Learning
to Love the Word of God
Reflections
on Psalm 119
By Charlie Crowe
Dedication
This
book is lovingly dedicated to my parents Leo and Peggy Crowe, who have loved
the Word of God all my life, and whose examples have profoundly shaped me. From my earliest days I remember themes of
the Word of God being a shaping force in our home and faith.
“The
Bible only makes Christians only.”
“Call
Bible things by Bible names and do Bible things in Bible ways.”
“Where
the Scripture speaks we speak where the Scripture is silent we are silent”
Mom
and Dad thank you for sharing with me your love of scripture.
In
the Cause of Christ
Your
son
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The purpose of this work is
to help Christians live as disciples of the hero of this book, Jesus
Christ. Therefore, while I did work
hard on this book I grant free use to anyone, any group, or any congregation
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Psalm 119. 1-9 Aleph
Praise
for the faithfulness of God’s Word
There
is a double blessing for us out of God’s Word.
Walking in the law of the Lord means that our way is blameless and that
we are seeking God with all our hearts.
Seeking God is the end, the ultimate goal and not the means to some
other purpose. Study of the Word of God
is not so we can know some trivial bit of information; but rather, so that we
can know God. Part of that blessed life
is that the disciple does not do unrighteousness. Like Job who was described by God as
blameless, the disciple is habitual in his right living. This is not teaching that we can obtain
personal, moral perfection, but rather, a consistent life of obedience. As a clearly marked road is easy to follow
the disciple who keeps God’s Word will find that moral choices are clear.
One
of the great blessings of faithfulness to God’s Word is that we are protected
from embarrassment when we see God’s commandments or expectations (v. 6). This is more than the shame of being caught
in overt sin. It also includes the shame
of not knowing what should have been known.
A simple example might be a student who doesn’t know their lesson even
though the lesson is simple and has been taught repeatedly. In fact, the
disciple can give whole-hearted thanks to God for His righteous judgments or
laws. The word translated “judgments” or
“laws” is not so much God’s judicial judgments or the written law, but carries
the idea of “right” or perhaps “ways”.
There is an order to the universe that can be hard to understand. But the disciple because of his study of the
Word of God is able to see God’s way more clearly. This section ends with a promise and a plea. The disciple is committed to living up to
what he finds is the word and in so doing pleads that he will be in God’s
company.
Psalm 119.8-16 Beth
The
Word is the virtue of all virtues, which can be of service to the disciple.
The
Word of God is profoundly practical. If
we would avoid the life of personal ruin that is associated with sin and vice how
do we do that? Verse 9 both asks and
answers that question. If our life is a
path or a way it is best lived according to the Word of God. The life of a disciple is lived out according
to the Word of God not in legalistic, Pharisaic righteousness, but with an
internal commitment of their heart.
What
does it mean to “treasure up” (NASB) or have God’s Word “hidden” in our
hearts? It is much more than Bible
memorization, valuable as that may be.
It is that the practice of living according to God’s Word is the default
setting of our conduct. In the same way
that we build muscle memory by a repeated action, by living according to God’s
Word we build a sort of spiritual, muscle memory. When we practice righteousness it can become
a habit, in which case many of the decisions of life become righteous not out
of thoughtful contemplation of the moment, but faithful practice. We don’t have to think, “Should I cheat, lie,
or steal?” The choice in such matters is
our “spiritual, muscle memory” response.
In
verse 13, the Psalmist says that he will “recount” (NIV) or has “told of” the
law of God. This is more than a simple
list produced from memory. The ancient
Hebrew word used here has descended into contemporary times to mean
“digital”. While the analogy is far from
perfect we might get a picture if we said that the Word of God is the operating
software for our lives. We have taken
the software code in the Word of God and have installed it on our operating
system. Clearly, the author had no idea
of software, but he did understand going over, line by line, the Word of God to
discover how to operate in life.
Verse
14 sets the tone for the rest of the Psalm.
There is great joy in the Word of God as when there are great
riches. We may need to adjust the understanding
of riches here. Try not to think of the
horded wealth on which a dragon might rest.
Wealth was far too practical and useful to be stock piled away, never to
be used. Rather, having great treasure
means daily, practical benefit. Wealth
is meant to be used to benefit others not stored and kept to oneself. Having great wealth insures the joy of giving
and well being of those dear to us.
Imagine a bonus from work that will enable you to take your family on
vacation.
To
return to our previous analogy, the Word of God gives us the operating
software, which insures that we get the right answers and because it is free
from glitches and “bugs” we are protected from hackers and viruses of our
souls.
Psalm 119.17-24 Gimel
Dedicated
to the Word of God
It
is worth noting the motivation of the Psalmist.
He asked that God deal bountifully with him for a very specific purpose,
that he may live and keep His word. Why
we ask for a blessing is, in fact, more important than the blessing for which
we ask. The greatest blessing is to be
able to see. In verse 18, the picture is of one who has a covering over their
eyes. Since our first parents sinned we
have all struggled with a sort of spiritual blindness. We have not been at home in the fallen world
(v. 19) and we are broken and crushed by a haunting that we need a trustworthy
guide. (v. 20) We instinctively know something is not right. There are those who, rather than have the
veil of their spiritual blindness lifted, in their arrogance try to find their
own way. They are arrogant or
presumptuous. They would presume that
they have the answers themselves, would walk away from what they do know about God,
and would oppress any who would follow God.
These people struggle through life under God’s rebuke. (v. 21)
One
can assume that faithfulness to God will always result in opposition from those
in positions of power that are opposed to God’s law and way. (v. 22) How do we
respond to the oppression and opposition of those who are opposed to the Word
of God? Typically, we respond with the
use of political power, by rallying like-minded citizens and forming a
coalition to exert power. We often try
to use, in the name of God, the things the enemies of God have been using. But the Psalmist does something different,
something that is highly counterintuitive.
Rather than fighting power used for oppression with power for
liberation, he turns to the Word of God and the testimonies and allows them to
be his counselors, his cabinet, and his guide. (v. 23-24)
Psalm 119:25-32 Daleth
Praying
for the grace of enlightenment in the midst of internal struggles.
In
this passage the Psalmist is addressing troubles, but he doesn’t refer to
troubles from others, at least not in this case; but rather, some undisclosed,
internal struggle. As disciples we will
have resistance and opposition from other people. That, however, is not the only source of
trouble. The enemy within our own skin
is a formidable foe. Whether the enemy
is without or within the Word of God is a great help. When it is the inward enemy His Word gives us
great enlightenment and there-by strength.
This eight-verse section of the Psalm is beautifully and wonderfully
arranged. Verse 25-27 have a parallel in
verses 28-30 with verses 31-32 offering a conclusion.
In
verses 25 and its parallel verse 28 we see the desperate situation of the
Psalmist. He is in real trouble. He describes himself as being flattened out
in the dust; he is too exhausted to move, unable to pick himself up. He also describes his soul as weary or
weeping. The Hebrew carries the idea of
his soul melting away, running out in tears.
He will cry till there is nothing left inside. In both cases, he knows of one prescription
for his recovery, the Word of God. When
he is too weak to get up, the Word of God revives or renews him. When his life or soul is melting away the
Word of God gives him strength.
The
couplets of verse 26-27 and 29-30 give us the answer of how the Word of God
gives this strength. In the case of
being flattened out in the dust the Psalmist takes time to reflect on his life
in light of the Word of God. This
self-reflection is a sincere self-evaluation, a searching and fearless moral
inventory of ourselves in view of God’s Word.
In what the Psalmist sees that God has done and in God’s past
faithfulness we can all find confidence for the future. As the poet has grieved with so many tears,
so he pleads for God to take from him any falsehood. Enlightenment is not just the discovery of new
truth to be acquired, it is also the discovery of our own internal falsehood
that we have accepted and in which we live.
If the meta-narrative (a way of thinking that explains everything) of
our lives is false then ultimately everything in our lives will eventually go
off the rails. Before we can truly
engage in the truth about our lives we must reject the false assumptions on
which we have built our lives. Then we
can as the poet says in verse 30, “Place Thine ordinances before me.”
The
last two verses of this section are parallels of each other developing results
of living with a new enlightenment. The
first lines of both 31 and 32 reveal a solid commitment to the Word of
God. In verse 31, the word used to
describe the poet’s attachment to the Lord’s testimony is the same word to
describe the sexual union of a husband and wife. This is no casual-skimming-a-Bible-verse kind
of thing. In verse 32, the theme of life
as a way comes up again. The road signs
of life for the disciple are the commandments of God. The result of this commitment is expressed
both negatively and positively. The
Psalmist pleads in verse 31, with confidence, that he will not be put to shame. Being so intimately associated with the
Lord’s testimony means that the Lord will not be ashamed of the disciple. Verse 32 is even more beautiful. Living the life of a disciple in the Lord’s
commands results in having a heart that is enlarged. What is the point of a bigger heart? It gives the disciple a greater capacity to
love God, His Word, and His way. Which
is, after all, what a disciple most wants.
Psalm 119:33-40 He
In
the Word of God we find preservation of life.
Finding
our way through this life is like wandering through a massive city, a swamp,
dark woods or a wilderness without any guidance or direction. Without a trustworthy guide we are bound to
end up in places we do not want to be.
However, in this passage the Psalmist tells us that there is just such a
trustworthy guide.
There
are plenty of distractions along this journey we call life. Some are subtle; some are blatant. Depending on our own personality and tendency
we are attracted to different detours.
But whatever the challenge, the Word of God is sufficient to safely lead
us through.
In
the first 7 verses, the poet submits to the Lord to make changes in his
life. ‘Teach me”, “Give me”, “Make me”,
“Incline my heart”, “Turn away my eyes”, “Establish Thy Word”, “Turn away my
reproach”. In each case, the request is
related to or as a result of the Word of God.
As the poet asked for the Lord to be at work in his life he anticipates
that he will have changes to accept. It
is unreasonable for a disciple to ask the Lord for guidance or direction
without the assumption that the disciple will change or commit their life to
the Lord’s leading. Verse 33 serves as a perfect example. “Teach
me, O Lord the way of Thy statues,” is the disciple’s request. The response from the disciple follows, “And I will observe it to the end.” Why would a disciple ask for teaching and then
not follow that teaching all the way to the end? Often we ask the Lord for guidance, but do so
with a heart reservation that if we don’t like it we can some how opt out. With each request or life submission there is
presumed obedience. All these requests
build toward a powerful and dynamic climax in the last verse (40). The poet longs for the Lord’s precepts, but
interestingly, the Word is actually a means to the end of renewal or revival of
life found in the Lord’s righteousness.
To
return to our opening analogy the end goal of our journey in life is the Lord,
but He is also the one who makes the path or the way for us and then places the
road signs along the way directing us.
Psalm 119:41-48 Vav
The
Word of God enables the psalmist to provide a suitable and joyful confession.
The
psalmist begins by asking for more than simply head knowledge of the Word of
God. He is asking for God’s mercy to
bring about salvation through the Word. (v. 41) The challenge of the unbeliever
can’t be answered with a dry academic knowledge of God alone, nor solely an
emotional response, but personal trust in God’s Word (v. 42). Verse 43 poses an interesting question, “Why
would God take His truth out of the mouth or conversation of the
psalmist?” This reflects the reality
that if a person’s life is in rebellion and willful error, their testimony is
rendered invalid. When we testify about
the Lord we do so not on our own, but in the power of the Spirit. A godless man can say the words of a witness,
but it is only dust in the wind or hot air.
The syllables may be in the mouth of a wicked witness, but it will lack
power because God will remove His blessing from it. The last part of verse 43 says the psalmist
will “wait” or “hope” in God’s laws. Hope always has a future element to it,
but it is never simply a vague, wishful dream.
