LESSON 1,
INTRODUCTION:
Thinking
of the Scriptures, Psalm 19 often comes to mind. The first part
of the Psalm talks about God's works. The second section
speaks of God's Word! Both are perfect!
Let me show you.
"The
law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart:
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the
eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever:
the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous
altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea,
than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of
them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7-11
I believe the Word of God, what we call the
Bible, is named and renamed, several times, in this Text.
It is the "law" of the Lord. It is also the
"testimony" of the Lord. And also it is composed of His
"statutes!" And "commandment." You see what I mean. Even when
the Psalmist mentions "the fear of the Lord," he obviously has
Scripture in mind. Not to mention "judgments," the Bible is full
of them.
Looks like God's Word does it all!
Everything we need in our Christian lives!
And that's what Paul said in 2nd Timothy
3:16. "All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable ...." I
stopped the verse at this key word, "profitable!" That word is "ophelimos"
in Greek. Really, it gives us the New Testament name "Philemon"
too!
It means "profitable" in this sense. "Ophelimos"
is derived from "ophelos," a noun that in turn comes from the
verb "ophello." And that verb, picturesquely, means "to heap up"
something. To "make a pile" of it! "To accumulate" it! And that
something is most often considered to be good and enriching and
helpful in nature, not anything harmful!
See?
God's Word "piles up" good things in your
Christian life!
It helps you "accumulate" what you need to
grow day by day!
Wow!
We just might settle in Psalm 19 a few days
and see what Scripture claims for itself! Such a venture ought
to make us more fervent students of Holy Writ, the precious Word
of God!
Anyone ready to start?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2, THE LAW OF THE LORD:
The Psalmist
David writes: "The law of the LORD is
perfect, converting the soul." That's his first
sentence in the paragraph, Psalm 19:7a, the "a" merely meaning
that it's the first clause in the verse.
I am immediately going to
suggest that the term "law" here refers to more that the five
Books of Moses. That well may be their usual designation, but
not in this Psalm. I suspect here they refer to all the
written Word of God.
God's Word is God's Law, that
kind of thing.
The specific noun for "law" is
the familiar word "torah." It does mean "direction, instruction,
law," even "teaching" say the experts. But get this. It comes
from a root word, "yarah," that means "to throw, shoot, cast or
pour!"
Let's concentrate on that
"pouring" aspect a second. I notice that in the King James
Version the translators render "yarah" as "to rain" twice, not
"reign" like a king but "rain" as in falling water droplets. It
is also expressed as "watered" once. I've even heard scholars
say it can mean "to pour."
The suggestion is that God's
Word is like life-giving water, pouring out of Heaven onto our
thirsty souls! Look at Deuteronomy 32:2.
"My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as
the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the
showers upon the grass." God said that, comparing His
Word, His Doctrine, to the falling rain!
Even Job 29:22 does this. The
Patriarch says, "My speech dropped upon
them. And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened
their mouth wide as for the latter rain."
Isaiah does this as well, but
quoting God again. "For as the rain cometh
down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but
watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it
may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my
Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth." Isaiah
55:10-11
When God's Man gets to
preaching and the Holy Spirit anoints what's being said, it's
like it starts "raining" in that place! The sweet refreshing
"showers" of God's inspired Word falling all around!
That's probably where the
old-timers' expression "getting out of the banks" originates.
Lots of rain! Lots of God's Word!
Paul may even have this
"raining" effect of Scripture in mind when he wrote 1st
Corinthians 3:6. Watch the underlining. "I
have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the
increase."
Please Lord, no draught.
Let it rain!
Pour out Thy Word, Lord.
What I'm trying to say is that
the "law" of the Lord represents every chapter in the Book, each
verse of which is fully capable of watering our thirsty hearts!
Of producing growth in our hungry spirits! Of refreshing our
dusty feet!
Then,
"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul."
Yes, God's Word is perfect!
"Tamiym" is the adjective used,
meaning "complete, whole, entire, sound, or full!" In the King
James Text here are it's appearances: ""without blemish" 44
times, "upright" 8 times, "without spot" 6 times, "sincere" 2
times, plus others.
Nothing is missing from
Scripture! The root verb of "tamiym" is "tamam," that is "to
complete, to finish, to be done." Don't expect a 67th Book of
the Bible! It's not coming!
