Psalm 119 Lesson 15 SAMECH - Fairhaven Baptist Church

Psalm 119:113-120

Lesson 15

Samech (s)

Text: Psalm 119:113-120 “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love. 114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. 115 Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God. 116 Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. 117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. 118 Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit is falsehood. 119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies. 120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.”

Last Weeks homework: Samech (s) a prop (such as propping up a wall/ aid/ assist)

Samech Bet- prop/ support Home, 1. Grandfather
Samech Reysh- Prop/ support, Head, 2. Sullen/ Moody
Samech Pey Reysh- Prop, Mouth, Head, 3. Book/ Scroll
Chet Samech Hey- Fence, Support, Behold 4. Trust/ Refuge

The Letter Samech, (s)
1. A Prop/ Support
  1. The Meaning:
    1. the original drawing or carving of the letter was to look like a tree proped up,
      - think about the time frame and the location of the original writing.
        
        The area is a very agriculture driven area. Fig, olive, and other trees and orchards.
        
        As well as grape vineyard.
        
        The idea of a prop was well known.
      - The Egyptian hieroglyph also used the prop,
        
        it was used in the same way as the Hebrew word was used, to support,
        
        it looked like a elongated y,
    2. I carries the idea of support, and prop up,
      - but it also symbolizes “a slow twisting” as in a plant being forced to change their direction. Such as in a vineyard.
      - And “turning aside”
    3. Examples form the homework:
      - To support at home, the grandfather.
        
        Remember the ancient writing was well before modern cities, and customs of them, as well as the law,
        
        so later on we see grandfatherly figures sitting at the city gate to judge, but in the urban areas, as most of it would be, the grandfather was at home to support the family while the young men were working and providing.
      - Supporting Head, moody/ or sullen,
        
        think of placing your head on your hand,
      - Support mouth and head, book or scroll
      - Separate, support you can see- trust or refuge
    4. Look at vs.116 “Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live”
      - uphold me/ support me….
2. Dealing with the Enemy, Vs.113-120
  1. God Protects his People, Vs.113-115
    1. Warren Wiersby said “if the life of faith consisted only of meditating on the word and loving God, life would be easy.”
    2. the truth of the matter is, people of God and of faith have enemies, and live can be sometimes difficult.
    3. What are vain thoughts the Psalmist speaks of?
      - Vain thoughts are “divided, or skeptic”
      - it comes form the word to divide, or more accurately, disbranch a tree.
    4. James 1:5-8 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
      - he is like one that is tossed to and fro, never having a heading or a destination.
      - Like a piece of debris on the ocean tide, never knowing where it might end up
    5. For the child of God, we are to become Like Christ,
      - in action and in mind,
        
        that means we begin to love the things God loves, and dislike the things God dislikes.
      - Amos 5:14&15 “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. 15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate:…”
    6. the psalmist here understood the importance of a firm foundation to depend on for SUPPORT,
      - His hiding place, His shield, His Hope,
        
        incidentally the word for hope here in vs.114 is the Hebrew word for patience, where the word in vs.116 is the Hebrew word for expectation
  2. God Upholds the Obedient, Vs.116&117
    1. I Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”
    2. Look at these two verses in light of the letter, Samech,
      - Vs.116 “Uphold me” Vs.117 “Hold Me up”
      - our support should always come form the Lord,
      - If we trust in the Lord and His word we have no reason to fear or to be ashamed,
        
        That he would not be ashamed of his “hope” expiration.
        
        What do we place our trust in. For me, it is to know this world is not the end, there is a better place waiting.
        
        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 word respect in vs.117 carries the idea that he would continually gaze on them, look on them, meditate on them, treat them with reverence.
    3. This is the support the word of God offers, which is absent form the world,
      - the letter Samech is found in other languages as well,
      - in the Egyptian Hieroglyph, I spoke of earlier, the letter looks like a elongated y,
        
        the same letter, or symbol when turned upside down means calamity,
        
        it becomes part of the words storm or hurricane.
    4. Much the way life gets when we do not have the support of the word of God
  3. God rejects the Wicked, Vs.118&119
    1. throughout the word of God, the Lord has continually put down nations that rose against Him and His people,
      - Israel still stands, yet the Babylonian, the Assyrian, the Hittites, and so on are only mentioned in history books.
      - Benjamin Disraeli, a 19^th century statesman, and twice prime minister of England was asked once, if he knew of any infallible proof of God’s existence. His terse answer is classic. He said, “The Jew, sir, the Jew.”
      - the point being, they shouldn’t exist after all these years except form the power and promise of God.
    2. The dross it mentions here is the impurities of metal being taken away during the purification process,
      - metals melt at different temperatures,
      - when iron/ lead/ silver/ gold/ or others are heated to their melting point, the dross will separate, be skimmed off, and the metal will become pure.
    3. This is the process God used for the nation of Israel, it is the process He uses in our own sanctification,
      - by allowing us to go through adversities, we discover the areas in life we need to remove.
  4. God Alone Should Be Feared, Vs.120
    1. standing before all nations, the psalmist understood the only one that truly deserved our fear and reverence is the Lord,
    2. Matthew 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
      - Human powers have their limits, and after death, they have no more power.
      - God, on the other hand, still passes judgment.
    3. Hebrews 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Next week; Ayin, (An Eye) u

Ayin Dalet- Eye of the door 1. To Weep
Ayin Dalet Vav- Eye Door secure 2. Eden/ Pleasant
Dalet Mem Ayin- door water eye 3. Time/ Season
Sheen Mem Ayin- consume chaos eye 4. Forever/ Eternity
Ayin Tav- eye entangle 5.Understand/ Obey

(think of watching a vine grow around a tree)

Answer: 1-4; 2-2; 3-1; 4-5; 5-3