ש SHIN.
“Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart fears only Your word. I rejoice in Your promise like one who finds great spoil. I hate and abhor falsehood, but Your law I love. Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous judgments. Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your instruction; nothing can make them stumble. I wait for Your salvation, O LORD, and I carry out Your commandments. I obey Your testimonies and love them greatly. I obey Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You.”
ת TAU.
“May my cry come before You, O LORD; give me understanding according to Your word. May my plea come before You; rescue me according to Your promise. My lips pour forth praise, for You teach me Your statutes. My tongue sings of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous. May Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts. I long for Your salvation, O LORD, and Your law is my delight. Let me live to praise You; may Your judgments sustain me. I have strayed like a lost sheep;
seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.“
“Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart fears only Your word. I rejoice in Your promise like one who finds great spoil. I hate and abhor falsehood, but Your law I love. Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous judgments. Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your instruction; nothing can make them stumble.” Which rulers are persecuting this guy? Who knows? Somehow this guy has wound up as a target. But rather than go hide in a corner, this guy is praising God seven times a day. All that praise lifts this man’s spirits and gives him something far more positive than obsessing about his enemies. Another translation of the last verse is “Great peace have those who love Your law. Nothing can make them stumble.” I have repeated that verse to myself on many occasions when I have found myself in a tight spot.
“I long for Your salvation, O LORD, and Your law is my delight. Let me live to praise You; may Your judgments sustain me. I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.“ After all has been said and done, this is the psalmist’s conclusion, and it should be ours as well. Most of us stray like lost sheep at some point or other, so it’s comforting to remember that God is the Shepherd who seeks and saves.
APPLICATION: Today’s study is the last in the series on Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is actually an acrostic in Hebrew, with each section beginning with the appropriate letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Somehow the writer manages to express his feelings while creating an intellectual challenge at the same time. Most of us are happy just to study his efforts!
How should you handle Psalm 119? There are many ways to approach it. One of my favorites is to read until a verse stops me and then to copy that verse so that I can memorize it. Don’t be surprised if different verses light up for you at various times; that’s the Holy Spirit guiding you. The wonderful aspect of the Bible is that no matter how many times you read it, you will always find something new, something that you can apply to your life the day you read it. That’s the wonder of God’s Word.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You for giving us Your word that will enlighten us, guide us, encourage us, protect us, and preserve us. Give us an ever-increasing hunger for Your word. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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