I was taught at Ambassador College in Pasadena that Psalm 119 was written by the Prophet Jeremiah. The more I study into it, the more I believe that is correct.
Psalm 119 is about the law of God in a way that no other chapter in the Bible is. The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary says Psalm 19 was a model for the author of Psalm 119. Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect ….”
Psalm 19 was written by King David, and Jeremiah studied it.
When you consider all Jeremiah was commissioned to do with transplanting the throne of David (this is explained in our free book The United States and Britain in Prophecy), it is logical that he would want to know more about King David—his history, what he taught and believed, anything he could find out about him. That would have helped prepare Jeremiah for his God-given commission.
Psalm 119 is about being prepared to rule on the throne of David. After King David, who would be more interested in writing about the subject of Psalm 119 than Jeremiah? If we see that vision clearly, we know we are going to rule on that throne—and we know we must prepare for that responsibility. God isn’t going to put us on that throne until we are ready.
We must use Psalm 119 to prepare us to rule on David’s throne.
Jeremiah’s Emotions
Some verses in Psalm 119 are very much like what Jeremiah wrote in the book of Jeremiah and in Lamentations.
“Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law” (Psalm 119:136). Jeremiah was an emotional man, and he wept a lot of tears because of people’s lawlessness. He saw their suffering and knew it was because they were breaking God’s law.
In Lamentations 3:48 Jeremiah wrote, “Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.” Those are almost the same words in Psalm 119:136.
In Jeremiah 9:1 he said, “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” Many of these were prophecies, and he saw that these people would be slain. That unusual vision greatly moved Jeremiah. He had a deep emotional response to what he saw coming upon Judah and Israel in this end time.
“But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive” (Jeremiah 13:17). This is going to happen very soon—in our time today.
“Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow” (Jeremiah 14:17).
God prophesies this fate for His lukewarm saints, the Laodiceans (Revelation 3:14-22). God’s faithful saints know many of the Laodiceans by name. Do tears run down our face when we think of the people whom we have known and loved? Do we really shed tears and have the emotional content in our lives that Jeremiah had when he saw that they were going into captivity? Sometimes it is a little hard to even relate to how emotional this man was, but we need to be more like him.
Jeremiah and the PCG
My article in the July-August 2015 Royal Vision proved that Jeremiah wrote Psalm 89, which is about David’s throne (e.g. verses 3-4, 28-37). Why do you suppose God revealed that to me and to His Church today and not to Herbert W. Armstrong? It might be because we have something in common with Jeremiah that Mr. Armstrong didn’t have.
Consider Jeremiah’s commission. God told him, “… ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant’” (Jeremiah 1:9-10; Revised Standard Version).
Jeremiah was told to pull down, to destroy, to build and to plant. Maybe God’s Church today is going to do something like that, in a way.
Jeremiah’s commission is tied directly to our commission. Jeremiah took David’s throne from the nation and kingdom of Judah to the nation and kingdom of Israel. Is it possible that God could use His Church today to make that last turn of David’s throne, taking it to Jerusalem for Jesus Christ Himself to rule on? Perhaps God revealed to me what He did in my booklet Jeremiah and the Greatest Vision in the Biblebecause we will play a role in an overturn, as Jeremiah did. Maybe we have a special role there. I think we will have some role; after all, we get to share that throne with Him (Luke 1:32; Revelation 3:21).
In Psalm 89:1, Jeremiah wrote, “[W]ith my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.” He wanted to make sure this world knew what God was like and how faithful He is. That is what this commission to build and to plant was all about.
Jeremiah 1:10 reveals that Jeremiah’s commission is the main subject of the whole book. It has to do with nations and kingdoms—royalty. It is about physical royalty and spiritual royalty. He was involved in royal rule—and everything we are involved in is about royal rule.
Jeremiah also spoke about two covenants—one about the physical royalty, the other about the spiritual royalty.
Two Covenants
I have dwelled numerous times on the two covenants in Jeremiah 33:17-18: “‘For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn cereal offerings, and to make sacrifices for ever’” (rsv). This is about God’s promise to David to have his descendant rule on that throne until the Second Coming, and His promise that a man in this end time would proclaim a message about that throne so everybody on Earth could understand what it’s all about if they really want to know. Even the royal family doesn’t understand, to their own shame.
I explain these two covenants in my free booklet Jeremiah and the Greatest Vision in the Bible. Mr. Armstrong, as far as I know, never understood that second covenant. But in this last era of the Church, God wanted us to understand there is a second covenant: There is a man and a group of supporters offering spiritual sacrifices and proclaiming the message of Jeremiah and of David.
The 2011 royal wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton was the most-watched tv event of the year. In 2012, Britain had a four-day celebration of Queen Elizabeth ii’s Diamond Jubilee—60 years on the throne. In September 2015, the Queen became the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Why does that throne keep capturing global attention over and over again? Because of those two covenants in Jeremiah 33! That throne simply will not go away! I’m sure people thought with all the problems and difficulties with Princess Diana that it would collapse—but it didn’t. It has been somewhat revived! Why? Why does that throne keep getting attention all the time?
