Psalm 119:128

Trusting God's Word

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Yes! Certainly, all of God's precepts concerning all things are right. Never should we be critics of God's word. Critical analysis has been given to God's word by many people, but most of these critics come to the word of God with the idea that it is wrong; then they pursue their critique with a preconceived idea that they must prove God's word wrong.

But as believers we come to God's word with the expectation that it is right, and when divided (handled) correctly, it will be found to be right in all things of which it speaks.

We can have confidence in the truth of God's word; therefore, we "hate every false way." We look down upon efforts of man to condemn the word of God and to try to destroy its effectiveness. Sadly, even among professed believers in Jesus Christ are some who question the validity and effectiveness of the word of God to do as it has promised to do. Therefore, we have many false religions in the world due to the private interpretation of many, depending upon mans' reason rather than God's inspiration.

False are the ways of the human mind
Until corrected by the Lord
Through divine intervention
And the study of God's word.

For the world produces a lesser knowledge
Than that of Scripture lines
And dares critique its revelation
With words of sundry kinds.

But God's word is pure
Standing on its own.
Let us read His word of truth
And trust its words alone.

Ronnie W. Wolfe - 12-31-2014

 

 

Psalm 119:127

More Precious Than Gold

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Can we reiterate what David is saying here? Can we say that the word of God is more precious than fine gold? So many people (even professed believers) love the world more than the word of God. We remember the song "Dust On The Bible," don't we? There was a good message in that song, and it can be applied to many today.

Many of us grew up without many things, including money; thus, we had time on our hands to sit and concentrate on God, his wondrous creation, and his word. I remember as a boy, sitting quietly at the window, staring at the weather outside, trying to think of Scriptures that spoke about the different seasons of the year and the blessings and burdens of life. I could not always think of Scripture for those things, mainly because we did not have good reference material for our Bibles; but I later found that God speaks about all things in life in his word.

God's word brings many things to bear in our lives. It is the way of cleansing our way -- Psalms 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. It is the way of staying away from sin -- Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Many more benefits are written in this very chapter in the book of Psalms.

Today, to our delight and also to our detriment, we have cell phones, game systems, TV's, audio players, hectic schedules, and other things that take away our attention from the word of God. This may very well plunge our society into ruin.

Gold is still today a precious commodity, but the precious word of God should be more precious than fine gold to us. Let us read it, remember it, write it, speak it, practice it, and give glory to God for it, for God's word is truth (John 17:17).

 

 

Psalm 119:126

Establishing The Law

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Since man has done injustice to the law of God, has shunned it and broken it, hated it and made a disgrace of it; it is time for God to do his work. His work is to do righteousness in the world both in his blessing with mercy and judging in his righteousness court.

The law of God was perfectly fulfilled, or worked, in the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to bring righteousness to the world. He is our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6); he is the righteousness judge (2 Timothy 4:8), and he imputes righteousness to believers (2 Corinthians 5:21), who have no righteousness of their own but must receive it from God in Christ, who is King of Righteousness (Hebrews 7:2).

Men have "made void thy law" by breaking every whit and whim of it, but by faith we do not make void the law, but we establish it (Romans 3:31).

Psalm 119:125

Ask For Wisdom

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The words "I am thy servant" should ring loud and clear in every believer's mind and heart. We should know that God has made us, and we do not belong to ourselves. Believers should know and understand that we are all servants of our God, who has saved us by his marvelous grace.

Only God can give us understanding of his word. We cannot delineate God's words to us without the power of God through the Holy Spirit; that is his job.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Oh, that we would simply ask the Lord for wisdom! Oh, that we would take his advice to help us understand God's word so we can be vessels of honor for his service.

We are to know the testimonies of the Lord in order that we might spread the news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his death, burial, and resurrection; so that we might know God, who he is, and what his plan is for our lives. So many times we know Jesus, and we know the Holy Spirit, but many do not know God in his essence. May God give us understanding to know God as he really is and not as we would like him to be.

Psalm 119:124

Dealing With Us Through Mercy

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

With his people, God deals with mercy, since we are saved by his mercy, kept by his mercy, pardoned by his mercy, redeemed by his mercy, called by his mercy, justified by his mercy, kept by his mercy, and delivered to heaven by his mercy by grace through faith alone.

By law we are lawless, by obedience we are rebels, by faith we are shipwrecked, by works we are vain. If we are judged by law, we must know that we are all lawbreakers.  Isaiah said in Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Through law we are all doomed to punishment of all our wrongdoings, all of our sins, all of our transgressions; but "by mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5).

So, Lord, deal with us according to your mercy, not according to our works or according to the law, since we all have broken the law and deserve eternal punishment for our disobedience. By mercy he saves us.

But, also, the Lord deals with his own people who are already saved by grace through his mercy. He is longsuffering, kind, patient, forgiving, and loving in both blessings and chastisements to his people.

Time and space does not allow me to speak further about this, but just read this as a believer:  Lamentations 3:22 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. Therefore, we need the statutes of the Lord, and only he can teach us these statutes in our minds and in our hearts. Let us pray and study to learn God's word to know more about Jesus concerning his great mercy.

Psalm 119:123 | 119:81

Failing Of The Eyes

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The human eye is a wonderful creation of God. We must give much thanks to God for our being able to see. Those who are blind know more of the value of seeing than those who can see very well.

But David's eyes, though they were able to see physically, they could not see the true benefit of God's salvation, because David was living in this world. David was looking for more than the pleasures of the world. He was looking farther into a realm that the human eye cannot see. The human eye may see a few blessings, but the human eye cannot see the things that God has prepared for those who love him (1 Cor. 2:9).

Neither can David see true righteousness and holiness in this world. His eyes fail to see righteous judgments performed by those who are responsible for the execution of civil law. He does not see, nor does he hear speeches or sermons that reflect the righteousness of God, just as in our own time moral and holy preaching and speaking seems to be scarce.

In verse 81 of this psalm David explains, also, that his very soul faints because he cannot find true salvation in this world nor the faith in true righteousness through the Messiah. His soul faints also due to the fact that life in this world seems to be so long, and the wonders and hopes of Heaven are not soon realized.

Oh, how our hearts often desire and eagerly long to be with our Lord where he is, in Heaven with the Father.

But, as verse 81 continues, our hope is in God's word. While we watch for and wait for the coming of the Messiah from heaven the second time, we are assured in our hearts that God's word is true, and it is the only hope that we have this side of heaven, so we must give credence to and hope in the Bible, God's holy word. It alone can give us comfort and assurance in God.

 

 

Psalm 119:122

God, Our Surety

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

God is our surety. This word indicates a pledge, or a guarantee, or a covenant. It also indicates a defense, which God is for his people. The word in its fullest meaning indicates also fellowship.

God is our surety in making Jesus, his only begotten Son, a surety (a defense) for us on the cross of a better covenant than that which is under the Mosaic Law.

The New Covenant is one that is not dependent in any way upon man himself but is initiated, executed, and fulfilled by God himself through his own divine and eternal plan.

God, I suppose, could be a surety of that which is bad, meting out judgment upon those who disobey and reject him, but here the psalmist cries out for God's surety for that which is good, and we know that God is good.

Notice Psalms 100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. But God has a goodness that is superior to any good that is in man. Notice Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Of course, this does not mean that Jesus is not good, but it means that, since Jesus is good, he is God.

The only way the psalmist can understand that God would be a surety for good is that God would hinder the proud from oppressing him. This is not a cry that God would suppress all of the oppression of the proud but that God would measure their oppression as nothing in David's sight, manifesting that God is much greater than all of our oppression, so that he could come as close as possible to that which is said of Jesus in Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Oh, that all of us as God's children could come to this in our lives! Oh, that we might turn our problems over to God in Christ and render our oppressions from the wicked as vain and ineffective in our service to him with whom we have to do (Heb. 4:13

 

 

Psalm 119:121

Delivered From Oppression

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

David, as king of Israel, did his very best to keep the judgments of God as king, to be just with all his dealings with men and with his Lord. This is not to say that he kept the commandments perfectly, because no one does; but he kept them in the eyes of the people in such a way that his enemies, or his oppressors, could not charge him legitimately with any impropriety.

Therefore, he begs the Lord not to leave him in the hands of his oppressors, for they would do much harm to him both physically with imprisonment, physical torture, even death if they could. But they can go no farther than God will allow them to go, so David puts his life in the hands of Almighty God, who will judge all of his adversaries.

The apostle Paul experienced many brutal oppressions at the hands of his oppressors, but he encouraged Timothy with the words in 2 Timothy 3:11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

God will not always deliver us from our oppressors unless death itself is counted as an escape, which our honorable martyrs thought it was. Romans 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

 

 

Psalm 119:120

The Fear of the LORD

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.

We shall not gain knowledge and wisdom merely by memorizing scriptures or filling our minds with knowledge of the Bible. Knowledge and wisdom must begin, as we read in the above verses, with the fear of the LORD. If we fear God, then we fear his commandments, which means that we take them very seriously.

We know of the seriousness of the commandments of God (his judgments) and also the repercussions or the results of disobeying His commandments. Many, and probably all, saints of God today do not take God's commandments seriously but take them "with a grain of salt" depending upon God's longsuffering and his forgiveness as excuse for our laxity of obedience, which, of course, is not scriptural nor beneficial but only foolish.

Let us fear both Him and His judgments that we may have true knowledge and wisdom, benefiting both ourselves and those with whom we have to do.

 

 

Psalm 119:119

Casting Off Of The Dross

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Literally this verse says that God will give the wicked a quitting time, a Sabbath, as it were, but not a Sabbath as our Heavenly rest, but only resting, or stopping, from their wickedness on earth. They will, in essence, come to an end of their wickedness and be thrown off as dross so that the saints of God can shine as gold in our heavenly home.

Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

The earth will be purged, or cleansed, of all wickedness so that we as God's children and saints may live on this earth for eternity, a new earth made without man's hands, an earth like nothing we have ever seen, for we read in 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Therefore, we love God's testimonies, his word, the Bible; for it explains this to us in plain words, and we can rejoice in God's plan for us in his final triumph and the consummation of all things. Hallelujah!

 

 

Psalm 119:118

Errors Punished

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Revenge belongs to the Lord, and he will mete out that revenge when the time is right. He cannot and will not allow error to continue forever but will bring all things into righteous judgment before himself and punish, or trod down, those that err from his statutes. See Romans 2:5.

The psalmist says that "their deceit is falsehood." It is the design and strategy of the wicked to lie concerning philosophy, science, and other things in order to mislead people who may otherwise believe the word of God and follow his statutes.

But mainly these wicked will lie concerning the word of God, making it to be a fairy tale, a proverb, a manuscript that is written by man, or even to the point that everything in the Bible is fantasy, fiction, and a myth. This is taught in many schools today.

We should not be surprised when this happens, because we are aware of Satan's wiles, his trickery, and his deceit. We must simply continue to preach the word of God as it is to lost and saved alike so that the word may take effect in all our lives.

 

 

Psalm 119:117

He Will Keep Me

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

We as human beings always have a tendency to fall back into sin, to stumble along the Christian road; therefore, we must ask the Lord to hold us up. His hand is "stretched out still" (Isaiah mentions this five times) to sinners, and his hand holds up his people from eternal death and from being seduced and harmed by the world. I love the doctrine of eternal security, because it guarantees me that God will keep me by his own power.

Notice this for believers:  Psalms 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

I cannot fall into  perdition. I will not fall into reprobation. I cannot fall so far away from God that his judgment will fall upon me as it does upon unbelievers.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

God keeps me by his grace; therefore, I have respect unto the statutes, laws, commandments of the Lord. It is his grand statutes which made my sinful condition manifest, and it is his grace which has helped me.

Jesus paid it all; all to him I owe. If he keeps me from falling, then I must keep his commandments; because they are not grievous. 

 

 

Psalm 119:116

I Am Not Ashamed

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

"Uphold me." Yes, because I shall definitely fall into all kinds of trouble, confusion, and worldly philosophies if I am not upheld by God's word.

I shall fall into temptation without his word, and I may die "in the midst of my days" if I am not faithful to his word. I live eternally by God's word, and it is God's word that sustains me; by it I have eternal security in salvation, because that is not mine to accomplish but his to supply. I must be mindful that it is God who gives me life.  I love Psalm 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

If God's word sustains me and keeps me alive and gives me hope of eternal salvation, then why should I be ashamed of that? Why should I shun the opportunity to witness of the eternal salvation of the Lord?

Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16), and he was not ashamed of his faith (2 Timothy 1:12). We should never be ashamed. Paul wrote in Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Thankful For First Baptist Church

-Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe -- November 27, 2014

Today I am reminded, as I often am, to be thankful for First Baptist Church, 119 S. Hill Street, Harrison, Ohio. I became pastor of this great church on August 2, 1982. This church had already acquired quite a reputation for being a church which preached the Bible, was concerned about the lost, and a great supporter of missionaries.

Through many trials and even troubles the Lord has brought me and my wife, Shirley, through them all; and this church has been so gracious to me as their pastor. I am so thankful for every member who has ever been at this church. We have lost many, many members through death through these years, but God has been gracious to always give us new people. God is wonderful like that.

After losing my wife in 2003, the church accommodated my needs and had great compassion and help toward me. Now that I am 70 years old, I look back through the many years and rehearse great memories of what this church has meant to me.

There have been only four pastors of this church in the past 64 years. I am thankful to be the pastor here for 32 years. I jest that I am keeping them from getting a good preacher.

Thank you, First Baptist Church, for putting up with this unworthy pastor. I am humbled by your love and considerations. May God continue to bless this his church to his own honor and glory.

Psalm 119:115

Saying No To The World

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

When temptation comes by way of evildoers, we are to say to them, "Depart from me." This is one way that we can grow in the grace of the Lord.

Saying "Depart from me" is not as easy as it may seem when we read the words. Satan is always at work drawing God's people toward the enjoyments and the knowledge of the world. To these things we are to say "Depart from me."

Notice what John says in 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

We reject the lure of the world so that we can keep the commandments of our God. He is the source of our grace, of mercy, and of wisdom and knowledge.  Col 2:3 In whom (Christ) are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Psalm 119:114

My Hiding Place

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Sometimes people must flee from danger and hide in a cave or some other protection in order to be safe. Thus we have our picture here. When one runs to Jesus Christ for refuge, he is running to his only true and confident hiding place from all kinds of dangers, especially from the wiles of the devil as he goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

The dangers of this life, or the calamities of daily living, are not to be expected to be cast away because we have believed on Christ. Jesus warns us against such religious philosophies when he says in Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

How can we suffer if all dangers, calamities, hardships, and heartaches are taken away upon our justification? We must, then, look to Christ for a city whose builder and maker is God and expect that one day in the future we shall live there away from all earthly harm--praise the Lord.

Christ is also our shield. He protects us against the wiles of Satan and the attacks of false apostles and by false scientists; and the only hope of knowing and believing this is found in God's word. God's word is the plumb line or standard for all truth.

So, Christ is our hiding place, as our verse here says. Also, we read in Psalms 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Psalm 119:113

Vain  Thought And God's Law

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Skeptics will say that the word "vain" is not in the Hebrew language, but we must realize that the thought of vanity is mentioned many times in the Old Testament.  Exodus 5:9 and Job 16:3 speak of "vain words," "vain men" in 2 Chron. 13:7 and Job 11:11, and "vain persons" in Psalm 26:4.  See also Jeremiah 4:14.

Also, the fact that the end of this verse speaks in contradiction to the thoughts of the first part of the verse as "thy law" strengthens the idea that the word "vain" should be used.

Jesus spoke about vanity in Matt. 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.  Vain doctrine is vain thought. There are many warnings about false teachers and false doctrine from the apostles.

We should always be on the alert for false doctrine, since doctrine is extremely important to our Christian view of things. When compared to the law of God (the Bible), these thoughts can be quickly recognized, these doctrines can be identified and cleansed from our thoughts.

 

 

Psalm 119:112

Turn Your Heart Toward God

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

To incline the heart means to bend it toward a certain direction. Several pages in Psalms mention the idea of inclining the ear toward God and asking God to incline his ear toward us, but only a few passages speak of inclining the heart.

We read in Psalms 141:4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.  This is the negative position of inclining the heart. We are NOT to incline our heart to the practice of wicked works and the dainties of the wicked. That is a job in itself. The world (secularism) is constantly pressing us to incline our heart to the things of the world. The wicked are continually at our door, tempting us with thoughts that will turn us away from our God.

But in our text today we see that the psalmist has inclined his heart to God's word (statutes). He is persuaded of that which God has set in his heart, being saved by grace. Notice that he has already inclined his heart, pointed the arrow of his heart toward God and God's testimonies (see Psalm 119:36).

In the flesh the heart is desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9), but God has given us a new heart. Ezekiel mentions this at least twice (Ezek. 18:31 and 36:26). This is the only way that we can incline our heart toward God. Without God's interception we have only a wicked heart, but by his grace we have a new heart that is directed toward God and his word.

So, if we have not a heart inclined toward his word and set upon God himself, then we must examine whether we be in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5). Notice what the psalmist says in Psalms 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

What about your heart? Is it right with God through grace and dedication?

 

 

Psalm 119:111

God's Word Our Heritage

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

A heritage is something that belongs to someone by birth. It is an inheritance, something given by or through your parents.

God's testimonies (the Bible) were given to most of us by our parents; and, if not by them, it was given to us from someone who preached the Gospel to us. Through whatever source, we all receive the word of God as a heritage, not as a natural part of our being.

Once we have received the word of God as his word, as the inspired words of God, as the only source of real and divine truth, we receive them forever; for the word of God stands forever. It abides in all believers forever. It corrects, reproves, and instructs us forever. It is settled in heaven, and therefore it will abide in us throughout all eternity.

Some believers forget that it is the word of God that worked miraculously in their lives to save them from their sins, to seal them and to give them assurance for an eternity with Christ Jesus.

We accept the word as a heritage, because the words of God make us to rejoice in our hearts. If the word of God does not thrill your soul, then you must search the Scriptures, for they are they that testify of Jesus Christ (John 5:39).

Lu 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

If you have received God's word as a heritage, then you will bring forth fruit with patience. Let us seek his word, hide his word in our hearts, preach his word, and make his word the guiding force in our lives to bring glory and honor to him.

 

 

Psalm 119:110

Snares For My Soul

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

God continually warned Israel about serving other gods, that these gods would be a snare to them (Exodus 23:33; Psalm 106:36).

The wicked, the ungodly, the haters of God and hostile toward God are continually laying snares for the Christian. These snares come in many forms. They come in the "form of godliness" (2 Tim. 3:5). The word form in this verse means "a resemblance," not the real form, as is mentioned in 2 Tim. 1:13, which is an example, a showing forth and telling forth of the real truth, not simply a resemblance of the truth. This resemblance of the truth is a snare, a trap, that is set for believers to lead them away from the real truth, to cause them to stumble.

Jeremiah spoke of this:

Jeremiah 18:15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

But we shall not err (stray from) the truth of the LORD if we will eat and digest the word of God for our strength and our confidence. Notice these verses:

Psalm 119:89 -- Thy word is settled .  . .
Psalm 119:105 -- Thy word is a lamp and a light . . .
Psalm 119:40 -- Thy word is very pure . . .
Psalm 119:160 -- Thy word is true from the beginning ...

Therefore, to keep from swerving, from swaying, from turning from the truth, one must keep himself in the word of God daily, eating it and digesting it, memorizing it, reading it, consuming it. Otherwise, we shall be as the Israelites as they turned from God's commandments to serve other gods. We all have this proclivity, so let us read the word, believe the word, preach the word, and live the word so we will not err and fall into the snares that the wicked (even Satan himself) have set for us.

Psalms 70:2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.

Psalm 119:109

The Hope Within Us

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

For the soul to be in one's own hands is for the soul to be vulnerable to all kinds of possibilities of death, for we are at the mercy of many wiles of the devil and many happenstances (if there are such things). It is as though no one is guarding our life or protecting us from harm or death. If my soul is in my hand, I have no authority over death and am susceptible to calamities that may come upon me at any time.

But the law of God gives promise of protection to those who trust and love him. His law (the Scriptures) tell us that he will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). The Scriptures also tell us that there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).

Thus our trust must be in God, our confidence in his word (his law). His law is the only assurance that we have. If God has no law, then we have no assurance of life here or in eternity; but, if the word of God is his law, then we do have a hope that lies within us (Col. 1:17).

Psalm 119:108

Freewill Offering Of My Mouth

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The psalmist in this verse desires that God accept (be pleased with) the freewill offering of his mouth. We mostly think of offerings as money, but God accepts more than money for freewill offerings. He will accept praise (Heb. 13:15); he will accept the use of talents (Matt. 25:22); he accepts our witness (Acts 1:8); he accepts our preaching (1 Cor. 1:21) and other things.

As God accepts the freewill offering of our mouth (Eph. 6:19), it is only the LORD who can teach us the precepts of his word and persuade us in their understanding, for it is in him that is hidden the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3).

So, we need not only to learn the word of God but also to acknowledge that God is our only teacher, and the Holy Spirit can give us knowledge and lead us toward truth, the only real and genuine truth.

Sometimes the word of God is sweet in the mouth but bitter in the belly (Rev. 10:10), but we must take the council of Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Thus we can give God our freewill offering with our mouth.

 

 

Psalm 119:107

Worthy of Suffering

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Affliction is given to each of us, especially to believers in Jesus Christ.  We cannot forget the words of Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Jesus himself was appointed to suffer, or be afflicted. Notice these scriptures:

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Jesus' whole vocation on earth was to culminate in suffering. He said himself in John 18:11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

The word behoved means "a necessity is put upon me." He must die.

Mark 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

So, Jesus is our example, not simply of living a righteous life, but also to expect and endure suffering. We are told in 1 Peter 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

Suffering and patience go hand in hand. Patience, of course, means to endure, to bear a burden, and it is this patience that is prevalent in believers.

We shall see persecution and suffering in our own lives, so what shall we do? Should we pull back away from suffering and surrender through compromise, or should we endure the suffering as a witness to the world that we have a God and a Savior who is much greater than this world and a world to come that is above and beyond anything this world can offer, and of which suffering is worthy?

 

Psalm 119:106

Swearing To Keep His Word

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The psalmist has already sworn; he has already made a vow; he has already promised that he would keep the righteous judgment of God. Have you already sworn to that? Have you settled in your mind to always follow the word of God? Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, God as your Father, and the Bible as your final authority for living and dying?  If not, perhaps today you can do that. This settlement in your mind can be done today once and for all of your life. This is not a process but an act of dependence upon God's word and a commitment to follow his word daily. Few have done it, I think, in the context of our verse today.

His oath is that he will perform, literally "to arise up and do." Many people are lazy at heart and in their personal nature, but we must not be lazy in doing (performing) our sworn duty to make the word of God the guiding principle in our lives. We MUST turn to it daily, follow it tenaciously, and love it deeply. Remember 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

No, not grievous, but honorable and beneficial are his laws. If we keep his commandments, we are his disciples indeed (John 8:31). We shall benefit from his reward of blessing in regard to our obedience to his word. We shall live in a good conscience (see Acts 23:1), good confidence (Philemon 1:21), and a good conversation (conduct) Philippians 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ:

May we all simply begin our day with the word of God, break from the day in the middle of it for a taste of the word of God, and end the day with the great consolation of the word of God. Thus, we shall defeat through him the wiles of the devil, and weariness of culture, and the waste of searching truth in the world rather than objectively, from without, where God dwells in the Spirit and speaks through his word.

Psalm 119:105

A Lamp And A Light

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

As we walk along as believers in this dark, sinful, and wicked world, we certainly do need a lamp and a light to guide our way. Jesus is the way (John 14:60), and he is the Light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5).

There is also another light that is somewhat more physical to us than Jesus, whom we cannot see. That other light is God's word, the Bible. It is a lamp that is lit by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21) and continues to burn:  Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

We need specific direction to know wisdom and instruction, and we need to see the right way as we go. Only through the word of God can we be sanctified, John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Notice the connection in light and truth:

Psalms 43:3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

John 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Without this lamp and light of God, where would we be, where would we go, what would we do? We know not the path we take or the way before us, but God knows:  Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. He knows, and he will lead us, not into temptation, but beside still waters and in the paths of righteousness (Psalm 23).

 

 

Psalm 119:104

Getting Understanding

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The purpose of reading God's word is not only to be comforted, revived, and strengthened, but also to know right from wrong, good from bad, and truth from error.

Ps 119:128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.

While believers hate every false way, the wicked hate knowledge (see Prov. 1:22); that is, they hate the knowledge that is wisdom, that leads to wisdom and the fear of God.

We gain understanding by the word of God, for it describes all the basic and necessary principles of life as it applies to man as a creation of God. Man is created by God, so he is responsible to God to get wisdom and understanding and also to apply that wisdom and understanding to life practices.

There are many false ways. How many can you bring to mind? The psalmist hates EVERY false way no matter who invents or develops it, no matter who is involved in it, no matter how humanly logical it may sound; if it does not agree with the word of God, then it is false.

We should be constantly, daily, distinguishing between truth and error. By that we can know the will of God for our living in this world, for through the word of God we get understanding. 

 

 

Psalm 119:103

The Sweet Word of God

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Oh, the word of God! How sweet it is! Yes, there are difficult passages; there are parts that are harsh, speaking of the wrath of God; but, when taken in its entirety and in its prominent theme, the Bible speaks sweet things to believers, yet condemns sin.

It is sweet because it is from God. That is why it is called "the word of God." It is sweet, because it tells us where we came from in a simple and straightforward way. It is sweet, because it predicts throughout the Old Testament the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is sweet, because it gives comfort and many promises, concerning which God is very faithful to perform. It is sweet, because it tells who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. It promises believers eternal life, now and forever.

I have a grandchild for whom it is very difficult to keep him away from sweets. He loves them and devours them when he can. I constantly warn him of the harmful effects later in life, but he seems to ignore that; but, when we eat the sweet words of our God from Scripture, we must not be worried about its negative effects on us but bask in the beauty and wonderful taste of his word to us from day to day as we feast upon his word to our hearts' content.

Eat these sweet words daily. Remember, we, too, are a sweet savor of Christ (2 Cor. 2:15), and the word of God is our sweet daily portion, though it may be bitter after we have digested it (Rev. 10:9-10).

 

 

Psalm 119:102

Keeping His Word

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Many warnings are given in Scripture concerning the departing from the truth (1 Tim. 4:1; James 5:19; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14; 2 Peter 2:21).  This is necessary, since it is the tendency of man to err, or swerve, from the truth to turn to fables and believe the lie (2 Thess. 2:11).

How, then, can one keep from turning from the truth? Our text tells us that it is by being taught from the Lord. This teaching is done mediately through teachers who have been inspired of God to write down his word to us so that God's word may be imparted to us through his own Spirit and dwell in us permanently.

Notice Isaiah 54:13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

This teaching of the Lord will keep us from departing from the judgments of God. When God speaks, believers want to hear.  Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

These "counsels" are God's counsels. They are the welcomed sounds of the word of God into our hearts, hidden there so we will not sin against God. Let us spend much time in his counsels and hear as the wise man so that we will not depart from his word but remain faithful to his counsels, his statutes, his commandments.

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Psalm 119:101

Refraining From Evil

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.  Every man must discern between good and evil. Each believer in Christ has a daily job to take into account things that may come his way and decide whether they are right or wrong. In doing so, we may live a life pleasing to our God and beneficial to ourselves and those with whom we associate.

One of the reasons that we pursue holiness and its beauty is so that we may reflect that righteousness that has been given to us by God through Christ Jesus, who is worthy to enter into the holy of holies in Heaven and execute his duties as our High Priest, our Mediator and our Advocate.

We cannot enter into that holy place with our sinful hands and hearts. We are not worthy, but Jesus is worthy, as stated in Psalm 24:3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?  4  He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

This Psalm is defining the righteous life and the worthy death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It goes on to welcome him into Heaven in these verses: 7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

How, then, can we be welcomed into this holy place? It must be by the veritable righteousness of Jesus Christ, since  . . . he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5:21).

We also live holy lives that we might "keep thy word," as our psalmist here says. When we live holily, we shine forth the holiness that is expressed and commanded in the word of God, and we confess by this that this holiness is worthy of our work, and we then become good witnesses of God's word and his work in our stead, saving us wholly by his grace.

Also, we protect the word of God by our holiness by refraining from every evil way, by choosing the good instead of the bad, the right instead of the wrong, the holy instead of the evil. We guard God's word this way, not because it needs our protection, but because people lose confidence in the word when we live in opposition to it. We protect it in our own lives, professing that we believe it, and give confidence that we know it to be true when we follow its instructions, being wise, not in our own deceitfulness, but in our dependence upon God's word, which cleanses us and sanctifies us from the evil way:

John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

 

 

Psalm 119:99-100

More Than My Teachers

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

These two verses go together, extending the message of verse 98. Here we see that David can exceed the knowledge and wisdom of his teachers. This verse is not said in a derogatory way to lessen the importance of David's teachers but rather to speak of teachers as teachers only, knowing that teachers can speak the law, not knowing of what they affirm (1 Tim. 1:7); but David seeks true wisdom and knowledge from God's testimonies, or the word of God, the Bible, since the word of God is superior to the knowledge of teachers where these teachers must resort for their wisdom and knowledge, also.

David's knowledge was greater than the ancients, those who lived many years before his day, because, as the word of God was revealed, it shed more and more light upon the character, purpose, and work of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, which David delineated in a great way in many of his psalms.

David kept God's precepts as superior to all of his teachers and of all the ancients who lived before him. Even so today we must keep his precepts and his testimonies; therefore, we can know "all things" (1 John 2:20), both carnal and spiritual, being led by the Holy Spirit through our faith in Jesus Christ.

 

 

Psalm 119:98

God's Commandments Endure

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The commandments of the lord make God's people wiser than the world. The world knows only mundane things,only things that are temporal and wasting away; but God's word teaches us wisdom.

The world uses its wisdom to harass God's people, to bring them under subjection, to intimidate them and bring their theology under great censure and even hatred. Many in the world follow that harassment, and society at large can become infected with worldly philosophies and science falsely so-called.

Violence is the last stand of mundane wisdom. In the end those in the world will resort to violence, torture, and murder, bringing fear upon God's people in the thought that this fear will cause them to deny their Lord and join their worldly religion; but from time to time these worldlings experience the most fervent faith and fearlessness from those who believe in Christ, standing firm on their profession of faith in the face of torture and fear.

This is because the word of God, his commandments, are ever before us. They linger from day to day in our minds and thoughts, and they are the encouragements to our souls and the strength in our firm stand.

So, let us stand fast on the word of God. Trust it for strength and faith; believe it for comfort. God will always be faithful to his word, and his word will always abide with us.

Psalm 119:97

Meditation On God's Word

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

It is love that draws us to the word of God. It is love, that love that God has shed abroad in our hearts, that turns our hearts from worldly philosophies and science falsely so-called to the word of God instead.

It is the word of God that has prevailed in our hearts (Acts 19:20). It is the word of God that has birthed us to God, making us his children (1 Peter 1:23).  It is the word of God that has sanctified us (John 17:17).

Therefore we love the word of God, since it is the word of God that works in our hearts at all times: it is a constant and permanent resident in our hearts since God has engraved it in us (James 1:21).

Then how can the word of God be other than our meditation all the day long? How can we turn from it? How can we despise it or reject it? How can a person who is saved by God's wonderful grace turn away from this engraved word? Is it so that some who claim to know and love the word do not actually love it? Can it be so that professing the word and possessing the word are different things?

Certainly, if the word of God has saved your soul through the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit, the word of God visits your mind each and every day. But in order for this to be so, one must spend time in reading the word. Don't go even one day without going into the word to enjoy its content, its character, its challenges, and its comfort. When you see these things and fall in love with the word, you cannot help but meditate on it at all times. Read it; write it down, memorize it, and hide it in your heart that you may not sin against God (Psalm 119:11).

 

 

Psalm 119:96

Perfect Law of Liberty

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

David was a king with great power. He was the most powerful man in the world in his day. He had seen from history the building up of the nation of Israel as God's chosen people and had been a part of that great blessing. He was the receiver of great privilege given to him by God to be the king of God's great nation.

David's was the greatest earthly kingdom in beauty, strength, prestige, influence, wealth, and faithfulness to God. It is a shadow of the coming kingdom of Christ on earth, as that kingdom will be ruled through the lineage of David.

Thus, David has seen the end of all perfection, the fullness of what earthly kingdoms have to offer, the perfection, or the limit, of earth's vain glory.

But there is no end to the commandment of God, his word. One can spend endless hours, days, weeks, monthly, and years in search of the end, or the perfection, the Bible; but that will come short of an exhaustive understanding of the word, since the word of God is high and holy, perfect in every respect. It is called "the perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25).

This is not to imply that we should give up or surrender to the impossibility of completely understanding the word of God; it is, rather, that we should "Search the scriptures, . .. for they testify of me (Christ)" (John 5:39).

We as preachers are also to "Preach the word" (2 Timothy 4:2). We cannot preach the word in its perfection, but we are to reach for that perfection in our study and in our delivery. Due to our sinful state, our human limitations, and our depraved ignorance, we are limited in our knowledge; but we are to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

There are venues we may never see; there are maxims we may never understand; there are bits of knowledge we may never acquire; but God's revelation is perfect in its revealed form inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. We are, then, to labor in the word and doctrine (1 Timothy 5:17). Let us not be leery in our lassitude (2 Thess. 3;13) but strong in our study (2 Timothy 2:15).

Psalm 119:95

The Wicked And The Righteous

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The wicked are always trying to destroy the righteous. They walk different roads in opposite directions. The wicked walk quickly toward hell (Prov. 7:27) and enjoy it. The righteous are led in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake (Psalm 23:3). They will not be led into temptation by their God, and whatsoever they do shall prosper (Psalm 1:3).

Therefore, the wicked abhor the righteous. Through the entire history of the world the wicked have tried to destroy the righteous. They have tried to destroy their book, the Bible, through prohibitive laws, through burnings, and through perversions of Scripture. They have tried to destroy the influence of the righteous by replacing divine oracles and morals with worldly pleasures and humanism.

William Henley wrote in his poem Invictus:

It matters not how strait the gate,

      How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

      I am the captain of my soul.

But the righteous flee for refuge to our God, without whom there is no redemption, no salvation, no comfort, no security, our fortress. He is our captain (Heb. 2:10).

It is God's testimonies that we consider--learn, perceive, understand, observe. It is in these testimonies that we find our peace, so we must spend much time in them--the Scriptures--so that we may mark the wicked and separate from them, being separated from the world (2 Cor. 6:17) and separated unto our God for love and service by his grace.

Psalm 119:94

Our Security

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

"I am thine" is the theme of this section of Scripture. It is a fact that we belong to our God in Heaven. We are his offspring through creation. He has made us, so we are responsible to him in all aspects of life. We owe him everything, not as a debt, but as our Sovereign.

We who are saved are his, because he has bought us with a price (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23). The price was his precious blood (Romans 5:9; Col. 1:14).

"Save me" is the secondary theme of this section. It means that the psalmist calls to God to do what God has already promised to do--save us. He saves his people from their sins, all of their sins. He is saving us from day to day by his grace, his sufficient grace, which Paul experienced as well as we. He shall also save us in the end and through eternity.

Our knowledge of this comes from our connection with the "precepts" of God--the Bible. Read it! It is our only knowledge for security and comfort, knowing that we have been saved, are being saved, and shall be saved through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Cor. 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

 

 

Psalm 119:93

We Cannot Forget

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Forgetting is such an easy task. To remember is both a blessing and necessity, but it requires work. At present I am trying to "remember" by memory both Romans Chapter 10 and Isaiah Chapter 53. Every day I must rehearse these chapters to keep them in my mind. It would be so easy to forget them, I am sure. I have memorized chapters before and have long forgotten them from memory.

But when something as grand and as effective as the precepts of God have visited us, forgetting may not be so easy, for these precepts are our knowledge of sin, our recognition of a need for a Savior, and the quickening power of God both in our salvation and in our holy living for God every day.

When a lost sinner hears God's word of the gospel, Satan may come and snatch that word away, and the sinner will forget his condition before God, his need of a Savior, and the great benefit of God's grace that may come upon repentance and faith; thus, the sinner forgets the good message that he has heard and goes about his life as normal with little effect.

Others will hear the seed of the gospel message and are at first excited about its benefit, but it has little root (only philosophical and logical root), and the sinner then easily forgets.

Still others will hear as the gospel seed falls among thorns, and the cares and pleasures of the world soon choke away that veneer of gospel truth that only touched the emotions, not the inner soul, of the sinner.

But then there is the seed that falls on good ground, that which God has prepared for the benefit of the soul, the reception of gospel truth that penetrates to the very inner being of the sinner, strikes his mind, his emotions, his actual being, and quickens him, makes him alive.

This we cannot forget, that grace that came to us without our first prompting God, without any effort on our part, without any righteousness of our own, God instituted his grace into our souls to bring glory to himself and benefit the sinner with eternal life now and forever and for the sinner to glorify God in his life of service for the sinner's Lord and King.

Thus, how can we forget that institution of grace that has come to us in the quickening power of God through his precepts? We cannot! Even though some have forgotten that they were purged from their old sins, yet even they do repent of their sinfulness once the precepts of God have come to them through preaching, and they shall be revived again.

Psalm 119:92

God's Word In Salvation

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The case for the necessity of the word of God in salvation is pressed forth here. Those who do not believe that the word of God must have a mediate position in the salvation of the soul are belittling the claim of Scripture to it and are making a mockery of the sovereignty of God, especially since it is God himself who dictates the scriptural requirement.

The law of God must become a delight before a soul can see himself in desperate need of salvation from a holy God. He must see his depravity, his worthlessness, his inability, and his dependence wholly upon God for his redemption.

Therefore, the delight is in our recognition of sin, our awareness of need, and our rest in the hope of God's promise to all who believe.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

If we had not heard the word and had not been delighted by it through God's Spirit, then we would have perished in our affliction, our affliction of sin, our helplessness to gain even the first step toward salvation, our affliction of our love of sin and our denial of God, being ignorant, as was Israel, of God's righteousness and going about to establish our own righteousness (which is as filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6) and having not submitted ourselves to God's righteousness, which is of faith (Romans 10).

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

 

 

Psalm 119:91

Servants Of God

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

This verse is an addendum to verse 90 and continues the thought of God's faithfulness, especially in the sustenance of the universe, its usefulness, and its glory.

They (the heavens and the earth) continue, or are sustained appropriately, by God's divine and decreed order. They may not step out of the bounds of Providence and Sovereignty.

Job 26:10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

The bounds of the waterline of the oceans, the distance of stars, the orbit of the earth, the consistent pattern of God's creation (called nature), and the consistent beauty and harmony of life are all constrained by God's judgment and are not kept in their routine by the minds or hands of men. Neither are any of these protected nor changed by the wisdom or power of men. Man must submit completely to God's judgment in this matter.

It is because that "all are thy servants." Everything that exists and has breath is a servant of God in the sense that God is the Great Judge of all. He is King of all the earth and the heavens. If he is not LORD of all, then he is not LORD at all.

So much, then, should you and I be thankful that God, through his Son, Jesus Christ, chose us as his children, his heritage, and his servants and his saints. We are a chosen generation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), servants of the Most High God.

Let us not belittle our position nor fall short of obedience to our King. Let us serve him with gladness, speak of him when we rise, when we lie down, and when we walk by the way. We owe everything to him, not by debt, but because of his great grace!

 

 

Psalm 119:90

God's Faithfulness

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

So much is said in the Bible about God's faithfulness that it seems so helpless to try to explain it, but this verse expresses that God's faithfulness is in every generation; that is, it is the same throughout all of time from beginning to the end (Alpha and Omega).

Why does the earth not spin out of control? Why does the wind not escape from the earth and go into outer space, depriving humans of enough oxygen in a perfectly balanced condition for us to breath and live? Why do the stars go on shining as they do in their orbits? Why do the sun and moon rise and set according to even our own predictions? It is because God is faithful.

Why do we know that God will never send another flood on the earth to destroy all of mankind? It is because he is faithful. How can we read the signs in the sky for our seasons? It is because God is faithful.

How can scientists split atoms and build DNA models? It is because God is faithful.  How do we know the science of chemistry, astronomy, math, and even philosophy? It is because God is faithful. We are simply expressing, when we apply ourselves to these disciplines, that God is faithful. Without his faithfulness, luck would be a reality, and chance would be the order of the day; but there is no luck nor chance, because God is faithful.

So the earth abideth--it stays in its course. It does not spin out of control but stays within the perimeters of God's judgment. He is the Sovereign of the universe. There is no wonder that God gave Daniel the inspiration to write in Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 

We cannot do, we cannot think, we cannot understand nor contemplate without God's faithfulness. It is he who has made us -- Psalms 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Now, if God is faithful in all of these things, he must be faithful to his promise to save any and all who come to him in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

It is also true that, if God is faithful (and he is), we are kept by his power after our salvation to be made like unto him and to receive our . . . inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:4-5).

 

 

Psalm 119:89

The Word Settled

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The word of God is not from here. It did not come from the philosophy of man, his ingenuity, or his intelligence. The word of God came from God himself. That is why it is called "the word of the Lord," "my word," and "the word of God."

Its origin is from heaven and sent to earth by holy men of God who were led along by the Holy Spirit to write down what God desired for his people to know--his revelation to man

2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

These holy men of God were not the originators of the word, nor were they the interpreters of the word, but they were merely scribes of that which was already settled in heaven.

It is my belief that the entire word of God was completed, not in part, in heaven and that it was not revealed progressively in heaven as time went on. Just as Jesus is from everlasting, so is the word of God from everlasting. It is an eternal word, not a created one.

Jesus epitomized that word when he came to the earth and revealed himself to man as the word who was made flesh and dwelt among us, who is God.

If the word is settled in heaven, then it must be settled in earth, meaning that it cannot be changed to fit the whims of man, man's theology, or his philosophy or cosmology.

His word is truth (John 17:17), and it is the truth that sets us free (John 8:32). It must be the same truth all the time, every time that we read it, study it, memorize it. Every time we go to the word of God and are refreshed from its bounty, we realize that it is still the same as it was the last time we read it. It is settled.

And it is settled forever. It cannot change, just as God cannot change. It cannot lie, just as God cannot lie. So, we must trust his word and rely on it for our every need, our strength, and our comfort.

 

 

Psalm 119:88

Our Quickening

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

David is not asking for God to save him in this quickening, but he is begging for life more abundant in his service for the Lord, strength to serve, comfort in time of trouble, peace in time of confusion, love in time of tempting hate, acceptance of life's trials and concerns, and his interest in God and his word and work.

It is God's lovingkindness that keeps the believer quickened, lively, to do his work. It is the tenderness, longsuffering, mercy, and grace that sustains us in this short, unsure, and catastrophic life. We do need to be quickened, as we often backslide, sin against our God, and forget his many benefits. Only he can revive us again!

This quickening of God through his Son and the Holy Spirit is the only way that we can keep, be faithful to, and guard the testimony of God's mouth, the Bible; so we so desperately need this quickening in our lives each day that we live and serve our God.

1 John 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

See also Psalm 119:25, 40, 159.

 

 

Psalm 119:87

Confidence In God's Word

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Sometimes it seems that the problems of the world are so overwhelming that we are nearly at our wit's end. It seems that we are only a little short of dying and that we cannot continue on, but God is faithful to his word, and he will not leave us comfortless (John 14:18), nor will he ever leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

Though the world pound the pressure of persecution, give its total of temptation, or grind us to grounds in its hazards, yet God's word stands fast and faithful.

As was David's due, they may mar his name, steal his substance, take away his crown, and do their best to kill him, yet these things are only human and earthly things, mundane to the core! They can have no lasting consequence to us, for our hope is in God and his word.

They cannot steal his eternal inheritance, his name in the book of life, or his standing before the Great God of Heaven through Jesus Christ, the Son. They can remove his joy only temporarily, for that joy returns when he prays and when he continues to trust God's precepts.

So, we should all put our trust in God's word, for it is there, as we read it, as we meditate upon it, as we memorize it, as we teach it, as we share it, we shall also grow in his grace and knowledge and have more and more confidence that his word will stand forever, and the things of earth will grow faintly dim in the light of his glory and grace.

 

 

Psalm 119:86

Commandments & Persecution

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

God's commandments are faithful. They never change nor need to change. They stay the same and are not in flux. They do not bend with man's mind or man's wisdom or his philosophy or sophistry.

God's commandments are faithful in their execution. They are given upon God's true demand for us to obey, and it is certain that any disobedience will receive true recommence. They are faithful, also, in their execution of blessing; for, if we, his servants, will obey his commandments, we shall be blessed and rewarded in the last day.

God's commandments are faithful in their demand for our faithfulness to them as well, in our carrying out of God's will in our lives as we know it, growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

They (the wicked) persecute us wrongfully. They may think or believe they are doing their hurt for God's sake, as Saul of Tarsus did to the church at Jerusalem in his day; but he found later that he was doing it against God's will and was sorry for it seemingly the rest of his life, saying that he was the chief of sinners because he persecuted the church of God.

The psalmist, as we can today, called out to God for help in his times of persecution, and certainly we do need our God's help when persecution comes. Americans know little of Christian persecution, but many of our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ this very day are being severely persecuted in other countries (as well as our own country to a small degree).

We as God's children, as his servants, as obedient children to his commandments, should be crying out to God for those who now are being persecuted severely. We do not know when we, too, may need the prayers of believers around the world for our own help in persecution.

So many times we forget this verse:  Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Psalm 119:85

Digging Pits

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

A pit is used for a hiding place (2 Sam. 17:9) or for a trap such as the one into which Joseph's brothers placed him (Gen. 37:20).

The psalmist tells us here that the proud (the wicked) have dug pits for him, not just one, but many. In the physical world, this would be like digging holes along the path of a certain person so that, if he did not fall into the first, he would certainly fall into one before he reached his destination.

These are the pits that Satan sets for us so that, as we walk along our Christian path, we may be caught unaware of the pits that he has dug for us. His workers, people in this world who are his cohorts, are constantly digging pits for the Christians, whether that be Atheism, Evolution, Philosophy, or Science falsely so-called, they are pits that believers, if not aware of them, may fall into them and cause harm to their witness and testimony of Christ Jesus.

Others besides true believers also walk over these pits and are more easily caught by them, since they are not vigilant to look for these pits. Higher education has caught more people into these pits than anything I can image except for many churches who have taken up Neo-orthodoxy and Liberalism.

The psalmist identifies these pits to make us aware of them. He finished this verse by saying that they are "not after thy law." They do not fit in the content and context of Scripture--"thy law."

So, it is imperative that every true believer in Jesus Christ take much time to renew his mind (Rom. 12:2) in the Scriptures so that he may recognize these pits when they come close lest he be deceived at least temporarily.

Remember the Scriptures tell us through Peter in 1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

And notice what Jeremiah said in Jer. 18:20 . . . Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul . . .

One last Scripture that will give us comfort:  Psalms 94:13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

So, someday a pit will be "digged for the wicked," and they will be cast into that pit where they shall received the just recompense of their reward (Heb. 2:2).

 

 

Psalm 119:84

Few Days Full of Trouble

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Two interesting and important questions are asked in this verse which, no doubt, press into the minds of most people, even believers in Jesus Christ.

How many days will we live? Everyone wonders that, but I do not believe that anyone really wants to know how long life will be. If we knew the day of our death, we would prepare for it certainly in ridiculous ways; but, since we do not know the day, then we know that we must be ready at all times for death to visit us.

If the days of our lives be days of joy, they will seem to be few, I am sure. If the days are days of persecution and affliction, they will seem to be long days. It seems that the psalmist here is protesting to God that his days are evil days. Even Job spoke of these days in Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. We cry out to our God because of our afflictions. He said in Psalms 38:6 I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.

But we must remember that there is revenge with God, and he will repay, says the Scriptures, in Romans 12:19. The vengeance is not ours; it is the Lord's vengeance against those who oppose themselves (2 Tim. 2:25) and who oppose God (Psalm 2:1-2).

Those under the altar in Revelation 6:10 cry out saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

But let us be patient, for the time will come in God's own good time when the day of his wrath will come, and all things will have restitution for God's glory. Notice what is answered to those saints under the altar in Revelation 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Patience is difficult for believers. Sometimes we think that we are stuck in the world forever, but remember Hebrews 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Psalm 119:83

Bottle In The Smoke

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

John Gill tells us that a bottle in smoke is one that has been hung in smoke to dry and can become useless, so man is useless to God or true piety unless there were some way in which he could reach the divine oracle, divine knowledge and comfort.

Matthew Henry applies this to old age as the body is weakened more and more as time goes by; thus, the body seems useless, or at least less useful, to the work of God, and age may bring a feeling of uselessness to its owner. However, the word of God can rejuvenate the mind and heart, though the body grows weaker.

Let us make the application simpler by saying that we are like a bottle hidden by the smoke of sin and confusion in the world and that the only way we can see beyond this world and its smokey chaos and confusion is to look into the word of God, his statutes.

So, although the wisdom of this world is foolishness (1 Cor. 3:19), yet we can still see true Light when we remember the statutes of God, the Bible. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105).

We as God's people have allowed the smoke of this world to creep into our churches, blind rather than bind the brokenhearted and hurt rather than heal the sinner by forgetting that our Light from above comes, not subjectively, from our own minds and hearts, but from God who gives wisdom liberally (James 1:5) and that through his word--the BIBLE.

 

 

Psalm 119:82

Failing Of The Eyes

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Our eyes fail to see the material evidence of the grace of God, because those things are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14). God has not yet shown us the things that will soon come to pass (Rev. 1:1) except in symbols and predictions. Soon he will show them to us in a sense that no word in any language can explain. How do we say it? Should we say that those things will be real, or material, or physical? No, these words will not suffice, for 1 Corinthians 2:9 says,  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

There is no wonder, then, that, when Paul was taken to Heaven in a vision, that he could not express what he saw. There is another word somewhere to describe these things, but we do not know that word yet. Even if we say heavenly, or ethereal, or spiritual, these will never do for what God has in store for us.

The psalmist had not seen the wonders of the great fulfillment of Scripture in the coming Messiah, his perfect life, his perfect death, his resurrection, his ascension, etc. He wondered when that time would come.

Now that we have seen that through the eye of faith with more clarity than the psalmist could ever had seen it, we must expect even more wonders to follow, since God has promised us in 1 Peter 1:4 . . . an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We shall be comforted when we shall all be changed at the last trump and the trumpet shall sound, the dead shall be raised, and we shall be changed (1 Cor. 15:52).

Notice the comfort in these words:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Psalm 119:81

The Fainting Of The Soul

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The psalmist's soul, his inner being, the very core of his life, is fainting for the Lord's salvation. This can take several meanings, which any or all may be correct.

First, the soul may faint in its looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, which was a reality in that day, since the coming of Jesus Christ was yet a long time coming.

Second, the soul of man may depend upon itself for salvation, as it truly does before the Holy Spirit through the Law brings a person to the knowledge of his sins, and when that happens, a man will come to the end of his soul's desperate attempt of salvation, which meaning this Hebrew word KALAH (for faint) allows. We come to the end of ourselves when we are shown our real self in the presence of God, as Isaiah realized when he saw the LORD high and lifted up in Isaiah Chapter six.

Then we will desperately run to Jesus Christ as our Savior, since he is the only way, truth, and life. We will in true willingness, given to us by God, come to him, repent of our sins, believe in the Christ of Scripture, depend upon his righteous life, his death, his burial, and his resurrection, and be saved by his grace.

So, the psalmist is here trusting, not in his own soul, his own belief, his own religion, his own efforts or works, but he is depending upon a Savior, who is depicted in The Holy Scriptures as the Messiah of the ages, the Redeemer of his people, and the sustainer of all of life, both physical and spiritual.

He will hope in the word of God, which portends, predicts, and prophesies the coming of the only Messiah who can save his soul from sin.  He cannot see the Savior with his eyes, just as we cannot see him with our eyes; but he can see him in The Holy Scriptures. He can, then, hope in the word of God and believe upon that Christ who is to come, who is to live righteously, die in substitute, and give life to his people who believe in the very Messiah, the Christ of Scripture.

Now we all look, not forward as the psalmist, to this Great Shepherd of the sheep, but we look backward to his work in life and death for our justification.

It is, then, the great concern of all believers that those who have not done so will see this wonderful Savior through the Law, which can bring them to repentance, and through the grace of God, which can save the soul through faith, may faint in their own soul's attempt to save themselves or leave salvation alone altogether. May God make us all "fishers of men" that we might preach the wonderful message of grace to others that,through the Gospel, many may be born again.

Psalm 119:80

Be Not Ashamed

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

To do the work of God is extremely important. We are to work the work of God while we can; and, as Jesus said in John 9:4, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

But to do the work of God is not enough for believers. We can do outward work and not be pleasing to God. It is the heart that brings glory to God. When the heart is right, when it is warm, when it tends toward God, when it longs for God as the hart, or deer, pants after the water brooks (Psalm 42:1), that is when God is pleased.

Our hearts should especially be tuned to God's statutes, his holy word, the Bible. We must spend much time in his word to know it, to understand it, to experience it, to feel it, and to work it out. Thus, our hearts will be warm and longing toward the work of our God, our Savior, and our Comforter.

Our heart's desire should also be a missionary one. We should long, as did Paul the apostle, to see people saved (See Romans 10:1).

The word sound in our verse today means healthy. Just as our human hearts should be healthy, so should our heart, our inward being, be healthy toward God and his word, his statutes. It is the heart, consequently, that will be blessed by the application of God's statutes.

The beatitudes of Jesus confirm this; the blessings are for the heart, not for the human mind or even our emotions. God will bless our spiritual hearts with truth, and we can stand strong in that truth with his blessing.

When we are blessed in our hearts by God's word, then we will not be ashamed. Notice:

Romans 10:11

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

 1 John 2:28 

And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming

.

Remember Acts 5:41

And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

  

We are so much like the Laodicean church in the book of Revelation, a church that was lukewarn, no doubt ashamed of the name of Christ. God spewed them out of his mouth. They were nonchalant and uncaring about God's word; their hearts were not sound toward God's statues. So it may well be with many of our churches today. Perhaps we have left our first love; perhaps we have Jezebel in our midst or fornication, or one or more of the other sins that were burdening the churches in the book of Revelation.

But let us forsake our sin, correct our hearts, point our hearts toward God's word, and get busy about the Father's business, not being ashamed of him and his work and doctrine. Perhaps he will bless us mightily if we will.