The hope given us by God’s Word is future, but also certain. We wait because it is not yet, but this hope
is as certain as the passing of time.
Because
of the Lord’s testimony and his love for it the psalmist is a bold
witness. He keeps the Lord’s commands,
loves the Lord’s commands, and gives testimony to the Lord’s commands. He does so before kings in freedom because
the one on trial is not the psalmist but the Lord’s ordinances. If called to account for himself and his own
power a disciple is really not much. But
the disciple’s love for God and His Word sets him up in liberty or
freedom. The word translated “liberty”
or “freedom” literally means wide or broad.
It is often used to refer to land. The idea is that there is plenty of
room and no one is going to hem you in or restrict you. There is so much confidence that the word was
even used of arrogance. The disciple who
walks in the power of God’s Word has so much going for him no one and no thing
is going to put “the squeeze” on him.
The disciple experiences the power of God’s Word and grows to love it
more and more.
Psalm 119:49-56 Zayin
In
life’s journey God's Word is all his thought and pursuit
We
are all on a trip, a long journey to the grave and beyond. One should never expect this trip to be easy
or fast or carefree. In fact, the
ancient nomads understood this much better than we. In vs. 54 the poet refers to the house of his
“pilgrimage”. We live in a culture that
places a high value on a permanent place of residence. To be a homeowner is a major or even the most
important part of the “American Dream”.
Pilgrims have no such concept.
For a pilgrim the destination is the objective with lessons to be
learned along the way. It is
unavoidable, we are on a pilgrimage and the poet points out that on this
journey God’s Word is a great help and comfort.
Being
a tourist is relatively easy. If you
have enough money everything is catered for you. Being a tourist is the ultimate consumer
experience in which we are not changed, but have our perceptions
confirmed. Being a pilgrim is hard. It is not about being catered to but is about
being challenged and changed. It is
about our own attitudes, convictions, and commitments confronted and reshaped
by hardships, either our own or the lives of others. Life is one, long pilgrimage.
That
being said and with the expectation that life will be hard, how do we
cope? Where do we find the strength to
carry on the pilgrimage? The poet tells
us it is in the Word of God. It gives
him comfort when he is afflicted and it revives him. He is mocked and scorned by the arrogant-the
word carries the connotation of frivolous persons, libertines, and freethinkers. These people look at the self-imposed, hard
life of a pilgrim and make fun suggesting it is better to settle down and
indulge in the good life of pleasure and self-satisfaction.
The
poet continues his life’s journey with the Word of God giving him strength as
well as indignation for the life that forsakes the law. Hatred for evil is both the right response
and a preventative from dabbling in the evil.
That hatred is reinforced because the emotional support, the songs of
the poet, are the Law of God. Even in
the dark hours of the night when it is easiest to become discouraged, the poet
is turning to and being strengthen by God’s precepts.
Psalm 119:57-64 Heth
Discovery
of God’s favor on the way to his forever home
In
the preceding Psalm the poet describes himself as a pilgrim, that earth is not
his permanent dwelling. He begins this section with a description of God as his
“portion”. When the Promised Land was
divided among the tribes each family was given a portion as their homeland
forever. So much so, that at the year of
Jubilee if the land was sold it was returned to the one who received that
portion. For the disciple the Lord is
the homeland. There is a direct
connection between the disciple going to the homeland and his keeping the Word
of God.
There
is in verse 58 a word that is hardly translated into our English Bibles. The NASB translates it “entreated” while the
NIV translates it “sought”. The Hebrew
word is much more intense than any English translation. The root word is to be “sick or weak”. This word carries the idea of groveling and
at times carries the implication of flattery.
We don’t translate it that way because the poet is clearly sincere where
as a flatterer is not. But that is the
intensity of the word. The disciple is
willing to completely humiliate himself in the most extreme forms of begging
for the Lord’s graciousness. This is no
coming to God as if we would negotiate the best deal possible. This is a profound awareness that we have
nothing to offer and are fully aware of our absolute dependence on His favor.
The
poet has, to this point, lived a life of immediate obedient response. When he knows the commands of God he keeps them
immediately. He does all that he knows
to do; he is now asking to know more, to understand at a greater level what God
wills. He has done this even when the
wicked have had him in bonds. Their
cords either literally or figuratively have not caused him to forget the Lord’s
Law and to know the Lord’s Law is to keep it immediately. This keeping of the Law even in the presence
of opposition causes thanks to grow and results in praise. When awakened from sleep in the middle of the
night, it is not fear that comes to mind but thanks, not dread but a profound
awareness of gratitude for God’s law. It
is so powerful, in fact, that the poet is compelled to respond with worship, to
get up from bed and bow down to God.
Sometimes
the life of a disciple can seem lonely; it feels that no one else is on God’s
side. But the poet discovers that he has
companions; here he returns to the theme or motif of the traveller. He is not making this journey alone. It is note worthy that in the context of this
discovery of travelling companions that the poet looks at the world around him
and sees that it is full of God’s mercy.
He begins this section by pleading for God’s favor, ends it by praising
God for His loving kindness and that praise is in the context of discovering
fellow pilgrims heading to the same home.
Psalm 119:65-72 Ṭeth
The
poet recognizes the beneficial element of his suffering.
God’s
dealing with us is always good and for our good, but it may not always feel
that way. In this section the poet
reflects on his own life and how God’s good worked for him in difficult times. In the midst of suffering we rarely say,
“This is really good for me.” But it is
not too uncommon that after the suffering is past we can say, “That was good for me.” The more quickly we are to learn the lessons
of suffering, the wiser we are.
The Lord
has been good to the poet according to His own word and the poet is able to
recognize that with the aid of 20/20 hindsight.
