Daily Bible Nugget #259, Psalm 119:74

The Nugget:

Psalm 119:74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.

My Comment:

Saints hope in the Scriptures (The New Topical Textbook, subtopic under the main topic “The Scriptures,” page 240). True Christians that believe the Bible most certainly do hope or trust in God’s written word. That hope or trust in God’s Word ought to create a bond between all true believers that manifests itself by a willingness to receive one another. When there is a failure to receive one another (Romans 15:7), this verse teaches that such persons manifesting such failure do not truly belong to the class of individuals who truly fear God. It may be that they are merely spiritually immature, but it is also possible they are unsaved and not true Christians at all–they go to church, and “play” Christianity, but do not possess the truth that produces salvation and the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. True Christians ought to have an immediate bond with others who believe the Bible and share “like precious faith” (2 Peter 1:1). If or when they do not have gladness upon encountering newcomers to their church who truly believe the Bible, then it must be they are not among those who trust in God’s Word. In my experience, I have encountered churches who exhibit a major failing on this issue: they shun newcomers, and “freeze them out of the fellowship.” That is a very poor testimony on their part, and hinders the growth of the Gospel outreach in their community. I wrote an extensive commentary here under the Category “Verse by Verse Studies” for “Romans 15:7 with comments.” The Scriptures warn in no uncertain terms that Christians or churches who engage in this kind of behavior to other Christians are themselves not actually Christians, but unsaved. It is a most serious matter, and needs to be addressed. People in the world do not treat each other that way in my experience–they put the so-called Church to shame. That represents a terrible testimony on the part of the local church which ought to be a light that shines in the darkness.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 630 for Psalm 119:74.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 674 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Psalm 119:74.

(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:

Psalm 119:74. fear thee. ver. +*Ps 119:63, *Ps 119:79. *Ps 34:2-6. *Ps 66:16. +*Ml 3:16. glad when. ver. +*Ps 119:63, 111. Ps 35:27. 69:32. 107:42. 142:7. +**Ro 15:7. I have hoped. ver. *Ps 119:42, 43, 49, 81, *Ps 119:147. Ps 69:6. 108:7. 130:5. Ge 32:11, *Ge 32:12. *Lk 21:33. **Ro 15:4.