morning scripture reading this morning from Psalms 119 verses 33 to 40, and it's going to be a little comment this morning, but we're going to pick up next week with scripture reading without comment, and it's going to be moved over to the Bible study so that we can delve into it. It's very deep. We can delve into it without the constraints of time. Psalm 119 verses 33 to 40.

He, it's actually He, the Hebrew word. It's the fifth letter of the alphabet, of the Hebrew alphabet. Scholars and theologians define it as ventilation or windows. In the last section under the letter Delet, we talked about doors. Now, verses 33 through 40, or He, we'll consider windows as the theme. Remember that in the beginning of the study of Psalm 119, we mentioned how the original design of the structure of Psalm 119 is acrostic. which is kind of like a poem. It uses the Hebrew alphabet as the framework, not only as the heading for each section, but also each of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet is the first letter of each line in the original Hebrew text. And for that reason, the English translation has lost a little bit of its form. But we can look to see how the psalmist wants to use windows or, you know, did as the topic for each section. So Psalm 119, verse 33.

Hey, teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law. Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments, for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken thou me in thy way. Establish thy word unto thy servant who is devoted to thy fear. Turn away my reproach, which I fear, for thy judgments are good. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts, quicken me in thy righteousness.

And if you want to hear the breakdown of each verse and you're going to have to catch it next week, but I am going to mention some things really quick about starting in just one verse. Psalm 119, verse 37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken thou me in my way. What happens if the light is shining just right on a window, or it's dark outside and light inside the window, or hay, turns into a mirror?

And the psalmist knows our tendency to vanity, and to look to ourselves instead of God. The psalmist, again, is asking God to help and refrain from the tendencies of the flesh. Pride and vanity are part of our sinful nature. Even when we do good, we are still prone to sin. Our Lord Jesus Christ said this in Matthew 6, verse 3, When thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what the right hand doeth. Don't let the left hand know what the right hand is doing, or we will be lifted up in our own pride and vanity.

Then the psalmist prays for Lord God to quicken thou me in thy way. In other words, Lord, give me life. in the way that you would have me to live. Fleeing from my sinful nature and applying the God-given fruits of the Spirit, which is ultimately the law of love. Lord, help us to love you more and help us to love people more. I think it's easier to love God because we know all blessings flow from Him. But sometimes it's hard to love people, especially those who hurt us.

But we must try. In order to fulfill the new law of love, we don't know who and when God is going to call someone out of darkness. I mean, let's face it, the sun rises every morning because God is sheep that are going to be saved. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise.

We read in second Peter three, nine, as some men count slackness, but as long suffering to us were not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And this is the part I want to talk about real quick. The scripture, this is one of those scriptures has been severely messed with and all the new fangled versions of the Bible that man has messed with to tickle the ears and deceive people. The scripture is one of many that prove that we should be studying in the King's name version because it's the most accurate translation from the original Hebrew text.

The Good News translation says he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to be destroyed. The New Living translation says he's patient for your sake, not wanting anyone to be destroyed. The American Standard says long-suffering to you, not wishing that any should perish. The problem with those translations is when the original text says God is long-suffering to us-ward, The apostle Peter is speaking of the lost sheep and the apostles, not to you, not to someone who needs God. I mean, and not to you who doesn't need God to call you out of darkness, but can make a decision to be saved.

Peter is speaking of the fact that God will not lose one of his sheep, and God is not willing to lose one of his sheep. God has not lost one of his sheep because God cannot fail. The ear candy translations go on to describe an impotent God, not an omnipotent God. A God who can't do anything without your decision. A God who wishes and wants. Those are human terms. Our God doesn't wish or want or need. He didn't pray to some genie to create everything. He spoke it into existence. He doesn't need, he doesn't want, and he doesn't wish. That's a God with our own imagination. If God is trying, your pastor is lying. It's on the wall outside, or in this case, your Bible translation is lying. God will not share his glory with man concerning the miracle of salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ will always receive all the glory, all the time, for the God-given gift of faith to believe the gospel of Christ and him crucified as the only hope a sinner has for salvation.

And we need to continually recognize we're living in a spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6, 12 says, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. And in 2 Timothy 2, 24 through 26, A servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient in meekness, instructing those who oppose themselves. If God, peradventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth. and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

That's a powerful scripture. These are the people we interact with every day. Unless they're saved sinners, they're servants of the devil. It says it right there. And they don't even know it. They don't believe what happened in the garden. There's only two groups of people, saved sinners and servants of Satan.

I know it's a bold statement, but I declare with the authority of God's word in 2 Timothy 2.26 is the scripture to back it up. If you want to hear more about Psalms, come next week.