Welcome! May we rejoice together in reflection upon the incoming Kingdom of God poised to set matters straight and promote the genuine welfare of all people both physically and spiritually! God's judgments are only to oppose vicious evil that threatens the framework of humanity! Let all such opposers of godliness humbly turn to God and His word, seeking to understand the harmful effects of their errant course, moving them to action in some way, according to any faith they may yet have. Let's consider stanza 10 of Psalm 119, then ponder some of Proverbs chapter 5.

PSALM 119 STANZA 10

The theme for all of stanza 10 is:
SUBMISSION TO GOD’S DISCIPLINE PLACES US IN HIS HANDS TO EXPERIENCE HIS FAITHFULNESS

Verses 73-76 read this way: “73 Your hands made me and formed me. Give me understanding, So that I may learn your commandments. 74 Those who fear you see me and rejoice, For your word is my hope. 75 I know, O Jehovah, that your judgments are righteous And that you have afflicted me in your faithfulness. 76 May your loyal love please comfort me, According to the promise you made to your servant.“


Verse 73: Your hands made me and formed me. Give me understanding, So that I may learn your commandments.

GOD'S LOVING INTERVENTION. Psalm 119:73 The psalmist acknowledges God’s loving intervention in his life, made possible by heeding God’s word, likely from the time of youth. Even if some time passed before learning the value of God’s written word, He may still have lovingly guided us in some ways or at critical times in our life. May we appreciate whatever God has done to encourage us in doing right, and seek the quality of understanding that we may more fully grasp God’s law. This quality enables us to see the big picture of something and how it’s various parts fit together to make the whole of it. Applying this to divine knowledge based on God’s written word enables us to grow in appreciation for God’s commandments, seeing how they relate to our life and the benefits of heeding them.


Verse 74: Those who fear you see me and rejoice, For your word is my hope.

HOPE IN GOD'S WORD. Psalm 119:74 Those truly fearing God likely know the course of integrity does not mean a lack of problems or challenges in life. Still, those ignoring God’s word have problems as well--they just haven't yet seen the value of God's protective guidance. Of course, our difficulties are temporary, as we maintain our hope in peaceful conditions, around the corner. Even if we’re facing difficult circumstances, we can place our complete trust in God, and rely on His word and law to help us navigate through any hardships faithfully. Showing that righteous ones do not live a problem-free life, Psalm 34:19 says: “19 Many are the hardships of the righteous one, But Jehovah rescues him from them all.” Thus righteous ones come to experience God’s salvation through their problems, and this strengthens their faith in God, their integrity, and their hope of future salvation.


Verse 75: I know, O Jehovah, that your judgments are righteous And that you have afflicted me in your faithfulness.

GOD'S PERMISSION OF DIFFICULTIES. Psalm 119:75 The psalmist was a likely king or future king, and thus perhaps came under more of God’s discipline than most, needing refinement to carry out the will of God fully. Likewise, those receiving sonship to rule with Christ also need God’s loving correction to guide them in receiving their privileged reward from God. Anointed Hebrew Christians at one time were evidently focusing too much on any problems, as Paul sought to correct their view, stating at Hebrews 12:5-6: “5 And you have entirely forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not belittle the discipline from Jehovah, nor give up when you are corrected by him; 6 for those whom Jehovah loves he disciplines, in fact, he scourges everyone whom he receives as a son.” The psalmist thus felt he was experiencing difficulties that God at least permitted, yet he saw God’s faithfulness in His dealings with him. He knew God’s judgments were righteous, and he could endure in faithfulness, learning from his experiences to observe God’s law fully.


Verse 76: May your loyal love please comfort me, According to the promise you made to your servant.

TRUSTING GOD'S LOYAL LOVE. Psalm 119:76 Thus in God’s faithfulness we can see or experience His loyal love, which expression reminds of us the loyalty involved in expressing true Christian love toward others, such as in a marriage. This loyalty can patiently put up with a wrong in the strength of God, when another strays somewhat, looking to God for loving ways to correct it, with blazing hope of a restoration of the approved relationship. The psalmist pleads for the comfort of God’s loyal love toward him, as he endures any difficulties, maintaining his hope in whatever promise God made to Him, as we too can rely on the promises of God’s written word for comfort.

The first part of stanza 10 included thoughts such as this one: "Your hands made me and formed me. Give me understanding, So that I may learn your commandments...you have afflicted me in your faithfulness." (v. 73,75) God allowed him to suffer hardship, that he might learn more fully the value of godly obedience.

Verses 77-80 read this way: "Show me mercy, so that I may keep living, For I am fond of your law. 78 May the presumptuous be put to shame, For they wrong me without cause. But I will ponder over your orders. 79 Let those who fear you return to me,Those who know your reminders. 80 May my heart be blameless in following your [instructions], So that I may not be put to shame."

