Psalm 119 Lesson 7 - Fairhaven Baptist Church

Psalm 119

Lesson 7

Zayin

Text: Psalm 119: 49-56

Last weeks answers,

1. Zayin Reysh (weapon Man) 1.Enemy

2. Zayin Mem Reysh (cut off chaos man) 2.Prune

3.Zayin Mem Hey (weapon chaos attention) 3.Bad Counsel

4. Zayin Ayin Pey (weapon experience words) 4.Vexed

5.Zayin Alef Bet (weapon power home) (fathers weapon) 5.Wolf

The Weapon,
1. The Original Pictograph was a Weapon,
  1. Ax, or Sword,
    1. the references that I have looked at have some disagreements as to what the original picture was. Some call it an ax, while others refer to it as a sword.
      - The earliest examples of the letter that I can find, look like an ax to me.
    2. But both sides are in agreement that it is a picture of a weapon.
    3. There is a version of the letter that is refereed to as “a crowned Vav”
      - it was a basic Zayin, a little more vertical and flat with three “Tagin” on it.
        
        A tagin, is a small flourish at the top stroke, which results in a small lien with a dot on top of it.
        
        The word for Tagin in the Greek is “tittle”
        
        these flourish are found only in the law, in scroll form, and tradition state they were on the stones that Joshua set up in Gilgal.
  2. The Idea is simple,
    1. because of the basic idea of the picture, the idea is to cut, to pierce,
      - For example Zayin- mem- Reysh, cut off chaos man, is to prune, what do we do to a plant? Cut off the suckers.
      - What about, Zayin Reysh, Weapon, man? Enemy, it can also mean foreigner or stranger.
        
        But the idea is clear.
      - We can see the use is an ideological way with words like Zayin, Ayin, Pey- weapon, see or experience, word, Vexed,
        
        the idea that words can cause distress and vexation.
    2. It is also the Hebrew number 7,
      - incidentally, how different does the number seven in English look than the Hebrew number 7?
      - I do not want to get too far out there, but there are some interesting ideas about this letter, and number.
        
        Remember a moment ago, I said in the scroll laws, it was refereed to as a crowned vav.’
        
        there are those who see this as a picture of Jesus, the sacrifice of a King,
        
        being that it is also the number 7, it represents perfection.
        
        Just a thought.
2. God’s Weapons for Us,
  1. His Word, is one of our Weapon,
    1. Ephesians 6:12-18 “For we wrestle not against flesh ^F18 and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
      - notice here, the sword is the offensive weapon in the christian arsenal,
        
        that is the only physical weapon, there are others, we will see in a moment,
        
        but among them is prayer as listed in vs.18
      - How many others places in the bible does it refer to the word as a sword?
        
        We know in Hebrews 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. ”
      - however there places that give us an idea of the word being used as a weapon,
        
        for instance:
        
        when Jesus was fronted by Satan, he didn’t wrestle with him, He simply said, the Word of God says,
        
        and that was enough to turn him away,
        
        We see where the word is used as a surgical tool, removing offensives,
      - we could go on, but I want to take a cue from the passage of scripture here:
  2. The Word causes us to “Hope” vs.49
    1. what is hope? It is the complete belief and trust in something,
      - the Hebrew word here is to be patient, stay, trust.
        
        We live in a world that is constantly changing, and revolving around us.
        
        The word of God is something we can place our “hope” in and stand assured that His word is truth.
        
        In Romans 3, the question come up, just because one doesn’t believe, or trust in the truth, does that make it not true? Of course not, and Paul goes on to say, let every man be a liar, but the word of God remains truth.
      - We can place our trust in God’s word, because it will always be true.
  3. The Word Gives Life, Vs.50
    1. Quickened, is to bring to life
    2. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
    3. John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
      - because of that life, the Psalmist has comfort ion afflictions,
        
        how is this possible?
        
        Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
        
        the bible teaches us that we will have tribulations and troubles here, but it also teaches us that this place is just temporary, and we have a place waiting for us, where there is no more sufferings, pain, or sorrow.
  4. The Word Gives us Stability, vs.51
    1. when we have hope, we can stand firm,
    2. my life is not dependent on the whelms and opinions of the world,
      - John Wooten, said My character is more valuable than my reputation,
      - the world wants us to change with it, but, the word of God gives us a standard by which we live.
        
        “I have not declined from thy law”
  5. The Word Promises Judgment, Vs.52&53
    1. When we look at the character of God, I love the first part,
      - Exodus 34:6&7 “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,……..”
      - But we cannot end there
      - “ and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
        
        yes God is Merciful and Gracious, but He is also a God of Judgment, and Sin will be judged, each and every one of them,
    2. But, how should the child of God feel about Judgment?
      - Ezekiel 18:23 “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?”
        
        God is asking this in a rhetorical manner, He goes on in….
      - Ezekiel 33:11 “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die,…”
        
        You can see, God want people to turn from their wicked ways and acknowledge Him as Lord,
      - Look back at the Psalm, vs.53,
        
        is that speaking of the horror of what the wicked have done, or the horror of the judgment he saw coming to the wicked in vs. 52?
      - So the word is one weapon, what are some of the others?
3. Our Song,
  1. Song can be a weapon,
    1. first, the word for song is the same word as prune,
      - to cut off the chaos man, or the bitter man.
    2. How can one word be representative of both pruning and singing?
      - Look at the physical and spiritual implications,
        
        physically, when you prune something, you remove the show form it,
        
        a grape vine can produce either grapes, or leaves, but not an abundance of both.
        
        So we prune the leaves, in order to encourage it to produce grapes.
      - When we sing praises to God, Spiritually we are removing the attention form us, and placing it on Him,
        
        in effect, pruning our flesh, in order to encourage Spiritual growth.
    3. Where do we need this? In the house of our pilgrimage,
      - while we are away form our heavenly home.
4. Another Weapon is the very Name of God,
  1. YHVH, (hwhy), Vs.55&56
    1. This is one of the reasons I find int amazing at the extent people have went to to get rid of the name of God.
    2. Behold the Hands, behold the nails,
    3. I would like to spend all night on this, but I may work it into a sermon,
      - but, what can help us make it through the dark night, when we feel all is lost?
      - Remembering the sacrifice of Jesus, the nails in His hands,
      - Understanding that Jesus went to the cross for us,
    4. If we ever need motivation for keeping the word of God, just look to the cross.

Next Weeks Words, CHET (Fence- inner room)

Chet Noon, (fence life) 1.compassion
Chet Tet Alef (fence surround power) 2.grace
Chet Noon Pey (Fence life speak) 3. sin
Chet Sheen Bet (fence consume home) 4. hypocrite
Chet Mem Lamed (fence chaos control) 5. think

Answers: 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-1