ט TETH.
“You are good to Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I keep Your word. You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your statutes.
Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep Your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts are hard and callous, but I delight in Your law. It was good for me to be afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes. The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
י IOD.
Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding to learn Your commandments. May those who fear You see me and rejoice, for I have hoped in Your word. I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
May Your loving devotion comfort me, I pray, according to Your promise to Your servant. May Your compassion come to me, that I may live, for Your law is my delight. May the arrogant be put to shame for subverting me with a lie; I will meditate on Your precepts. May those who fear You turn to me, those who know Your testimonies. May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.”
“Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I keep Your word. You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your statutes…. Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep Your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts are hard and callous, but I delight in Your law. It was good for me to be afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes. The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.”
” There’s a saying that “Life is like a beaver colony; one dam thing after another.” Evidently, the psalmist has been struggling with physical problems, only to find himself the target of a smear campaign. Perhaps this psalmist is a prominent priest or music leader surrounded by jealous colleagues. Perhaps someone has started a rumor that the psalmist has been stealing from the temple treasury or a rumor that the psalmist is a leper, a diagnosis that would render him a social outcast. We don’t know his circumstances; we only know that for our writer, the pressure is on and God’s word has become his only refuge. No amount of money can buy peace, but God’s word is giving our writer peace and comfort.
“Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding to learn Your commandments. May those who fear You see me and rejoice, for I have hoped in Your word. I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.” The psalmist realizes that behind the scenes, there are those who fear the Lord and who are watching to see his fate. If God has created us, it only makes sense that God will be the One to give us understanding of His commandments as well. But what does it mean for God to afflict us in faithfulness? Sometimes God “gifts” us with problems because He is steering us in a particular direction, a direction we would not consider otherwise.
“May Your loving devotion comfort me, I pray, according to Your promise to Your servant. May Your compassion come to me, that I may live, for Your law is my delight. May the arrogant be put to shame for subverting me with a lie; I will meditate on Your precepts. May those who fear You turn to me,
those who know Your testimonies. May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.”Where do we find comfort? Coffee? Chocolate? Romance videos or novels? Visiting with friends or family? The problem is that no matter where we turn for comfort, nothing apart from God will satisfy us. Too much coffee will leave us jittery and too much chocolate will leave us looking like a hippy hippo. And if we are honest with ourselves, how many of us can claim to be blameless? Only God’s word will guide us to become blameless.
Apparently, the psalmist is surrounded by witnesses, many of whom are hoping for his downfall by lying about him while some are hoping that God will prove faithful. The psalmist is begging God to help him remain faithful, setting a great example for those around him.
APPLICATION: Sometimes we want to do something that seems good and right but that is not God’s perfect will for us at that time. God may bless us with health problems or administrative delays so that His perfect will can be carried out. In August 2006 I was headed home on my bicycle in the dark when the front wheel fell into a hole, causing the bicycle to fall sideways. I landed hard on my left hip, incurring a minor hip injury that forced me to be on crutches. A few days later, we left for America, and my injury forced us to remain in America so that I could heal. During that time, we learned my husband had prostate cancer, for which he was operated successfully in January 2007.
Because my husband had to recover from that operation before we could return to Ghana, we were in his home area to celebrate his birthday with his twin brother in February 2007. Sadly, we found my brother-in-law dead in his house on their mutual birthday; however, this too was a mercy of God. I am a surgeon and my husband is an EMT; we have dealt with dead bodies before. When the local police responded to our call, the senior officer was someone with whom my husband had worked when he was a volunteer police officer in his home community. By the time other relatives arrived at the house, we had covered the body with a blanket, hiding some grim details. Even so, one of the relatives suffered a prolonged panic attack and wound up in hospital. My husband and I had to notify his nieces and nephew and help organize the funeral. Throughout all this, God remained faithful even to the smallest details.
Perhaps today you feel confused and hurt. People whom you have trusted have betrayed you, spreading horrible rumors about you. You wonder if God has abandoned you. Take heart! God remains faithful, and God continues to favor those who will believe in His goodness and grace. Take verses from this section and write them on your cell phone or post them on your bathroom mirror where you can read them and repeat them to yourself. You will find God’s Word will give you peace.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to find our peace and solace in Your Word. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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