A Dark Time: Praying in a Cave

 Temple Baptist Church - 3-8-2026

Psalm 142

Introduction:

A.  “A Prayer when he was in the cave.”  Psalm 142 has a short title that explains David’s plight and underscores the Psalm's importance to the believer. 

 

1.  In Psalm 142, we see the Psalmist David in the dark room of God…he’s in a cave.  From the text, we learn that he was fleeing from King Saul's pursuit.  David was at the lowest and darkest place he had ever been.  

 

2.  Before we examine the text, note that this is one of the thirteen Maschil Psalms. The word 'Maschil' means to instruct, so this is a Psalm of instruction. There are lessons to be learned from the Psalmist's experience here.

 

B.  Though there are some exceptions (Bathsheba and numbering the people), I believe that every believer would love to be called “a man after God’s own Heart,” as there was never a king before or a king after that measured up to this man of God who established a throne that was eternal.

 

C.  Though King David was a man after God's heart, he was also just a frail man, such as we are.   It was the hardships that David suffered that molded him into the man that God wanted him to be!  This man may change many minds, as we have become accustomed to comfort and the pleasures of this life. 

 

1.  Raised shepherding sheep was essential to such a life.  Most want to start at the top rather than do the menial tasks of shepherding.  Most young preachers are searching for an established church with a bi-vocational free life, a good starting salary, an automobile, and a place to live.  David was put in charge of the innocent sheep.  His job was to lead them, feed them, and protect them. How long he held this position is unknown, but he faithfully carried out his duties when he killed Goliath with the same skill and courage he used to kill a bear and a lion.

 

2.  Anointed King as a teenager, David was not yet ready to ascend to the throne of Israel.  He needed to attend God’s school of hard knocks to prepare him for the daunting task ahead. 

 

3.  Life as God’s anointed started well for David, who was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 16), and killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17)in his late teens.  Anointed but not ready.  There is a difference.  Anointed shows divine approval, but even in the ministry, the Bishop or pastor is not to be a novice!

 

4.  David learned to make instruments and write songs.  He had the solitude in which to do so.  Many great musicians honed their skills in solitude.  David became notable before

Saul chose him as his personal musician, but jealousy drove Saul to try to kill him.  During this time, David proved himself in the art of war as he led Israel’s military and killed tens of thousands.  He also won the hearts of the people.  David spent the next 8-10 years running and hiding in the wilderness.  David was 30 years old when he was finally seated upon the throne of Israel (2 Samuel 5:4).  

 

5.  When Saul died, David arose to sit on the throne. Later, King David would spend less than a year fleeing and hiding from Absalom before finally reigning for the rest of his life. Hardship shaped David’s life and the throne, which he established as an eternal throne that Christ will one day occupy.

 

6.  I said all that to say this: God uses hardship to shape men from boys, transforming young, innocent wives into women who are battle-hardened and ready to face difficulty while trusting the Lord.

 

D.  Here, in Psalm 142, we find him hiding in a cave.  The title of the Psalm does not indicate whether this was the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22) or En-gedi (1 Samuel 24).

 

E.  We do know that David had his men with him in the cave, but he also knew that the cave should have been a castle!  Though out of order, Verses 3-4 show something of great interest to us, as God’s children.  You can be in a crowded place and yet feel overwhelmed and all alone!

 

1.  Verse 3.  In the middle of a crowd, David’s spirit was overwhelmed in his spirit!  Psalms 142:3a  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me … 

 

a.  It is in our spirit that we worship God.  Spirit and truth.  There will be times of trouble and confusion when our worship is gone.  We may come to the house of worship, but our spirit has been broken, and we go through the motions with no true worship or joy. 

 

b.  Overwhelmed is a dangerous place to be, as it breeds disappointment, which leads to discouragement if we fail to trust God enough to put Him in His proper place.

 

1)  Warren Wiersbe made a statement worth quoting: “What life does to us depends on what life finds in us.”   

 

2)  Dr. H. B. Smith used the process of film development to explain this Psalm.  “It is in God’s darkroom that the true test, and the validity of our spirituality is made known.  Faith is like film…It only develops in the dark.” 

 

3)  It is in the absence of light that a picture is developed.  Here is the process: 

 

a)  In order to properly develop the film, it must first be taken into the dark room.  (David was in a dark place.) 

 

b)  There are different chemicals that must be added to enhance the quality of the prints to be developed.  (God was doing something in David’s life that would help to grow in faith later.) 

 

c)  After the right chemicals are added, it is safe to expose the film to the light that will eventually produce the details and quality of the picture developed.  (God uses these dark times that often overwhelm us to introduce us to the final picture of life.)

 

4)  “Then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.”  Though God often allows hard things to come our way, He knows and controls them! 

 

c.  In an overwhelmed state, David did the right thing; he cried unto the Lord.  When we cannot track God, trust Him!

 

2.  Verse 4.  In the middle of a crowd, David felt alone.  He said that no man cared for his soul! 

 

Psalms 142: 4  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 

 

a)  But King David was not alone in the cave.  He had 400 men with him who looked up to and followed him!

 

1 Samuel 22:1-2  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.  (2)  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

 

b)  Here is one of the dangers of self-pity, and that is what David had.  As their leader, he was supposed to encourage those with him.  I Samuel 22:1...there came to David about 400 men in distress, debt, discontented.  It was not a lack of company that discouraged him, but a lack of companionship.

 

c)  These men probably fear and he who killed his ten thousands was to face his challenges as he did in the Valley of Elah when he faced and killed a giant!

 

d)  Now, let’s see what King David did that was right and would deliver him in his dilemma.

 

3.  Verses 1-2.  He brought his fears to the Lord in prayer!

 

Psalms 142:1-2  I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.  (2)  I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.

 

4.  Verse 5.  He remembered who the Lord was!  His true Hiding Place is not the cave.

 

Psalms 142:5  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

 

5.  Verse 6-7.  He placed his faith in the Lord, who could do the impossible, and ended with a promise of praise!

 

Psalms 142:7  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.

 

Conclusion:  When we are going through dark times, God is still God and He stands with us, but we need to recognize Him for who He truly is.

 

1.  In our hours of darkness and loneliness, God is still worthy of our praise.  Just praise the Lord anyway!

 

2.  God uses darkness to teach us that we walk by faith and not by sight.  A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted!

 

3.  It is the hard times that make us what we need to be.

In The Valley of Despair

 Temple Baptist Church - 11-9-2025

Psalm 88

 

Introduction:

A.  Psalm 88 is actually written for the benefit of three classes of believers.

 

1.  Those who have not been there.  What the Psalmist writes, you may not have much interest in because you have never been where he is writing about.  Psalm 88 describes a place that I have never been to, nor do I ever want to be there. 

 

2.  There are those who have been there.  What the Psalmist writes may be all too familiar to you and bring back memories that you wish were forgotten.

 

3.  To all of us, because it is about where we may one day be.  However, I am wise enough to know that this awful place may become a reality in my life at some point in the future. 

 

4.  The Psalm is here for a reason!

 

B.  There are many Psalms, such as this, where we see the suffering of God’s people.  These Psalms are neither redundant nor repetitive, as each differs in its person and situation.

 

1.  God’s people suffer in this world.  I believe that we all realize this fact.  Life is not a “Rose Garden.”  “It’s a battlefield, Brother, not a recreation room; It’s a fight and not a game.”

 

2.  Not only do we suffer, but God’s people also suffer in a myriad of ways in this world.  My suffering may not be the same as yours, and vice versa.  We watch as others suffer and are there with them and for them, but their suffering only becomes a whole reality with us when we sit where they sit!

 

3.  God’s people are all individuals who react differently in bad situations.  I try not ever to use the phrase “I know how you feel.”  Though I may have once sat where you now sit, our reactions to the same suffering are different. 

 

4.  The one common denominator is that God is still God in each predicament that we find ourselves in.

 

C.  Psalm 88 is one of the most somber passages in all of Scripture. It contains no immediate light, no quick resolution, and no triumphant ending. Yet, it is inspired of God and placed here for our comfort and instruction.

D.  This Psalm reminds us that faith is not measured by how loudly we shout on the mountain tops, but how steadfastly we trust in the dark valleys.  I am reminded of the song “One More Time.”  A part of the song says, “In the night of deep despair, my faith keeps telling me He’s there, waiting to answer prayer one more time.”

 

E.  How to trust God in valleys of deep despair when God seems silent.

 

1. Continue to Pray (Verses 1–2)  “O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17  Pray without ceasing.

 

James 4:2  … ye have not, because ye ask not.

 

a.  The Direction of his Prayer. “O LORD God of my salvation”

 

b.  The desperation of his cry: “day and night”

 

c.  The desire of his cry: “Incline thine ear” — he longs not for deliverance first, but for divine attention.  There are times when reassurance trumps relief!

 

2. The Depth of His Distress (Verses 3–7)

 

a.  He is Overwhelmed.  His “soul is full of troubles.”  Helpless, overburdened, unable to help himself.

 

b.  He is Overshadowed.  “free among the dead” Not a ray of light in the midst of his troubles.  Neglected, unnoticed, and uncared for.

 

c.  He is Overpowered by the hand of God.   “Thy wrath lieth hard upon me.”  Billows of waves over his head, and perishing.

 

3.  Deserted by mankind.  (Verses 8-9)  “Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them.”

 

a.  Isolated from mankind.  “put away mine acquaintance.”  No one there with him to help bear his heavy load.

 

b.  Imprisoned in affliction: “I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.”  No escape is possible from his dilemma. 

 

c.  Imploring in prayer: “Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee.”

 

4.  The Dilemma He Faces (Verses 10–12)  “Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee?”

 

a.  He questions the purpose of his suffering: Will there be any testimony left?

 

b.  He wonders about God’s silence: “Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave?”

 

c.  He reasons from faith, not rebellion: He cannot reconcile his suffering with God’s goodness, but he still prays.  Even our questions can be acts of faith when brought reverently before the Lord.

 

5.  The Darkness He Endures (Verses 13–18)  “But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.”

 

a.  Faith persists though feelings fail (Verse 13)

 

b.  God’s silence tests faith (Verses 14–16)

 

c.  Darkness surrounds, but God remains (Verses 17–18)  “Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.”

 

Conclusion:  This Psalm ends without resolution — not because God failed, but because faith must sometimes wait.  Psalm 88 teaches us that faith does not always feel triumphant, but it always endures.

 

1.  Darkness is not evidence of God’s absence.

2.  Faith prays even when it feels nothing.

3.  Suffering is not wasted when it drives us to God.

4.  The cross of Christ is the ultimate proof that God hears the cries of His suffering saints.

Let Me Never Be Not Ashamed

 Temple Baptist Church - 6-1-2025

Psalm 31

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Psalm 31 is Davidic.  This wonderful but flawed man, after God’s own heart, had a complex and difficult life, from his youth to his death.  I cannot reiterate enough the fact that God’s people face a myriad of troubles in this life, some we personally caused and others that we did not. 

 

B.  Hardship, troubles, trying times, and sickness are not necessarily signs of sinfulness or weakness.    When I think of hardships in life, I place Job, David, and Paul at the head of the list. 

 

1.  These Davidic Psalms are both encouragements and warnings.  Each of these men lived hard lives at times.  The warnings are plain to see.  All three of these men were godly men who were utterly devoted to serving the Lord, and life did not always treat them well.

 

2.  Though a life lived for Christ may not be the easiest path to walk, it is the most rewarding.    God mentioned them!  Their lives counted for something here on earth, and their reward would be eternal.

 

C.  In this Psalm, as in most of the Davidic Psalms, we find David crying out to God for deliverance.  Throughout the Psalm, David shifts back and forth from crying in despair to faith in a God who cannot and will not fail.

 

D.  Thus, we find the application to be made concerning all of us.  I believe that the key to this Psalm is the word “ashamed,” which is used twice.  Verse 1 and verse 17.  The phrases in which the word is used differ in tense. 

 

1.  Verse 1: “Let me never be ashamed” is in the future tense.  “Never” takes it from the present to the entirety of David’s life.  In verses 1-3, David expresses his faith and blessed hope in the Lord.

 

2.  Verse 17: “Let me not be ashamed, O LORD” is present tense.  “Not” speaks of the present and the situation at hand.

 

E.  Verses 1-3.  David’s Plea.  David’s Plea is based upon:

 

1.  The Person of David’s Trust: “O LORD”

 

2.  The Prayer of David’s Trust:  “ Bow down thine ear to me”

 

3.  The Promise of David’s Trust:  “ be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.  For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. 

 

F.  Verses 4-13.  David’s Predicament. 

 

1.  David’s enemies are having a “field day” with this great man of God.  Sometimes, in each of our lives, that happens.

 

2.  Verse 4.  “ Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me.” 

 

David is tangled in the Net.  The enemy set a trap for him and he is now in it.

 

3.  Verses 9-10.  “Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.  (10)  For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.” 

