Psalm 119 Devotional

Psalm 119: Redemption from Human Oppression

Okay, so if you would then I'm gonna ask you to go back to Psalm 119 as we've been continuing going through the psalm and I would ask you to look at verse 134 tonight with me. A few thoughts again. I will say this I find it hard to try to refrain to such few thoughts.

And that really is to me a blessing because the Word of God has so much to say and you have to you have to kind of contain your thoughts and try to make them pointed and worthwhile and then and then allow time to pass.

So it's it's somewhat difficult sometimes to just take a few minutes but nevertheless it's worthwhile. So Psalm 119 and verse 134 and the psalmist says this he says, redeem me from the oppression of men that I may keep your precepts.

Redeem me from the oppression of men that I may keep your precepts. And as I've been kind of trying to lay out and emphasize as we go through these verses from the psalmist again I want to emphasize that as you read this even in just a quick reading if you haven't read it before or lately that then again we find the the psalmist beseeching God.

If you read through this psalm and again I say all psalms but particularly in this psalm you you cannot miss that point that the psalmist is continually if you will pleading with God, beseeching God, pursuing after God.

And I thought about how some people might think well you know what this psalmist must be pretty weak. Whoever wrote this must whether it be David or whoever you think believe that wrote this some people might think well he must be pretty weak all he ever does is ask for help.

He must not have a whole lot of strength. He must be he must be pretty shallow because every time I seem to read this psalm all he ever does is ask God for help. Well I'll tell you what if you were to think that way I would be more willing to say I think you're thinking right.

Because that's exactly what the psalmist is doing. The psalmist is continually pleading with God. He is continually pleading with God and he's always asking God for help. And that alone would be enough for us to spend a few minutes on how much do we really ask God for help.

How much do we really say Lord I am without ability versus Lord I can carry most of the load I just need you to support me in a couple things because I'm pretty good at this. That's not the way we ought to think and so again as I as we think about this what he says here he's about redeem me from the oppression of men that I may keep your precepts.

There he is again and again and again beseeching God, begging God, pleading with God. I will say this and I wanted to share this real quick. So you know I've had a problem with my eye. So I've had my my this situation my eye now five months.

It actually came one morning as I woke up there it was and and so I got like I think it's my my lizard eye. My eye just drifts out here it's it's called ocular myasthenia gravis some real special name.

But the thing I wanted to say about it and I as I thought about the psalmist asking for help is so it's happened to me for five months now and you know when it first happened I was confused. I was confused.

I didn't know what what was going on. I never had a problem with my eyes before and then as I moved along in my thinking as it went a little further I went from being confused to being distressed because I can't read the way I want to read and it hinders me in in many other things.

Like my depth perception is off. I'm afraid I won't be able to bait my hook but I'll get through that even if I gotta stab myself. So so I went from from being confused to being distressed and then I gotta be honest with you then I went from being distressed to being a little bit depressed because I began to think this is not going away.

This is not just a speck in my eye. There's something more to it. But you know what brothers and sisters here's what what's happened to me over this period of time. I've gone from confusion to distress to depression and and I'm really in a state of contentment now or I'm getting further in contentment.

I'm actually finding myself thankful for this little special gift that God has given me and I have enjoyed pleading with God to take it away from me. Now I don't know if that makes sense to the world but but to me it does because it's taken me from where I was where I woke up every morning and thought you know what I just open my eyes rinse rinse a little bit of water maybe take the Sandman out and I'm good to go.

Not that way anymore. Now when I get in the car I really have to pray Lord keep me between the lanes. I struggle with it but but my whole point in saying that is not just for me but that you and I would realize listen brothers and sisters without him we can do nothing and with him we could do all things.

How did I get from a state of confusion to where I'm actually content. I'd be thrilled if God would take this away but if he doesn't I'm okay. My wife says I look like a pirate so that's that's cool. She says she likes pirates so I'm good with that.

