Psalm 119 | Part 3
Holly dives into Psalm 119:17–24, where the psalmist longs for discernment and a deeper understanding of God’s Word. She reminds shepherd leaders that true wisdom comes through humble dependence on God — trusting Him to guide, provide, and sustain us.
Transcript
This is Holly with Presence Point and welcome to our Psalms for Shepherds series. Today we’re in the third acrostic of Psalm 119, entitled Gimel (GEE-meh-l), the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
While the theme of this psalm, as a whole, is the practical use of the Word of God in the life of the believer, these eight verses remind me of what we need to do to obtain true discernment or knowing God’s Word, His ways, and instructions so well that we have the ability to judge well, to make good decisions.
Please join me in reading Psalm 119, verses 17 through 24.
Psalm 119:17-24 (Gimel)
17 Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word.18 Open my eyes that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.19 I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times.21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
who wander from your commandments.22 Take away from me scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your testimonies.23 Even though princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will meditate on your statutes.24 Your testimonies are my delight;
they are my counselors.
When you look at the Hebrew meaning of the words of this psalm, here’s what we’re hearing the psalmist say:
Deal fully with me, Lord, as your servant, so that I might keep, watch, observe, guard every single word you say, literally any unit of God’s speech, the whole of God’s communication. Tell me, the psalmist is saying, uncover, reveal to me what I need to know so that I may gaze upon, consider, and look at the wonderful, marvelous, amazing even hard parts of your law, teachings, and instruction.
I am an alien, stranger, foreigner in this world.
Do not conceal Your orders, Your prescriptions, and Your instructions from me.
My soul, my very breath, my whole self, the seat of my emotion and desire is not just consumed, but literally crushed and broken with the desire for Your laws, regulations, and descriptions. Not just occasionally but during the complete totality of time – every season, every month, every week, every day, every minute of my life.
You reprimand the proud, who are cursed because of their arrogance, who wander, stagger, go astray temporarily from your regulations and prescriptions. Banish my disgrace, my contempt, my scorn, the insults because I guard, watch, protect, keep, preserve Your testimony, Your statutes, stipulations, and regulations.
Even though religious, governmental, or military leaders get together and talk about me, as your servant, your slave I will meditate, consider, think on Your decrees and statutes. Your statutes, and stipulations fill me with delight; they are my advice, my counsel.
The psalmist, whomever it may be, clearly deeply desires the discernment to know what God wants him to do and how God wants him to live.
Fellow under-shepherd, do you feel as the author of this song did? Do you desperately with every bone in your body, with your whole self, with every breath you take, every minute of your life, desire to know the Father more deeply, to understand his precepts more fully, to obey Him completely? Do you remind yourself on a daily basis that you are an alien, a stranger, a foreigner on this planet, that this is not your home. Your time here is short, but our time with the Father is eternal?
Nineteenth Century preacher, Charles Spurgeon, said this about Psalm 119:
“The man of God exerts himself, but does not trust himself: his heart is in his walking with God: but he knows that even his whole strength is not enough to keep him right unless his King shall be his keeper, and he who made the commands shall make him constant in obeying them…”
We must exert ourselves in following our Lord, knowing His precepts, commands, and prescriptions. And we must not trust ourselves! As His under-shepherds, we must be fully dependent on our God, knowing that we cannot fully follow Him without acknowledging our complete dependence on Him, allowing God to be our guardian, our caretaker.
The positive impact we have on the sheep the Father has entrusted to our care is directly proportionate to our dependence on the Father, our recognizing and accepting that without Him we can do nothing! He is our Shepherd. He is our Provider. He is our Protector. He is the One present with us at all times.
Dear shepherd leader, I encourage you to sit on, meditate over, the precepts of the Father today. Keep them, watch them, observe them, guard them, as this song says in verse 17. Hang on every single word God says. Literally, every unit of His speech, the whole of His communication not just selected portions that appeal to you, or that are easy for you, or that are politically correct, or that you’re already doing or that you agree with. And ask Him where you need to shepherd more effectively, where He wants you to step up, where He is counting on you to know and apply His stipulations and regulations. Then, do it. Implement what He says even if it’s hard, even if it stretches you because it is in those moments when you will, in fact, move from service to sacrifice, from doing to living, from knowing to internalizing.
And it is in that place that where you find your Good, Great, and Chief Shepherd leading you every step of the way in great peace and in His good pleasure.
Thank you so much for joining me this week. May you live deeply into your calling as leader and shepherd well every step you take. Bless you.
DIGGING DEEPER QUESTIONS:
- How do you respond when others talk about you or plot against you?
- In what area of your shepherd leadership are you trusting in yourself instead of depending on God?
- Is there a situation in which God is calling you to implement His Word even though it is uncomfortable?
