ז ZAYIN
“Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life. The proud have me in great derision, yet I do not turn aside from Your law. I remembered Your judgments of old, O Lord, and have comforted myself.
Indignation has taken hold of me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, and I keep Your law. This has become mine, because I kept Your precepts.”
ח HETH
“You are my portion, O Lord; I have said that I would keep Your words. I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word. I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies. I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments.
The cords of the wicked have bound me, but I have not forgotten Your law. At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments. I am a companion of all who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy; teach me Your statutes.”
“Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life. The proud have me in great derision, yet I do not turn aside from Your law. I remembered Your judgments of old, O Lord, and have comforted myself.” What affliction is attacking this writer? It appears that “the proud” are mocking him, perhaps because he is virtuous and they are not. If this man is humble and unassuming, those qualities alone might make him a target. But all this scorn has no effect on the writer because he is trusting in God, and God’s word has given him life. The writer knows that his critics are wrong and have no basis for their criticism; meanwhile, he is comforting himself with God’s word.
“Indignation has taken hold of me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, and I keep Your law. This has become mine, because I kept Your precepts.” There is no such thing as second-hand faith. God has no grandchildren, only children. We must trust God ourselves; we cannot claim that our parents or grandparents trusted God and therefore we are saved by their faith. Faith is an individual matter. Unless God’s statutes become our personal songs during our pilgrimage, they are useless to us. Can’t sleep? Get up and read your Bible. Night times are excellent times for prayer because we are no longer distracted as we are during the day.
“You are my portion, O Lord; I have said that I would keep Your words. I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word. I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies. I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments.” Partial obedience is no obedience. If we have covenanted with God to keep His words, we must do it promptly. Jesus told his disciples a parable about a man who asked both of his sons to do something. The first son made extravagant promises but never acted on them. The second son initially refused but later changed his mind and obeyed. Jesus’ point was that the son who obeyed did far better, even though he argued a bit at first. (Matthew 21:28-32) Some scholars feel that the first son represents the religious leaders of Israel who rejected John the Baptist’s teaching while the second son represents the prostitutes and tax collectors who flocked to hear John and who repented under his ministry.
If we beg God to favor us, we must follow His commandments, think about our ways, and direct our steps into God’s ways. No amount of wishing will accomplish anything. To resolve something is to make up your mind to do it. Most New Year’s resolutions fail because they are not resolutions but wishes, and wishy-washy wishes at best. (Try saying “wishy washy wishes rapidly ten times and see what happens!)
“The cords of the wicked have bound me, but I have not forgotten Your law. At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments. I am a companion of all who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy; teach me Your statutes.”
While the psalmist might not be literally tied up, he has been bound up by the criticism and slander of the wicked. Even if the psalmist has to get up at midnight to pray, he will persist in doing so.
Sometimes when we take a stand for righteousness, we feel completely alone. We expect an attack at any minute. But no matter how bad things appear, God always has a remnant of people who love Him and worship Him. Fred Rogers tells the story of how his mother helped neutralize frightening situations for him by urging him to always look for the helpers, the people who were working to alleviate the situation. Even though the helpers may be very few, they are always present.
APPLICATION: Perhaps today you feel very much like the psalmist in these verses. You have taken over a difficult situation and now find yourself under fire for decisions taken before you came into office. Perhaps your predecessors made terrible administrative blunders, leaving the mess for you to straighten out. At such times, you long for some quick and lasting solution. In Greek mythology, Hercules cleaned out the Augean stables choked with years of manure by diverting a stream through the stables, flushing out the manure.
Generally, God allows us to struggle through months or even years of conflict to strengthen and enlighten us. It’s sad but true that most of us are slow learners; the more painful a spiritual lesson is, the longer it takes for us to get it through our thick skulls. At such times, the Psalms can be of enormous help. Here in Psalm 119, the writer is reaching his hand down through the centuries, grasping ours and saying, “Hold on! The struggle is worth it! You WILL make it!” This phenomenon is part of what is meant by the phrase “The communion of the saints.” Those who have gone before us have left spiritual legacies that we can continue to enjoy and learn from.
Today, read back through these verses and find one that speaks to you. Put it on your cell phone or write it somewhere where you can see it and then memorize it. That verse is God’s special gift to you for today. Don’t miss it!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we bless You and praise You for Your Word and for all those involved in writing it throughout the ages. Help us to treasure You Word and to memorize it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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