The poet asked to be taught good discernment and knowledge, which is to
learn both the ethical behaviors and the happy results that such behaviors
bring. He wants to learn not only what
is the right thing to do, but see the positive benefit of that behavior. Note the contrast between vs. 66 and 67. The poet learned the misery of going astray
in his affliction and now he wants to learn the pleasantness of right
living. We often think of right living
as a means to an end, that if we do right, which may include incidental
suffering, we will some day be rewarded.
That is an inadequate understanding.
The poet/disciple is here indicating that living the life of
righteousness is the greatest good and that life is itself inherently worth it.
God’s
nature is good and His actions are always for our good. The order of His universe is that the
short-term pleasures of evil never out weight the benefit of living according
to His law. The poet again is asking to learn the Lord’s statutes. This time he asked in the context of the
arrogant having attempted to cover him over with falsehoods. The word used is “plastered over or
whitewashed”. They want to make him
disappear the way a concrete block wall disappears when covered with
stucco. The comment “their heart is
covered with fat” is indicative of being insensitive. Our medical and modern scientific view might
shape our understanding of this metaphor.
In ancient times fat was good because it indicated wealth as evidenced
by being well fed. But in this case the
fat (wealth and ease) caused their heart or seat of the will and emotion to
become dull and insensitive to the call of the Law of God.
The
poet again repeats that his affliction was beneficial. This is a good point to make note of-the word
affliction. Literally, it means to “make
low or put down”. But it is practically
much more intense than it might first sound.
The word was used of the abuse Sarah heaped on Hagar that was so intense
that Hagar wanted to run away. It was
the word that described the Egyptians forcing the Israelites into slavery. It was on different occasions used to
describe the rape of a woman. This affliction
is not a little inconvenience; but rather, a life altering experience of
powerful misery. But God never wastes a
hurt. It doesn’t matter if our
affliction is the result of self-induced suffering or as the innocent victims
of the evils of others, God can use that horror to our benefit. In fact, the poet feels that the Law of the
Lord, to which his suffering led him, is better than fantastic riches.
Psalm 119: 73-80 Jod
In
suffering the poet is in need of comfort.
The
poet wants to be an encouragement to those who fear God. The poet’s well-being is going to be a point
of confusion for those who oppose him.
The poet is confident that God will never forsake His creatures nor
withhold from them what will make them truly happy; namely an understanding of
His Word. To this purpose the poet
prays for understanding, and that all who fear God will see him as an example
of what happens in the lives of those who trust in God’s Word.
There
is no doubt that God’s judgments are pure and righteous, but they are never the
less an affliction. It is because God is
faithful to His holiness and to our well- being that He, at times, afflicts
us. It is important to note that when we
are under the affliction of God we are still under God’s care. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t painful. That is why the poet at the same time as
being under God’s affliction asked for the comfort of the Lord’s loving
kindness or mercy.
The
term ashamed comes up a couple of times.
It is a pretty typical term for shame, embarrassment or disgrace, but it
can have a temporal element to it. Part
of the shame is that the hope for result is delayed. It is like a sports fan that is always
saying, “Wait till next year,” but is always suffering through endless loosing
seasons. The shame is not only doesn’t
it happen; there is a sense that it never will.
The poet asked that the one who would lead him astray be ashamed. The demise of the faithful is the greatest
heart’s desire of the wicked. The poet
asked that this desire of the wicked will never be satisfied and they will
always be disappointed.
Meanwhile,
the poet remains faithful to the Word of God and concludes this with two
thoughts. First, he wants to be an
encouragement for others. He wants his
life and faithfulness to be something other faithful people will see. The desire to live as an example is
rare. The second thing he asked is
essential to fulfilling the first. He
wants to have a blameless heart. The
idea of blameless is more about honest and consistent than about perfection. He wants to be the real thing rather than a
fake. In this he hopes that he will not
suffer the shame and perhaps his delay shall pass.
Psalm 119:81-88 Kaph
In
his trouble the disciple sighs: how long!
With
eternity in his heart the disciple is never the less faced with the struggles
of the temporal. The first four verses
of this section all begin with a question or a statement about the duration of
his suffering. We must never lose sight
of the fact that God not only has control of the nature of our hardships, the
depth of our hardships, but also the duration of our hardships. The poet is
asking about that duration; he feels that he is nearing the end of his
strength.
In
the first four verses there is a line that is out of our experience. In verse
83, he writes, “…I have become like a wine skin in the smoke…” The ancient
practice of using leather skins as bottles is what is suggested here. When out of use the skin would be hung from
some high point in the tent or house.
With no chimney the rising smoke would blacken, dry and shrivel the
bottle. The wine skin that hung in the
smoke was out of use, irrelevant and if left long enough it would begin to
crack and become useless. Those who
persecute the poet would like to set him aside to become an irrelevance to
society and community. The very
existence of a disciple, then and now, is apt to be a bother to those who
oppose God’s law. He upset their
conscience and in one-way or another makes them uncomfortable. They would rather the disciple be set aside,
forgotten and made useless.
It
is worth noting a connection in verse 86 that at first may seem to be a
departure or a disconnect, but is consistent throughout history. How does the faithfulness of God’s commands
have anything to do with a persecution with a lie? Because God’s commands are faithful,
consistent, forever trustworthy and true there is not doubt that those opposed
to them will always resort to falsehood.
The faithfulness of God’s Word, and the faithful adherence of the
disciple to that Word will always cause those who are opposed to God’s Word to
oppose the faithful disciple. Sometimes
those who follow God act surprised that they experience oppression. Rather than reacting with surprise, we ought
to follow the pattern of the poet.
He
responds by pleading for help, revival or renewal, and mercy. He does this for the reason that he can keep
the testimony of Thy mouth. It is one
thing to suffer; it is another thing to ask for strength to endure so that we
can, at some point in the future, be comforted.
But here the poet asked for help so that he can be faithful to God’s
Word. It is not self-interest that
motivates him; but rather, the love for the Word of God.