 

David has been in the net for a while now and his spirit is overwhelmed.

 

4.  Though his enemies mock David and his God, David is resigned to God’s time in verses 15-16. God’s time and God’s way is not only the best way, it is the only way.

 

Psalms 31:15-16  My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.  (16)  Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake.

 

G.  Verses 1, 17.  “Ashamed!”  David’s greatest fear was not being ashamed of himself but the possibility of being ashamed of God. 

 

1.  Ashamed – to be embarrassed or humiliated.  To lose confidence in something or someone.  The biblical definition is “disgraced.” 

 

2.  We have all been ashamed of ourselves, but none of us wants to arrive at the point where we are ashamed of God or the things of God. When trouble assails us, the world often asks, “Where is your God?” or “Why would God allow this to happen to you?”

 

3.  God help us to have the mindset that David had:  “Let me never be ashamed” in the future and “Let me not be ashamed” in the present.

 

H.  Now, by application, if a man after God’s own heart is affected in such a manner, we as God’s children are not exempt.   What does the devil want us to be ashamed to talk about or associate with?

 

1.  Never ashamed of our Saviour.  Often, in the presence of the world, we are afraid to tell the lost about our wonderful Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

 

2.  Never ashamed of our Salvation.  Telling others of not only our wonderful Saviour but also of our great salvation.  I traded hell for heaven and got an incredible deal!  A new hope and a new home. 

 

3.  Never ashamed of our Sanctification.  Not flaunting our new lives in Christ as that exalts self while expressing the wonderful change that God has made in our lives, which exalts Him.  I love my new life in Christ.  It is undoubtedly a lot better than my life without Christ.  I would not go back to where I was before Christ found me.

 

4.  Never ashamed of our Scriptures.  Bible believers are simply that, Bible believers.  The world and religion do not want to have a “final authority.”  I may be ignorant and unlearned, but I believe and love my Bible.  I do not follow what people say about my Bible; I just follow my Bible.  I am proud of my Bible, the King James Bible.  It is not a version; it is the Bible!

 

5.  Never ashamed of our Sanctuary.  God has given us a wonderful people who assemble in a wonderful church.  We are old-fashioned, but so are the Old Paths trod by our fathers, wherein is the good way.  We may be few in number, but we are one in spirit with no divisions or strife.  This is a great place to call home.

 

6.  Never be ashamed of our Siblings.  Our brothers and sisters in Christ!  Not a perfect one in this church.  We are one.  We are God’s children and should treat one another with love and respect.  We are all family.  Satan is a divider, but thank God, He is a unifier! 

 

7.  My prayer is “Dear Lord, never let me be ashamed!”  The day may come when I can no longer pastor because of physical or mental difficulties, but I want this church and church family always to be my church and church family! 

The Word of God and Affliction

 Temple Baptist Church - 6-9-2024

Psalm 119:153-160

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Psalm 119: 176 verses broken down into twenty-two stanzas with each stanza correlating with one of the 22 letters in the Hebrew Alphabet.  Each stanza is comprised of eight verses which, in the Hebrew Bible, each verse begins with the associated letter  of the Hebrew Alphabet forming an Acrostic.  What a wonder that we hold in our hands tonight! 

 

B.  Tonight, RESH  – the twentieth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet.  A numerical value of 200 which means to be poor.

 

C.  RESH  – poor, wickedness, evil, or wicked person.

 

D.  This stanza is one of a saint crying out in his affliction.  Affliction: depression, that is, misery: - afflicted (-ion), trouble.  To take a browbeating! Browbeating: to intimidate with overbearing or to bully.  Today, we find “bullying” in the news quite often though it has always been around.  When I was a kid, there were bullies in our school.  You could either cow tail to them or you could stand up to them.

 

Psalms 22:23-24  Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.  (24)  For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

 

Psalms 102:1  A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

 

E.  There are four types of afflictions that I need to take a short look at before dissecting these eight verses.  The word “afflictions” means trouble, depression, or misery.  When afflictions come, we need to biblically identify the source of the problem.

 

1.  There is Personal Affliction.  Self-infliction or self-inflicted – inflicted or caused by oneself.  The product of poor judgment and bad choices.  There are times when we get our feet dirty walking through this sinful world.

 

John 13:8-10  Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.  (9)  Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.  (10)  Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

 

a)  We need to learn to daily look at ourselves through the lens of the Bible.  It is then that we will find that affliction is often because of our actions and thoughts.  Then, “lay the axe to the root of the tree”.