When Jude charged us to
"Earnestly contend for the faith (the Word
of God) which was once delivered unto the saints,"
he used an adverb that means "once for all!" The Bible is a
completed Book!
Without error, too!
"The law
of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul."
Furthermore, here the Word of
God is pictured as "converting the soul" as well! It is vital
in the salvation issue! Here's how James, in the New Testament,
words it. "Receive
with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save
your souls." James 1:21
No Word of God ... no salvation!
But let's check that word "converting" more
carefully. "Shub" means "to turn back, to restore, to recover,
to deliver."
Scripture can absolutely transform the whole
personality! The whole person! Everything he or she is!
It can help us make an "about face," an "180
degree" turn!
Sounds initially like "repentance." In fact,
"shub" is the Old Testament word for repenting!
It also sounds like a life-changing process!
Sanctification, through the medium of the precious Word of God!
And the soul, "nephesh," is derived from a
verb, "naphash," that essentially means "to breath." It is
representative of life itself. One's very innermost being, his
mind and will and emotions.
God's Word can change everything!
How all-encompassing it truly is!
"The law
of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul."
Tomorrow, Lord willing, we shall examine the
"testimony" of the Lord. It's great, too!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, THE TESTIMONY OF THE LORD:
According to
Psalm 19, here's another great thing about the Word of God. This
fact is taken from the last half of the seventh verse.
"The testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple."
What portion of the Scriptures
could be classified as "testimony?"
While this noun, "eduth" in
Hebrew, likely refers to the whole of Scripture, it precisely
means "witness," or maybe "evidence." Legal terms.
But the root of the word "eduth"
is ultimately "ud," a verb meaning "to return, to repeat, to go
about, to do again."
I believe "testimony" then
might refer to those portions of Scripture that are "repeated"
in God's Word!
The Ten Commandments are
repeated, being found both in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, and
most of them again in the New Testament, this time by Jesus
Himself!
Some of the Psalms are repeated
too. As are the miracles of Jesus, many of His Sermons and
sayings as well.
And, thank God the Virgin Birth
and Crucifixion and Resurrection accounts are given again and
again!
Not to mention the prophecies
of Jesus' Second Coming!
Facts all so important to God
that He thought they needed to be emphasized and then
re-emphasized, told over and over again.
These certainly qualify as
"testimonies."
And since "testimony" or "eduth"
implies "witness," perhaps this verse links all the repetition
together. "At the mouth of two witnesses,
or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to
death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be
put to death." Deuteronomy 17:6, two or three sets of
eyes had to corroborate an event for it to be legally viable!
God thus testifies to the
veracity and authenticity of His Own Word! Multifold, He does!
But, what do these
"repetitious," better said, "twice-told" or "thrice-told" truths
do for the Christian, for the born-again Bible student?
"The
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple."
They give him or her surety.
The verbal adjective "sure" translates "aman"
in Hebrew. It means "faithful, established, verifiable, stedfast,
continual, trustworthy!" Also I just noticed that it's rendered
"nurse" three times.
"And Naomi took the
child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto
it." Ruth 4:16 where the word nurse, surprisingly, is "aman."
God's oft-repeated sections of the Bible
breed assurance!
And nourish spiritual growth!
What else, if anything?
"The
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple."
Psalm 19:7b
It makes us wise.
The verb "making wise" is "chakam,"
having a hint of "teaching or instructing a person in wisdom." A
definition for "wisdom" I love is "skill in living godly!"
Truly God's Word imparts such
wisdom!
The "simple," in Hebrew "pethiy,"
can mean "naive, open-minded," and as a synonym "easily led" I
would suggest! The root of "pethiy" is "pathah," meaning "to be
wide-open, to be spacious, to be gullible!"
The kind who would believe
anything!
Like in Proverbs 14:15,
"The simple believeth every word."
There you have it!
God's Word, especially the dual
and triple records, often parallel in form, give us more
confidence, more wisdom and more discernment!
Think I'll go read Jesus'
"feeding of the thousands" miracle again, that little boy with
his "loaves and fishes!" After all, it's told in the New
Testament four times! Once each by Matthew and
Mark and Luke and John!
Such accounts will lessen my
doubt.
Increase my knowledge.
And sharpen my sensitivity!
Wow!
