Divine Intervention - Psalm 119:121-136
Pastor Dennis Bone
9/11/09
DIVINE INTERVENTION 10-11-09
Last week the headline in the UK Telegraph Forum read: “Divine intervention saved my life.” According to the article, the police said it was a “miracle” that the 21 year old car accident victim is alive. Another headline last week from the Times Herald in Vallejo, California: “Pizzaria owners say divine intervention cleared the way for their new pizza joint.” These are two recent events just last week, among many other events every week, attributed to “divine intervention.” These two events each had different levels of seriousness or significance, but each was described the same way by the people involved in the experiences – “divine intervention.” How do we know when something is a “divine intervention?”
We sometimes attribute “divine intervention” to stunning events or unexpected happenings when we are not sure how else to describe what has happened or occurred. We also often look for “divine intervention” when we have no control over situation or circumstance, and need God to act or to show us a solution to a problem or an issue. How often do we wish that God would do an intervention on our kids or intervene in a bad relationship or intervene in a physical illness?
As Christians we certainly believe that God is actively involved in all aspects of life. He doesn’t just jump in and out of situations but He constantly oversees His people and His creation. We believe in divine providence not “luck” or chance. But divine intervention is God acting beyond just His normal providence; it’s an extraordinary event or action whereby God does what no one else can do.
As I read and thought about the Psalmist’s experience in this section of Psalm 119, it seemed that he was praying for and looking for a true divine intervention. There are times when we have done all we can do and said all we can say, and we have to pray and wait for God to act. Our text this morning from Psalm 119 gives us some insight into these times, and I trust that we can learn from the Psalmist as he proclaims God’s Word to us.
Let’s begin with verses 121 – 128 of Psalm 119, and hear the Psalmist plea for divine intervention:
I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors. Ensure your servant’s well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me. My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise. Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. It is time for you to act, O Lord; your law is being broken. Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.
Do you ever get to the point when you say, or you want to say with the Psalmist, “It’s time for you to act God.” Don’t we get tired of sin and injustice and suffering and just want God to intervene and make every thing different; and make things right? It seems that the Psalmist has got to this point where he has seen enough and heard enough and experienced enough, and flat out tells God that it’s time for Him to take action. His plea for God to act is not because he has got himself in this mess and wants to be bailed out – which may frequently happen to people like us – he didn’t create or contribute to the situation by bad choices or decisions. But neither is his plea based on the fact that he is perfect and never sins. He doesn’t come to God in pride.
The fact that he says – in verse 121 – “I have done what is righteous and just” doesn’t mean that he is sinless, but it gives him standing before God to bring his plea. He is in a right relationship with God and is being oppressed by people who aren’t, thus he is able to ask for God’s intervention. It’s not a presumptuous plea, and as Christians we have the right and the standing before God to make this same plea to God for help when we are in a right relationship with Him. But the right to plea or pray doesn’t guarantee intervention, but it does guarantee that God cares about our situation, and that what happens, or is happening, is not outside of His purview or His providential eye. This passage answers three questions about God’s intervention: Why would God intervene? When will God intervene? And, what will I do in anticipation of God’s intervention?
First, God will intervene in the lives of His people to relieve injustice because of our inability. What we learn from the Psalm, as well as life itself, is that sin often makes things unfair and there is sometimes nothing we can do about it. The Psalmist has asked before, “Why do the godly suffer? The short answer is because of sin and injustice.
But this is also the answer as to why God will intervene. God needs to intervene because we are often unable to change what needs to be changed or do what needs to be done. And so we ask God to intervene because He promises to promote well-being and protect His people from harm. As Christians we have a basis for asking God to protect us and to intervene on behalf of our physical and spiritual well-being. Verse 122 – “Ensure your servant’s well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me.” Job who also was surrounded by oppressors and mockers said, “Give me O God, the pledge you demand. Who else will put up security for me?” We need to believe like Job, and like the Psalmist, that God is our security. He is always our assurance and our Rock in times of oppression.
