PSALM ONE-HUNDRED NINETEEN
Lord, It Is Time

Psalm 119:121-128

Pastor David Johnston,
Temple Baptist Church of Laurens, SC

As we continue in this next section of the Psalm, we find the psalmist is still surrounded by his enemies, but now we catch a hint of impatience on his part. He tells the Lord it is time for Him to be up and doing. We may smile at that, because we have often told the Lord much the same thing. We get impatient with God and wonder why He doesn't work when we think He should and the way we think He should. We forget that God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Cf Is. 55:8

I. His Call to God v121-124

A. It isn't fair! v121

1. 'I have done judgment and justice'

2. In other words he is saying that he has done that which was right.

3. Now it was time for God to do what was 'right'

4. We grow impatient with God when we fail to look at the 'big picture'.

5. If we only look at the immediate situation, it may seem that the wicked lifestyle is the way to go. Cf. Ps 73:3

6. But. when we look at life from an eternal perspective, we come to a different conclusion. Cf. Ps. 73:17

7. He says, "God, don't leave me here!"

B. It is time for you to act. v122

1. 'Be surety for Thy servant for good'

2. 'Surety' means to offer security in a bargain or agreement.

3. The psalmist is calling on God to come and get involved in his situation.

4. We can be sure he did not appeal to God in vain.

5. The whole idea behind God's plan of salvation is in focus here.

a. He is our sole hope of heaven.

b. He is our unfailing resource in life

c. Nothing delights God more than when we take Him at His Word and come directly to Him and tell Him how dependent we are on Him.

C. He cried out to God for grace and mercy.

1. 'Mine eyes fail for salvation.' v123

a. Like a Robinson Crusoe as he climbed to some vantage point on his lonely island to scan the far horizons in search of a sail.

b. The psalmist has staked everything on his Lord's assurances.

c. God simply cannot let him down.

d. He wants God to act in grace in delivering him, and he really has no doubt that He will.

2. 'Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy." v124

a. The psalmist needed to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in the inner man.

b. If God was going to make him go on waiting for the redemption of His promise, then he needed to be fortified within by the Word of God.

3. Although impatient, he remains teachable.

4. Folks, I don't have it all figured out yet, do you?

5. We better remain open that God might continue to prepare and teach us His ways.

II. His Confession and Commitment. v125

A. "I am thy servant."

1. The word 'servant' used here is much stronger than how we use it today.

2. It meant to be a slave.

3. Literally a purchased possession.

4. As such, God has the right to demand our unquestioning obedience.

B. ".Give me understanding."

1. He wasn't asking 'Why?'

2. But he sought to better understand God.

3. The way we know God is through His Word.

C. ".That I may know thy testimonies."

1. That should be our request.

2. That God would give us understanding that we might know Him better through His Word.

III. His Complaint. v126a

A. "It is time for Thee, LORD, to work."

1. How presumptuous for us to think we can tell God when He ought to go to work!

2. Or worse than that, we presume tell Him what He should do!

3. We forget that He is a sovereign and almighty God.

B. One thing that we can be assured of is that God will work.

C. However, we have no control over when and how He will accomplish His will.

D. We can rest assured that what God does will be right and will always be for our best.

IV. His Contrast and Conclusions v126b-128

A ". They have made void thy law."

1. This is the basis for the requested action from the psalmist.

2. The wicked have 'made void' or totally disregarded the Word of God.

3. Now, God will judge the wicked, and the basis for that judgment will be the Word of God.

(John 12:48) "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."

B. ". I love Thy commandments above gold."

1. What a magnificent claim.

2. The psalmist staked his claim in God.

3. What he coveted most was not the wealth of the world, but the wealth of the Word.

4. Can we make such a claim?

5. Is the Word of God more important to us than what this world has to offer?

C. ". I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right."

1. That is another great statement.

2. When the Bible says something -- that settles it. the Bible is always right.

3. 'Let God be true and every man a liar' cf Rom 3:4

4. If what someone says contradicts what the Bible has to say, then they are wrong and the Bible is right.

There may be times when we find ourselves, like the psalmist, becoming a bit impatient with God. When God doesn't act in the manner that we expect Him to, we need to realize that it isn't God who needs to change! We need to seek more understanding from God's Word and focus our attention on who God is rather than on what He does or does not do. Do we know Him as we should?