Psalms 119:66

Psalms 119:66, “Psa 119:66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.”

Judgment and knowledge. Judgment has to do with how intelligent are you at discerning a person’s behavior. And knowledge has to do with being aware or acquiring facts and information.

The Bible is a book. And books are something that you learn from. But the Bible is not like any other book in the world. The Bible is a spiritual book filled with all the information you need to know about who God is, what God is like, how God operates in this world, and every other piece of information about what is going on spiritually in the world: the difference between right and wrong, the promises God has made to man. Most importantly the Bible tells us what we need to know on how to be saved and how to live a victorious life in the face of the spiritual warfare that goes on in this world.

Now that is a lot, yet the Bible does not stop there, The Bible does much more than all this. The Bible is also a book filled with practical wisdom in life: wisdom on how to plan for prepare and live life in a practical sense, wisdom on how to interrelate, interact and treat other human beings, wisdom on how to understand other human beings who they are, and why they do what they do.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

O the Bible is a great book. It is the greatest book in all the world. If you want wisdom, if you want knowledge, if you want both the practical and the spiritual discernment of life then read the Bible and study it and learn all of its secrets. The Bible, the Word of God, the wisdom of God, all the things that a loving, eternal, omnipotent and wise God wants a person to know about life are contained in this book.

“Psa 119:66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.”

To truly understand the word of God you have to first believe what it says because the bible is a spiritual book and to understand it you need the Spirit of God dwelling inside you. Now a person that chooses to believe the Bible is also a person that chooses to believe on Jesus Christ as their savior.

That’s what this verse is teaching the process by which we learn the Word of God. First a person comes to Jesus as their Savior. That person receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of Salvation and then that person becomes capable of understanding the Bible.

Psalms 119:67, “Psa 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.”

The word afflict used here is a very interesting word. When we think of the word affliction what we often think of as a synonym is the word suffering and it does mean suffering but it also has the idea of chastisement.

This verse is a very important verse in the Bible. It explains why God allows us to be afflicted. There is a similar verse found in the New Testament. 1 Peter 4:1 says, “1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin.”

He that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin? Before I was afflicted I went astray? Why I thought that repent of Sin to Jesus is what caused a person to cease from sin. How does suffering cause a person to cease from sin?

Well generally speaking you don’t see a person who just God in a car accident who is critically injured going out to drink and fornicate. Now it’s possible they might be cursing God in their heart but the point is this pain and suffering is something God uses to bring a person to Christ.

If there was no pain and suffering then would people ever stop sining? You see we are so wicked that that’s often what it takes is affliction and suffering to get us to cease from sin.

There are actually 3 causes of pain and suffering. 1. Sin itself. When Adam sinned affliction and suffering entered into the world. So there is the nature suffering of life that comes as result of Adams original sin. The curse of the ground, the physical illness that afflict the body even the accidents that happen to people. These things are all a result of the curse. 2. There is the suffering and affliction caused by sinning itself. Sin results in destruction. Every time you sin, every sin you do you actually are causing yourself some form of pain and suffering whether you realize you are or not. It’s not always obvious sometimes its more subtle but sin destroys. Sin destroys physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and therefore in the process of that destruction it causes different levels of suffering. And 3. Chastisement. God chastises His children when they don’t repent of their sins. And in chastisement there is affliction and suffering. Chastisement means God will do things to you, sicknesses, sufferings, and accidents, to get you to repent of your sins and if you don’t repent He will take you off the earth.

All three of these cause of affliction and suffering fall under the principle of reaping what you so. Actually let me correct myself there is one other situation in which a person might face suffering. Sometimes I think that God lets a lost person be afflicted and suffer certain things in life for the purpose of trying to bring them to Christ for salvation.

Psalms 119:67, “Psa 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.”

You see, the afflictions of life are a good thing. They help us to trust in Jesus and to keep His Word.

Now most lost people would say, your crazy its not good to suffer. But yes it is. God uses suffering. All things work together for good to them that love God. That is the great positive power of being in Christ.

Psalms 119:68 says, “Psa 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.”

The word good is an interesting word it. What does it mean to be good? Sometimes the word good is used in connection with the word bad to mean good and evil or right and wrong.

There are actually several words in the Bible that are translated good. The word that is used here has a range of meaning including something that is beautiful, pleasureable, prosperous and best. I think we are talking about God being good holiness is also assumed.

Romans 3:10 says, “Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

What a contrast between God and man. Men are not good. Thankfully God is good.

I think the word good is a way of implying all that is pleasurable and beneficial and enjoyable which has its roots in the holiness of God.

James 1:17 says, “Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Psalms 125:4 says, “Psa_125:4 Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.”

Psalms 145:9, “Psa_145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.”

Of course the first lesson we learn in the Bible about goodness is found in Genesis 1:4 which says, “Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

Light symbolizes truth. Truth comes from God. God is good. Psalms 119:68 says, “Psa 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.”

What an important lesson to learn about life, that God is good. Just think about how this one verse in the Bible can change drastically change a person’s life. So many people do not understand that God is good. They go through life angry at God, shaking their fists at God. They get angry and bitter when some suffering or tragedy strikes them and they blame God for it thinking He is unfair or cruel or unloving or unjust. Or they look at the world around them and see the horrible things that happen because of the sin nature of man and because of the results of sin that have been in the world since the fall of man. And they blame God for it.

God is good and doest good. You would do well in life to remember this. Knowing that God is good and doest good will kept you from being bitter in life. Knowing that God is good and doest good will help you to accept the good and the bad that comes your way in life and to be thankful for it. Knowing that God is good will ultimately affect your ability to be thankful for anything and to enjoy and to be satisfied with whatever you have in life.

Such a simple truth, such a basic truth and so many people are blind too it and do not understand it. To really being to understand the goodness of God a person needs to come to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sins.

James 1:17 says, “Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Salvation is a good gift. It is a gift of grace. It’s not of works. You can’t earn your way into heaven. But it is a free gift given of the goodness of God to all those who believe on the name of Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God.

Goodness is important it’s actually listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit. One of the things about the fact that God is good and doest good is that the goodness of God plays a great role in bringing a person to Christ.

Romans 2:4 says, “Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

The goodness of God is involved leading all men to repentance and to Christ. Goodness really is a word that implies all of God’s character. His mercy, His truth, His love, His kindness, His longsuffering, His righteousness, His willingness to forgive, His great and passionate compassion, His lovingkindness, His hatred of sin even is goodness, Everything about God and the things that God does plays a role in bringing a person to Christ.

God is greater than sin. God’s love is greater than sin. God’s mercy is greater than sin. God’s forgiveness is greater than sin. No matter how much of a sinner you are God’s goodness overshadows it, is greater than it. Every time a sinner comes to Christ, Christ forgives that person of their sins because Jesus Christ died for them and paid the debt for their sins. There is no such thing as being to great of a sinner. The greater are your sins the greater still will be the goodness of God. In the end how sinful we are as human beings only results in proving the goodness of God because will forgive those who repent and trust in Jesus. Why the greater a sinner and the more sins they have committed then the more they have to be forgiven of. This means the greater is the example and testimony of God’s goodness through Jesus Christ.

Psalms 119:69-70 say says, “Psa 119:69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.” Psa 119:70 Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.

There is one thing you can be certain about in this world, men are liars. Romans 3:4 says, “Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

These verses in Psalms say men who are liars have hearts as fat as grease. A heart full of grease is a heart that cannot function properly. It cannot pump the blood properly. Now in a spiritual sense we need the blood of Jesus to flow through our life and cover our sins. A liar is a person who is not honest about their own sinfulness and the various sins that they have committed. They have a problem in their heart when it comes to how they react to the truth of Gospel of Jesus Christ. They to themselves about their own sinfulness they lie and die the facts and truths about the deity of Christ or the fact that even walked this earth and died on a cross.

The truth is all the intellectual arguments that people come up with as reasons why they don’t believe the Bible really stem from the fact that in their hearts these people are lying about their own sinfulness.

The thing that is dangerous about lies is that they are like spider webs. Once you started lying and believing lies the lies build on one another and you become entangled in them and trapped in them. The more you lie the more you’re mind becomes separated from the truth and twisted and entangle din darkness. People weave complex webs of lies in their minds so complex that it honestly takes a miracle from God for them to be saved from their sins.

Liars will liar. All lying has its root in the problem that man doesn’t want to admit his sin. So of course an unrepentant sinner is going to lie and weave webs of lies about those who are doing what is right. When you do what is right and when you live by faith in Christ and His promises it is a testimony, a testimony for Jesus and a testimony against the sinfulness of other men.

These unrepentant sinners they get angry, they get convicted in their conscience about their sins because of your testimony and one of the ways they respond is by trying lying about a person for the purpose of opposing and trying to destroy the truth or dimish the power of a persons testimony.

What ever you do don’t ever let the lies of another human being result in you not doing what is right. There is a temptation there. The temptation to be discouraged. The temptation to be effect by lies in such a way that it distracts you, disturbs you, draws you away from your focus on Christ. Don’t let that happen. No matter how much men lie about you and no matter how much those lies result in other men treating you wrongly or doing unjust things to you be sure that you continue to love God’s Word and to follow Christ faithfully.

The thing to remember is that in the end truth always wins out. It may not have its finally victory in this life but it certainly will at the judgment seat of Christ and to be honest that is what really matters.

God is good and all that God does is good. All men are liars and all liars go to hell unless they repent of their sins. Of course we know that Jesus died for all the sins of the world. Don’t you think its time that you be honest with yourself about your own sinfulness and honest with God. Jesus loves you and He wants to forgive you of your sins and to give you eternal life. His forgiveness will wipe away the shame and cleanse your soul. In Christ you can find true joy and peace and experience all the goodness of God.

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