Rod Rutherford has been a member of the Lord’s church for 45 years and a preacher of the gospel for 39.  He has preached in 20 states of the USA and in 16 foreign nations.  This includes 7 years of work as a missionary in Zambia (Africa) and 7 1/2 years in mission work in Tasmania (Australia).  Rod has taught in three preacher training schools in the US and one in Africa.  He has also served local congregations in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida as preacher.  He served for a time as one of the elders of the Church of Christ in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
 Rod has worked with TRUTH FOR THE WORLD, a multi-media mission work, since its inception 7 years ago.  He writes and edits materials and participates in follow-up campaigns.  He is the author of 30 tracts, numerous articles in brotherhood publications, and a series of Bible study workbooks.  He is also the author or co-author of several Bible correspondence courses.  He edits the TRUTH FOR THE WORLD quarterly gospel paper which is circulated in 127 nations.
 Rod was educated at David Lipscomb College, Memphis School of Preaching, and the Alabama Christian School of Religion.  He is married to the former Brenda Luttrell.  Brenda is a fulltime worker for Truth for the World.  She is a secretary, bookkeeper, and office manager.  She also conducts ladies’ days and frequently accompanies Rod on overseas trips.
 Rod and Brenda have a daughter, Debra (Mrs. Mark Davis), who lives in Knoxville, TN.  Debra’s husband, Mark, serves as a deacon in the Karns congregation.  Mark and Debra have two boys: Bryan and Nathan.
 Rod and Brenda also have two sons, Kevin and Brett.  Kevin and his wife Vicky and their children, Lauren and Caleb, live in St. Louis, MO, where Kevin preaches for the West End Church of Christ.  Brett and his wife, Joanne, live in Madison, WI, where Brett preaches for the four Lakes Church of Christ.

 (We’ll “meet” another Truth for the World family next week.  Let’s keep these families and their work in our prayers.)
 

Psalm 25: Unto Thee, O Lord 
“O my God, I trust in thee”

