Psalm 119:8 – Aleph – Keep

Psalm 119

Keep

(Psalm 119:8)

ALEPH

I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

   The word ‘keep’ appears 22 times in Psalm 119. Number two is the number of witness, and in the number 22 we have both the double witness of both the written word and the Living Word in Jesus Christ.

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. (Deuteronomy 19:15)

But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. (Matthew 18:16)

This [is] the third [time] I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (2 Corinthians 13:1)

   Establishing the truth must have the multiplicity of witnesses. It is enough for the child of faith to follow the word of God through the power of the Living Word Jesus Christ for both the written word and the Living Word are the two witnesses of faith. The written word is contained in a divine Person, the Creator of all things, who is the eternal Living Word, and He upholds ALL things by the word of His power. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3) The Omnipotent Almighty is within the very power of His Word. As God created the creation, so too God through His creatorial power created the word of God in its totality from beginning to end. And so that mankind would never be able to deny it, He settled the full document of Scripture in heaven above.

LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89)

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. (Matthew 24:34) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

   In Psalm 119:89 we have the testimony of the Spirit of God concerning the word of God. The Lord Jesus, in Matthew 24:34-35, declared that His word will not pass away. He was not only referring to the words that He spoke in ministry while on earth, but was also speaking of the total of the word of God in its whole. ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God. ALL Scripture has its seed and root in heaven above. The Living Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. He was not only manifested in the flesh to take away sin, but He was also manifested to bring truth to mankind from heaven above in His very words. Although mankind would bring doubt to the Scripture, God, the Creator of heaven and earth is able to preserve and KEEP His word: the Scriptures.

   We come to the close of the first section of this wonderful Psalm. Aleph. In this psalm the first section, the word ‘keep’ is mentioned 4 times.

Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and that] seek him with the whole heart. (Psalm 119:2)

Thou hast commanded [us] to keep thy precepts diligently. (Psalm 119:4)

O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! (Psalm 119:5)

I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. (Psalm 119:8)

   This is a good introduction to the things that we should keep in the word of God. The number 4 speaks of the earth, the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1) There are four corners of the earth, they are structured to contain the whole; therefore, we have the points of the earth, north, east, west and south. These corners and lines meet each other in the containment of the world in which we dwell. Even though the world that we live on is a globe, its measurements are a group of horizontal and vertical lines. The Equator, and the international dateline are two examples, as the many lines of longitude and latitude. All land, in the possession of mankind, is measured by lines. Even the psalmist could say that the lines have fallen unto me in pleasant places. Even though many of these precepts and boundaries are under the control of mankind, it is the spiritual side that God sends out His lines. For He Himself contains the world, and divides the world. He has given mankind the Scriptures, the lines of the conduct of mankind to contain man in God’s righteousness; however, mankind rebels against the righteousness of God. He rebels against the word of God. It takes a divine act of God the Holy Ghost to settle God’s word in the heart of man. God gives the gift of faith, and the gift of grace in His Son so that man through the Spirit of God can be born again. Then man enters into the Living Word of God. The Word of God becomes his life, so that it is upheld by the word of His power in Jesus Christ, who has the power of an endless life. This is why the Spirit of God can expand the word ‘keep’ for we have a faithful Keeper who has gone into death for us, and who came forth in resurrection power, the Son of God. The Scriptures have been given to contain the child of God, to set boundaries, and a straight path to walk. Aleph has eight verses, the number eight speaks of a new day, and we see the repetition of eight in Psalm 119 as it continually presents a new day in the power of the resurrection of Christ.

   There are 22 sections in Psalm 119. This compares with the Hebrew alphabet. We continue to see the number of witness. Remember that the first day of the week, the day of resurrection became the eighth day, a new beginning. The drudgery of sin had been destroyed at the cross in the flesh, and this brought the end of sin for all who walk by faith. The power of death was destroyed by the evidence of the endless life of Christ in resurrection power. In the eighth day, which is also the first day, we have the end of the old, and the beginning of the new as Christ brought in the New Testament for those who walk by faith. And confirmed this in the Old Testament through those who walked by faith.

Aleph 

   In this section of Aleph, the Holy Spirit introduces us to a combination of three numbers: the number 2 (the number of witness) then goes into the number 4 (the total times that the word ‘keep’ is mention is this section of Aleph, and both of these numbers are contained in the number eight (eight verses) or the new beginning or resurrection day.

   This number sequence is all contained in the written and Living Word of God. We have two parts to give us life in Christ: they are the gifts of both faith and grace. And each time that the psalmist mentions the word ‘keep’ it is by a relationship within the psalmist in the Spirit of God. He formed a bond with the Word of God. He formed a bond in the word ‘keep.’ The first mention of ‘keep’ is keeping God’s testimony. How many times are the children of God exhorted in the word of God in the New Testament to follow and ‘keep’ the testimony of Jesus Christ. The whole of the divine writing in the New Testament is built on the eternal ways of Christ, and keeping His testimony with a whole heart.

Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and that] seek him with the whole heart. (Psalm 119:2)

   The word ‘keep’ is mentioned first in verse 2, again the number two brings us to the witness of God to mankind, and in this witness God wants us to have a heart that will keep His testimony that through the written word of God we seek the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ, with a whole heart. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Thou hast commanded [us] to keep thy precepts diligently. (Psalm 119:4)

   The second time that the word ‘keep’ is mentioned is in verse 4; once again, we see the containment of the word of God in the number 4. And we also see that it is God who has commanded us to KEEP His precepts diligently so that we do not slack off in our knowledge and in our study of the word of God. This command in verse 4, again speaks of containment. The number 2 goes into 4 — 2 times, bringing the number of witness once again. Now, is it just me, or does not the number 4 divide by 2, and in the very words of this verse (Psalm 119:4) we have the witness and containment that MY ways and MY footsteps are directed by the word of God.

O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! (Psalm 119:5)

   Then we have verse 5, that my WAYS are directed by the word of God, they are directed by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. For grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:14, 17) So far three times the word ‘keep’ has been mentioned, and it has brought us to the fifth verse where the number 5 is the number of grace. Can you not see the footprints of the divine Spirit of God? He is setting parameters for my footsteps that I might walk in the way and the path of Christ. And if I claim to be a follower of Christ in my soul, my heart, my spirit, it should be a wonderful path for me to follow. My footsteps are guided by His light, and this comes through the word of God. And I will remind all who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that the Lord told His disciples to keep His commandments. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10)

   In verse 5 of Psalm 119, we have seen the footprints of the word ‘keep’ in that this is the third mention of the word ‘keep’ Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! All three are involved in this verse, Now consider with God the Father, we have the chastening of His children in Hebrews 12 by the word of God. In the Son, we have the exhortation to follow Him, and then the Spirit of God is to teach us, and guide us by the word of God: both the Living and the written word.

I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. (Psalm 119:8)

   In verse 8 of Psalm 119, we have the 4^th time that the word ‘keep’ is mentioned. Notice it brings in the eternal relationship of the eternal Word in Christ Jesus. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. As we are exhorted to keep the word of God, the Lord Jesus has declared to us that He will keep us, and never forsake us. And again, He upholds all His promises by the word of His power. The eighth verse brings in the finality of one’s relationship to God. The number 4 goes into 8 — 2 times. Again, we see the combination of the written word and the Living Word to contain us in our new life in Jesus Christ. In our new life, we are already partakers of the power of His resurrection, and the power of His endless life. Verse 8 gives us the cry of the heart, I cry unto the Lord, and He delivered me from all my enemies. We live in a world still bound by sin, we see the enemies of God every day, and sometimes the evil is overpowering. In that relationship we cry out to the Lord, O forsake me not utterly. For I need thee every hour. The hymnist wrote that our need is of the Keeper, and we need Him every hour. We end this first section keeping His statutes, keeping the word of God, embracing the word, and being contained by all its wonder.

   Now lets go further, Christ liveth in me, the Living Word has left the written word as a testimony to keep me, and to relate to me the mind of God. In the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, He, as the Word of God, became flesh so that we (of the flesh) could be made part of His life as the Living Word of God through the Holy Spirit. He took on flesh to give us His Spirit.

Side Note: A Personal Reality- In the realm of the Spirit the psalmist declares in verse 8, forsake me not utterly. I have just experienced one of those periods of time, I fell from a 10′ ladder upon my back, and in wonder the words came to me, Forsake me not utterly. We should understand the mind of the Lord, what we go through in life is for our learning. For what we have learned in this life will be the shadow of our spiritual eternity with Christ. We have been made part of His life, and His life is the life of suffering. If only the Nicolaitans would understand the sufferings of Christ and His death would we have a more pure gospel in the cross of Christ. Keep me, but don’t forsake me, is the power of God to keep us and deliver us from all evil. When adversity or physical trauma (which I am experiencing right at this exact moment as I dictate my words) the child of God MUST rely on the Spirit of God for the Spirit of God speaks EXPRESSLY or directly to that child of God.

   The Ethiopian eunuch (recorded in the book of Acts, Chapter 8) was searching the Scriptures, however, he was searching them in Adam, and could not understand the wonder of Isaiah Chapter 53. But the mind of the Spirit is in Philip. Even though the Ethiopian knew that Isaiah 53 spoke of a person, or a deliverer, Philip came (by the Spirit of God) and presented Christ to the eunuch. If you can bear with me, this was Elijah under a sycamore tree. Once the Ethiopian eunuch believed and was baptized, Philip was whisked away by the Spirit of God. To the natural man this left the Ethiopian eunuch with NO ONE to guide him, for the natural man cannot understand the ways of the Spirit of God. As Christ told Nicodemus in John Chapter 3, and Paul told the Corinthians in Chapter 2:9-16, and in Romans Chapter 8, the walk of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, the unction was taught by the Spirit of God. All in Christ, and I specify that neither Jew nor Greek, nor female or male, but ALL are ONE in Jesus Christ. The eunuch was taught by the Spirit of God; for the eunuch was no longer in Adam, he was in Christ, and the Spirit of God was in him, thus, the Spirit of God led the Ethiopian eunuch into all truth.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

The Mind of Christ

   This wonderful Scripture does not only apply to the Ethiopian eunuch, but to ALL those who walk in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is a positive, and it reveals all the negatives of the world around us. The combination of the word of God connected to the Living Word in Christ Jesus gives the heart, and the soul, and the spirit the very Spirit of Christ. And the mind is changed to the mind of Christ. In the anatomy of mankind, in Adam, man has a brain, and he also has a spirit it is this side of Adam that is subject to the very sin that Adam brought into the world. The mind, the brain, is counted in relationship to the soul, as well as the heart, and the spirit which is within man. The brain, and the mind, are two different portions of humanity. The mind is in relationship to the soul, and the connection of the mind is to the very heart of mankind. The brain, which is still part of the flesh of Adam, wants to enact the things of Adam. And this is why Paul (to the Philippians) exhorted them to have the mind of Christ. And this is why the child of God must have the mind of Christ in this world. The wonderful declaration of Paul (through the Spirit) to the Philippians should be a monumental stone — an anchor to our faith — urging them and us to have the mind of Christ.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (Philippians 2:5)

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (Philippians 2:6)

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (Philippians 2:7)

   This is the Spirit of God working through Paul, as the Spirit worked through Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch. For not all the Philippians that were gathered were saved. We should remember there is a ministry of man in Adam unto sin, and there is a ministry of the Spirit of God to those who are in Christ Jesus our Lord. A soul who is saved is not looking for the ministry of Adam, but the ministry of Christ Jesus through the Spirit of God. The child of God must always BE in the center of Christ’s thoughts, and His mind that Christ (no matter what the world proclaims) must have the preeminence in all things. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18) Since Christ is to have the preeminence in ALL things, so we (through the Spirit of God) and as in the Philippian church should have the mind of Christ. And since having the mind of Christ, we will have a confrontation with the world because we have the mind of Christ. This gives us the true spiritual evidence of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Person ministers to us through the Spirit of God, which is the Holy Ghost. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

The Threefold Position of the Child of God

   Through the Spirit verse 1 of Philippians we (the inner man who is the new born child of God) are taken into the very Being of Christ in the bowels of mercy, for in Christ we have the comfort of God’s love through the Holy Spirit. Thus, we have fellowship with the Spirit of God (and this fellowship Adam cannot understand) for God has separated us unto Himself, and taken us out of this ungodly world. This is the Spirit of God working through the believer who has been born of the Spirit of God. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, ( Philippians 2:1)

