Now once again let us turn to
the 119th Psalm and this evening we'll read from verses 109 to
112. Psalm 119 reading from verse 109 to verse 112. is continually in my hand, yet
do I not forget thy law. The wicked have laid a snare
for me, yet I erred not from thy precepts. Thy testimonies
have I taken as an heritage for ever, for they are the rejoicing
of my heart. And I have inclined my heart
to perform via statutes, all the way, even unto the end. Well, we again continue and we
see so very clearly the soul's experience in the life of David
and how he was able to speak of the reality of religion in
his own soul and the need he had to continually be kept by
the power of God and to know his position and to know that
God was with him and that God would not leave him and that
God would, as we read in the last verse as he tells us, I
have inclined my heart It's good that we find the strength and
the grace of God that our heart is inclined to the things of
God. How very easily our hearts are
inclined the other way. And he comes and tells us in
this 109th verse, my soul is continually in my hand, yet do
I not forget thy law. And it's rather a strange statement
really, but we have a very similar statement to that in the judges,
and it refers to Deptha. Deptha was, as you probably know,
somebody that experienced difficult things, and we read in the twelfth
chapter and verses two and three, these words. And Japheth said
unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children
of Ammon. And when I called you, ye delivered
me not out of their hands. So he's explaining his position,
a needy position. And when I saw that ye delivered
me not, I put my life in my hands and passed over against the children
of Ammon." So he's being very honest there and he's obviously
having to risk his life because he didn't receive the support
he expected and yet he's able to say, and the Lord delivered
them into my hand. Wherefore then are you come unto
me this day to fight against me? When it's good, he's able
to give a good account of God's mercy and favour toward him in
his time of need. Although he had to, as it were,
take his life in his hands, yet he was able to prove that God
was with him. And it's good, isn't it, to read
these words towards the end of that third verse. And the Lord
delivered them into my hand. The Lord still today delivers
us from the enemy, delivers us from temptation. What a great
and merciful God we have. So he says then, yet do I not
forget thy law? So many times we are reminded
in this psalm he is concerned to remember the law of God. What a mercy it is for us today
if we have that same ability to confess that God enables us
to remember his word. David needed to remember the
law of God. He's reminding us and how we
need to remember that God is nearer hand and not afar off
and as you and I journey on through this world there are so many
difficulties to face time and again and yet what a blessing
to realise if God before us who can be against us and he tells
us the wicked have laid a snare for me yet I erred not from my
precepts but it's a great blessing to be able to speak in a similar
vein. The wicked have laid a snare
for me. Yes, the devil does lay snares for us. Again and again
he does all he can to trip us up and to turn us away from the
things of God. And yet, here we have David being
honest and able to confirm, yet I heard not from thy precepts. It's a great blessing that God
gives us grace to stand firm against temptation and be able
to say, yet I heard not from thy precepts. And then he tells
us, thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever, for they
are the rejoicing of my heart. What do the scriptures testify
to us today? Well, I hope They testify of
Christ, and they testify of his grace, and of the mind and will
of Almighty God. And if that is so, surely that
is a portion for our souls. By testaments have I laid as
an heritage, a goodly heritage, forever. What a mercy then, if
such, Evidences are a blessing to us and a goodly heritage they
are. And as we might be able to say,
these blessings, these spiritual blessings, are better than thousands
of gold and silver. Gold and silver, the things of
time, pass away. The heritage of God remains forever. And heritage forever. And then
he goes on to confirm that such a truth is the rejoicing of my
heart. You know, it's a great blessing
if you and I today can rejoice in what God has done. Rejoice
in the heritage that will be forever. Rejoice indeed in God's
mercy, in God's love, in God's grace, in all that he has revealed
to us. Unworthy as we are, can we not
then say, they are the rejoicing of our heart? As David was able
to say, they were the rejoicing of his heart. You see, it really
comes to the centre of the reality of religion. It's not something
which is in the head. It's something which God gives
us in our heart, and that emanates from the grace of God. And then
he tells us, I have inclined my heart to perform
my statutes always, even unto the end. That's interesting because
way back in this same psalm, verse 36, David then prayed to
God to incline his heart to the things of God. And now he's able
to tell us, I have inclined my heart. God had heard his prayer. And such a thought should be
of great benefit and encouragement to us, as we may have prayed
in a similar way that God would incline us to the things of God. Incline us. to really desire
the blessings of the Lord that maketh rich. We may have been
in a hard heart, in a barren state, and yet God has granted
us, he's put into our heart a desire, a prayer, we've prayed it, and
now we're able to confirm, I have inclined my heart to perform
thy statutes always. What a blessing, isn't it? To
have a God who hears prayer and a God who answers prayer, and
then to be able to declare the wonderful change in our spiritual
life. We don't want to stay, do we,
in a far-off condition. We don't want to stay in a hard-hearted
situation. We don't want to stay in an unconcerned
place. But what a mercy it is if we
come and commit our way to the Lord, pour out our heart unto
Him, tell Him our sad estate, and seek for that gracious inclination
which only God can give. And then when He does favour
us to be able to testify to His glory I have inclined my heart
to perform those statutes always, even unto the end. Well, what a mercy it is to have
a religion which lasts, not something which comes and goes, but that
which God gives is forever. It will not be taken away. The
devil may try and snatch it out of our hands. But that which
God gives is there forever. Well, may we ponder these words
and realise the truth and the reality of them, so that our
souls may be strengthened and encouraged.