Psalms 119:101 - Kingdom Behavior

Hidden Treasures of the 119th Psalm. We are in verse 101 today in the 119th Psalm, and we get to dig around further in the Mem section. We get to see some knowledge because we're in the knowledge anointing once we get to that fifth verse. Absolutely beautiful to see and believe me, there's one letter that we could seem to know we need more knowledge of it would be the Mem as it has so many different aspects to it.

And I love all these different faces that we get to see of all the letters. And especially, you know, when we get to see the face of Jesus in the Mem from my perspective, it's absolutely tremendous. And so the 101st verse in English reads, I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I might keep thy word.

So, you know, I really had a good time studying this verse and to see it in Hebrew, you know, is absolutely gorgeous because again, we're looking for where's the knowledge of the Mem in this verse. And so you get it in the word refrained because it you know, he's going to start every verse with a Mem and this word refrained right that he's talking about keeping his feet from going the wrong way. Well, a good place to start with this verse would be what that word was used by King David before it was used in 1 Samuel 25. You might remember the story of Abigail and her husband, I think it was Naboth who wouldn't give David's men substance after you know, they had protected him from people that were robbing him that kind of thing. And Abigail fell at his feet.

And, you know, pleaded pleaded pleaded don't hurt, you know, don't this isn't something that is worthy of your servant's time and all that kind of stuff. And then at the apps as David is responding to her there in, you know, first Samuel 25, you'll see he says, Thou has given me great advice and I have refrained my feet. This is exactly the idea here is something has refrained his feet. And I think that we're getting the idea that the knowledge that we need here is the Mem that that Mem we've talked about it being water and we talked about it meaning more. But here it's interesting that from my standpoint, you get this kingly aspect in other words, the beginning of the word Malik and the beginning of the word Kingdom at the beginning of the word Kingdom actually has two memes is this idea of majesty is this idea of of power and of and of directing and being in charge, so to speak. And so one of the interestingly very key words in this verse, which also has a Mem in it, which I really think is the knowledge that the psalmist was going after that we would learn about the Mem in this verse is in the word that which is a preposition but biblically it's a preposition that is usually meant because of and so when you think of you know, what the psalmist is saying is because he wants to keep the law that it that is the reason he's refraining his feet. But when you think of how many things Jesus did because right because his father asked him to do almost everything that you look at the scriptures that Jesus did he did it because of what his father's will was he did it because he loved us he there were so many because is you know, it's absolutely amazing and this that right there which begins with the Mem to show you the force of what's going on here. And so when we think about the knowledge that we have this king that is going to step in there like Abigail and help us refrain our feet from evil paths, right? And so, you know, as always I have a story and you know where I was not unlike King David and again this this this idea of refraining our feet from evil paths could go everywhere from clicking on something you shouldn't look at on the internet to not going into road rage and all sorts of other things. But back, you know, years ago, I was the general manager of Crown Honda Volvo and it was at the point in time that I was a baby baby Christian and I had developed this prayer life that I was really delighting in that I if you've heard me speak many times I often refer to it as the five slam a jam a cat's pajama prayer and the basically the way this prayer worked was that you're supposed to listen for God and I had gone to see this my wife before I'd marry her asked me to go with her to church even though I wasn't a churchgoer and didn't believe in all that stuff. So here I am at this church and the very first sermon I hear is on this prayer where you're supposed to imagine that Jesus is sitting right next to you and you just be quiet because you have two ears and one mouth and so it's better to listen twice as much as you talk and so he said just listen and basically listen for God. Well, I've told some stories about that in the past, but this was one of those times as a baby Christian and I knew that I'd gotten myself into trouble and I was calling on this prayer for help. So what had happened was this sales manager who will go nameless at this point in time.