Pretty good, for a bunch of
"testimony!"
Inspired testimony, that is!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4, THE STATUTES
OF THE LORD:
Its litany of praise continues!
Psalm 19 lauds the Word of God,
perhaps as no other passage in Scripture. Beauty and substance
are there!
Here's today's slice of truth.
"The statutes of the LORD are
right, rejoicing the heart." Psalm 19:8
We are suggesting that the
"statutes" of the Lord here in verse eight are basically
equivalent to the "testimony" of the Lord and the "law" of the
Lord in the previous verse, verse seven.
"Basically," I say.
There are small nuances of
difference, no doubt, or the Holy Spirit would not have chosen
different nouns.
But the whole Paragraph, our
entire Text for this series of Bible lessons, Psalm 19:7-11,
exalts the Word of God, all the Word of God!
But, more specifically, what
are the "statutes" of the Lord?
The word is spelled "piqqud."
Most Hebrew dictionaries, called lexicons, define it as
"precepts." In fact, Psalm 19:8, right here, is the only place
in the Bible that "piqqud" is translated "statutes." The list,
King James wise, looks like this: "piqqud," rendered as
"precept" 21 times, "commandment" 2 times, and "statute" 1 time.
Technically, a "precept" is
based on its Latin background. "Pre" means "before" and "cepere"
means "to take." It pictures a standard of conduct, the
"precept" itself, that will determine in advance my response to
a given situation.
It "takes over" my behavior
and, as it were, automatically "guides" my response!
Conditioning!
Programming!
Though it's a more negative
term, brainwashing!
But, and more to the point
today, let's study the Hebrew background of the noun "statutes,"
not its Latin etymology.
"Piqqud" is derived from "paqad,"
a verb meaning "to attend to, to number, to visit, to look
after, to care for." Again, its King James usage is beautiful
and varied.
The word seems to have a
"mathematical" connotation.
Here we go, straight from a
concordance. "Piqqud," from "paqad" translated "to number" (as
in "to count") 119 times! Get that, 119 times! "To visit," 59
times then on down the list until "to count," 3 times. Then come
a few more.
I suggest to you, after
prayerful consideration, that the "statues" of the Lord are
those "favorite" passages of the Bible, those which the Holy
Spirit has put "into" you heart, that you especially love, that
you visit and re-visit again and again! So many times you can
hardly "count" them!
Those are the "statutes!"
Mine are verses like Psalm 34:3
and 1st Corinthians 15:58 and Psalm 37:4 and Revelation 22, the
whole chapter, about Heaven! Plus a few dozen others. And always
including the Text I'm studying here on the Website at any given
time!
Yours will be different yet.
"Statues," you go there time
and time again!
These become "part" of you!
These "pre-program" your
behavior!
These "visit" you every day,
either literally with an open Bible or mentally via meditation
or spiritually through the ministry of the Holy Spirit!
I like this concept!
But quickly back to the verse,
its first clause, "The statures of the
Lord are right." This little adjective is "yashar,"
meaning "level or straight!" Or at times, "upright" in the sense
of being "just or lawful."
These "statues" will keep us
"straight!" In other words, "in line!" Focused! On target! On
task!
No excessive "ups and downs" in
our Christian lives, just level and steady and faithful service
for Jesus!
Again, that idea of the
"precept" is evident.
Well, if you're correct,
Brother Bagwell, what do these "statutes" do? What do they do
for us who are saved?
"The
statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart."
Psalm 19:8, that's what they do, bring joy and delight to our
hearts!
The verb "rejoicing" is "samach,"
that is, "to make glad, to be merry!" Except that here it's a
piel stem verb, indicating intensive and vigorous action!
Really rejoicing!
It makes you "brighten up," or
"cheer up." For example: "The light of the
eyes rejoiceth the heart." Proverbs 15:30, note the
correlation.
Here are some things in the
Bible that are said to "gladden" mankind. Wine, ointment or
perfume, a wise son, and a kind word, among others. But foremost
on our list today is ... the Word of God! Especially His
"statutes," those favorite passages that speak to us repeatedly!
I dearly love Psalm 34:3,
especially now that my wife has gone to Heaven!
And 1st Corinthians 15:58 has
been my life verse since I was an early teenager! It indeed
rejoices my heart! I have written that reference thousands of
times, I guess, when signing people's Bibles. As I do, every
time, its message again thrills my soul!
