Psalm 17:4
4 Concerning the works [pa`ullah] of men, ['adam] by the word
[dabar] of thy lips [saphah] I have kept [shamar] me
from the paths ['orach] of the destroyer. [pariyts] KJV-Interlinear
4 As
for the deeds of men, by the word of Thy lips I have kept from the paths of the
violent. NASB
The works of men, sets up
a contrast between the two categories of works.
Namely, the works of God versus the works of men.
The works of God are
defined as good. The works of men are
defined as evil. All men have fallen
short of the glory of God, defines the human nature.
The works of men,
signifies the pattern and nature of humanity, when apart from the truth of God.
The truth from God comes
to us only by means of doctrine, which we find in the written scriptures that
we have today. If you do not read, study, and receive teaching in the
scriptures, just as a child learns through instruction and study, then you
cannot know that which you were not taught.
Your nature is then that which is common to humanity, which is evil.
That is the pattern of
life that you live by. You live by that
which you know. You cannot live by that
which you do not know.
But David lives by the
words of Gods lips (thy lips). David, or
anyone for that matter, cannot change their human pattern on their own. No one can rise above the pit of evil from which
they were born into. It takes something
greater to lift a person out of evil and that something is doctrine.
So, by Gods word, not
mans ability, not by mans intellect, not by mans logic, not by mans anything,
but only by means of Gods word, can you change your pattern of life. And you can only have Gods word, by means of
a daily study. There is no other way of obtaining
it. You cannot learn Gods word through
osmosis. You cannot learn Gods word by prayer.
You cannot learn Gods word by wishing.
You cannot learn Gods word by luck.
You cannot learn Gods word by sincerity.
You cannot learn Gods word by the experiences of life. You cannot learn Gods word by means of sincerity
or emotional feelings or good intentions.
Keeps from the paths,
means that you cannot avoid the paths of man, unless you have Gods word in you.
It is impossible to leave the paths of evil on your own.
The destroyer, means to
rend, to break, to scatter. And that is
what evil does. This is the only destiny that evil can offer, to be torn apart,
to be broken into pieces, to be scattered physically, mentally emotionally, to
be unstable beyond repair.
David lived 3000 years
ago and he understood the importance of Bible doctrine, of learning the
scriptures, of confession, of growing up in his spiritual life. How is it that people today cannot seem to
get it?
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