And I shall walk in a wide place,for I have sought your precepts. Psalm 119:45 ESV Given that this verse begins with the word and, we would do well to set it within the context of the previous verse: “I will keep your law continually, forever and ever” (v. 44). Having made that his intention, …
Continue reading I Shall Walk in a Wide Place | Psalm 119:45
This sermon was originally preached in 2018. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice …
Continue reading Think About These Things | Philippians 4:8-9
I will keep your law continually,forever and ever, Psalm 119:44 ESV After the twofold petition that the psalmist made in verses 41-43 (first for salvation, then for God’s Word not to be taken from him), the psalmist now moves into a series of declarations that will last the remainder of stanza waw. He begins with …
Continue reading I Will Keep Your Law Continually | Psalm 119:44
In this chapter, Owen discusses the second general rule for mortifying sin: “Without sincerity and diligence in the universality of obedience, there is no mortification of any one perplexing lust to be obtained” (81). In other words, if we are not striving to obey Christ with every aspect of our lives, we will never properly …
Incline my heart to your testimonies,and not to selfish gain! Psalm 119:36 ESV Recently, my wife and I were reminded by the author of one of our daughter’s books that “you don’t need to teach children to do wrong but you do need to teach them to do right—and to trust in the only one …
Continue reading Incline My Heart to Your Testimonies | Psalm 119:36
Lead me in the path of your commandments,for I delight in it. Psalm 119:35 ESV Who delights in following commandments? Sadly, most of us do not. As our original father and mother did in the garden so we also follow their example by constantly pressing back against the regulations that God imposes upon us, for …
Continue reading Lead Me in the Path of Your Commandments | Psalm 119:35
I will run in the way of your commandmentswhen you enlarge my heart! Psalm 119:32 ESV We come now to the concluding verse of stanza daleth, and it is remarkably different from where the stanza began. The psalmist opened with the lament that his soul was clinging to the dust, and he called for the …
Deal bountifully with your servant,that I may live and keep your word. Psalm 119:17 ESV With this verse, we begin Psalm 119’s third stanza, which is titled gimel because each verse begins that Hebrew letter. Like Beth (verses 9-16), Gimel (verses 17-24) continues the psalmist’s prayer for God’s instructing grace to guard him, while also …
Continue reading Deal Bountifully with Your Servant | Psalm 119:17
I will keep your statutes;do not utterly forsake me! Psalm 119:8 ESV This verse concludes the first stanza of Psalm 119 in which every verse begins with the Hebrew letter, aleph. It immediately also concludes the two part pledge of action that began in verse 7, but it further parallels verse 4, which began his …
I will praise you with an upright heart,when I learn your righteous rules! Psalm 119:7 ESV The overall pattern of this first stanza of the psalm continues to unfold before us. Verses 1-4 form a unit wherein the psalmist first utter two beatitudes describing the person who walks according to the law of the LORD …