Verses that "watch over" us!
That "visit" us regularly!
That "guide" our lives!
Yes!
"The
statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart."
That little noun "heart" is "leb"
and just means one's "innermost being." It may even include the
mind and will and soul, even his understanding and her spirit.
Whatever it is, it is "happy" in the Word of God!
That is, if it revels in the
"statues" of Scripture!
Wow!
Re-visit some of your favorite
verses today!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5, THE
COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD:
David wrote, referring to the
precious Word of God: "The
commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes."
Psalm 19:8
Much of God's Word is "commandment" oriented,
thousands of such "orders" being included in Scripture.
The commandments God gave Moses.
The commandments of Jesus.
I once taught a class to a group of Preachers
which I called "the commandments of Paul," considering every
time the Apostle used an imperative verb in all his writings!
Even the little New Testament Book of James
is full of commandments!
Yes, indeed:
"The
commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes."
Psalm 19:8
Using the singular form of "commandment,"
likely representing all the commands of the Bible, the Holy
Spirit has chosen the Hebrew noun "mitzsvah." It means "a
charge given and expected to be obeyed." Also, "an order
issued by a leader."
God made us.
He has the right to tell us what to do!
God saved us too, those who have been
born-again.
Thus He yet again has the prerogative to
require certain actions from us. By virtue of His being our
Redeemer!
The old Jewish rabbis said that the Law
contained six hundred and thirteen total commandments!
And that Micah reduced them all to just three
requirements! "He
hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the
LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and
to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8
And then Jesus carried that total down to
two. "Then
one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question,
tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great
commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the
second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets." Matthew 22:35-40
Well, the Psalmist David I think is now
calling the whole Bible the "commandment" of the Lord.
No matter how many exact imperatives it
contains!
And, get this, every one of these commands is
designed to lead us to a pure life!
Not a single one promotes sin in any way at
all!
They are designed with holiness in mind.
So much so that the Holy Spirit says in our
Text:
"The
commandment of the LORD is pure."
The adjective "pure" is spelled "bar,"
meaning "clean, sincere," even at times "choice." It is based
on a verb, "barar," that means "to select, polish, make bright
and purify."
God's commands are not "burdens" to hinder
us, but "brushes" to polish and clean us!
God's favorite parts of Scripture just may be
His commands! I say that because of the meanings "choice,
select, polished" inherent in "bar," the English word "pure"
used here!
Why would His commands be God's favorites?
Perhaps simply because of this verse, John
14:15. "If ye love me,
keep my commandments."
Amen!
God's commands are pure, all right, and our
obeying them reveals and proves genuine love!
This helps me.
God is delighted when we love Him, when we
obey Him!
But, what does Psalm 19:8 say the commands of
God will do? I mean specifically.
Note the last three words.
"The commandment of the
LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes."
There!
"Enlightening the eyes!"
The verb is spelled "or," just that, in
Hebrew! It means "to shine, to become daylight, to allow
daybreak!"
It introduces, I think, the idea of a
"breakthrough of bright light!"
God's commands are pictured here as
"teachers!"
Illuminators!
Bearers of further light!
I will go so far as to say this. I strongly
suspect that as we obey a particular command of God, whatever
area it might involve, in so doing the Holy Spirit will teach
us some great a Truth about God or Scripture or godly living!
This is an illustration of Peter's upward
cycle of growth in 2nd Peter 1:5-8. Especially where he asks us
to add to our existing virtue ... knowledge!
Virtue is moral purity! It must precede any real learning,
spiritual learning, that we do.
Only the clean and pure can be taught by the
Holy Spirit!
Dirty students do not get admitted to His
class!
The word "eyes" is the common Hebrew noun "ayin,"
the body's God-given organ of sight.
Who would have ever thought that commandments
of any kind could have enlightened anything?
Only God!
If I do not learn, analyze, and obey the
Lord's commands, I will definitely miss much of the truth
He wants to share with me!
Now here it is, all put back together again.
"The commandment of
the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." Psalm
19:8
Thank you, Lord.
May we live this verse today.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6, THE FEAR OF THE LORD:
David once
called the Word of God "the fear of the Lord!"
At first that seems strange.