Verse 77: Show me mercy, so that I may keep living, For I am fond of your law.

CHOOSE LIFE AND GOOD. Psalm 119:77 The psalmist no doubt recognized human imperfection, and the need for God's mercy in the maintaining of our relationship with Him. He sought this mercy on the basis of his genuine fondness for God and His law. He knew it means life to be pleasing God--for Christians, eternal life is dependent upon it, and being alive spiritually depends likewise on our friendship with God and His son. Such thoughts may remind one of Moses' exhortation to Israel, as regards their keeping of the Mosaic Law, at Deuteronomy 30:15-16: "“See, I do put before you today life and good, and death and bad.16 If you listen to the commandments of Jehovah your God that I am commanding you today, by loving Jehovah your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his judicial decisions, then you will live and multiply, and Jehovah your God will bless you in the land you are going to possess." For Christians, God's approval and righteous standing comes by deep trust, or faith, in God and his mercy through the ransom provison of Christ, as we likewise seek obedience to Him and His son.


Verse 78: May the presumptuous be put to shame, For they wrong me without cause. But I will ponder over your orders.

REPENTANCE VITAL. On the other hand, are the presumptuous. Ignoring God's righteous standards to achieve their selfish aims, they are not automatically covered by Christ's ransom. Yes, God "does not desire anyone to be destroyed, but desires all to attain to repentance." (2Peter 3:9). Repentance involves a fitting degree of sorrow over past sins, with a turning around to godly obedience. Such repentance is necessary to receiving God's mercy based on the ransom provision. Jesus himself concurs, concluding his Sermon on the Mount with illustration showing the foolishness of not heeding his teachings, with the resulting collapse of one's figurative house. (Matth 7:24-27). The presumptous fail to welcome Christ's brothers, instead they are causing them loss. Unless they repent, they will suffer the consequences Jesus described at Matthew 25:41-46. The psalmist maintained his determination to keep God's orders despite such false opposition.


Verse 79: Let those who fear you return to me, Those who know your reminders.

LOYAL TO THE GOD OF LOVE. While those truly fearing God usually understand that hardships that can afflict righteous ones, sometimes they can be affected by fear of man, as Jesus' apostles fled upon his arrest. They might hold back from showing favor, until persecution or opposition lessens. Like Jesus, how vital that we maintain our hope in God first when faced with pressures, trusting Him with our reputation and relationships. The psalmist requested that the favor of God-fearing ones return to him, despite whatever trials he had to face. In harmony with the greatest commandments of the Law, let us remember the love of God FIRST in life, loving Him in part by keeping His law, making true unity possible, and THEN loving our neighbor as ourselves. (Matth 22:36-40). If we are truly loving our neighbor, we will be helping them to love Jehovah first, to loyally maintain their integrity to Him.


Verse 80: May my heart be blameless in following your [instructions], So that I may not be put to shame.

"REMAIN STEADFAST." The psalmist requests a heart of integrity, able to follow even the detailed guidance from God. Such obedience contributes greatly to our happiness, as the very first verse of Psalm 119 bears out: "Happy are those who are blameless in their way, Who walk in the law of Jehovah." Regarding the following of God's regulations, verses 5-6 say: "If only I could remain steadfast So as to observe your regulations! 6 Then I would not be put to shame When I consider all your commandments." As we continue having faith in God and His spiritual provisions, seeking divine obedience, we can be happy to find ourselves in compliance with God's standards more and more, having no reason for shame. As David wrote, in Psalm 19, verses 12-13: "Who can discern mistakes? Pronounce me innocent from sins I am unaware of. 13 And hold your servant back from presumptuous acts; Do not let them dominate me. Then I will be complete, And innocent of blatant sins." Thus may we lovingly aim for similar divine obedience, with faith in God's merciful provision of Christ's ransom, and with hope in the priceless reward God extends by His love!

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Proverbs 5:1-6:
"1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Listen carefully to my discernment, 2 So that you may guard your thinking abilities And safeguard knowledge with your lips. 3 For the lips of a wayward woman drip like a honeycomb, And her mouth is smoother than oil. 4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood And as sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet descend into death. Her steps lead straight to the Grave. 6 She gives no thought to the path of life. Her course wanders, but she does not know where."


"1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Listen carefully to my discernment, 2 So that you may guard your thinking abilities And safeguard knowledge with your lips."

Prove 5:1-2: We should all pay careful attention to what we learn from Proverbs, the rest of His word, and instruction from Him in other ways on a regular basis. Even after we have learned much divine knowledge, Hebrews 2:1 says "That is why it is necessary for us to pay more than the usual attention to the things we have heard, so that we never drift away." Regular instruction and reminders from God protect our spirituality, relationships with Him and others. There are different ways of approaching the same subject, so we shouldn't be put off if we're hearing something we already know. The apostle Peter wrote, at 2Peter 1:12: "For this reason I intend always to remind you of these things, although you know them and are well-established in the truth that is present in you."It is knowledge that can lead others to everlasting life--try to see a difference in the way such knowledge is being presented each time. When Jesus was trying to teach his followers humility, they struggled to get the point, in the competitive, class-driven society of their day. But Jesus would each time try a different approach to the same lesson. It still took time, but they would eventually get the point. Peter counseled, for instance, at 1Peter 5:5, "In the same way, you younger men, be in subjection to the older men. But all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the haughty ones, but he gives undeserved kindness to the humble ones." Peter understood and taught discernment, to see the difference between pride that God opposes, and humility that He blesses.


"3 For the lips of a wayward woman drip like a honeycomb, And her mouth is smoother than oil. 4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood And as sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet descend into death. Her steps lead straight to the Grave. 6 She gives no thought to the path of life. Her course wanders, but she does not know where."

Prov 5:3-6: Even an immoral person can have compelling words, being seductive, but if falling into the trap of immorality the end is bitter, causing great spiritual harm which can lead to death and the Grave. Is that true love? If you truly love someone, will you cause them to do something that could harm that one's hope of eternal life? We should all hate sexual immorality as a sin that is causing many to lose out on everlasting life--rather, what is wrong with treasuring the marital relationship, helping others to look for a treasured mate who loves God and will be loyal in a true marriage? Ones can pray to Jehovah for His blessing on finding such a person. "It is the blessing of Jehovah that makes one rich, and He adds no pain with it." If you're of marriageable age, this process needn't drag on for more years--lest you be tempted to have an immoral relationship, or to look elsewhere. The suitable one you find may or may not turn out to be the partner you begin with into eternity, but why not see how close you can become in a God-approved marriage? Aim to build a relationship that could last for an eternity, and leave it in God's hands, the founder of marriage, to decide whether that should ever change--delight in sharing life with this one day by day!
Let's begin with some preliminary comments:

The chapter, beginning in verse 3, counsels a young man to guard thinking abilities and steer clear of a "wayward" woman, whose lips "drip like a honeycomb", and whose mouth is "smoother than oil", but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword. Such is the effect of disregarding God's moral instruction, perhaps disregarding His standard to confine marriage to a loving, faithful woman that loves the true God and His son. 1Corinthians 7:39 states the principle that one should, if able to choose, marry "only in the Lord." One should thus marry a dedicated Christian if possible, one willing to comply with God's divine standards through Christ. If you or your family happens to belong to a particular Christian tribe, (Baptist, Methodist, etc.) then it may be beneficial to consider marrying into the same, although that one should be seeking, like you may be, the "one faith" of true Christianity (Ephes 4:5; 1Cori 1:10).The counsel to guard one's associations is no more important than in the selection of a lifelong marriage companion! (1Cori 15:33). Now let's consider verses 7-10:

"7 Now, my sons, listen to me And do not turn away from what I am saying. 8 Stay far away from her; Do not go near the entrance of her house, 9 So that you may not give your dignity to others Nor reap years of what is cruel; 10 So that strangers may not drain your resources And what you labored for go to the house of a foreigner."


Prov 5:7-8 The loving, wise father of Proverbs 1-9 exhorts his son to stay far away from a woman disregarding God and his standards, who is not fearing Him. How fine, however, if such a woman sees the error of her ways, by the counsel of God, repents of her life course and humbly turns to the true God. Perhaps such a woman, in God's mercy, may learn to serve Him in faithfulness. But this is not typical. Therefore if possible the wise son should seek a wife who will be loyal to Jehovah and the one faith of true Christianity, thus both having a hold on the path of everlasting life, seeking God's loving guidance and instruction in life. The proverber continues regarding the consequences of the son looking to the wayward woman, in verses 9-10:


"9 So that you may not give your dignity to others Nor reap years of what is cruel; 10 So that strangers may not drain your resources And what you labored for go to the house of a foreigner."

Prov 5:9-10 Such a young man would be on a disastrous course, leading to heartache and loss, and likely having much of what he's worked hard for taken away from him, his resources drained, going to others. May men who have come to experience this bitterness still look to God for support as they seek to meet obligations until God's Kingdom sets all matters right. Young, inexperienced ones need to gain foresighted shrewdness or prudence, learning to look ahead at the consequences of a bad course, that they may hate what is bad in God's eyes, and steer clear of it. If God says its bad, it is so for a reason, and we do well to stay far away from such a course.