We know the answers to those questions. They are in David’s psalms and Jeremiah’s writings in the Psalms and in his book. God has revealed why the Queen is sitting on that throne: It is all about God’s promise to David.
Those in God’s faithful remnant are the only people on Earth who really understand what it is all about. Even the Laodiceans don’t have this understanding. They don’t know anything about the two covenants, and they have even lost a lot of what they had when Mr. Armstrong was alive.
We proclaim a message about that throne, and nobody can fully understand that throne unless they listen to our message (for more information, request The United States and Britain in Prophecy and The Key of David). God says, I’ll have somebody here in this end time explaining that to all of them. They won’t get it in most cases. But they need to know what it’s about. People in this world are struggling,straining and stretching to try to find some hope.
How sad that, in far too many cases, people don’t even want to know about that covenant. How terrible is the story of Britain today. Britain is collapsing! God is cursing the Britons because they have rejected that knowledge! God gave them a birthright and David’s throne. They are accountable. All the hope they could ever imagine is in that throne of David—and no place else.
God’s Royalty
God’s faithful people today are a profound part of that second covenant. God’s people are the real royalty on this Earth! What a difference between the royalty that sits on that throne and the people of God in this Church today! There is no comparison!
How royal are you? You can tell by how dedicated you are to delivering this message. God tells us, I want you to get this message out there! Proclaim it as a witness, and show people where the real hope lies!
What is so exciting about David’s throne? Why should we spend our whole life proclaiming a message about it? Well, what’s so wonderful about it is what is about to happen on that throne!
How dedicated are you to being God’s royalty? God is trying to get us to etch that message into our minds. We are God’s royalty today! We are the royal empire of God! Soon that throne is going to rise and shine and fill this Earth with joy, happiness and celebrations that really mean something—and it will last forever!
Can we become a bit more like Jeremiah—maybe shed a few more tears—and get our minds off ourselves and on what is really happening in this world? Can we become a more potent part of the royalty God has made us a part of? We are so honored and blessed to be a part of this awesome Work of God!
A Terrifying Message
In 2 Samuel 7:12-13, God said He would establish the throne and the kingdom forever. Jeremiah 22 has a related prophecy. It is a message for the king “that sittest upon the throne of David” along with his people (verse 2). In the end time, that is talking about the royal family of Britain.
God says that if they do not carry out their rule according to His instructions, “I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. … I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them” (verses 5-9).
They have forsaken the covenant of David! And look where their rebellion is leading! Look what will happen to “this city” where David’s throne is—London, England! God is going to hold those people accountable for what they have been given.
This is a terrifying, mind-numbing message, but we must tell them the truth. The royal people of God have to tell the physical royalty what God says, and that God is full of wrath because of their evil. God has given us the greatest possible honor to tell them the truth! You know their response will be terrible. But God tells His people of that second covenant to go to specific cities like London, Jerusalem, Washington, d.c., and tell them what is coming! Billions of people are going to die! God tells us, You proclaim it, and don’t hold back anything! That is the message from God’s royalty.
How much do you want to be part of this warning work? The quality of our royalty is reflected in our dedication to this royal message.
Jeremiah spoke the word and he was thrown in a dungeon. He had a scathing rebuke for Ephraim and its rebellions against the throne of David, which is actually God’s throne!
Only this Church is willing to follow Jesus Christ and what He revealed to Jeremiah. That is why we are here. God doesn’t give us blessings like Armstrong Auditorium and the Edstone campus just for our own benefit. We have a message to deliver! We have the royal honor to deliver the message, and we must be willing to face whatever trials that doing so brings.
Because we have God’s message, God is with us. As He told the people of Smyrna, Satan is going to cast some of you into prison—but don’t be afraid! (Revelation 2:10). We have nothing to fear! That is a miraculous mind-set. Whatever trials we face, God will be right with us.
What difference does it make if you are thrown into prison? What difference does it make as long as Christ is with you?
This is what David and Jeremiah were excited about. Just think about what Jeremiah had to endure. Even sitting in a dungeon, thinking he was going to die, he never gave up. And when he got out of there and took that throne, I’m sure he was on a high like he had never been on before, probably for the rest of his life.
The Final Overturn
In Ezekiel 21, beginning in verse 18, God talks about the captivity of Judah by Babylon. “Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have made your iniquity [lawlessness] to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel [referring to King Zedekiah], whose day is come, when [lawlessness] shall have an end” (verses 24-25). Lawlessness and rebellion are almost over for London and the cities of Israel.
“Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown [as did happen, through the first half of Jeremiah’s commission]: this [the crown] shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high” (verse 26). Mr. Armstrong explained this passage in The United States and Britain in Prophecy. “Remove the diadem, and take off the crown” refers to King Zedekiah stripped of his crown and then dying in Babylon. “This shall not be the same” means that a change is to take place: Another is to wear the crown. Mr. Armstrong explained how Judah, which was high, was at that point abased—and Israel, which was low, was exalted. Another line ascended to that throne.