That is, until we examine that word "fear." It is spelled "yirah,"
and fundamentally means "terror or dread." However, in every
Hebrew dictionary I've ever seen this thought is added:
"respect, reverence, piety."
Do keep in mind that the
"respect" part is implied, rather than overtly present in this
definition.
Either way, there will be very
little "yirah" directed toward Almighty God apart from His
precious Word.
The Bible is meant to produce a
healthy fear, the terror and dread kind, of God in our lives. We
need that! Because Proverbs 16:6 tells us:
"By
the fear of the LORD men depart from evil." This
is nearly identical in thought to Psalm 119:11.
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I
might not sin against thee."
The Bible also is meant to produce a healthy
fear, the respect and reverence kind, in our lives! For example,
"My
heart standeth in awe of Thy Word." Psalm 119:161
For these reasons in Psalm 119:9 the writer
declares: "The
fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever." As
is the case with our whole five-verse paragraph, Psalm 19:7-11,
the Scriptures are being discussed. The "fear of the Lord" is
then a parallel term to "the Word of God."
It's just that it indicates a "specific"
aspect of the Bible. That part that accents reverence for God
and a healthy fear of His awesome attributes.
Like this: "My
flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy
judgments." Psalm 119:120, again with "judgments"
indicating the Word of God.
Furthermore, when we are told
"the fear of the Lord is clean",
verses like Psalm 12:6 should come to mind.
"The words of the LORD
are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of
earth, purified seven times."
Yes!
The word "clean" is "tahor," meaning "purged,
washed," in that sense "purified." It's another of those far
ranging Bible terms that includes physical cleanliness, ritual
cleanliness and ethical cleanliness.
The more I love and study the Bible, the
cleaner I will become.
Jesus knows this. "Now
ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."
John 15:3
Psalm 119:9 rightly asks:
"Wherewithal shall
a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto
according to thy word."
To put it bluntly, God's Word "scares" the
sin away from us. We become afraid of iniquity and transgression
and rebellion!
Not only that, our Text continues:
"The
fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever."
This particular aspect of Scripture, its
fear-producing ability, is specifically said to "endure for
ever."
I suspect this is added to remove any
temptation to "return" to evil at some future point! The flesh
thinks strange things!
You know, 2nd Peter 2:22 style,
"The dog is turned
to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her
wallowing in the mire."
So, the Word of God is eternal!
Our purifying "policeman," Scripture itself,
is always "on the job."
"Enduring for ever."
The verb "enduring" translates "amad," that
is, "standing, remaining, established!"
And the adverbial phrase "for ever" is one
word in Hebrew, "ad." It means "in perpetuity." Never ending! To
go on and on and on some more, ad infinitum!
Right will be right for all eternity!
Reminds me of Revelation 22:11.
"He that is righteous, let
him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still."
Amen!
Now, to tie all this together, I looked at
the base word for fear, the "parent" of our word "yirah" today.
It is "yare," and here is how the King James Bible expresses it
again and again: "fear" 188 times, "afraid" 78 times, "terrible"
23 times, "dreadful" 5 times, but also "reverence"
3 times!
That's not a lot, but it's there, 3 times the
translators wanted us to know that "yare" has a reverential
component.
An element of worship.
The Bible, we are both to be fearful of it,
and respectful of it!
Both qualities will help us live lives that
are "clean" in the sight of God.
At least, that's what I see in Psalm 19:9
today. "The fear of the
LORD is clean, enduring for ever."
Talk about a Book that does everything!
Truly, David was right again when he wrote to
the Lord: "Thy
commandment is exceeding broad." Psalm 119:96
It certainly is.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7, THE JUDGMENTS OF THE LORD:
Much like Psalm
119, Psalm 19 uses a number of different names for the Word of
God. All are synonyms, of course.
The Scriptures are
characterized as "the law of the Lord, the testimony
of the Lord, the statutes of the Lord, the commandment
of the Lord, the fear of the Lord, and the judgments
of the Lord."
These categories of Holy Writ
explain why the same Book, the Bible, can "reprove, rebuke and
exhort," probably simultaneously!
What an amazing Document, the
Word of God!
Today we come to "the judgments
of the Lord."