Psalm 119:89-96 Lamedh
Without
the eternal, sure, mighty Word of God he would despair (Lamed);
The
poet is able to endure the hardships because of his confidence in the Law of
God. In this section, he takes a step
back and looks at the big picture for just a moment. He looks at the universe and in seeing the
physical sciences develops what was once called natural law. How is it that the whole of creation exists
and continues to exist so reliably? It
does so at the Word or Law of God. Our
understanding of the universe is very different from that of the poet, but the
principle remains the same. If God can
create and make such a massive and complex universe by His word then His word
is more than able to guide us in the difficulties of life. In these first three verses of this passage
the poet is finding strength in the evidence of God’s power, then that power
revives or renews him. In fact, had he
not been able to get a little better picture he might have collapsed under the
attacks of his enemies. His enemies can
no more destroy the Ordinances of God than they can pull the universe apart.
Since
it is God’s ordinances that make and rule the universe and form the foundation
for the poet’s life the poet, as long as he is shaping his life by God’s
ordinances, is as solid and secure as the universe itself. The poet offers a couple of contrasts and
then a marvelous conclusion. The
contrast is the dual circumstances of life: he belongs to God with his commitment
to God’s precepts and testimonies yet the wicked are trying to destroy
him. Then comes a marvelous statement: “I
have seen a limit to all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly
broad.” The poet understands that the
expanse of creation has a limit; that there is a limit to the physical
universe. We understand that limit is
further away than the poet might have expected.
The creation will of necessity be less than the Creator. But the character, power, beauty, and
holiness of God expressed in His laws, word or command is without any such
limits.
Psalm 119:97-104 Mem
The
Word of God provides him wisdom greater than the difficult circumstances.
In
this passage the poet declares that the Word of God has given Him wisdom,
insight and understanding. (Verses 98-100)
Each of these words carries an important and distinct nuance. The first, wisdom found in verse 98 refers to
the ability to make correct moral judgments, to know if something is right or
wrong. The second translated insight
(NASB) carries the idea of being prudent or having the capacity to perceive
things. It is the word that described
what Eve was wanting when she took the forbidden fruit. The third attribute is understanding and it
has the implication of having a broad base of knowledge from which to make
decisions. While all these words are
similar they each carry a unique and specific area of insight.
The
poet is given, by the superior wisdom provided by the Word of God, an advantage
over three groups of people: his enemies, his teachers and his elders. The poet faced active opposition from an
enemy that was open and aggressive. The
enemy here is overt and active in the attacks on the poet. Some of the teachers in the poet’s life had
left the truth and had begun to stray away from the Word of God. Teachers that
are misguided end up misleading their pupils. By faithful study of the word the
poet is secured from the danger of being mislead. The word translated “aged” (NASB) is a rare
word in the O.T. being used only twice.
It would more literally be translated “the ancients”. The wisdom of all the great thinkers of
history is inferior to the broad base of knowledge provided by the Word of God.
The
practical help of the Word of God when facing the active hostility of the
enemy, the misguiding influence of the teachers and the too broad to be helpful
guidance of the ancients helps the poet to be restrained from the evil way and
not turn aside from the ordinances of God.
The Word of God is self-reinforcing in the right path for our lives. It shows us the right way and when we follow the
right path it shows us how it has benefited us and what next steps ought to be
taken. We might call it an upward spiral
of wisdom, advantage and blessing. And
as a result the poet describe the word as sweeter than honey. In ancient Israel they did not have the
intense or common use of sweeteners. The
intensity of honey was the most powerful sweetness that most people ever
experienced. That was a taste they would
never forget. The Word of God is even
more memorable, and as a result the poet gains wisdom, insight and
understanding, which results in a hatred for every false option presented to
him.
Psalm 119:105-112 Nun
He
has sworn faithfulness to the word in his persecution.
This
portion of the Psalm has what is undoubtedly the most familiar phrase of this
Psalm: “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Having spent our entire lives with almost
unlimited access to electric lights and good roads we cannot appreciate the
importance of this phrase. For the
ancient who was traveling a difficult, unknown and dangerous path in the dark
the presence of a torch was vital. Pits,
cliffs, caverns, hairpin turns are just a few of the life-threating obstacles a
traveller might face. It was only in the
most desperate circumstances that one would travel in the dark. The light was a matter of life and
death. The path of being a disciple is
no easy walk; the way is narrow, difficult and packed with danger. The world, the flesh, and the powers of
darkness are arrayed against us and would gladly ruin us. We can’t see the dangers that are set in
ambush without the brilliant light of God’s law.
In
this section the poet says, “I am exceedingly afflicted” and later “My life is
continually in my hand”. The disciple
who is not prepared to suffer and even die for the cause is not fit to be a
follower and will eventually slip away.
The disciple who would stay loyal must have more than stubborn
determination. Stubborn determination
will only take you so far. Added to
this virtuous resolve must be the delight and joy of the Word of God. The poet will not “forget Thy law” and has
“not gone astray from Thy precepts” because he has in addition to great
determination a delight in the Lord’s testimonies. He says in verse 111, “For they are the joy
of my heart.” It is when the holy will
of God transitions from rules, laws and obligation to be met to the love,
delight and joy of our hearts that we will find the strength to remain faithful
even under extremely difficult circumstances. That love will power our
obedience, “Forever, even to the end.”
Psalm 119:113-120 Samech
The
poet abhors and despises those who turn from God.
There
will be a necessary segregation in the life of the disciple. The disciple rejects those who are not loyal
to God and His word with a faithful heart.
The double- minded person is attempting to both adhere to the Word of
God and live as if the Lord’s command did not apply to him. This double-minded individual is attempting
to find safety in being on both sides; in contrast, the disciple has made the
Lord his protection, his hiding place and shield.
The
disciple banishes the evildoers. Notice
that the double-minded man is not, in fact, a neutral. The double-minded man is actively practicing
evil; there is no neutral position and trying to be neutral is in fact an act
of evil. The poet expels these kinds of
people from his company. The word
“Depart” in verse 115 is more than a simple command to go away. This word is passionate to the point than it
can carry an aggressive or violent overtone.