But now the second question – the one we get to quick – “When will God intervene?” Sinful creatures – even us as Christians – have this human idea that God should act at our call. Yet God has much more intended for us and for every situation we go through, that we could ever imagine; thus delay is often painful, but it’s also often necessary. The Psalmist doesn’t minimize the difficulty of his situation, in fact he has got to the point where he definitely thinks that it’s time for God to act – verse 126 – so this has been going on for some time. We often find ourselves in these types of situations as well and so we continue to ask God to act and to be active in helping us to deal with or cope with something that may not change for a long time. In most cases delay requires discernment to rightly understand God’s timing or perspective on this difficult and maybe painful situation.
Verse 125 – “I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.” He is asking that God give him discernment through His Word. In other words it’s as God teaches us and gives us a greater knowledge and understanding of His truth that we will be able to meet the challenges of life more effectively. We may want divine intervention, but we don’t always need it according to God’s timing. He is often teaching us and maturing us before He acts to deliver us. Three times the Psalmist refers to himself as “your servant” indicating his submissive and humble approach to God. His conviction and confidence was that God needed to act; but He was willing to trust God even if he experienced delay – or even more delay – because he trusted God and loved His Word.
This answers the third question, “What will I do in anticipation of God’s intervention?” Verses 27 & 28: “Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.” As he anticipates God’s action he will treasure God’s commands and make them his priority. He will not let the circumstances get in the way of what is most important to him; he will not let a delay in a hard or difficult situation get in the way of His love or obedience to God. Of course it’s easy to get down and discouraged when God isn’t acting as we expect or think we need, especially in times of pain and injustice; but the Psalmist both sees and experiences the injustice but continues to hold steadfast to the truth. He understood and appreciated the value of God’s Word even when he didn’t have much else; even when things were not going well he committed his cause and his situation into God’s hands; and held steadfast to His Word – knowing that God would intervene on his behalf in His perfect timing.
As we move to the next section of Psalm 119, we hear words of patience in waiting for divine intervention. The Psalmist tells us in verses 127 & 128 what he will do in anticipation of God’s intervention – he will continue to abide in God’s Word and hate all false ways. He has made a commitment to God and to His Word even in times of difficulty, injustice and long-suffering trials. But the question answered in these verses is the one of how God’s Word does this for him, and how it will do it for us as Christians. So let’s look at verses 129 – 136 of Psalm 119:
Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees. Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
God’s Word provides us with patience in three ways as we wait for God to act in difficult and trying situations. God’s Word gives us a patient hope, knowing that it’s not a matter of, “Will God intervene?” He will, it’s only a matter of when? Thus not only is our patience based on a true hope that God cares and will act, but this patience is then also informed and encouraged by the teaching of God’s Word.
God’s Word first of all provides us with satisfaction and contentment as we wait upon God. The Psalmist says in verse 129 that God’s statutes are wonderful – they are his devotion and his desire – and they are able to help him exercise patience in his life. We can’t be satisfied with injustice; we don’t find contentment or peace in trials or struggles, but as we read and meditate on God’s Word, God fills us with His contentment. The peace of God enables us to patiently press on in our lives. And through His Word God enlightens our eyes to help us understand the way to press on. As we looked at two weeks ago, in verse 105, God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We read also in Proverbs 6, “For these commands are a lamp, this teaching a light; and the corrections of discipline is the way of life.”
God’s Word not only opens up our eyes to His way, but it also quenches our spiritual thirst as we seek to go the right way – verse 131 – “I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.” The Psalmist realizes that it’s God’s Word that brings him satisfaction when he can’t find it in his circumstances; God’s Word brings to us spiritual refreshment when we our mouths are parched and our throats dry from dealing with the heartache and frustrations of this world. The point is that God revives our spiritual senses and renews our soul as we patiently wait for Him to intervene in situations we have no present solution, or see one in the future.
Secondly, God’s Word provides us with spiritual freedom, meaning that we have the freedom as Christians to not get stuck in the ungodly choices of unbelievers or the negative consequences of other people’s actions. The choices and actions of other people can and often do affect us – the Psalmist was affected physically and emotionally – but God gives us the freedom, through His grace and mercy, to move beyond such things so we can be effective servants of God. Verses 132 – 134: “Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.” At this point the Psalmist couldn’t get away from those who oppressed him; he couldn’t change the situation, thus he asked for God’s intervention. We are often in the same type situations when it comes to family matters – kids, parents, relatives, etc. – that oppress us or upset us because we can’t change the situation. This can often be true in the workplace or in other relationships that impact our joy and our peace.
These words direct us to the mercy of God’s Word, so that even in hard and difficult situations we will not let sin rule over us, or have the upper hand, but instead we will obey God. The Word of God gives us this freedom. The freedom to keep moving in the right direction; the ability to choose God’s way and His truth, even when others around us don’t. It gives us the freedom from the oppression of sin and man – not necessarily by taking it away, but by providing us spiritual strength and refreshment, so that we will have the peace and joy that God promises us as His people.
The foundation of this spiritual freedom and contentment is the blessings of God’s presence. The Psalmist prays for the “smile” of God to be upon him as he moves forward in obedience – verse 135 – “Make your face to shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.” He alludes to the benediction of Numbers 6:25, and knows that God smiles upon those who love His law, and it’s the blessing of His presence with us that enables us to seek this obedience. At the same time it enables us to sorrow over disobedience – verse 136 – “Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed” – because sin grieves God and it should grieve us.
The reason that we can ask for divine intervention is because as Christians we have the blessing of God’s presence. It’s presumptuous to ask God to act on your behalf if you don’t know Him or have a relationship with Him through Christ. What people often call “divine intervention” is really a matter of God’s common grace, due to the fact that God helps the righteous and the unrighteous; the believer and the non-believer. But when we humbly walk with God and seek His smile upon us as His servant, we have a right to ask God for His intervention. We ask because we know that He listens to our plea through His Son; and cares about our situation because we are His child. God promises to act, not on our time-table but on His; and promises to give us patience through His Word, as we wait for Him to act on our behalf, because we are His servant and His child.
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC
Pastor Dennis Bone
9/11/09
DIVINE INTERVENTION 10-11-09
Last week the headline in the UK Telegraph Forum read: “Divine intervention saved my life.” According to the article, the police said it was a “miracle” that the 21 year old car accident victim is alive. Another headline last week from the Times Herald in Vallejo, California: “Pizzaria owners say divine intervention cleared the way for their new pizza joint.” These are two recent events just last week, among many other events every week, attributed to “divine intervention.” These two events each had different levels of seriousness or significance, but each was described the same way by the people involved in the experiences – “divine intervention.” How do we know when something is a “divine intervention?”
We sometimes attribute “divine intervention” to stunning events or unexpected happenings when we are not sure how else to describe what has happened or occurred. We also often look for “divine intervention” when we have no control over situation or circumstance, and need God to act or to show us a solution to a problem or an issue. How often do we wish that God would do an intervention on our kids or intervene in a bad relationship or intervene in a physical illness?
As Christians we certainly believe that God is actively involved in all aspects of life. He doesn’t just jump in and out of situations but He constantly oversees His people and His creation. We believe in divine providence not “luck” or chance. But divine intervention is God acting beyond just His normal providence; it’s an extraordinary event or action whereby God does what no one else can do.
As I read and thought about the Psalmist’s experience in this section of Psalm 119, it seemed that he was praying for and looking for a true divine intervention. There are times when we have done all we can do and said all we can say, and we have to pray and wait for God to act. Our text this morning from Psalm 119 gives us some insight into these times, and I trust that we can learn from the Psalmist as he proclaims God’s Word to us.
Let’s begin with verses 121 – 128 of Psalm 119, and hear the Psalmist plea for divine intervention:
I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors. Ensure your servant’s well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me. My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise. Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. It is time for you to act, O Lord; your law is being broken. Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.