There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and there are 22 verses in this psalm, which is a poem based on these letters.  Therefore, it is proper to call this an alphabetic psalm (see also Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145).
Several of the verses of this psalm have been used as a song (see number 898 in Praise for the Lord).  The psalm is a prayer to Jehovah with five sections:
 Address to God (vv. 1-7).
 Address about God (vv. 8-10).
 Personal request regarding sin (v. 11).
 Benefits of fearing the Lord (vv. 12-15).
 Address to God (vv. 16-22).
As we study this psalm, let us think about the phrases and themes chosen by David and then let us learn to use them in our own prayers.
I.  Address to God (vv. 1-7).
This first address to God begins with a spiritual and personal statement in verse 1.  It is highly significant that we remember that we are approaching God in prayer!  This is not a time for poor concentration or casual attitudes!  The first part of verse 2 contains his open and determined attitude to have God as his God and to really trust in Him.  This particular feature of his prayer is rarely included in prayers that I have heard over the last 35 years—but it is frequent in the Bible.  The remainder of the first address to God is a list of things that David prayed for:
Victory (vv. 2b,3):  He did not want to be vainly disloyal to the Lord, nor did he want to see this in anyone else.
Knowledge (v. 4):  He admitted his need for knowledge of the truth of God and wanted to keep his desire to learn on a high level.
Guidance (v. 5):  This guidance would be in the truth, through the day, and unto salvation.
Remembrance (v. 6):  The eternal qualities of God’s nature are things that benefit us every day, and we need for Him to “remember” them and apply them to the circumstances of our daily lives: tender mercies, lovingkindness.
Forgiveness (v. 7):  Or, we might say, “Not remembering.”  He knows that he needs forgiveness, and that any possibility of receiving it depended on the merciful goodness of Jehovah.
II.  Address About God (vv. 8-10).
In his address about God, David refers to three wonderful aspects of the one true and living God.  First, he speaks of God as being good and upright, particularly with reference to the heavenly desire of seeing sinners taught “in the way.”  We have the blessed privilege of being a part of this by obeying the great commission (v. 8).  Second, he speaks of the methods of Jehovah, which is to “guide” souls by “teaching.”  Far too many people want His guidance but reject His teaching!  But David understood the connection, and so must we (v. 9).  Third, he speaks of the Lord’s ways toward the “keepers.”  He has always wanted people to “keep” His commandments (see Genesis 2:15-17 through Revelation 22:14).  When we keep them, we are in the paths of His mercy and truth (v. 10; see Acts 10:34,35).
III.  Personal Request Regarding Sin (v. 11).
In his personal request regarding his own “great iniquity,” he makes it clear that it needs to be pardoned “for the sake of the name of Jehovah.”  It is true that there are many things that ought to cause us to want to have our sins pardoned, but the point made in this verse is another of those things that rarely appears in our prayers.  If you recall the incident where David eliminated Goliath, his strong motivation for standing up was the name of Jehovah (1 Samuel 17:45).  Our sins—yes my sins—are a reflection on the name of the God I claim to serve!  “Please, O Jehovah, forgive them and be with me as I do better as a wearer of thy name in the midst of this present evil age!”  David does not specify the “great iniquity” that he is taking before Jehovah, so it will do us no good to speculate about it.  The truth is that all of our iniquities are great, and they all have the potential of reflecting on His great name.
IV.  Benefits of Fearing the Lord (vv. 12-15).
Now we come to a list of five benefits that are part of the lives of those who fear (reverence and obey) the Lord.  First, such people are taught in the way that God chooses-not in the ways that they choose to learn.  God has never been pleased with the doctrines, morals, and worship that men choose to present as “services” to Him (v. 12).  Second, such people dwell at ease (prosperity).  The primary reference here would be to the kind of blessings that God promised to the faithful in Israel (v. 13, which included the land and its blessings).  We do not have the same degree of earthly promises in the New Testament, but we do have the promise of being provided for (physically and spiritually; see Matthew 6:19-34).  Third, such people have an inheritance.  Again, the inheritance in the Old Testament included a specific land on earth, while the New Testament includes a specific city, “whose builder and maker is God (v. 13b; see Matthew 5:5; Hebrews 11:13-16; 13:14).  Fourth, such people have a special closeness to Jehovah.  This is no “better felt than told,” “the Lord speaks to me,” “jump up and shout” concept—this is a Bible doctrine.  We know we have this spiritual closeness because the Bible says so—and there is NO OTHER WAY to know it.  He reveals His covenant to us, we walk in His covenant, and “the companionship of the LORD is with them that revere Him” (v. 14, Berkeley Version).  Fifth, such people have confidence.  This is not the ”Sound of Music’s”  “I have confidence in confidence alone” line...this is CONFIDENCE in Jehovah because the faithful keep their eyes on Him through His word.  He can, and He will, deliver!  And we can count on it!
V.  Address to God (vv. 16-22).
The psalm closes with another address to God.  This section begins with a list of great personal needs.  These needs are in two categories:
1.  Deliverance (vv. 16-20)
     —from being desolate (lonely) and afflicted (Acts 
        12)
     —from enlarged troubles (Revelation 6)
     —from distresses (Ruth 1-4)
     —from affliction and pain (Hebrews 5:7-9)
     —from all sins (1 John 1:6-10)
     —from his many enemies (2 Timothy 3:9-12)
     —by the God Who guards (keeps) souls 
        (2 Timothy 4)
2.  Preservation (v. 21).  He knew that his own integrity and uprightness were essential and helpful in providing for preservation, because these are the things that allow people to “wait” on God (see also Job 1, 2, 42). 
David concludes the psalm by applying himself to pray for all of Israel in light of the power of God, the power of prayer, and the fact that there is a sense in which all of God’s people are truly “in the same boat” (v. 22).
Let us end this study the way we began it—with a resolve to learn the “ABCs” of acceptable prayer.  Let us also use the great sentiments of this psalm to “sing His praises” and request that the Lord will take note of our souls.
    — Skip Andrews

Note: 
We have now completed lessons on one
sixth of the Psalms.  I have been delighted to study and write these things, and am humbled by the comments of our readers.  Thank you for your encouragement.  Now, as my best friend is known to say:  “You-Go-Study"
 

Verse of the Week: 
“Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; 
and teach me thy statutes”
(Psalm 119:135).
 

VOLUME 1:26  AUGUST 22, 1999