It was on one occasion translated “beheaded”. The absence of these double-minded evildoers
is necessary for the disciple to faithfully observe the Lord’s commands. If any disciple allows double minded
hypocrites and evildoers to be his influencers or guides it will be impossible
for him to remain faithful to God. Our best hope is to see to it that the Word
and those who are submissive to it are the stimulus for our lives.
In
verse 118, the poet tells us that the deceitfulness of the wicked is
useless. That word useless is more
potent that we first might expect. The
point the poet is making is that all the councils, plans, and machinations or
the wicked are ultimately self- destructive.
Not only will these plans fail they will ultimately turn out to be the
ruin of their conspirators.
Understanding the contrast between these wicked plans and the
trustworthiness of God’s word the poet is moved to greater affection for the
Lord’s way. He is in fear, both in that
he holds the Lord with a reverent awe and terrified of the idea of being on the
wrong side and finding himself condemned by the Lord’s righteous judgment.
Psalm
119:121-128 Ajin
He
is oppressed, but God will not allow him to be crushed.
Like
many of Jesus’ parables the poet in this section uses the metaphor of wealth to
teach commitment to the God he serves.
However, there is the possibility that in this section of the poem he
moves beyond metaphor to concrete. In
verse 122, the poet asked that God Himself will be his “surety” or we might say
mortgage. The promise of repayment for a
life faithfully lived is to come from God because the disciple has sought God
and God’s will faithfully. The disciple
remains in a persecuted state, but doesn’t stop seeking a higher level and more
faithful commitment to God. This is no
casual curiosity, but it is rather a passionate effort so focused that his eyes
fail because he has been looking so long and so hard for the Lord. But rather than complain, the disciple sees
this life of learning the Lord’s statutes as an expression of God’s loving
kindness or mercy.
Verse
126 is a pretty bold statement. The
disciple makes a declaration that it is time for the Lord to Act. He has moved from a request to a declaration. In keeping with seeing God as his mortgage
pledge he is now asking God to “act”.
This is one of the words used in the account of God’s creation of the
universe. This is the word used when the
creation account says, “God made…” It has the implication to make something out
of what already exists or to fashion one thing from another. (As opposed to create out of nothing) This new or remade reality, which the
disciple is asking for, motivates him to love the Lord’s commands. He loves the commands more than the apex of
godless greed, gold or fine gold.
Perhaps this is more than a mere metaphor. It is entirely possible that for this
poet/disciple this is a real choice. He
could have chosen the low road and become a wealthy individual, but he has
elected the way of the Word of God. He
has enjoyed a different kind of wealth, a wealth of soul that allows him to
understand in ever growing ways the Lord’s will. He says he “esteems right all Thy precepts”.
This is not a claim of perfect knowledge of all that God has said. This word is used to describe the way a man
looks at a woman and is able to identify her as beautiful. The poet/disciple here looks at the way of
God’s precepts and laws and is able to recognize that they are indeed beautiful
and right and fitting. Because of seeing
how wonderfully they fit he is able to have a hate of the ways that would lead
him away.
Psalm 119:129-136 Phe
He pleads
for protection from the ungodly, while shedding floods of tears for them.
This
section of the Psalm has some of the most profound thoughts in all of
Scripture. The poet begins with “Thy
testimonies are wonderful”. That phrase
itself is profound. The Word of God
becomes more beautiful and profound the more it is contemplated. It is marvelous, but there is a strangeness
about it; it is pleasing at a glance, but draws us into deeper contemplation
that is more than casual observation. It
is compelling in its allure to us. The
more we consider the Word the more we want to know and keep it. For many the stagnation of our discipleship
is that we have too casually glanced at the Word and not allowed ourselves to
be drawn into it. The poet/disciple
finds that his soul, a powerful descriptive word of the passion of the living
being, observes the Word of God. This
“observation” is more than watching, but carries the implication of “keeping”
or “guarding”; it is as if the Word has become the apple or center of his eye
or gaze.
This
reaction is understandable when we consider that the Word is able to give light
and the simple understanding. The more
he has of the Word the more he desires the Word. It is working on him like an addiction except
for his benefit. In each of the verses 132-134, the poet/disciple expresses his
great desire and then confidently speaks of what he expects God to do. This is no name and claim, personal,
financial or temporal blessings; rather, it is the desire to move more deeply
into the will of God, to become what God wants him to be. Each verse is a duality with the first line
expressing a plea and the second line showing what God can do. This is an expression of positive prayers being
answered. Those who love God and want
more of Him will receive more of God.
Those who desire holy living according to God’s Word will not be
dominated by iniquity. Those who wish to
keep God’s Word will be freed from oppression by which man would attempt to
prevent that. A note here is wise. Verse 134 is not necessarily a formula for
political liberty. It may be that the
disciple is redeemed for rescue not into political liberty, but into the
liberty of not caring about public opinion or not caring about the things lost
because of loyalty to God. Verse 134 may
have more to do with the work God does in us than He does around us. Verse 135 refers back to the Aaronic blessing
and the ideal of God’s smile on us.
Sometimes our presence or arrival brightens the face or eyes of a loved
one. We can tell by their expression
that they love us and are delighted to see us and be with us. The poet/disciple wants that experience, but
it immediately turns to learning the statues of God. As God delights in us we want to know Him and
His ways better. Apathy or disinterest
in the Word of God is a symptom of a deeper relational problem we have with
God.
This
marvelous passage concludes with the poet/disciple in tears. As he experiences the joy of God, his heart
breaks for the ungodly. He has a
never-ending stream of tears because men do not keep the Word of God. His sorrow is not that they live in ways
offensive to him, but that they are missing the joy of God. How unlike so many disciples today who are more
concerned about winning the culture war or getting “bad” people to behave in
given ways. The poet/disciple is deeply
sorrowful that his opponents are missing the joy of God’s Word and the life he
has for them.