Do you ever get to the point when you say, or you want to say with the Psalmist, “It’s time for you to act God.” Don’t we get tired of sin and injustice and suffering and just want God to intervene and make every thing different; and make things right? It seems that the Psalmist has got to this point where he has seen enough and heard enough and experienced enough, and flat out tells God that it’s time for Him to take action. His plea for God to act is not because he has got himself in this mess and wants to be bailed out – which may frequently happen to people like us – he didn’t create or contribute to the situation by bad choices or decisions. But neither is his plea based on the fact that he is perfect and never sins. He doesn’t come to God in pride.
The fact that he says – in verse 121 – “I have done what is righteous and just” doesn’t mean that he is sinless, but it gives him standing before God to bring his plea. He is in a right relationship with God and is being oppressed by people who aren’t, thus he is able to ask for God’s intervention. It’s not a presumptuous plea, and as Christians we have the right and the standing before God to make this same plea to God for help when we are in a right relationship with Him. But the right to plea or pray doesn’t guarantee intervention, but it does guarantee that God cares about our situation, and that what happens, or is happening, is not outside of His purview or His providential eye. This passage answers three questions about God’s intervention: Why would God intervene? When will God intervene? And, what will I do in anticipation of God’s intervention?
First, God will intervene in the lives of His people to relieve injustice because of our inability. What we learn from the Psalm, as well as life itself, is that sin often makes things unfair and there is sometimes nothing we can do about it. The Psalmist has asked before, “Why do the godly suffer? The short answer is because of sin and injustice.
But this is also the answer as to why God will intervene. God needs to intervene because we are often unable to change what needs to be changed or do what needs to be done. And so we ask God to intervene because He promises to promote well-being and protect His people from harm. As Christians we have a basis for asking God to protect us and to intervene on behalf of our physical and spiritual well-being. Verse 122 – “Ensure your servant’s well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me.” Job who also was surrounded by oppressors and mockers said, “Give me O God, the pledge you demand. Who else will put up security for me?” We need to believe like Job, and like the Psalmist, that God is our security. He is always our assurance and our Rock in times of oppression.
But now the second question – the one we get to quick – “When will God intervene?” Sinful creatures – even us as Christians – have this human idea that God should act at our call. Yet God has much more intended for us and for every situation we go through, that we could ever imagine; thus delay is often painful, but it’s also often necessary. The Psalmist doesn’t minimize the difficulty of his situation, in fact he has got to the point where he definitely thinks that it’s time for God to act – verse 126 – so this has been going on for some time. We often find ourselves in these types of situations as well and so we continue to ask God to act and to be active in helping us to deal with or cope with something that may not change for a long time. In most cases delay requires discernment to rightly understand God’s timing or perspective on this difficult and maybe painful situation.
Verse 125 – “I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.” He is asking that God give him discernment through His Word. In other words it’s as God teaches us and gives us a greater knowledge and understanding of His truth that we will be able to meet the challenges of life more effectively. We may want divine intervention, but we don’t always need it according to God’s timing. He is often teaching us and maturing us before He acts to deliver us. Three times the Psalmist refers to himself as “your servant” indicating his submissive and humble approach to God. His conviction and confidence was that God needed to act; but He was willing to trust God even if he experienced delay – or even more delay – because he trusted God and loved His Word.
This answers the third question, “What will I do in anticipation of God’s intervention?” Verses 27 & 28: “Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.” As he anticipates God’s action he will treasure God’s commands and make them his priority. He will not let the circumstances get in the way of what is most important to him; he will not let a delay in a hard or difficult situation get in the way of His love or obedience to God. Of course it’s easy to get down and discouraged when God isn’t acting as we expect or think we need, especially in times of pain and injustice; but the Psalmist both sees and experiences the injustice but continues to hold steadfast to the truth. He understood and appreciated the value of God’s Word even when he didn’t have much else; even when things were not going well he committed his cause and his situation into God’s hands; and held steadfast to His Word – knowing that God would intervene on his behalf in His perfect timing.
