DAY 15.
We seek to follow on from the last study here, the as the succulent word of v 103 that is sweet to taste becomes the shining word that reveals the way ahead in v 105.
The pleasant to taste word of God has become the precious light for my sight so that I can walk in the right path for my benefit but for the glory of my Lord as well.
The word for 'lamp' is not a floodlight to give light all around but it a candle that gives just enough light for the few step ahead.
One great human problem is that it wants to see into the future to see what lies ahead of it weeks and months in front, but the Lord works on today and gives enough light for us to walk safely through today.
The 'lamp' is a candle and the 'light' is the illumination that enables to see where we are going, in a spiritual sense it points to the truth that we are sojourners on earth walking towards our eternal home.
This truth is opened up for us in 1 John 1 where in v 3 tells us that light has brought us into fellowship with the Father and the Son and as a result we fellowship one with another.
That light is practical v 7 because as long as we walk in the light we can commune with God and each other because we have been cleansed through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now what we know experimentally in our life now David enjoyed in equal measure as he looked forward to Messiahs coming to fulfil the blood sacrifices of the Old Testament.
The whole emphasis of 1 John 1 is to walk in the light, to apply the word to our life, to enjoy the promises of the word in our daily lives and that will bring us into harmony with the Father's will of loving one another.
The Bible is the lamp and the scriptures the light that beams forth for us to walk in safely through this spiritual mine field that we walk through during our life on earth.
The ray of light is enough to see us through the day and will guide us safely through the temptations that are strewn across our way by our enemy.
We need to keep walking in the light so that we can see the way ahead and by the Holy Spirit guiding and guiding we will keep away from the traps and snares set to cause us to fall.
The traps are seen here as the multiplicity of 'afflictions' v 107 brought into being by our enemy but these have proven to be blessings in disguise as they have brought us closer to our Lord and Saviour.
The light not only reveals the way ahead but it 'quickens' one of the eleven times the word is used in the Psalm, pointing to being kept alive in adverse circumstances.
When everything else around us seems hopeless we can come back to the word and find solace and consolation in it and by applying it to our situation we can come through those dark periods with joy in our hearts.
David then brings us to the thought of praising the Lord for all of His many blessings that He pours out on His children day by day, even in the hardest of times we should praise and
adore Him.
The Lord honours such praise in adverse conditions, He knows where we are and what we are going through and delights to hear the song of praise coming from pure heart and lips.
'Accept' means to take delight in the prayers and offerings that we bring to the Lord, 'I beseech Thee' literally means 'I pray' in a humble modest way as the servant to their superior.
The 'freewill offerings' brings out the thought of spontaneous worship, the worship that is voluntary and done with a fervent spirit.
Such worship opens one up to be taught of the Lord because the heart and spirit is right with the Lord and open to listen carefully to the Spirit of God.
The word 'teach' here in v 107 brings out the thought of practical experience because the yielded spirit is willing to receive correction and comfort from their Tutor.
They are open to receive the correct teaching on issues of life and willing to put them into practise as a result of this divine communion.
Job knew the truth of v 109 'my soul is continually in my hand' Job 13 v 14 the picture of desperation when the soul has been obedient and put their life in danger as a result.
Not knowing the full picture they seem to have put themselves in great danger but the greater picture reveals they have put themselves into the safer hand of God.
This is a thought that we can take with us today and every day, when we reach out and put ourselves in the hand of God we are completely safe even though it is perilous in our eyes.
Our beloved Saviour put His life into the hand of God on Calvary as Luke 23 v 46 recalls but death was not the end it was the entrance to the Resurrection.
Many the time Paul came to this conclusion that his life was in his hands but he knew that his life was in the safe keeping of His precious Saviour all the time.
Whether in a riot as at Ephesus, in the earthquake in Philippi or sailing on the treacherous seas towards Rome, 'I believe God' cries the old faithful warrior.
This is the situation that the Living God puts obedient children through to prove that their faith is not just words from the mouth but from their yielded heart and will.
Very few of us are called to go through such extremities because our Father knows that we have not got such faith but He does still stretch us to prove that our faith us genuinely real.
Peter was the one who got out of the boat on Galilee we do not hear that any of the others wanted to join him, had they done so they could have triumphed with him.
It is easy for us to talk and even write about our faith in Christ but God tries our faith as a goldsmith tries the gold for impurities and that involves putting us through the refining fire.
The promise is that when new go through the fire He is with us and when we come from walking through the flames we shall come forth with joy as 1 Peter 1 vs.6 – 7 reveals.
Most of us want salvation but we do not want the refining that goes with it, we do not like to think or acknowledge that there are areas of our life that need dealing with and that rapidly.
The fact that we have the desire to seek after God and His righteousness is a mighty thing but to take the step of faith and seek His refining brings us on to a different level of Christian discipleship.
If we are really going to live by faith then our faith will be tested beyond our capability to take it but then that is 'putting our life into His hands' and not leaving them in our own.
Then there is the coming to terms with the enemy who becomes real when we really seek is overtly concerned with those willing to comply with Gods word.
What a battle takes place and continues to take place between truth and half truth, between the issues of right and wrong thinking and actions.
The battle of the flesh and the spirit brings us to our knees especially when other Christians seem to have little or no desire to seek after the Lord.
Then the 'wicked' those folk living as if God did not exist how they rear their head continually seeking to put us down and to knock us out if they could v 110.
Have noticed the number of 'experts' arising with their knowledge denouncing the scriptures as being accurate and authentic, shouting out through the media that the bible cannot be trusted.
A picture of the last day 'scoffers' but the damage they are doing because they speak on television or write their non sense in the media.
The onslaught is on preparing the way for the Lord Jesus to return in His power and glory but today is a day of preparation for those waiting for His coming, a day of refinement.
The wicked have laid the snare or trap for us but the Lord will bring us safe through, He will enable us to stand unharmed on the 'dragon, scorpion and adder' Psalm 91 v 13 and that is a promise v 14.
The truth is revealed in v 15 'he shall call upon Me' and 'I will answer him' what a thought to go through the day with, whenever we call to our Father He is alongside us to answer.
The word of the Living God is our 'heritage' v 111 and this demands thought for a while, 'heritage' is a possession to seize hold of, to own for oneself.
The scriptures are part of our permanent inheritance note 'forever' without ending, the word came from eternity and will remain intact throughout eternity.
When we pass through the trials and troubles of life the word of God brings comfort but it also brings understanding of the problems and wisdom on how to deal with them.
So the promises of God are for all of us to possess or own to ourselves and they are to be used correctly in the trials of life so that we possess our possessions practically.
The word 'perform' v 112 the word is an important one pointing to it being kept, to being laboured in so as to prove its worth and produce praise as a result.
The word 'perform' v 106 means to stand firm on but in v 112 it brings out the thought of executing it with a plan of action bringing out the depth of the word in daily living.
May we stand firm on the word by applying its promises to our life each day.