“I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him” (verse 27). The throne was to be overturned three times. The first occurred when Zedekiah and Judah lost the crown, and the throne was moved to the house of Israel. This was performed as the first half of Jeremiah’s commission.
“And it shall be no more” does not mean the throne would cease to exist—after all, it was to be overturned, or transferred from one to another, two more times! And then, after these three transfers of the crown, it will be given to “Him whose right it is”—Jesus Christ at His Second Coming! As Mr. Armstrong wrote, the meaning is: “It shall be no more overturned until the Second Coming of Christ! And then it shall be given to Him!”
There must be one final overturn—in a sense, the fourth one—transferring that throne to Christ. And I think that somehow, we will be involved in that!
What an honor to be involved in that same work that David, Jeremiah and all those great men of God were involved in. Our work today is tied directly to their work.
A Law of Love
We are going to sit on that throne with Christ, David and Jeremiah. How do we qualify for such an exalted position? Psalm 119 gives us an important key.
This one chapter, more than any other in the Bible, tells you how to be a man or woman after God’s own heart. It tells you how to understand the law, appreciate it and be thankful for it! It tells you how to qualify.
If you are lawful the way Psalm 119 describes, you will never have the lawless Satan rule you. You will never have that problem, and you will rule on that throne!
Throughout this psalm, eight different terms are used to describe the law: law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, ordinances and two words that are translated as word but have different Hebrew definitions.
“Blessed [or happy] are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1). The word translated law is torah, the name for the first five books of the Bible, written by Moses. The Soncino Commentary says this doesn’t mean a “legal system.” That is the way the world is: People are very uncomfortable about the word law. Legal just means based upon law! This world has a big problem with law! “[T]he carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7). There is just something in the human mind, especially as influenced by Satan, that really doesn’t like the law.
What is wrong with a legal system of love—of liberty, freedom and peace? The whole Bible is based on the Ten Commandments. Remember what happened on Mount Sinai—recorded right in the middle of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.
Jeremiah shed a river of tears over all the suffering this world experiences because it has rejected God’s law! Look around at this world! There is so much misery and suffering because of people’s attitude toward law! They call it freedom, but they are in bondage (John 8:34; Romans 6:16; 2 Peter 2:19).
This is a legal system of love. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments …” (1 John 5:3). If we are going to rule with God on David’s throne, we must embrace God’s law and say, O, how I love it! This law solves everything!
God’s law is a “law of liberty” (James 1:25; 2:12). “Great peace have they which love thy law …” (Psalm 119:165). It is “wondrous” (verse 18). What’s so wondrous about it? Well, if we qualify the way Psalm 119 describes, we will sit on the throne of David forever and ever! Isn’t that wondrous?
A Dramatic Display!
Our Husband delivered the law anciently on the day of Pentecost, the holy day which pictures our marriage to Him! You are not going to marry Jesus Christ if you don’t love and practice the law!
Lawkeeping is the supreme concern of our Husband! And He gave us the Holy Spirit to ensure we could keep the law! Anciently, Israel didn’t want to keep God’s law. In the New Testament, however, God has given us the Holy Spirit so we can learn to really love His law and become an expert at keeping it!
Incidentally, that law existed long before Mount Sinai. It was there for man from the beginning. But at Mount Sinai, God made it very dramatic when He gave the law written with His finger on two tables of stone. Those millions of Israelites were gathered, and there were mighty crashes of thunder, blinding light and a great noise that could wreck your eardrums! The mountain quaked greatly; there was smoke everywhere—and it all came from the fire of God Himself! It was from God’s presence! The great God Himself came down to that mountain! Talk about a sight to see! There has never been anything like it! He spoke so powerfully that the Israelites were frightened and said they wanted Moses to speak with them rather than God (Exodus 20:18-19).
That is the most dramatic part of the Torah, by far! There is nothing close to it! Shouldn’t we put the emphasis on the law the way God does?
Malachi 4:4 says, “remember the torah”—talking specifically about the commandments. “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb [or Mount Sinai] for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.” God made the Old Covenant and gave Israel a constitution, and He became its Leader.
Look at the first five books of the Bible. Where does God place the emphasis? He places the emphasis on the Ten Commandments—the basis of the whole Bible!
God emphasizes the law, and He came down personally to let the Israelites know Him and get to know what He is really like. That is the God of Mount Sinai, and that is the message this world has rejected all this time.
God performed the greatest act of love we can even imagine to make this all available to us. He gave His only begotten Son in His love for all of us, so we could have this law and prepare ourselves to rule on David’s throne forever! God is about to sit on that throne and bring joy, prosperity and hope to all the world! We have to build that love for God’s law in order to prepare to share that rule!