ק KOPH.
“I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will obey Your statutes. I call to You; save me, that I may keep Your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; in Your word I have put my hope. My eyes anticipate the watches of night, that I may meditate on Your word. Hear my voice, O LORD, according to Your loving devotion; give me life according to Your justice. Those who follow after wickedness draw near; they are far from Your law. You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are true. Long ago I learned from Your testimonies that You have established them forever.”
ר RESH.
“Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten Your law. Defend my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word. Salvation is far from the wicked because they do not seek Your statutes. Great are Your mercies, O LORD; revive me according to Your ordinances. Though my persecutors and foes are many, I have not turned from Your testimonies. I look on the faithless with loathing because they do not keep Your word. Consider how I love Your precepts, O LORD; give me life according to Your loving devotion. Your word is the essence of truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure.”
“I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will obey Your statutes. I call to You; save me, that I may keep Your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; in Your word I have put my hope. My eyes anticipate the watches of night, that I may meditate on Your word.” Appalled by the moral degradation around him, our psalmist is begging God for help in pursuing holiness. There are certain times of day that are much better for Bible study. I am a morning person, so early mornings are great for me; besides, that might be the only time I will have uninterrupted all day. But if I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep, that’s also a good time to be quiet with God and listen for him to speak to my heart. No, I am not hearing audible voices. There are those who do occasionally hear God speak audibly, but for me, God puts impressions into my mind. The reason I know I am not imagining things is that God frequently demands I do tough things I would rather not.
Once more, the psalmist is begging God to protect him from his accusers, those who have no respect for God’s laws. Are these accusers fellow priests? Fellow worship leaders? Fellow workers in the temple? We are never told, but they are obviously doing everything they can to discredit the writer.
“Though my persecutors and foes are many, I have not turned from Your testimonies. I look on the faithless with loathing because they do not keep Your word. Consider how I love Your precepts, O LORD; give me life according to Your loving devotion. Your word is the essence of truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure.” Is the writer attempting to remind God of His own attributes? No. The psalmist is trying to reassure himself that God really is righteous and that He really will take care of evil doers.
APPLICATION: Many times, we look at those promulgating evil on a massive scale and wonder why God has not already dealt with them. Vladimir Putin’s senseless attacks on Ukraine are a perfect example. But we forget that God loves Vladimir Putin just as much as He loves us and God is giving Mr. Putin the opportunity to repent. Whether or not Mr. Putin will do so is an open question; however, the possibility remains there until the day he dies.
One of the painful things about being in ministry is when your colleagues fail you or even attack you, attempting to destroy your reputation. In our time in missions, we have seen every major mission group we know mishandle personnel in ways that are far from either Christian or loving. If a group has decided to terminate someone, they will go to any lengths to manufacture “evidence” to substantiate their decision. Sometimes it appears that a particular group will pray, “Oh God, here is our decision. Please rubber stamp it. Amen!”
The problem is that ministry is carried out by people and people are fallible. The amazing thing is that even if a group makes mistakes, God can still use that situation to His glory. We have witnessed a number of situations where friends changed sending agencies and had long and fruitful ministry careers as a result. God does not waste experiences.
Perhaps you feel very much like the psalmist. You have done your best but those around you seem bent on destroying you. Go to the Lord and ask Him to guide you according to His law. You will never regret it.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to look to You and not to anybody else for our salvation and our justification. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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