Psalm 119:137-144 Tsade
God
rules righteously and faithfully according to His word, for which the poet is
zealous.
It
is a concept difficult for us to understand being fallen creatures, but every
action, command, ruling and motive of the God of all power, might and over the
whole universe is always and in every way holy, perfect and righteous. We who can go only a moment, at best, without
being selfish, foolish, and sinful even in our little sphere can’t comprehend
such total cosmic and absolute holiness.
But as we try, we become like the poet/disciple as he expresses in
verses 137-138. As a result he (and us
if we join him) will find that zeal or passion will become our end. The word zeal is most often translated
“jealousy, a complete unwillingness to share or to have divided
loyalties”. We often associate this
ideal with something negative, but it all depends on the context. A jealous husband or wife will not share the
love of their spouse with another. God
Himself is a jealous God and will not tolerate the worship of His people to be
directed to another god. The word is no
moody or pouting attitude, but is active and dynamic. It is described as fire and smoke, of anger
and something consuming and even of God in battle for His people. This passion for the righteousness of God has
consumed the disciple/poet. Again this
word might surprise us. It is most often
translated “destroyed” but can also be translated “annihilate”, “cut off” or
“silenced”. This is no warm inner glow
that happens when one reads the Word. In
the Word of God the poet/disciple comes to an end of himself. He realizes, as
he sees in his opponents a disregard for the Law, that there is no middle
ground. He has disavowed or denied
himself for the Law.
The
word is pure or refined; it has withstood every test and is not harmed. Nothing else in the poet/disciple’s life or
world can be so trusted and so he admits his love for the word. It doesn’t change his circumstances; he is still
oppressed and small, but will cling obstinately to the Word. We must not think that faithfulness to the
Word is some sort of magic formula that will allow us to avoid struggles and
hardships. Rather our loyalty to the
word is in all circumstances. Two words
used to describe the poet/disciple’s life are trouble and anguish. These words are both descriptions of deep
persona conflict. Trouble comes from the
root that means ‘tight’ to be pressed in or squeezed, and can often be
translated ‘enemy’. The word anguish can
be translated as siege, to be surrounded by enemies with no way out. The one who is committed to the Word of God
can hardly expect his best life now.
Regardless of the circumstances he remains faithful because he knows
that in understanding which comes from the Word is where He can find life
Psalm 119:145-152 Qoph
Oh,
that God would hear his crying by day and by night.
The
poet/disciple pleads with God with his whole heart for the Lord’s help for the
purpose of living according to the laws of God.
How often our pleas with God are so that He will give us what we
want. This poet/disciple pleads for the
help to live faithfully. The
poet/disciple describes in this section his predawn and the after-dark
devotions. Before the sun is up he is
waiting on the promises of God and with eager anticipation he looks forward to
the nighttime to meditate on God’s word.
We have lost the meaning of meditation in western culture. We have mistakenly associated meditation with
eastern mysticism in which the goal is to empty the mind. (This by the way is
an extremely unwise idea. In empting the
mind it is more susceptible to the power of the demonic.) The meditation the poet/disciple is speaking
of is an active engagement of the mind. In fact, the Hebrew word is most often
translated “complain”. The poet/disciple is not advocating complaining against
God, but rather to contrast the word and will of God with the daily reality
that we live and face. To meditate is
neither an empty mind, nor is it a mere academic exercise. It is to look at the reality of our life and
see how it conforms with or rebels against the Law of God. Both externally and internally we face
conflict between what is and what ought to be.
Meditation is the act of arguing how these realities battle and how we
move toward what God wants.
In
verses 149-150 the poet/disciple expresses two realities that his meditation
has brought to mind. First is the
reality that he needs God’s mercy to revive him. As he has wrestled with the reality of his
life he comes to the conclusion that he is still in need of mercy and that
merciful revival and renewal will come through God’s ordinances. Second, those who are following the way of
wickedness are drawing near. Perhaps the
poet/disciple uses the hours of night to study God’s word to avoid the
persecution of his enemies. Perhaps the
enemies are getting close to him and his danger is growing. The poet/disciple is aware that his
persecutors are closer to him than they are to God. He is comforted with the awareness that God
is closer still. There are two truths
that the poet/disciple lays hold of as he closes this section. God is near and His word is still true. The poet/disciple recalls that these words
have always been a part of his life and that they predate him and secured them
for all ages to come. No matter the pressure
of persecution the poet/disciple has the eternal Word of God.
Psalm 119:153-160 Resh
Because
God cannot suffer those who are faithful to His word to succumb, the poet/disciple
begs for helpful pity.
As
we look at this passage one question might come to mind. In 154, the poet/disciple says, “Plead my
cause…” We might ask, “With whom would God plead a case?” God doesn’t need to plead with anyone, He
commands. This question misses the
nature of the word plead. The emphasis of
this word is not on the asking, but on the volume or decibel level of the
communication. The word here is not about
a persuasive argument set forth by a lawyer or philosopher. This word here is a
loud, noisy, clamorous, contentious argument.
This is more of a shouting match than a discussion. What the poet/disciple is asking for is that
God’s redemption will be obvious and bombastic. The conflict has been building
to a head and the poet wants to see God’s explosive words coming to his
defense.
Because
they have rejected God’s Word, His rescue is not available for the wicked nor
are the wicked capable of providing rescue.
But for the poet/disciple God’s Word is a source of mercy, which
expresses itself in revival or renewal.
The poet/disciple is determined to remain loyal to God even when he
senses that he is alone and surrounded by the wicked. Earlier the poet/disciple speaks of streams
of tears that he has because the wicked “do not keep the law” v. 136. Now there is a different expression; now we
see the poet/disciple loathes the treacherous.
What has happened? There comes a
point in which the villainy that comes from disregard of God’s law causes the
poet/disciple to reach a breaking point.