But my whole point is saying that I don't want to take too much I don't take any more time with it but but I want us to think about how the psalmist continually is pleading with God and he's continually stressing over and over again that this idea of his need for help.

In this setting right now he talks about being redeemed from the oppression of men. Talks about being redeemed from the oppression of men and another thing I've been trying to say about thinking that way and living our lives that way and praying that way is that as you read this verse along with any other verse in this psalm it's not that the psalmist is pleading with God for self-consumption because he's not.

He's pleading with God for a purpose and we looked at it last week we looked at the week before we look at the week before that if you look at it real quick what he says he he there's his plead right redeem me from the oppression men.

Why is it only for self-consumption for self-exaltation. No redeem me from the oppression of men. Then I might keep your precepts you see that's what I said to you before that that true prayer is not selfish at all because true prayer doesn't desire only for itself.

True prayer and true desiring of God is for God's glory and for being useful in the kingdom of God. So again something to think about that we would realize if you will our own weakness and then we would realize God's strength.

And so as I said to you he he asks here to be redeemed from the oppression of men to be if you will released from something because that's what it really is at the heart of being redeemed to be released from something to be rescued.

The word sometimes it's translated rescue in scriptures sometimes this word redeem here and in his verses is interpreted is translated as as rescues. Sometimes it's it's translated as deliver. But it's it's always the idea of being taken from something and not only being taken from something but being brought to something.

But so what he says this he says redeem me from the oppression of men. What he's really seeking is that God would help him to be able to to move away if you will from the things that hold him back from pleasing God and from in essence from growing in grace.

And not the psalmist you got to believe he's a real humble person isn't he. He's a humble man. One of the quickest ways I hope you will agree with this. One of the quickest ways to shut heaven's door is to enter into it with a proud spirit.

One of the quickest ways to see the heavens as the scriptures say turn into brass above you is to try to approach God with anything but true weakness and humility. And we really have problems with weakness and humility.

And the person who says things like I'm very humble he's usually very proud to tell you he's very humble right. But but really that's the quickest way. And so when he says this again I hope we can enter into the experience that that he's really pleading with God to be delivered to be rescued to be to be ransomed all those those rich truths that come out of that that that he would be able to move away from where he was and the things that would hold him down.

The Need for Humble, Dependent Prayer

And let me read this to you before I close. Because I thought about this how it's so easy to fall into that trap of not coming to God as totally bankrupt. And that's why I say my eyes been a real gift to me.

Because it's helping me to realize how bankrupt I really am. But listen to this and just think about it. It says in the Psalms. And you'll know where it's from as soon as I say it. But it says search me.

Oh God. Search me Oh God. And and and and try my heart and and and see and know my anxieties and see if there's any wicked way in me. And he desires to be cleansed. And then listen to what it says in in Proverbs.

It says this. It says my son if sinners entice you do not consent if they say come with us. Let us lie in wait to shed blood. Let us lurk secretly to for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them alive like Sheol and and whole like those that go down to the pit.

And we shall find all kinds of precious possessions. And we shall fill our houses with spoil and cast in your lot among us. Let us all have one purse my son. Do not walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path.

Listen to Proverbs. And so as the psalmist says Lord deliver me from oppression. Deliver me from from the intent of ungodly men. Deliver me from the intent even in that sense of my own flesh and my own sinful propensities that that we would desire that and that the way we would desire it is through keeping God's precepts.

My friends we ought to pray much about how we how we need God's Word. Not know God's Word. Need God's Word. We need to know it. But we need to need it. I mean you you can know all you want. And then not having a need or an expectation or a desire attached to it.

And all it is is fact right. So many people have hell is full of people who have facts. Lord Lord have we not done many wonderful things in your name. Redeem me from the oppression of men. That I may keep your precepts that the things that you desire of me help me to to walk in those.

So may God help us. May God help us as we as we think little by little here a little there a little line upon line precept upon precept that that we really need God not just for eternity without him. We have and are nothing.

So God bless us all. Right. I will turn it over to my brother as he comes now and continues in his study for us.