The Psalmist David writes:
"The
judgments of the LORD are true and righteous
altogether." Psalm 19:9
The noun used for "judgments" is "mishpat," a
legal term. Its parent verb is "shaphat," meaning "to govern, to
punish, or to decide controversy." But I've noticed a couple of
interesting things about these two words. As a verb the emphasis
in the King James Bible seems to be punitive, with "shaphat"
being translated as "avenged, executed, and condemned," as well
as "judged." Also as a noun I see "mishpat" rendered as "manner,
fashion, custom, ordinance," as though it hints at God's way of
normally doing things.
With these Biblical facts in mind, I suggest
to you the "judgments" of the Lord represent the times when God,
being true to His Own Nature, His Own Essence, brings
chastisement or punishment on His subjects who have disobeyed
His Rulings. And that this happens often enough, consistently
enough, that a general rule can be postulated around God's
expected response!
Thus, "judgments" are God's holy and
righteous actions when He is vindicating His Word!
And the Bible contains the accounts of many,
many judgments. The exact number remains undetermined.
I've seen books about "All the Promises of
the Bible, All the Kings of the Bible, All the Prayers of the
Bible," and so forth, but I've never seen a book about "All the
Judgments of the Bible!"
Just think how many "judgments" are
described, in detail too, the the Book of Revelation alone!
Think of the judgments, the "plagues" in
Egypt, too, recorded in the Book of Exodus.
Even Jesus participated, the withered fig
tree comes to mind, Herod "that fox," too!
But, if we've defined "judgments" rightly,
how are they described here in Psalm 19:9, with which
adjectives?
"The judgments of
the LORD are true and righteous
altogether." So says the Holy Spirit.
Two traits of God's "judgments."
Each refutes a common criticism, criticism of
God's righteous retributions.
Many today say of God's judgments, the Flood
in Noah's time for example, that it did not really occur! They
deny the historicity of the event. Or they say it is not to be
interpreted literally, but figuratively or spiritually somehow!
In other words, they call God a liar!
But Psalm 19 just told us, specifically
concerning these "judgments," that they are "true."
They did happen!
Literally!
The word used here is "emeth," meaning
"faithful, firm, sure, reliable," even "continual."
God's judgments are fixed!
They are not fluid, but solid!
They are dependable!
They are real!
And there are more coming to this old sinful
earth we inhabit, too.
If God calls something true, we had
best pay attention!
Secondly, God's "judgments" are "righteous."
That's in addition to being "true."
Oh, how often the enemy has called God
"unfair" and "partial" and at times even "wicked" or "cruel" for
His judgments!
This is that old "If God is good why is
there so much suffering in the world?" argument. Or "If
God is all powerful why do catastrophes occur?"
Let me tell you something. Based on the
Bible, God makes no mistakes! Never has, never will!
And whatever "judgment" He sends is
absolutely "righteous!"
"Tzsadaq" means "to be right, to be clean, to
be justified."
If we had a better sense of the horror of
sin, its total repulsiveness to Almighty God, we would better
understand His reactions to it! His "judgments" against iniquity
and transgression and all the rest.
By the way, the ultimate consequence of sin
was this: the Darling Son of God dying on the Cross of Calvary!
I easily found ten times in Scripture where
God's "judgments" are precisely said to be "righteous."
Ten times!
That number alone proves that lost mankind
will call God's judgments otherwise. Not righteous!
Yet today it seems that folks are reluctant
to call anything a judgment from God.
We seem to leave it as an act of "fate" or
mere "coincidence" or a result of some "scientific law" being
broken!
We had better get back to correlating God's
Word, the myriad violations of it in the world every day, to the
consequences that follow such disobedience.
No nation, the United States of America
included, can ignore or scoff or mock God's precious Word, and
prosper, not for long!
God's judgments, true and righteous!
Altogether!
Yes, that last word is there!
"The
judgments of the LORD are true and righteous
altogether."
The adverb is spelled "yachad" and means "in
union." Truth and righteousness are "joined" or "united" in
God's judgments, no doubt in many profound ways.
Next time you believe one of God's judgments
has befallen humanity, search for those two qualities. Look for
that which is both "true" and "righteous" in the Lord's most
recent move!
And admittedly, while we Believers lack full
divine perspective, we should still be able to see a "bit" of
truth and righteousness in what God has done!
In fact, I guarantee it.
While the world howls and fumes, the saints
of God will adore and worship the Judge upon His Throne!
