My Summer with Psalm 119 #2

As a few of you know, I love, love, LOVE Psalm 119. I thought it would be great to spend a summer focusing on that psalm and what others have had to say about it. I'll begin with Thomas Manton's Exposition of Psalm 119. It may take all summer to read all 158 sermons. But they're so GOOD, so RICH, I think it will be worth it.

The second sermon covers Psalm 119:2. 

Essentially this sermon is about what it means to KEEP God's testimony (the Word of God) and what it means to SEEK God. This sermon leads to a series of questions. What should the Bible mean to a believer?! What does the Bible mean to me? Am I living in light of the Word of God? Am I keeping God's testimony? What does it mean to seek? What does seeking look like in the Christian life? Also am I seeking God? 

The whole sermon was RICH. I love how thought-provoking it is. 

My favorite quotes:

• To keep it in our hearts is to have an affection to it.
• Many have this word in their mind and memory, but not in their lives. Without this, hearing is nothing;
• It is not enough to understand the word, to be able to talk and dispute of the testimonies of God, but to keep them. It is not enough to assent to them that they are God’s laws, but they must be obeyed.
• The great care of their souls is to find God, that he may direct, comfort, strengthen, and sanctify them, and to have sweet experience of his grace.
• To serve God is one thing, to seek him another. To serve God is to make him the object of worship, to seek God is to make him the end of worship

All the quotes I liked:

• The whole word is the testimony which God hath deposed for the satisfaction of the world about the way of their salvation.
• God would not leave us in the dark in the matters which concern the service of God and man’s salvation. He hath given us his testimony, he hath told us his mind, what he approves and what he disallows, and upon what terms he will accept of sinners in Christ. It is a blessed thing that we are not left to the uncertainty of our own thoughts: Micah 6:8, He hath showed thee, O man, what is good.’ The way of pleasing and enjoying God is clearly revealed in his word. There we may know what we must do, what we may expect, and upon what terms. We have his testimony.
• God’s testimony is the ultimate resolution of our faith.
• What is it to keep the testimonies of God? Keeping is a word which relates to a charge or trust committed to us. Christ hath committed his testimonies to us as a trust and charge that we must be careful of. 
• Look, as on our part we commit to Christ the charge of our souls to save them in his own day, 2 Tim. 1:12, so Christ chargeth us with his word—(1.) To lay it up in our hearts. (2.) To observe it in our practice. This is to keep the word.
• We must understand the word of God, assent to it; we must revolve it often in our thoughts, and have it ready upon all occasions. Understand it we must if we would be blessed: He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me,’ John 14:21.
• To keep it in our hearts is to have an affection to it.
• Many have this word in their mind and memory, but not in their lives. Without this, hearing is nothing;
• It is not enough to understand the word, to be able to talk and dispute of the testimonies of God, but to keep them. It is not enough to assent to them that they are God’s laws, but they must be obeyed.
• Those that would be blessed must make this their business, sincerely to seek after God.
• To seek the Lord presupposeth our want of God: for no man seeks what he hath, but for what he hath not. All that are seeking are sensible of their want of God.
• This seeking may be known by the things sought. What do we seek for? Union and communion with God: Ps.105:4, Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face for evermore.’
• Communion with God is the main thing that we seek after, as to the enjoyment of his favour in the acceptance of our persons and pardon of our sins.
• Faith is often expressed by terms of motion—coming, running, going, seeking. Thus is the whole tendency of soul towards God expressed by terms that are proper to outward motion. Coming notes our serious resolution and purpose to make after God. Going notes the practice or progress in that resolution. Running notes the fervour and earnestness of the soul to enjoy God. And seeking, that notes our diligence in the use of means. That faith is implied in seeking appears by comparing these two scriptures: Isa. 11:10, To it shall the Gentiles seek.’ Now when this is spoken of in the New Testament, it is rendered thus, Rom. 15:12, In him shall the Gentiles trust.’ So that it notes confidence and hope.
• The great care of their souls is to find God, that he may direct, comfort, strengthen, and sanctify them, and to have sweet experience of his grace.
• To serve God is one thing, to seek him another. To serve God is to make him the object of worship, to seek God is to make him the end of worship, when we will not go away from him without him: Gen. 32:26, I will not let thee go unless thou bless me.’ It is not enough to make use of ordinances, but we must see if we can find God there.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible