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the Bible. So, he praysand we should prayGod, do whatever you must do to teach me your word. Verse 67 tells us what God did to answer this prayer for biblical discernment: Before I was afflicted I erred, but now I keep your word. God sent affliction. And this affliction was a profound teacher. It moved the psalmist into deeper obedience (Now I keep your word). But not only obedience, also understanding. Verse 71: Good it was for me that I was afflicted, so that I might learn your statutes. Affliction brought learning. This is the discernment he had prayed for. So the good that God did (v. 65) was Bible-illumining, discernment-giving, obedience-producing affliction. What was the affliction? It was slander from spiritually hardened adversaries. Verses 69: The proud smear me with lies, but I with all my heart watch your precepts. This is the good the psalmist wants us to see. Verse 68: Good you are, and you cause good to happen. The good is the affliction that brings about understanding, discernment, and obedience. Good it was for me that I was afflicted, so that I might learn your statutes (v. 71). How can he call affliction good ? Its because in his value-scheme, penetrating insight into Gods word is more valuable that thousands of gold and silver pieces. Verse 72: Good to me is the instruction of your mouth more than thousands of gold and silver pieces. If God and his word are your highest valuesyour greatest desiresthen whatever helps you know them and experience them deeply will be good not easy, and maybe not even morally right (like slander from your adversaries), but good in the sense that God ordains it to give you what is absolutely bestthe illumining effect of Gods infinitely valuable word. In Martin Luthers meditation on these verses he said that trials (Anfectungen) were one of his best teachers: I want you to know how to study theology in the right way. I have practiced this method myself.... Here you will find three rules. They are frequently proposed throughout Psalm [119] and run thus: Oratio, meditatio, tentatio (Prayer, meditation, trial).... [Trials] teach you not only to know and understand but also to experience how right, how true, how sweet, how lovely, how mighty, how comforting Gods word is: it is wisdom supreme. As soon as Gods Word becomes known through you, the devil will afflict you... and will teach you by his temptations to seek and to love Gods Word. For I myself... owe my papists many thanks for so beating, pressing, and frightening me through the devils raging that they have turned me into a fairly good theologian, driving me to a goal I should never have reached. (What Luther Says: An Anthology , 13591360) Lord, incline our hearts to your word and not to gold and silver. Make us cherish your word so much that we embrace whatever it takes to give us understanding and good discernment and faithful obedience. And when it comes, give us the grace to say, Good you are, and you cause good to happen. 2012 Desiring God Foundation. Used by Permission. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the
cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. 2012 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org
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