I could tell you his name. Anyway, I struggled with him because he had a tendency to want to make too much money per car and so he would say what I would the term I would use is he would pass deals that really you should have sold the car and I tried and tried to counsel him. He was there when I came there and his expectation was is that if you didn't make a thousand dollars and that this you know as many years ago if you didn't make a thousand dollars that you weren't going to sell the car. Well that is there's a lot more money to be made in selling a car than just the profit in the original sale because there's finance and insurance and there's all sorts of things that happen when you sell a car and so sometimes you take a six hundred dollar deal sometimes you take a three hundred dollar deal. It was just things that you do in order to keep the car business going because you need the trade ins and there's all sorts of things that are involved and having a great deal more experience than the sales manager. I was trying to tell him don't be passing you know sending customers away that are willing to pay a profit in a car and so this particular day this salesman comes running out to me and you know I was outside at the time for some reason and and he was talking about this customer was leaving because you know they were only willing to pay a nine hundred dollar profit not a thousand dollars and so you know it was I was really really angry because I told him and told him and told him and I mean it seemed like that I'd gone over this many times and so I literally went down the feet my feet went down the path of David's anger over in the bottom as I went in the showroom I let it all all my rage and you may not think I have one but I have a horrible temper and I let it all fly at this particular sales manager and thought I made my point crystal clear and then you know went on about my duties well it was long after that that I got a call from the owner Royce Reynolds and he didn't mention the incident at all he just said Robbie you know I just got back from a 20 group meeting and I really want to meet with you some over some ideas that I learned at this meeting would you mind coming to Greensboro because Greensboro's away from Chapel Hill would you mind coming to Greensboro tomorrow morning I want to meet with you and I said sure you know sound exciting Royce wanted to talk to me why not and about five minutes later the general sales manager comes into my office and says you know I understand you're going to Greensboro tomorrow and I said how did you know that and he goes well the sales manager had gone to Royce over you screaming at him in the showroom well now I had a predicament right and I could see that you know I'd been betrayed and I was turning to people for advice so the general sales manager was just clear you know you cannot put up with this you know you've been as patient as you could be with his sales manager and you've got to put your foot down and tell Royce you know and so I listened to that and then I called my father who was you know had been a management consultant in the car business forever told him the whole scenario the whole story and my father gave me the same advice you know you just need to tell Royce that you know you're right in this situation and if he wants you to run the dealership you know you got to run it your way and and I listened to that and then I thought you know there's just something that isn't quite right and so I guess the Holy Spirit was refraining my feet from an evil path well I really think back on it was beautiful so I decided that it would be a good idea to employ the five slamma jamma castra jamma prayer in other words you know get my mind quiet and just listen and try to get God's counsel on this situation and so I did that the night before I left for Greensboro I got quiet and I listened and Jesus told me something quite different than the council I'd gotten from the other people he was like you shouldn't have done it you shouldn't have screamed you were right in what you were saying but you did it wrong and you shouldn't have screamed at him in front of the showroom and so you the counsel that Jesus gave me was to go to Royce and say I know why I'm in this meeting you know I was wrong this is what I did and I really need to get better at that and so interestingly I went you know again to the meeting Royce was clearly waiting on me up in the office and as I sat down just as Jesus had described to me I said Royce I know I'm here and I need to tell you that I was wrong and that I shouldn't have corrected that sales manager that temper in front of the entire showroom that I you know ashamed the dealership and myself and you and I need to get better at this and it's something I need to work on and that was just bad behavior and I you know assure you I'm going to work on it you know I've learned you know you don't you know tear people down in public you do that in private and I won't do it again and he looked at me and he said you know Robbie I always liked you but man I've never had more respect for you than right now for you to come in here admit what was going on he said that you know that shows leadership and he was and he said and what did he do and when I told him what what the sales manager had done he flipped hot and I said don't worry don't worry Royce I'll handle it. It turned out to be this a beautiful conversation as a result of getting the right counseling and the Holy Spirit refraining my feet from what was an evil path and giving me wisdom in a point in time when I really needed it and you can't help but think of that passage in James you know it says you know ask for wisdom when you need it and and and he comes through and time and time again if we're to get this quiet you know it's a beautiful beautiful thing so you know I think there's some great knowledge here on how Jesus can direct our paths when you know we get ourselves sometimes into these situations and clearly it worked out great for King David with Abigail you know he got another wife out of the deal and and and certainly it's been my experience that you know when when we're faced with these challenges there's no better place to go check with Jesus. Thank you for listening.