Opening Prayer: Is there no end, O Lord, to the pressure I feel from this world? Stress follows me during the day, and I experience sleepless nights. I long for the days of solace when we were on the same spiritual plane. Relieve me of the angst I continually experience. Cleanse me and make me whole again. Nevertheless, I will not wavier in my trust in You, O my Savior. I will continue to read Your Word and live according to its precepts. I will continue to communicate through Your Spirit. I will continue to love You with unending love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!
Today’s Bible Verse: Psalm 119:81-83
My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word. My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, "When will you comfort me?" Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your decrees.
Associated Verses:
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
To them, God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called (Ephesians 4:4).
Correlative Quotes:
Therefore he felt that salvation would come, for God cannot break his promise, nor disappoint the hope which his word has excited: yea, the fulfillment of his word is near at hand when our hope is firm and our desire fervent. Hope alone can keep the soul from fainting by using the smelling-bottle of the promise. Yet hope does not quench the desire for a speedy answer to prayer; it increases our importunity, for it both stimulates ardor and sustains the heart under delays. To faint for salvation, and to be kept from utterly failing by the hope of it, is the frequent experience of the Christian man. We are "faint yet pursuing" hope sustains when desire exhausts. While the grace of desire throws us down, the grace of hope lifts us again.[1] – Charles Spurgeon
David knew where he moored his ship. Hope without a promise is like an anchor without ground to helot by (attach the anchor); but David's hope fixed itself upon the divine word.[2] – William Gurnall.
It is good in all times of persecution or affliction to have an eye both on the promises and on the precepts; for the looking to the promise doth encourage to hope, and the eyeing of the precepts doth prove the hope to be sound. The Psalmist hoped in the word (verse 81), and (verse 83), he forgot not the statutes.[3] – David Dickson.
Author’s Notes:
INTRODUCTION
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7).
In the context of this song, David is expressing his deep feelings of worldly stress. He feels the pressure of society that we all feel from time to time. His words and thoughts are common to man and his desire for relief is real and easily understood by everyone. Angst is one of many feelings we all have. Deep depression leaves us tired and sometimes without hope of recovery.
The psalmist longs for a time when he had peace in his life. Those moments when his mind was clear and on the same spiritual plane as his maker. He cries out to God to bring about the feeling of wholeness again and relieve him from the harrying experience of life itself.
In the end, David explains, regardless of his situation, he will not waver in the trust he has in Jesus his Savior. David claims that he will continue to read God’s Word and he will put his complete confidence in the God he loves and respects. David knows there is only one source of hope, his Lord.
GOD’S WORD: THE SOURCE OF HOPE
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love (Psalms 6:2-4).
All believers have a longing for closeness to God. Our spiritual love relationship as Christians is with God alone. We share two spirits, our newly reborn spirit and the Spirit of God that now indwells us. Both spirits are in tune with each other in a deeply romantic relationship. Being out of a close fellowship with God is agony.
The Song of Solomon 3:2 cries out: I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him. The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. "Have you seen the one my heart loves?" Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of the one who conceived me. This scripture is a picture of the deep love relationship that we have with Jesus. He should be the love of our lives.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalms 51:7-10).
The psalmist knew he had eternal life. He is crying out for the sweet and fulfilling relationship that comes with salvation. He seeks God’s permanent liberation and not worldly temporal restoration.
David desires, once again, the purity of the moment of his salvation. The writer longs for the sweet fellowship that existed when he was first accepted into the family of God by grace through faith. He craves the simple enjoyment of the peace that results from justification and reconciliation. The serenity felt only in the presence of God is now lacking in David’s life.
He grew weary with waiting, faint with watching, sick with urgent need. …Nothing else could satisfy him but deliverance wrought out by the hand of God, his inmost nature yearned and pined for salvation (relief) from the God of all grace, and he must have it or utterly fail.[4]
– Charles Spurgeon
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying (Romans 12:12, NLT).
God always keeps His promises. We will experience comfort in our hope, based on our history with the Creator. Hope will not disappoint the believer (Romans 5:3-5). We must not tire in our asking (Matthew 7:7-8). Practicing prayer and having the patience to wait on God for His timing is centered on keeping hope alive. Continually naming the needs of our heart helps us to stay focused on the issue (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer combined with hope and patience gives us comfort while we wait on Him (Hebrews 10:23).
In this portion of verse 83, the psalmist refers to a wineskin neglected. It succumbs to the smoke of a wood-burning stove or an open fire in a cabin. The hide of the goat, commonly used in wineskins, eventually dries and withers. This phrase portrays a person who is slowly shriveling with old age. Their love stagnates and their ability to serve their God eventually deteriorates.
It is humility that brings us to God. Humanity is unworthy despite our position before the Creator. The Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14, full of self-confidence, felt he was worthy to approach God. His pride of position led this religious man to believe he was better than other men, especially the tax collector.
The accuser was found unworthy by God. The solicitor showed great humility and looking to heaven, he cried out to God for mercy. He recognized the sin in his life and repented. Jesus, pointing to the tax collector, said in Luke 18:14: I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
The Bible has two overriding, predominant themes. The first is the fall of mankind and his complete disregard for God’s position of universal Sovereign. Man’s reaction to God is fueled and fostered by his sinful nature. All humans are inclined to be disobedient to God. Romans 5:12 teaches: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people because all sinned.
The second truth woven into scripture describes God’s, unconditional love. God loves mankind even though they do not love Him in return. This is an indescribable attachment between the Creator and the created. Psalm 109:26 pictures God’s love: Help me, LORD my God; save me according to your unfailing love.
Spiritual Application:
God’s love is an expression of His grace. His grace is evidenced in salvation. God’s gift of salvation trigger the gift of faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 states this truth when it says: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works so that no one can boast.
Lessons within the Lesson:
What do unbelievers generally do when they feel depressed?
What should our response to depression be? Read Psalm 3:3 and Psalm 40:31.
Who was more acclaimed in the society at the time, the tax collector or the Pharisee?
Why is it important that we memorize scripture? Read Psalm 119:11.
[1] Charles Spurgeon, Psalm 119:81, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5, Ibid, P. 304.
[2] William Gurnall, Psalm 119:81, Treasury of David, Vol. V, Public Domain, Ibid, P. 309.
[3] David Dickson, Psalm 119:81, Treasury of David, Vol. V, Public Domain, Marshall Brothers, Ltd. Publishers London, Edinburgh and New York, P. 309.
[4] Charles Spurgeon, Psalm 119:81 Treasury of David, Vol. V, Ibid., P. 304.