Even with all the unprecedented suffering and
sorrow in the Book of Revelation, we still hear it twice. During
the midst of one of the most intense periods of judgment ever to
hit this planet, John records: "And
I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God
Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments."
Revelation 16:7
And after all is said and done, world-wide
judgment of sin, Heaven is ablaze with praise!
"And
after these things I heard a great voice of much people in
heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and
power, unto the Lord our God." Revelation 19:1
They continue. Notice the underlined
words,please. "For
true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath
judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her
fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her
hand." Revelation 19:2
Here's a whole new area of Bible study, the
judgments of the Lord!
Exciting Bible study!
Tomorrow, Lord willing, we will learn why
these judgments are so profitable for us to study!
Hope to see you then!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8, STILL THOSE JUDGMENTS:
Of all the
"types" of Scripture we've studied, all mentioned in Psalm
19:7-11, the last one received the most attention.
The first five include: The law
of the Lord, the testimony of the Lord, the statutes of the
Lord, the commandment of the Lord and the fear of the Lord.
The last one is named in verse
nine, at the end. "The
judgments of the LORD are true and righteous
altogether."
Verse ten then continues:
"More to be desired are they than
gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the
honeycomb." Psalm 19:10
A pattern has developed!
Scripture, or at least a portion of
Scripture, is named.
Then it is described with a brief expression,
usually an adjective or two.
Then these two facts are followed by a
statement of the efficacy, the sheer power, of that unit of
God's Word!
Let's briefly remember "the law of the Lord"
sequence. "The
law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul."
That's it, Psalm 19:7, the very first part of the verse.
Its name: God's "law," but really it can mean
any part of our precious Bible!
Its description: "perfect!"
What it is promised to do: "converting the
soul!" Changing everything about me!
And so goes this pattern for six cycles!
So today, "the judgments of the Lord" are
evaluated, very highly esteemed too!
"More
to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine
gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." Psalm
19:10
Technically, the way the Psalm is constructed
by the Holy Spirit, this clause precisely describes those
"judgments." But, in reality, these lovely things are also true
of all 1,189 chapters of God's Word.
The verb "desired" is "chamad" in Hebrew, and
is variously translated as "covet" and "lust" and "to take
delight in." I mean several different times in the Old
Testament! It's a very strong word! "To consider as precious,"
one lexicon adds.
Literally craving the Word of God!
"Gold" means just what it says, "money." The
noun "gold," spelled "zahab," is derived from a root verb that
means "to shine or shimmer!" Gold does so. At least I've been
told that.
Worth more than the stock market, your
retirement fund, or the Nation's treasury, is the Word of God!
"Fine gold" is a different word yet, "paz."
It speaks of the metal after it has been tested and purified in
the goldsmith's fires! Naturally, it's even more priceless that
the raw ore! So, "refined" gold here is called "fine"
gold.
But not only do God's "judgments," His
written statements, the holy record of His great acts, invest
for us spiritual capital, better than "gold," they also can be
eaten!
Like food!
And they taste good!
How good?
"Sweeter also than
honey and the honeycomb."
The first adjective is "mathoq," anything
"pleasant" as well as "sweet." In each of its twelve Bible
appearances it is "sweet" to some degree. "Sweet, sweeter and
sweetness" are its three variations in Scripture. All the way
from Samson's riddle to three different Proverbs, all centering
on "honey," to descriptions of "sleep" and "light," both of
these in Ecclesiastes!
Oh yes, there's more! The Song of Solomon,
perfectly describing Jesus as "the apple tree," especially
mentions the "sweetness" of His fruit! Then both Isaiah and
Ezekiel prophesy, one polemically and one personally, using the
word "mathoq." For example: "Woe
unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness
for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20, reversed
values!
Yes,
"Sweeter also than
honey and the honeycomb."
The noun "honey" comes from a root word that
means "gummy, sticky!" It's spelled "debash" and is found 54
times in the Bible. The word "honeycomb" is "nopheth,"
indicating "flowing" honey, "dripping or oozing" from its
source. Super sweet! Ready to eat! Strength giving! Healthy to
the body!
The Word of God!
Better than money!
Better than your favorite food!
And, tomorrow, Lord willing, two more
benefits!
Maybe the best two of all!
When its comes to earthly gold, "filthy
lucre" Paul calls it, we are given warning after warning!