   If we consider Philippians 2:1, we see the tripartite fellowship of the believer: we have our position IN Christ, we also have our consolation IN Christ, and the comfort of our position in Him. We have the Spirit of God that speaks to our spirit, and our spirit has been conformed to the Spirit of Christ, this all through the travail of His soul, and the bowels of His mercy for us. We, as the children of God, have fellowship with the Spirit of Christ, and this allows us to have spiritual fellowship with those of like minds, who have the mind of Christ. In verse 2 of Philippians 2, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. We have the exhortation of the Spirit of God, through the apostle, to be like minded, having the same love that was IN Christ Jesus, ‘for God so loved the world,’ in His beloved Son. Therefore, we are to gather in one mind, in one accord, in one Spirit in Christ Jesus our Lord for we have the mind of Christ.

The Supernatural Mind of Obedience and Suffering

   Now let us go down to verse 5, of Philippians Chapter 2, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Here we have the supernatural — it is the spiritual mind of Christ, and NOT the natural mind of Adam. In this supernatural mind, we see the world for what it really is — lost, and undone, and under the condemnation of God. The mind of Christ is the mind of obedience unto God. It is with the obedient mind in the Christian that does not make excuses for Adam, but obediently walks in the Spirit and obeys the voice of God.

   If we consider the whole of Psalm 119, we would reflect on the words as the Son of God reflected on His eternal Word. Remember, that ALL the words of Christ from Adam to the end of the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is settled in heaven. Consider the words on the cross of Christ, the words, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The psalmist reflects in his own soul in Psalm 119:8, I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. (Psalm 119:8)

    We, as Christians, in time of adversity must enter into the heart of the psalmist, God has NOT forsaken us, but the canker of the flesh would try to draw us down into a place of being abandoned and being deserted by God. If the mind of Christ in Jesus Christ could cry out from the cross, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Should we, as Christians and as part of the body of Christ, share these moments with the Lord Jesus Christ in His sufferings and in the travail of His soul. If we have the mind of Christ, should we not enter into His sufferings? In Psalm 119, we see our position in His Spirit, and the very flesh warring against our spirit in Christ Jesus. There is a fact that God proclaimed through the Scriptures, from Abel to the very last child of faith that God is the Keeper of those who diligently seek Him. Consequently those who seek Him enter into warfare against an unrighteous world, and the children of Adam.

   This is exactly why we have Psalm 119, to keep our minds as the mind of Christ. When you are saved by the mercies of God, and grace and truth through Jesus Christ, you are given the mind of Christ which separates you from all of Adam. The mind of Christ is within us in so many ways, the first aspect of the mind of Christ is to embrace the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us. In Psalm 119, one cannot just read it with the mind of Adam, but it must be read with the mind of Christ. One has to enter into Psalm 119 as Christ entered into the world He endured the shame of the cross for the joy that was set before Him. Therefore every verse in Psalm 119 is given to speak to the heart, to the soul, and to the spirit, and they will all be completed by the mind of Christ. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

   Now I have not suffered like the Son of God, but in this moment of extreme pain, I am seeking the mind of Christ. In the relationship of Christ to my own soul, I see a darkness over the whole earth not only in the natural order of things, but in the spiritual sense. I see a huge spiritual conflict in our present day where the world in its religion has usurped the authority of Christ over His own Church. The battle is not for the multitudes, and has never been for the multitudes. The battle is for the individual soul that they may call on the name of the Lord, and be saved into His eternal goodness. We have neglected the sufferings of Christ because of our fellowship with the world, and the religion of the world, and the political systems of this world. We have neglected the sufferings of the cross when the total darkness of souls and spirits went through the very travail of His soul.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11).

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.(Isaiah 53:12)

   We, as Christians, are in conflict with ALL evil, ask those in the Middle East, they are laying down their lives for the cross of Christ. Ask them about the conflict in Psalm 22. And if you would like to study further, consider the article the trilogy of Psalm 22 – 23 -24. How the bulls of Bashan gathered around the Christ of God as the giants of evil came out against Him like mad dogs foaming at the mouth. They were claiming their own victory over truth and mercy which was their own defeat. If the Lord Jesus (being the Son of God) endured such pain and agony of both spiritual and physical torment, should we not identify with Him in His sufferings. The word of the adversary, Satan himself, through the people of Israel cried, Come down from the cross, but all the power of eternity and life everlasting held Him there. Now listen — truth and mercy was stronger than the evil heart of Satan, and the evil heart of Adam. Truth and mercy were met together in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ even before His crucifixion could the Lord of all glory say, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou. As a child of God, grace and truth came to me by Jesus Christ, and truth gave me all mercy for in Jesus Christ are the ways of truth.　We see this in Psalm 119, the whole is the sum of the parts. In all 22 sections we have the witness of both the Living and the written Word of God. If anyone is diligent, they will see the righteousness of God, and the love of God that surrounds the whole of Psalm 119.

