Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19980823.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm One Hundred And Nineteen (He) - The Hard Versus Blessed Ways Of Becoming Faithful In Our Walk
(Psalm 119:33-40)
  1. Introduction
    1. Proverbs 20:6 asks the rhetorical question, " . . . but a faithful man who can find?" after stating that "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness . . . " That is, many can put up an attractive front, the fact remains that their actually remaining what they initially claim to be or do over the long haul is a very difficult thing. Faithfulness, true consistency in goodness is hard to come by.
    2. Since faithfulness in the believer is upheld as a positive quality, and necessary for one to be productive in service for the Lord (cf. 2 Timothy 2:1-2; 2 Timothy 4:1-2), we find great value in focusing on that part of Psalm 119 that a ddresses how one becomes faithful in his walk with God:
  2. The Hard Versus Blessed Ways Of Becoming Faithful In Our Walk, Psalm 119:33-40.
    1. If one delights in Scripture, faithfulness in one's walk with God is readily available, 119:33-35.
      1. When one delights in God's Word (119:35b), when God thereby points out the way he must go in life, he does so faithfully, Ps. 119:33 with Philippians 2:12-13.
      2. When one delights in Scripture (Ps. 119:35b), when God makes one understand the Word, he keeps it faithfully, 119:34 with Philippians 2:12-13.
      3. When one delights in Scripture (Ps. 119:35b), when God leads him to take particular steps, he is faithful, Ps. 119:35a implied and Philippians 2:12-13.
    2. If one delights in worldliness, faithfulness is a problem, Ps. 119:36-37. Delighting in unjust gain (Ps. 119:36) and vain things (119:37) picture the lusts and vain things in the world described in 1 John 2:16.
    3. The cure God has for this is a two-fold rewarding-and-painful ministry, Psalm 119:36-40:
      1. To create faithfulness out of faithlessness, God needs to "bend" the heart toward His Word and away from the lure and false ideas offered in the world's false system, Ps. 119:36-37.
      2. To do just that, God uses both a positive and a negative effort as follows:
        1. Positively, God "pulls" the troubled believer toward Scripture by fulfilling promises he does faithfully trust, enticing him into more Scripture, Ps. 119:38. The appetite is thus whet to rely more on Scripture, to delight in it more and to acquaint himself with more of it.
        2. Negatively, God "pushes" the troubled believer into Scripture through utilizing godless reproach that pains him to flee to Scripture to seek its contrasting comfort and reprieve from reproach, Ps. 119:39.
        3. In the end, the weak believer learns to long for Scripture so that his experience will shift AWAY FROM negative "pushes" to uplifting, encouraging, rewarding "pulls", Ps. 119:40. Accordingly, he consistently follows God's ways, becoming faithful in that walk!
Lesson: Faithlessness is caused by a delight in the WORLD, and faithfulness is the result of a delight in the WORD of God itself. Because of the will of God to conform His godly ones to a higher walk, the believer who struggles with faithlessness in his exposure or lack of use of God's Word will find God's negative-positive, contrasting painful-versus-rewarding or "push-pull" activity at work to make him LONG for the Word. That LONGING will be rewarded, leading to a more CONSISTENT walk out of the impulse to minimize life's pains and produce more blessings.

Application: (1) Do not WAIT for God to bring NEGATIVE, disruptive discipline in order for us to get into and apply Scripture consistently! Opt rather to RESPECT God and keep His WORD regularly to STAY blessed and not get DISCIPLINED of th e Lord. (2) However, recall that the Christian era often contains troubles not caused by one's sin or lack of faithfulness, compare 2 Cor. 4:8-10. However, as in the case of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, if we are properly keeping God's Word, our RESP ONSE to such troubles will be to "take pleasure in infirmities" because we know the plan of God thereby is to bless, making us "strong" for life and service!