of saying to Him, Lord, why have You given me this
ailment? we find the psalmist asking, Lord, Make me to understand the
way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
Yes, even illness and suffering is an opportunity for service and
bringing glory to God.
5
Each Thursday evening, - and I say it to the folk so often, - Im so
encouraged to see people out at the meeting who really might not be fully
fit to be out but they have a heart for the Lord, for His Word and for
the place of prayer.
The psalmist here spoke to the Lord about what was happening to
him and the Lord answered by giving him wisdom and strength.
By faith, he expected to see Gods wonders displayed in the midst of
his trials.

Conclusion
Our time has gone, we have only managed not even halfways through
our section; we shall take it up again this evening, but do you see already
how God can use even the darkest of trials for His own purposes?
Like some of you, I was seriously ill and I cannot honestly remember
asking the Lord why He allowed this to happen to me. I do know though
He taught me lessons during that time I have never forgotten and I
dont think I would have learned any other way.
God knows what He is doing, and He never does anything without
having a reason behind it and His reason is ultimately for His glory
and honour, but it also is for our good and development in the faith.
Surrounded by idolatry and paganism, the captive Daniel prayed onto
the Lord, 2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast
given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we
desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
When the Pharisees were out to hound J esus and to catch Him doing
or saying something they thought He shouldnt have been, we find the
Lord J esus in prayer, Mt. 11:25 I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes. 26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
If you are in the midst of some trial that seems so heavy to bear, yes,
call upon God to lift you out of it, - there is nothing wrong in asking for
deliverance from God. Sometimes though, He doesnt, - it is not for your
good that He delivers you; at those times, ask Him to quicken you, to
revive you even in the midst of it all.
And through it all, never lose sight of the fact He is in control and
that He has permitted the adversity for some reason known only to Him
and that through it all He is teaching you in preparation for glory.
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What is there we can say to folk going through difficult times
without the Saviour? You dont know Christ, you might pray, but
there is no power in your prayer.
You see, this psalmist had a living relationship with God, v.57 Thou
art my portion, O Lord. How can you have this same relationship? Only
through the Lord J esus Christ, when you come to Him, confess your sins
and invite Him into your life.
Then, through the trials, His promise is good for you too, that He will
never leave you nor forsake you.
Our confidence is in Him, completely in Him
Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,
Were tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Lifes trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,

Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a ray of light,
Were tossed and driven on, no human help in sight;
But there is One in Heaven who knows our deepest care,
just go to Him in prayer.
Amen.


















7
PSALM 119:25-32 DALETH

This morning we took note of the psalmist going through great times of
difficulty and how relevant his faith was during those times.

He began by asking the Lord, v.25 quicken thou me according to thy word
and v.26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.

We used the titles REVIVE ME TEACH ME. His soul has been
cleaving unto the dust, but the Lord raised him unto his knees and now
he is beginning to stand upon his feet again. He prayed next

STRENGTHEN ME v. 28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou
me according unto thy word. 29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me
thy law graciously. 30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid
before me. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy
word.
Throughout the psalm the psalmist makes it clear that he is suffering
because of his commitment to God and His Word, v.75 I know, O LORD,
that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
He was actually going through all this heartache because he loved the
Lord and sought to be obedient to Him.
Have you ever heard someone say, It would be easier not being a
Christian?
Yes, in some ways I believe it would. There wouldnt be the same
pressure on you to live as God instructs you in His Word to behave. You
could explore other avenues to help you contend against your troubles.
As a Christian God expects more from you and it is sometimes
difficult living up to the stresses of being His child. That, in itself, is a
strain.
But being a Christian and living as a Christian ought to live and
behave and believe opens up all kinds of opportunities that does not
belong to the unbeliever.
Instead of childishly kicking out and flying in a rage just because
everything isnt going his way, the psalmist, - through his difficulties is
actually being brought closer to his Saviour. His soul melting for
heaviness, the lies and accusations of his enemies around him are actually
making his standing with God more precious. He couldnt go through it
without Him!
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And notice too that he didnt storm against his enemies and call
down all sorts of judgments upon them, instead he prayed for them, v. 136
Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.
All he wanted was to keep on living for the Lord, in obedience to His
Word. He discovered Gods grace was all-sufficient for his daily needs of
standing up against such unbelief in his community. All he wanted to do
was to live peaceably for God!
He would not become involved in the ways of his neighbours, 29
Remove from me the way of lying: 30 I have chosen the way of truth: ... 31 I
have stuck unto thy testimonies. He wanted none of it!
Often when we are being pursued by those in opposition to us we can
allow them to take up so much of our time, and our thoughts, - time and
thoughts that we could be using for the Lords advantage somewhere
better and more fruitful.
The devil tried to waste J esus time by turning rocks into bread or
from jumping off a high tower. The devil is interested in diverting our
attention away from the things of God and our work for Him.
It is to our shame that sometimes the weedling he gets up to does
sidetrack us and lead us along a dead-end where he is waiting with all his
fiery darts.
The psalmist was wise to him. Rather than pray for the Lord to
change the enemy or to mete out appropriate punishment, the psalmist
prayed that the Lord would change him and enable him to overcome.
The Bible tells us not to cast our pearls before swine (Mt. 7:6), - it is
a waste of time and a waste of effort.
In the circumstances, pray instead REVIVE ME, TEACH ME,
STRENGTHEN ME and finally

DEFEND ME v. 31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not
to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge
my heart.
The psalmist did not want to shame the Lord. He would do
everything in his power not to shame Him. So what did he do? He
turned the matter over to the Lord by faith.
Sometimes it is necessary to confront, but more often than not
confrontation makes you no better than the one confronting you. A
slanging match achieves nothing good for the Lord!
Winning arguments the worlds way loses your witness. How did
Christ do it when confronted by Herod? Herod questioned with him in many
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words; but he answered him nothing (Lk. 23:9). Is. 53:7 He was oppressed, and
he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his
mouth.
Its hard keeping quiet when someone says something you know is
wrong, but if they say it in a way that is trying to antagonise you what
is the point of entering into discussion?
I often think, How much would Christ have achieved if He had spent
all His time trying to sort J udas Iscariot out? He would have been wasting
His time. Or, if J esus had discussed day-in and day-out the finer points of
theology with the Pharisees they would kept Him away from the work
He was called to do.
Instead, the psalmist leaves these people behind him. He turns to
Gods Word, and he trusts in the promises of God and he believes that
God is able to work out the circumstances that would enable him to grow
in his faith.
At the end of the day, God moved Heaven and earth to save you, -
Heaven was emptied of the Second Person of the Trinity for a short
season and earth became His home for that time. Gods Word speaks
about His goodness to us where better to turn in times of trial and
adversity?
Faith in God, as directed by His Word, is the way of escaping the
confinement of the enemys plots and plans and sets us free to glory in
Christ.

Conclusion
Have you noticed something altogether beautiful here and so
tremendously simple? At the beginning of the section (v.25) the
psalmist is defeated on the ground, his face is in the dust but look at
him now, v.32 I will run the way of thy commandments.
At the beginning he was as good as down and out, and now he is
up and running again.
God is so good. I can understand this portion of Scripture. Like you,
Im sure, there are times when it seems we were as good as down and
out. You move about in the dust and you cannot get up and get back to
were you once were.


10
The dust is getting in your eyes and you cannot see properly, it is
getting in your mouth and you cannot speak properly, and its getting in
your ears and you cannot hear properly, you need to call out, Lord,
revive quicken thou me according to thy word.
Teach me, Make me to understand the way of thy wondrous works.
Show me, Lord. Let me see into the mind of your servants your
servant David as he cried out, Ps. 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and
take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and
uphold me with thy free spirit. 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the
sacrifices of righteousness.
Let me see in Your Word how Habakkuk began in sorrow as he
called to You, 1:2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even
cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! And then we find him at
the end of his prophesy he had gone from sorrow to a song, 3:18 I will
rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is
my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to
walk upon mine high places.
Yes, revive me, teach me, and Lord strengthen me. Do you realise
that the Lord Himself, - in the Garden of Gethsemane, - asked His Father
to strengthen Him? (J n. 17:1 Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy
Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he
should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.)
In His Word God shows you how to contend with adversity. When
you have fallen over and your face is in the dust He can set you on your
feet again and He can make you run like you used to.
Yes, Lord, defend me. Ps. 124:1 If it had not been the LORD who was on
our side, now may Israel say; 2 If it had not been the LORD who was on our
side, when men rose up against us: 3 Then they had swallowed us up quick,
when their wrath was kindled against us: 4 Then the waters had overwhelmed
us, the stream had gone over our soul: 5 Then the proud waters had gone over
our soul. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
May the Lord encourage us in our studies of His Word together today
for His glory and for His honour. Amen.