   I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. (Psalm 119:8) In verse 8 of our first section in Psalm 119, we are addressed to the Keeper of the sheep, as in John Chapter 10, and also in Psalm 23 where we see that the Lord is my Shepherd. He has diligently searched the evils of this world to find His sheep in the wilderness of sin — and He found them — and because He paid a heavy price for His sheep — He WILL NOT forsake them. The Almighty, the LORD Jesus, in His all glorious throne has proclaimed of His sheep, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. The sheep of His flock always wants reassurance that the Shepherd is watching over them. (John 10) The psalmist has the same appeal to the Almighty, Forsake me not utterly. And the Lord Jesus replies, No man, no power can pluck you out of my hand.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27)

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:29)

I and my Father are one. (John 10:30)

   Now here is the thing: after the Sovereign of grace and truth tells us of His tender mercies that He will not forsake us, mankind always has in the flesh the reaction of Adam. Notice in verse 31 of John 10, Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Grace and truth has come by Jesus Christ, but notice the reaction of Adam in verse 31 of John 10. The Jews, and the sin of mankind, took up stones to stone their own Creator and God. Why? Because they were not of His sheep. They would rather stone Him then be part of His kingdom. For they were not of His sheep. They would rather embrace death in Adam then have eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This has not changed through the centuries. We live in the day of religious amalgamation of man’s heart, man’s spirit, and man’s sin. These are opposed by the true workings of the Spirit of God, and the mind of Christ. How great is the darkness!

The Rejected Stone Then and Now

   The stone (being the Lord Jesus Christ) that was rejected in the days of the Jews is still rejected today. The world of religion has developed its own creed outside of true Christianity. Their system falsely states that I cannot have eternal life in Jesus Christ. I say to them, in all sincerity, Yes, I can have eternal life, and they reply, No you can’t. And I shout again from the hills of Zion, YES, I CAN, for God has not forsaken me. He has given me life everlasting in Jesus Christ my Lord. Every day the true Christian is faced with unbelief in this ungodly world; however, we face this opposition against our souls, against our spirit, and against or hearts in the faith which we have in Jesus Christ. We are united to the Person, to the Body, to the heart, to the soul, to the Spirit of God’s dear Son as the Spirit proclaims in Galatians 2:20.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

   There is now no separation — there is now no condemnation — there is now no presence of Adam in those who have faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. For Christ liveth in me, this has abolished Adam, and the world of sin. However, the world of sin, the world of the flesh, and the world of the devil says to the souls of men, This cannot be true. But God, who is the Creator of all things, is the supernatural power that controls His own creation whether it is man, or the powers of the animal kingdom, or the powers of the vegetable kingdom, or the powers of the mineral kingdom, it is God IN Jesus Christ — God blessed over all.

   As a new creation, as a new being in Christ Jesus, we are still in this evil world. A man once said to me that a servant of God could be put on the shelf. I answered, You mean a servant of man can be put on the shelf, but God’s grace in His true servants will never quit and that servant will never stop sharing God’s grace in Jesus Christ. We live in a world of death in Adam, and we can only rely on He who has the power of eternal life. He is also the Keeper of Israel, He is the Keeper of His sheep, and we should listen to His voice in Psalm 119.

   I once called Psalm 119 the music of God’s obedience: the heart strings panteth after the water brook, but the true springs of the heart panteth after our God. We have a life: a spiritual life, a supernatural life in Christ Jesus. My thoughts will never change — for in Him I hear the call of the Shepherd for His sheep, and I am reassured every day, every moment, and even in the pain that I am suffering now, that the Shepherd of the sheep will always keep me, and like the psalmist I can cry out, Forsake me not utterly. (John 10:27) Amen.

© Copyright 2019, Michael Haigh

Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.

All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)