TETH. You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes. The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart. Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in Your law. The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

So often, people will blame God for all the bad things which beset them. But the child of God should understand that such is simply not the case. Rather, the Lord deals well with His people. He is the source of blessing. What He gives us and does to us, He gives and does for our benefit, both here and in eternity. James acknowledges that “...Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning...” (James 1:17). Lest those who are not Christian think that God only showers blessings upon those who are His children, Jesus clearly tells us, “...He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends the rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45). In Lystra, the apostle Paul declared this very thing to the heathen, “...He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” The Lord is the source of every good and perfect gift.

Now, we would be negligent to not mention that those who are followers of God receive greater blessing than all others. By that, we do not mean physical blessings, for certainly many faithful to the Father have lived lives of simple means, the prime case being Jesus of Nazareth, our Saviour, of whom it is written, “...foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:58). However, those who will serve the Lord faithfully, have the hope of heaven. They are recipients of “...every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ...” (Ephesians 1:3). Friend, may we all seek to be partakers of these eternal blessings, and not simply of the temporal.

Of the many blessings God has supplied men with, among the greatest, but sadly the least appreciated is His word. With it, God is able to impart to us good judgment and knowledge. The Hebrew writer tells us that our parents bring us up as seems fit to them, but that God instructs (specifically in context, disciplines) us for our benefit (Hebrews 12). Several times, it is acknowledged by Bible writers that the fear of God (which is taught via the word of God) is the beginning of wisdom. We would do well to grasp the commandments of God, as the Psalmist, that we might receive good judgment and knowledge.

Verse 67 presents an interesting thought: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.” Even further, in verse 71, we read, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” What a wonderful admission! Before troubles came, the writer found it easy to stray from the path of righteousness, to walk in his own way rather than the Lord’s way. However, when persecutions came due to his faith, he stood firm. How can that be? Those who know the Lord and His faithfulness will turn to Him when afflictions come. They know the love of God, they trust Him to see them through the difficult times, and to bear them safely to victory. Persecution will heighten the Christian’s need for prayer and study, and fellowship with the saints. Difficulties should force us back to the comfort which can only come from the God of all comfort. But what about this idea of going astray before the affliction comes? Certainly, it would be best if such were not the case, but is it not so, that when times are good, when nothing is pressing us from without, we tend to become comfortable; we take our ease a bit more than we should? I’m no more a fan of persecutions than the next fellow, but I certainly will admit, as any careful Bible student will, that when persecutions come upon those who are sincerely devoted to the Lord, they excel. We should excel in service at all times, but it just seems to be at times of trial that the children of God shine best.

Of the character of God, the writer makes the simple statement, “You are good, and do good...” The Lord’s goodness is a great motivation for the child of God. From time to time, we sing a simple song, often spoken of as a children’s song. Let me say, it is a “children of God’s song”:
God is so good,
God is so good,
God is so good,
He’s so good to me.

So short, so few words, but so much meaning. He is good, and He does good. In our context, a couple of the works of God are evidence of His goodness. The fact that He has dealt well with His servant. That He supplies His people with good judgment and knowledge. Even the affliction which the Psalmist mentions, whether brought upon him as chastening or simply permitted by the Lord – all these are evidence in one fashion or another of the goodness of our God, who seeks to prepare us all for eternity.

What do you do when the wicked have set themselves against you? When they have devised lies and seek to destroy you? The writer determined, “...I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.” We have a wonderful example in Christ Jesus. The Pharisees and Sadducees pursued Him vehemently, seeking for some cause wherein they could accuse Him. Finally, they heaped up false witnesses against Him. The Master didn’t begin to complain to God about how unfair it was, He just kept on. He had His Father’s will to fulfill. Friend, we don’t live in a fair world. If we determine to do what is right, there are going to be those who will oppose us. What we need to do, is set our minds upon the will of God, and not be turned to the right nor the left. Though they lie against us, though they harm us physically, resolve to keep all the will of God with your whole heart.

A picture is often worth a thousand words, or, as the case is with verse 70, a word picture tells it all: “Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in Your law.” Not many days ago, I spent a good hour working under our kitchen sink. It was as clogged as could be with various things which had slipped down the drain, but by far, the greatest trouble was presented by what seemed to be grease packed upon grease. Nothing will clog a drain worse than grease being poured down the sink and left to harden. The hearts of those who persecute the righteous are hardened. They have fatted up their sense, they have gorged themselves on the unhealthy facets of life, and true benefits of life are hidden from their eyes. They, through the lusts of the flesh and the mind make themselves the tools of Satan to afflict the righteous.

How precious is God’s word? Tell you what, the last Bible I purchased cost me approximately $25.00 US. But it’s worth a great deal more than that. The physical book, it’s pages and binding, the cover and the ink were valued on the market at that price, but the content is beyond the value of anything this world has to offer. Thousands of coins made of gold and silver are worthless when set beside the knowledge of God’s word. To God’s people, no treasure is as cherished or valuable as the law of God. It is without comparison!

Click here for this week's Answering The Atheist
How long was the ark afloat? Genesis 8:4 says the ark rested “...in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” However, Genesis 8:5 says that the tops of the mountains were not seen until “...the tenth month, on the first day of the month...” Is there a contradiction?