 

b)  The First Mention of Affliction is in the context of affliction that causes pain and is found in sinfulness.  Psalms 25:16-18: “Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.  (17)  The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.  (18)  Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.”

 

James 1:21-25  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.  (22)  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  (23)  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  (24)  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  (25)  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

 

c)  Let him pray! 

 

James 5:13a  Is any among you afflicted? let him pray.

 

d)  God is ready and able to hear, forgive, and restore the self-afflicted. 

 

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

2.  There is Natural Affliction.  Somethings are simply out of one’s control as they are natural problems linked to our humanity.

 

a)  Some things are out of our control such as sickness, disease, having to live in a sinful world and sinful flesh.  God’s people get sick, and God’s people die.  That’s called life.

 

2 Kings 13:14  Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.

 

2 Timothy 4:20  Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.

 

b)  God’s plan for human sickness.  Human sickness is a result of Adamic sin.  We are born to die!  A time to be born and a time to die.

 

James 5:14  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

 

3.  There is Divine Affliction.

 

a)  Divine Affliction causes one to keep God’s word.  Before chastisement, the sinner went astray but after chastisement, the sinner keeps God’s Word.  Psalms 119:67  Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

 

b)  Divine Affliction teaches the afflicted His statutes.  Psalms 119:71  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

 

c)  Divine Affliction shows God’s faithfulness to His children.  Psalms 119:75  I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

 

Hebrews 12:5-7  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  (6)  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  (7)  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

 

4.  There is Hatred’s Affliction.  Here we find the meaning of our context.  Wicked, evil, ungodly men afflicting God’s people.

 

Matthew 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

 

Luke 6:22-23  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.  (23)  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

 

F.  Now let us look at these verses in light of affliction.

 

1.  Verse 153.  The Psalmist’s affliction was not deserved.  “Consider … deliver … I do not forget thy law” 

 

a.  Too often, when a child of God is having extreme difficulty, people tend to believe that he/her are being judged for personal sin.  I have had people ask me if I thought that their affliction was of the Lord.  My answer is always, if God is judging you, you will know both that it is Him and why you are being judged.

 

b.  David told the Lord to judge him and his motives.  To examine and prove his reins and heart.

 

Psalms 26:1-2  A Psalm of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.  (2)  Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

 

2.  Verse 154.  The Psalmist knew that he had to look outside of self for deliverance.  “plead … deliver … quicken … according to thy word” 

 

a.  He placed his faith in this particular situation upon the veracity of God’s Word.  God seldom gives us the where, when, and how of deliverance but does guarantee a biblical one.

 

b.  He asked for the restoration of life, indicating that the one he now had was sub-par at best.  In the bad times, we tend to remember the good times and long for them once again.

 

3.  Verse 155.  “Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not they statutes.”

 

a.  The Wicked will be brought to nought soon enough.  There is no salvation for them in this world nor in the world to come.

 

b.  The reason for this is refusal to seek the Word of God!  They are God haters and Christian haters, all because they are Bible haters.

 

4.  Verse 156.  “tender mercies … according to thy judgments”

 

a.  Though the wicked are far from the blessings of God, the mercies of God are close.

 

b.  Every morning, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness.  God promised David, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

 

5.  Verse 157-158.  The Psalmist now realizes the end of the wicked.

 

a.  Verse 157.  Spiritual enemies will be a guaranteed way of life for the righteous.  Here we find the integrity of the Psalmist in continuing in the right way of the Scriptures.  “Many are my persecutors and mine enemies … yet do I not decline from thy testimonies”

 

b.  Verse 158.  The Psalmist was grieved, not so much because of his persecution, but because of the temporal soon to be eternal condition of the lost. 

 

Psalms 73:17-19  Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.  (18)  Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.  (19)  How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

 

Job 42:10  And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

 

6.  Verse 159.  The Psalmist’s love for the Word of God brought about the deliverance, new life, and lovingkindness of the Lord.

 

7.  Verse 160.  The Word of God magnified.  It is in this verse that we find: the purity, righteous judgments, and eternality of the Word of God.

 

a.  The Perfection of the Word of God.  The Word of God can be trusted as we have the Spirit of Truth to interpret it for us.

 

b.  The Righteous Judgment of the Word of God.  The Word of God is always right in all its precepts and judgments.

 

b.  The Eternal Preservation of the Word of God.  The Word of God will always be there with us and for us.