"For
the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows." 1st Timothy 6:10
But not the "gold" of God's Word!
One may desire it all he or she pleases!
"More to be desired," that kind of
feeling, is encouraged when it comes to Scripture!
And even with earthly honey, the natural
product, there is a warning. "Hast
thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest
thou be filled therewith, and vomit it." Proverbs 25:16
But with the "honey" of Scripture, the
"sweet" Word of God, it's an "all-you-can-eat" buffet anytime!
No limitations, no warnings!
The Bible, an amazing Book!
One that God seems to value rather highly,
too!
David says to God, in Psalm 138:2,
"For Thou hast magnified
Thy Word above all Thy Name."
Wow!
Even above the Divine Name?
Yes!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 9, THE END RESULT:
First came the
negative, then the positive. And both are amazing side-effects
of God's Word!
"Moreover
by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them
there is great reward." Psalm 19:11
The pronoun "them" in our verse has as its
antecedent "the judgments of the Lord," first mentioned back in
verse nine.
Let's put that part of our Text together, for
easier assimilation. "The
judgments of the LORD are true and righteous
altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea,
than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of
them there is great reward." Psalm 19:9-11
It's as if the Holy Spirit has again saved
the "best" until last! Already calling the whole Bible God's
"law," God's "testimony," His "statutes," and His "commandment,"
also the "fear" of the Lord and then His "judgments" too, six
total names, more information is given about the last one, the
"judgments" than any other!
In one sense every word in the Bible is a
result of God's "judgment." God's "discernment." God's
"discretion."
Be sure of this. Every Word God
has spoken through all eternity is not in the Bible!
No!
We are told of Jesus: "And
there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if
they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world
itself could not contain the books that should be written.
Amen." John 21:25
And our Lord Himself revealed
to His Followers: "I have yet many things
to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." John 16:12
If true of the Son of God, how much more so
of the Father in Heaven?
Point is this, God has "chosen" what he put
in the Bible, His very words and deeds and attitudes!
If so, and it is, then every verse in
Scripture is a "judgment" choice of Almighty God!
He has determined what is "right" to include
in His Book!
Sixty-six Books of God's "judgments!"
A veritable law library!
And, naturally, logically, we humans had
better listen!
Today's Verse chimes, nearly bluntly:
"By
them is thy servant warned."
The verb "is warned" translates "zahar,"
primarily meaning "admonished." However, beautifully so, "zahar"
is also worded like this in the King James Bible, "to teach"
once and then "to shine" once!
By definition "zahar" means "to warn or
admonish" plus, although perhaps secondarily, "to send out
light, to make to shine."
God's "judgments" caution us!
They also help "clean and polish" us,
resulting in our shining to the Glory of God! Or at least in our
shining more brightly when the "light" of God rests on our
souls!
We should be "warned" Christians!
Warned of what?
Of God's "judgments" on iniquity!
Of God's promises to be true unto Himself, to
His nature, to His Being, His "Essence" the teachers say!
After all is said and done, after all
judgment has been executed by our Lord Jesus Christ:
"He
that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy,
let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be
righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."
Revelation 22:11
The "judgments" of the Lord, their end
result!
But now, positively, the "judgments" also
promise certain reward!
"Moreover
by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of
them there is great reward."
The last half, the "reward" is thrilling!
"Eqeb" means "consequences!" The
"consequences" of obeying God's "judgments," God's holy words,
are ultimately "out-of-this-world!" Twice "eqeb" is rendered as
"end," the "end result" of following Scripture, great reward!
The root word behind "eqeb" is thought to be
"aqab," meaning "to take something by the heel!" It's the same
idea as Jacob's name, the "supplanter."
How can reward come from judgment?
It sort of sneaks up on its "victim!"
Catching him from behind!
It ambushes Him, overcoming him with blessing
after blessing after blessing! Kidnapped by reward!
"Great" reward, too!
"Rab" means "much or many or great" or even
"more numerous!"
Storehouses of reward!
If I will just "keep" God's judgments, keep
them in mind and heart.
"Shamar" basically means "to observe, to give
heed, to obey, to guard, to watch over!"
God blesses those who love and respect His
Word!
With great reward!
That's the end "goal" of Scripture, blessing
God's children!
Indeed!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
What a great Paragraph of Scripture!
