Prayer for Relief from Contempt

Psalms 123:1-4 

A Song of Ascents.

1 Unto You I lift up my eyes,
O You who dwell in the heavens.

2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the LORD our God,
Until He has mercy on us.

3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us!
For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

4 Our soul is exceedingly filled
With the scorn of those who are at ease,
With the contempt of the proud.

This song of an ascent is a plea for mercy in the face of unearned contempt from the ungodly world set against God’s people and the LORD Himself.  It shows our hope in being able to look heavenward to the creator and sustainer of our souls.  This hope of an answer moves us to look to our Lord God for help in times of distress and adversity; we have confidence in the One who lives above us in sovereign omnipotent and omniscient rule over the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45, Acts 24:15), knowing we are only considered just in Christ’s righteousness (1 Peter 3:18).  We are as servants who gaze with expectancy and hope in Him for undeserved mercy, knowing it is by His mighty hand we are delivered and kept for the final day of judgment (2 Timothy 1:12), as well as in daily circumstances we face.  Yes, Lord, have mercy on us all, for we are contemptible to the ungodly of this present evil age age!  Our character is slandered and the hatred and extreme dislike of those opposed to You fills our souls with grief and pain as they turn on us because of Your name and the gospel of mercy in grace (Revelation 12:17).  The proud are full of contempt for You and Your forgiveness found in repentance and faith to eternal life by the reconciling work of Jesus the Christ for us.  Bit we find peace with You in Him and trust you in these storms of life, awaiting a better life that never ends before Your face!  We pray for relief, but find contentment until it finds us.  Amen!

The Joy of Going to God’s House

Psalms 122:1-9
A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 I was glad when they said to me,
"Let us go into the house of the LORD."

2 Our feet have been standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem is built
As a city that is compact together,

4 Where the tribes go up,
The tribes of the LORD,
To the Testimony of Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the LORD.

5 For thrones are set there for judgment,
The thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May they prosper who love you.

7 Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces."

8 For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, "Peace be within you."

9 Because of the house of the LORD our God
I will seek your good.

King David, the man after God’s own heart penned this song of ascent to sing as he journeyed to Jerusalem to worship.  He expressed his overwhelming joy when others invited him to go to meet God there in the service of worship (Romans 12:1).  This is the joy which God’s people continue to have in meeting together in the assembly of the saints, a corporate worship in serving together with psalms, hymns, and spiritually moving songs to extol His grace (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16).  We follow the pattern of the beloved psalmist here to stand in the gates of the churches in which we gather together, showing solidarity in Christ for the glory of the Father by the power and unification of the Spirit.  Just as the tribes of God’s original chosen people gathered in Jerusalem, we will gather with them from out of all nations together in the New Jerusalem, the Celestial City to come down from heaven with His presence before us.  How we yearn for that day!  We will testify of His testimonies together there at last, but in a limited fashion until then in our congregations here.  We give thanks in our words and worship, praying and teaching, and encouraging each other (Hebrews 10:24-25) until that day.  Since we will also face His judgment seat then, standing before the throne of grace, we strive to be well-pleasing in this life out of eternal gratitude (Hebrews 13:21).  In a similar way, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem as David did here, but in a larger sense of the City to come where all He calls inhabit His praises in worship.  We pray who sincerely love Him, that His people prosper in the inner person above all else, while still having what is necessary for life in addition to godliness.  We pray for peace with God to all He calls in Christ (Romans 5:1).  Peace that is within the hearts and minds of all believers in truth.  Because of this holy calling, we seek each other’s good as He has for us.  This is the joy we have together in going to God’s house, the church, as a precious people (1 Peter 2:4-6).  Amen!

Traveling Upward to Find God’s Help

Psalms 121:1-8
A Song of Ascents.