As we move to the next section of Psalm 119, we hear words of patience in waiting for divine intervention. The Psalmist tells us in verses 127 & 128 what he will do in anticipation of God’s intervention – he will continue to abide in God’s Word and hate all false ways. He has made a commitment to God and to His Word even in times of difficulty, injustice and long-suffering trials. But the question answered in these verses is the one of how God’s Word does this for him, and how it will do it for us as Christians. So let’s look at verses 129 – 136 of Psalm 119:
Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees. Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
God’s Word provides us with patience in three ways as we wait for God to act in difficult and trying situations. God’s Word gives us a patient hope, knowing that it’s not a matter of, “Will God intervene?” He will, it’s only a matter of when? Thus not only is our patience based on a true hope that God cares and will act, but this patience is then also informed and encouraged by the teaching of God’s Word.
God’s Word first of all provides us with satisfaction and contentment as we wait upon God. The Psalmist says in verse 129 that God’s statutes are wonderful – they are his devotion and his desire – and they are able to help him exercise patience in his life. We can’t be satisfied with injustice; we don’t find contentment or peace in trials or struggles, but as we read and meditate on God’s Word, God fills us with His contentment. The peace of God enables us to patiently press on in our lives. And through His Word God enlightens our eyes to help us understand the way to press on. As we looked at two weeks ago, in verse 105, God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We read also in Proverbs 6, “For these commands are a lamp, this teaching a light; and the corrections of discipline is the way of life.”
God’s Word not only opens up our eyes to His way, but it also quenches our spiritual thirst as we seek to go the right way – verse 131 – “I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.” The Psalmist realizes that it’s God’s Word that brings him satisfaction when he can’t find it in his circumstances; God’s Word brings to us spiritual refreshment when we our mouths are parched and our throats dry from dealing with the heartache and frustrations of this world. The point is that God revives our spiritual senses and renews our soul as we patiently wait for Him to intervene in situations we have no present solution, or see one in the future.
Secondly, God’s Word provides us with spiritual freedom, meaning that we have the freedom as Christians to not get stuck in the ungodly choices of unbelievers or the negative consequences of other people’s actions. The choices and actions of other people can and often do affect us – the Psalmist was affected physically and emotionally – but God gives us the freedom, through His grace and mercy, to move beyond such things so we can be effective servants of God. Verses 132 – 134: “Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.” At this point the Psalmist couldn’t get away from those who oppressed him; he couldn’t change the situation, thus he asked for God’s intervention. We are often in the same type situations when it comes to family matters – kids, parents, relatives, etc. – that oppress us or upset us because we can’t change the situation. This can often be true in the workplace or in other relationships that impact our joy and our peace.
These words direct us to the mercy of God’s Word, so that even in hard and difficult situations we will not let sin rule over us, or have the upper hand, but instead we will obey God. The Word of God gives us this freedom. The freedom to keep moving in the right direction; the ability to choose God’s way and His truth, even when others around us don’t. It gives us the freedom from the oppression of sin and man – not necessarily by taking it away, but by providing us spiritual strength and refreshment, so that we will have the peace and joy that God promises us as His people.
The foundation of this spiritual freedom and contentment is the blessings of God’s presence. The Psalmist prays for the “smile” of God to be upon him as he moves forward in obedience – verse 135 – “Make your face to shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.” He alludes to the benediction of Numbers 6:25, and knows that God smiles upon those who love His law, and it’s the blessing of His presence with us that enables us to seek this obedience. At the same time it enables us to sorrow over disobedience – verse 136 – “Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed” – because sin grieves God and it should grieve us.
The reason that we can ask for divine intervention is because as Christians we have the blessing of God’s presence. It’s presumptuous to ask God to act on your behalf if you don’t know Him or have a relationship with Him through Christ. What people often call “divine intervention” is really a matter of God’s common grace, due to the fact that God helps the righteous and the unrighteous; the believer and the non-believer. But when we humbly walk with God and seek His smile upon us as His servant, we have a right to ask God for His intervention. We ask because we know that He listens to our plea through His Son; and cares about our situation because we are His child. God promises to act, not on our time-table but on His; and promises to give us patience through His Word, as we wait for Him to act on our behalf, because we are His servant and His child.
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC
