evening and now once again then
let's turn to the 119th Psalm and this evening we'll read verses
117 to 120. So Psalm 119 verses 117 to 120.
Hold thou me up and I shall be safe and I will have respect unto
thy statutes continually. Thou hast trodden down all them
that err from thy statutes, for their deceit is falsehood. Thou
puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross. Therefore
I love thy testimonies. My flesh trembleth for fear of
Thee, and I am afraid of Thy judgments. Well, it's very clear that the
psalmist knew where to go for help. He knew who to come to
and who to pray to. And so this 117th verse commences
with hold thou me up and I shall be
safe. What a blessing that is to realise
that we have a God who can and does hold us up. If that great
God did not hold us up, how easily we would stumble and how easily
we would fall and how we would be indeed not safe but very unsafe
but he comes with that humble confidence, believing in his
God. And we read together that 40th
chapter in Isaiah really because the last few verses speak so
very wonderfully about the strength and support of Almighty God. And he draws some wonderful analogies. And he asks the question, hast
thou not known Hast thou not heard that the everlasting God,
the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
neither is weary? We may ponder such a great truth
as that and realise that's the God that we are privileged to
come to. and pray that He will hold us
up and to believe then that we shall be safe. And He goes on
and says, The Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth
not, neither is weary. There is no searching of His
understanding. He giveth power to the faint. We may fear to fall. We may fear to stumble. He, Almighty God, giveth power
to the faint. And to them that have no might,
he increaseth strength. We may indeed feel sometimes
that we have no might against the adversary of our souls and
how we need God to hold us up, to deliver us, to surround us
with his love and mercy. and so what a wonderful it is
that he giveth power and he increases strength so that we're able to
confirm as he speaks and says even the youths shall faint and
be weary the young men shall utterly fall he draws the analogy
there and then says but and what a blessing that is but they that
wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength How strong, how
positive is the Word of God. And may we be found waiting upon
this God to hold us up and to realise that he will renew our
strength. And they shall mount up with
wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall
walk and not faint. Well, what a blessing it is then
to have that humble confidence this God as we come in prayer
as the psalmist desired the Lord would hold him up and with that
confidence then that he would be safe and then he tells us
and I would have respect unto thy statutes continually. You may be reminded that when
Moses wrote the book of Deuteronomy he tells us the wonder of this
God and he says the eternal God is thy refuge and underneath
are the everlasting arms two very strong views two very strong
statements and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee
and shall say destroy them What does it mean? Held up by God
continually. What a mercy and what a blessing
to come into that situation. And then he comes and says, Thou
hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes, for their
deceit is falsehood. Their deceit is falsehood. Their hypocrisy is a lie. Yes, but God treads them down. And so we should be thankful
for such a truth as that. They wander from the Lord's commandments. It's a warning, isn't it? They
deviate from his precepts. we go astray constantly and willfully
it's a very solemn statement isn't it and so easily we can
fall into that trap to realise that we go astray constantly
and sometimes willfully of people that err in their hearts and
with all their hearts and so the Lord comes and treads down
as myrrh in the streets as grapes in a winepress which shows abhorrence
of them his indignation at them and how easily they are subdued
under him well it's a very sad situation to find in that situation
and yet blessed it is to know that we have a merciful God A
God who deals with those who go against the Word of God, go
against His statutes. All them that err from my statutes,
for their deceit is falsehood. They fail to believe the great
truth of God. Well, the Lord says, through
the psalmist here, Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth
like dross. And again, that's a very sad
statement, isn't it, to realise. There are those who are put away,
those who are wicked of the earth, just like dross. Dross as we
know is of no worth and no value and is utterly unprofitable and
which eventually of course is cast into the fire burnt up separated
from the choice metal they are put as away all the wicked of
the earth like Dross he views God in his sovereignty, realising
that we should not trifle with this God. And then he compares
it with, by the grace of God, what he loves to do. Therefore I love thy testimonies. He doesn't want to be amongst
those who are put away, but he wants to give the evidence that
he loves the testimonies of Almighty God. My flesh trembleth for fear
of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments. My flesh trembleth
for fear of thee, not personally, but for the fear of the wrath
of God coming upon those that do not fear God. well it's a mercy therefore if
we have that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom
that our flesh trembleth for fear of thee what a mercy if
God gives us that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of
wisdom it's his grace that gives it it's not something that you
and I can produce ourselves What a wonder it is when God is merciful
to us. He says, and I am afraid of thy
judgments. Perhaps afraid that those judgments
might come upon him. Sometimes we might be afraid
of God's judgments upon us. As the Lord shows us sometimes
how wrong and evil and sinful we are, we deserve God's judgments. And we may tremble. We may be
afraid of the judgments of Almighty God. But what a blessing to realize
there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared. And therefore we come back to
the beginning where the psalmist says, hold Thou me up. We may
fear to fall. We need God to hold us up. We need God to strengthen us
and to realise then, in that condition, we are safe. And the blessing is, if God favours
us and blesses us, to realise that we are eternally safe. What a mercy to be found safe
in the arms of Jesus. Well, may God bless these few