The word translated “loath” comes from the root word that means, “to
break, snap or be cut off.” There comes
a point that even this most patient of God’s loyal people has enough. It is important to note why this breaking has
come about. It was not an offense to the
poet/disciple or even his persecution. Rather
it was the rejection of God’s way, with some special attention to the betrayal
of what is right. It is the same
behavior that caused such great sorrow in verse 136, “they do not keep Thy
law/word”. It is possible for those who
are fully committed to God to find great sorrow and great revulsion in the same
behavior of the wicked. We need to
beware when we notice that we have only one or the other of these responses.
The
poet/disciple concludes this passage with a reaffirmation of his affection for
the Word of God; this is set in contrast to his disdain for the wicked. And he
hopes that according to the mercies of the Lord he will be renewed. The Word can bring this renewal because it is
truth in total. The word translated
“sum” in the NASB is literally “head”.
Imagine a column of numbers added together, but rather than the total
being on the bottom it is at the top of the column; it would be the head or
sum. In the next phrase there is an
emphasis on the singularity. Literally,
this line says, “And forever every one of Your righteous judgments.” The point the poet/disciple is making is if
you look at the individual commands of God or the totality of them, you find
the same beautiful righteousness.
Psalm 119:161-168, Shin
The
poet/disciple being persecuted by princes clings fast to Him.
There
are two things that the politically powerful desire above all else. They want to be loved and adored by their
people and they want to be the most feared by their enemies. The poet/disciple is a disappointment to his
princes. While they persecute him
without just reason he reserves his awe/fear and his love for the Lord. At best a ruler might make and enforce good
laws, but it is for the Word of God that the poet/disciple rejoices as if he
found a great spoil. The prince is never more than a steward of power, but God
is the holder, creator and source of all power.
The
poet/disciple is so moved that seven times a day he praises the Lord. There are two ways of addressing this phrase
and both are excellent spiritual disciplines.
The poet/disciple may have used seven as the symbolic number of
completion. The number seven is often a
figure for the completion of anything, e.g. creation. If this is the case, the poet is saying for
the whole day, “I praise Thee.” The
other possibility is that seven refers to seven specific times of prayer for
the disciple. This practice is seen in a
10th century sermon that called for religious observations at
breakfast, 9:00 AM, noon, 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM, bedtime and midnight. Either pattern, if faithfully carried out, is
appropriate.
The
promise of verse 165 is one of the great promises of Scripture. “Those who love Thy law have great peace,” is
the first part of the promise. Peace
here is the greatest of all the Hebrew words “shalom”. It is more that an absence of stress or
struggle it is whole and completeness of life.
It is an overflowing abundance of well-being in the confidence that God
loves and cares for us (His character) and that He is able to bless our lives
with His very best (His power). The love
of God’s law opens us up to the blessings of a relationship with God where ultimately
all is well. The second line says
basically the same thing except from a negative perspective. The one who loves God’s Word is protected
from the stumbling block. This carries
with it the ideal that the one who loves God’s Word is, by knowing the Word,
able to see danger in advance. It is
like the advantage of having a light to shine on a dark path. (Vs. 105) The poet/disciple finds that the great
spiritual blessings of the Word have begun to trickle down into the level of
daily living.
The
poet/disciple is still under persecution, he is still suffering for his faith,
never- the-less, he speaks with great positive voice about the benefits of
God’s Word. The Word of God is neither
magic talisman nor collection of spells and incantations. It is the introduction to the One who gives
hope and joy. This life of confident joy
is lived out because the poet/disciple constantly keeps the love of God’s Word
a priority. It is a reciprocal
relationship, as he loves the Word it empowers him, and as it empowers him he
grows to love the Word.
Psalm 119:169-176 Tav
The
poet/disciple pleads that God would seek him, the isolated and endangered
sheep!
The
poet/disciple is not resting on his laurels or past adherence to the Lord and
His word. For 168 verses he has declared
his love for and commitment to the Word of God.
We might expect in the last refrain that he might lessen the intensity
of his pleading. The opposite is
true. In these last lines it is as if
the poet/disciple is giving one final effort to appeal to God. It is not uncommon that the person who is closest
to the Lord is most profoundly aware of their need for His grace. The person who believes himself to be a
“pretty good Joe” is most profoundly distant from God.
In
the first four verses of this section, the poet/disciple expresses his desire
to honor God with four vocal expressions.
In those four verses we see the word translated “cry” (v 169) is more
completely translated song of joyful praise and was used to describe a sort of
victory cry that would sweep through an army. The word “supplication” (v 170)
is descriptive of a pleading for mercy, favor or help. In the next verse (v 171) the poet/disciple
sings the praise or glory of God. Then
he talks “singing” (v 172). Interestingly, this word is more accurately
translated “respond” but its root word means “to dwell”. To us a modern
metaphor would be the poet/disciple says his default setting is to respond to
life with praise for God.
The
poet/disciple asked for the Lord’s hand to be his ever-ready help because the
Lord’s salvation is his great desire. He
connects this to delight in the law and the precepts of God. Many a person will talk about wanting the
blessing of God and much is said and written about how to obtain the blessing
of God. But the Holy Spirit inspired the
poet/disciple to say the means by which the hand of the Lord will work is the
Word of the Lord. The work of the Lord’s
hand is not so that the poet/disciple can have all the things he wants. Rather the objective the poet/disciple seeks
is the opportunity to offer praise to the Lord.
The
last verse of this lengthy Psalm is powerful and profound. Having read this Psalm we might expect that
this is a man of great piety, and he clearly is, but his self- understanding is
that he is a lost sheep. The more holy a
person the more profoundly aware they, in absolute terms, are unholy. Those closest to God are the ones most aware
of how absolutely distinct and above all else (Holy) God is. This is not the lost sheep of apostasy but
the one who, in moments wanders off, but is aware of that wandering. They are aware because they, consistent with
the whole theme of this Psalm, “ do not forget Thy commandments”.