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

This psalm of ascents is a reminder to the travelers on the way upward to Jerusalem and the temple where God is found to worship and serve Him.  It is a song of hope and remembrance of His help, such as is only possible from the Creator of heaven and earth, as well as us all upon it.  This is where our help originates, in the Originator of all there is or ever will be.  He is worthy and more than capable to help us in times of need, especially in our journey of sanctification as we grow closer to worship and glorify Him as living sacrifices!  It is God’s providence empowered by sovereign grace which keeps our steps ordered and secure (Psalm 37:23).  He never sleeps in His watchcare over His sons and daughters; the LORD is not drowsy or inattentive as we are, for He is ever vigilant over His creation.  We can rely on His loving care always to keep us.  Because He is our keeper, and since He gives comfort as shade on a hot desert day, we can trust Him to watch over us for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).  He preserves His sheep whom He diligently and lovingly watches over.  He keeps us from evil (Matthew 6:13, John 17:15, Galatians 1:4) to preserve His saints (Jude 1:24, John 10:28-29) to the end.  This is our security, His preservation of the saints, and our perseverance in Christ (John 6:39, 18:9) until the last day, that of our resurrection to life.  He keeps us as we go in and out (John 10:9), now and forever.  This is our eternal hope as we ascend to the temple in the heavens in the New Jerusalem on the new earth, that which comes down from heaven as the one which the earthly one is merely patterned after the heavenly city and tabernacle of worship (Revelation 21:2, Hebrews 8:5, 9:11, 11:16).  We travel upward (Philippians 3:14) then to find God’s help along the way from that heavenly throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), ascending to stand at last before Him (Job 19:25, Revelation 21:3, 22:4) in never ending worship and praise in the eternal temple at His throne.  How we long for these things along our upward journey! 

A Song for Ascending to Worship

Psalms 120:1-7
A Song of Ascents.

1 In my distress I cried to the LORD,
And He heard me.

2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips
And from a deceitful tongue.

3 What shall be given to you,
Or what shall be done to you,
You false tongue?

4 Sharp arrows of the warrior,
With coals of the broom tree!

5 Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech,
That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

6 My soul has dwelt too long
With one who hates peace.

7 I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war.

These few psalms sung as ascents by their titles were sung on pilgrimages to the temple at Jerusalem for worship.  As they walked uphill to the city on a hill for the three main festivals, these songs allowed them to talk to the LORD God as they approached for celebration and worship, and some believe that the priests would also sing them as they ascended the temple steps.  They are Psalms 120-134, and this first one is a cry to God for relief from bitter enemies, asking for God’s presence in their distress.  Their prayerful cry was answered as the psalmist wrote and the people of God sang out with faithful expectations.  They asked for deliverance from wicked men who slandered them with their lies and deceit.  The song calls the accusers to account before God for their false tongues wagging against His chosen people, with hope of divine intervention.  This was as they made their way on long journeys uphill to the over 2,700 foot high plateau where the temple stood in the city of the Great King, so they had plenty of time to sing with prayerful hope for deliverance.  The burning accusations were like arrows shot at them for no reason, just because of where they lived and who was living around them (descendants of Ishmael), those opposed to God and His people.  The psalmist acknowledged that it was too long to live with those only wanting to pick a fight, with those who actually hated peace itself.  Such contentious foes (Psalm 35:20-21) wanted only war, while God’s people prayed for peace (Psalm 109:3-5) in the midst of the volley of harsh and hateful words, much as we find today from those denying and hating God and those in Christ.  We seek peace, but those opposed to Christ only seek to fight and oppose God through us.  We dwell too long among those who hate peace, it often appears, so our response should be to pray for them in our sanctification’s ascent to the New Jerusalem to come.  We pray for them to either find peace with God in Christ (Romans 5:1), or to be defeated and exposed (Ephesians 5:13) for their deceitful words and deeds.  We can sing as we ascend to worship in these temples, individually and collectively (1 Peter 2:4-5), with songs of praise and hope of deliverance.  Amen! 

Understanding for a Lost Sheep

Psalms 119:169-176

ת TAU

169 Let my cry come before You, O LORD;
Give me understanding according to Your word.

170 Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.

171 My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.

172 My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.

173 Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.

174 I long for Your salvation, O LORD,
And Your law is my delight.

175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;
And let Your judgments help me.

176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.

Prayer cries out to God for understanding, and the answer echoes back mightily from the pages of His word to us.  The words were breathed through the hands of chosen men to be stored as treasure in the pages of scripture, and it is again by His breath (that is, the Holy Spirit of God) by which we gain understanding as the words come to life in our hearts and minds according to His working in us.  When the psalmist cries for understanding according to His word, this is how He answers lost sheep like us, and wandering sheep along life’s narrow way after having been found at last.  We then bring our supplications, our requests for grace which burden our hearts and minds, brought to Him to beg for deliverance from the adversity and circumstances of life.  We ask these things according to His word, however, and not contrary to all He says; not for personal misuse or demanded as if owed, but humbly as servants desiring relief or as children desiring the good already desired by their Father.  Then we find ourselves also uttering praises as He teaches us by His word of grace and mercy, wonderful things (Isaiah 25:1, Psalm 139:6) beyond ourselves and all our own reasoning.  Having been taught these things, the response is to tell others, since these are righteous words of grace which everyone needs for life and godliness.  We submit to God’s leading and instruction to help us as we choose to hear and follow what we learn from Him (John 6:45).  Apart from God’s word there is no help or hope.  This desire leads to our deliverance as we delight in His word.  We live to praise God because He has saved us with so great a salvation, and are helped then through life by that same word of the scriptures.  Though we stray like simple sheep, His love seeks us out to deliver, and therefore we do not forget or neglect His commandments of grace and saving mercy, not one day of our lives as we meditate on these things from His word.  This is great understanding for a lost or wandering sheep, knowing we have such a Shepherd! 

We Love His Word!

Psalms 119:161-168
ש SHIN

161 Princes persecute me without a cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your word.

162 I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.

163 I hate and abhor lying,
But I love Your law.

164 Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.

165 Great peace have those who love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble.

166 LORD, I hope for Your salvation,
And I do Your commandments.

167 My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.

168 I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.

This song teaches us to hold to God’s word through adversity.  When wrongly persecuted (1 Peter 2:20), especially by important people who may be rulers in the government even, we should follow the example to reflect in His word with awe and wonder, fearing God and not man (Luke 12:5).   Even more, we should treasure God’s word as a pearl of great value and rejoice in hearing from Him whose word we resolve to follow in thankful pleasure of both Him and us.  If we really love Him and His word, then we also love our neighbors as ourselves, without deception in our own words as God has none in His towards us.  We should hate lying and deceit as much as He does, and love His word as much as we are able by absorbing it into our hearts and minds, that it may overflow out into our words and actions.  Like the psalmist, our praise should be often and with a view towards perfection in its purity of sincerity because of His righteous judgments given in the scriptures to us.  Then our love for His word yields the good crop of peace with Him (Romans 5:1) and a walk with minimal stumbling along the way, straying due to sinful ways.  His word keeps us from stumbling (Jude 1:24).  We hope with absolute certainty now in His salvation to deliver us into His eternal kingdom and its celestial city of the New Jerusalem, and therefore keep His word obediently to please and glorify God and His commandments written in our hearts and minds.  Yes, we keep His commands not to earn salvation, but as a result of His work on our behalf.  We love His word!  We keep His word!  Since all we do and think is known before His eyes (Romans 14:12, Hebrews 4:13), we live more diligently to please God in keeping the word of His we love so dearly.  Amen!  

Affliction and Deliverance of Christmas

Psalms 119:153-160
ר RESH

153 Consider my affliction and deliver me,
For I do not forget Your law.

154 Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your word.

155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.

156 Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD;
Revive me according to Your judgments.

157 Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.

158 I see the treacherous, and am disgusted,
Because they do not keep Your word.

159 Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.

160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

On this Christmas Day, this psalm seems out of place at first, yet it speaks of affliction and pleading God’s word for redemption.  That is what this day we cel is about.  It is to consider the plight of all mankind with the onerous and impossible task which the Law put men under, to be perfect in keeping every hot and tittle of the commandments to find reconciliation and acceptance with God.  But this is impossible for us (Romans 5:20-21, 3:20, 23-24) but possible through Christ for us according to His word, which we do our best to follow as we rely on God to deliver (save) us.  Jesus the Messiah pleads our cause and it is He alone who redeems us from sin and death and the eternal punishment of Hell which our wages of sin have earned for every son and daughter of Adam and Eve.  He gives new life to revive the dead both spiritually and in the final resurrection, just as His own resurrection proved these facts to us all who read them.  This is the Christmas hope we now have!  This deliverance is offered to all, but the vessels of destruction find salvation far from them (Romans 9:22-23) in their denial and rejection of God’s word of hope.  He came into this world, but His own seemed to not even know who He was, and rejected Him (John 1:10-11), the very living word made man (John 1:14).  But to the vessels of mercy, we find forgiveness and hope on this day because we received the truth of that Word (John 1:12-13).  God’s tender mercies of grace in forgiveness and reconciliation through faith are great indeed, and it is these truths which give life and hope to the world on the celebration of remembrance when God brought His Word to us in forgiveness and mercy.  We therefore boldly proclaim Him this day, no matter how our enemies may persecute us (Psalm 119:157).  We may find pity instead of disgust for the ungodly who are treacherous in their working to eliminate or corrupt this Christmas Day remembrance, but we hold fast and keep His word as a testimony against them and for Him.  Oh, Lord, remember how Your people love the living and written word, and revive us in love and kindness when we suffer or stumble.  We have seen that great light and worship You!  Yes, all Your word is truth itself and each truth endures forevermore.  Let us have this love of Your arrival and its eternal consequences ring out every day, and not just on this this one. 

Wholehearted Reliance on Truth

Psalms 119:145-152
ק QOPH

145 I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O LORD!
I will keep Your statutes.

146 I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.

147 I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.

148 My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.

149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.

150 They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.

151 You are near, O LORD,
And all Your commandments are truth.

152 Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

This song begins with a wholehearted cry of a prayer aimed heavenward to be heard, and a promise to keep God’s truth from His word.  He hears those who do not allow sinful continuing disobedience to that word calling us to follow in holiness.  We find ourselves therefore confessing the sin we have aimed to avoid, but which we have missed the mark on in the weakness of this flesh (1 John 1:8-10, Romans 8:12-13).  Because He has saved us with such a great salvation, we strive to keep His word faithfully to the best of our ability by the enabling wisdom and power of His Spirit in us.  It is a good habit to rise each morning to pray and ask for strength and guidance to help us avoid sin and follow Him to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  This is only possible if we truly and completely take God at His word-this means every word out of His mouth breathed onto the pages we read and seek to grasp into our hands and feet to live according to our calling.  Hope in His word leads to meditation on all He says and means for us, to guide our hearts and minds into that truth.  When we then cry out in prayer, we ask as the psalmist, to be heard and helped, to be revived by divine justice according to mercy and grace in Christ.  Otherwise, the sentence of the Judge would certainly convict us permanently and eternally (Romans 3:10, 19-20, 23-24, 26) as is just and fair.  We plead grace over judgment, and seek to follow in awe and trembling of the consequences we would have faced with the rest of mankind had He not intervened and taken the sentence of death upon Himself (2 Corinthians 1:9-10) for we who have been chosen and called out in Christ’s righteousness.  The ungodly who refuse to repent will continue to come after us because they are far from His truth and have no love for the scriptures (1 Peter 4:4-5); we know He is near us because we know the truth of His word, that everything is true and truly from Him.  We dare not explain away any part of it, just as Jesus reminds us that we cannot deny the smallest part (Matthew 5:18).  We know as it is written here that God founded His word forever (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:23, 25), before time itself, and it hold when the world has passed away along with the ticking clock of this existence.  We have found a wholehearted reliance of the completely reliable truths of the God’s word! 

Righteousness and Truth

Psalms 119:137-144
צ TSADDE

137 Righteous are You, O LORD,
And upright are Your judgments.

138 Your testimonies, which You have commanded,
Are righteous and very faithful.

139 My zeal has consumed me,
Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.

140 Your word is very pure;
Therefore Your servant loves it.

141 I am small and despised,
Yet I do not forget Your precepts.

142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is truth.

143 Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,
Yet Your commandments are my delights.

144 The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;
Give me understanding, and I shall live.

Righteousness and truth are essential.  God alone is truly righteous, and therefore all His judgments in scripture are just as true and righteous.  His word is commanded to us and all creation inn His faithfulness because of His righteousness.  He is ever so faithful, and so is His word to us; we can certainly and reliably trust all as it is written as being from His will for us.  The grace of God has revealed these things to us, not just with convincing arguments and reasoning to make sense of His word, but with supernatural insight given to us to see the plain and hidden truths there.  Like the psalmist, we zealously are consumed by the scriptures in order to live by them, and are righteously and rightly angered as those commands are disdained and trampled on but those opposed to Him.  The world is God’s enemy because they forget His word and then live in rebellious defiance to Him.  Judgment will satisfy God’s wrath in the end, but that is not for us to exact from them.  Our jealous and passionate ardor is for our God and His commands.  His words are so pure and therefore we love them in our hearts, minds, and with hands and feet set at living them out.  No matter how small and despised we may be to those around us, we live according to His word in willing obedience out of love because He first loved us so very much!  We don’t forget.  And because His righteousness is eternal in the heavens and His word is truth itself, we do not allow troubles and anguish of adversity to run us down, but find comfort and delight in His word.  The righteousness we are found in within Christ is as eternal as His word, for He is the Living Word who has delivered us from God’s wrath in such mercy (Psalm 85:10)!  Righteousness and truth have met mercy and peace in Christ.  Through this God-given understanding, we live in Him according to His word.  Amen! 

Longing to Know and Keep God’s Word

Psalms 119:129-136
פ PE

129 Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.

130 The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.

131 I opened my mouth and panted,
For I longed for Your commandments.

132 Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.

133 Direct my steps by Your word,
And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

134 Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.

135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.

136 Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law.

Ah, to keep this longing of the heart alive and burning for God’s word, that I may know more in order to apply it obediently to my life!  His testimonies in scripture are so wonderful, enough that keeping them is the resulting effect of increasingly knowing them and my God ever more (2 Corinthians 3:18).  How can we not do according to His word?  It gives light to see and give life to us, allowing our simple mortal minds to grasp the infinite heavenly truths by the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 12, 16), who is the word alive.  Do we then long for His commandments as the psalmist, as one dying of hunger and thirst (Matthew 5:6, Jeremiah 15:16, Psalm 42:1)?  We look to our Lord for mercy and grace because He has shown it to us and others before us as recorded on the pages of scripture.  It is His custom to do these things to all who love His name, whose name we are called according to.  This is why we also pray for guidance, asking for the lamp and light of His word to direct each step we take towards our glorification.  Likewise, we turn our hearts and minds to the scriptures to keep us from sin regaining a foothold to rule over us again.  He redeemed us from man and the oppression of sin in that fallen state, and that so we are able and willing to keep His word by living to please Him.  We therefore ask, oh Lord, that You will shine the grace of Your face upon us as You teach us (John 6:45, 1 Thessalonians 4:9); we feel the value of Your word even more as we weep for the many taking the wide road to destruction by willingly disobeying Your word.  Give us grace and strength to shine the light of You on them according to Your word, we pray!  We long to know and keep Your word, and that others may share that joyful passion.  Amen.

Mercy, Understanding, Love, and the Right Way

Psalms 119:121-128

ע AYIN

121 I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.

122 Be surety for Your servant for good;
Do not let the proud oppress me.

123 My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation
And Your righteous word.

124 Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy,
And teach me Your statutes.

125 I am Your servant;
Give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.

126 It is time for You to act, O LORD,
For they have regarded Your law as void.

127 Therefore I love Your commandments
More than gold, yes, than fine gold!

128 Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things
I consider to be right;
I hate every false way.

This song is about God’s word, but also about mercy, understanding, love, and going the right way.  It begins with doing our best to do what is fair and right in God’s eyes, knowing that He honors those who honor Him by heeding what they hear from His mouth put on paper.  It asks for Him to be our guarantee for being able to do any good and for our good according to the covenant which Hebrews 7:22 speaks about.  We also pray that the proud ones are stopped from oppressing us as God’s people, especially as we seem so distant from the deliverance we desire and His righteous word to lead and comfort us.  Our plea is not to be vindicated by our works to earn righteousness, but according to His great mercy, which is grace in action, and the teaching of His word by Him.  We are truly God’s servants who need instruction for understanding to know the testimonies of God’s will to walk out in our obedience in action.  Only Spirit-given comprehension from the scriptures is of any use to us, not our own reasoning or philosophy of men.  Because others around us think that the Bible is meaningless and does not apply to life, we ask God to make it known to them in reality which cannot be argued against; conviction of our lost state and the good news of grace in forgiveness comes by faith which He alone can provide.  We pray for that to happen.  As for we who have believed, we love all of God’s word, whether convicting or comforting; it is of more value than any mere material riches which the lost pursue relentlessly.  We know that the right is not man’s might, but God’s alone, and His word shows the right way to live.  This should make us despise every false way which does not align with the scriptures.  He teaches us about His love that we may in turn so love one another.  He gives us understanding to know how and why.  The mercy we learn from Him humbles us to show mercy to our oppressors.  The right way to live is found in the teaching of the scriptures by His Spirit living in us and others called and gifted to preach and teach to give the mean of what we read and study together.  These lessons are found in this psalm for us concerning His word and work and will. 

Love and Hate

Psalms 119:113-120
ס SAMEK

113 I hate the double-minded,
But I love Your law.

114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in Your word.

115 Depart from me, you evildoers,
For I will keep the commandments of my God!

116 Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.

117 Hold me up, and I shall be safe,
And I shall observe Your statutes continually.

118 You reject all those who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceit is falsehood.

119 You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross;
Therefore I love Your testimonies.

120 My flesh trembles for fear of You,
And I am afraid of Your judgments.

Love and hate according to God’s word is behind the psalmist’s words sung here to us.  He hates those unable to choose and hold to what is right and wrong, who think and do contrarily and without any more conviction than what is suitable for self in each situation.  These double-minded are divided in heart and mind, driven by the winds of wavering faith (James 1:6-8) and sinful in hand and heart (James 4:8).  But we are called to the example of loving God’s word in practice, as well as hating the double-mindedness of faithless pride resulting in sinful thoughts and actions.  When we find refuge under the Rock of our salvation, finding shelter in the storm, it is because we hope and trust in the scriptures coming from God’s breath to land on printed pages which His Spirit moves into hand and heart in a supernatural way, like the unseen wind leading to salvation (John 3:8).  Therefore, we do not keep intimate company with evildoers (1 Corinthians 15:33), but with those who do as God says.  This is not to say we must come out of the world or to judge others (God’s word holds them already in judgment (John 12:48), but not to keep such close relationships that we are drawn from the will and word of God ourselves in becoming like those we relate closely.  As for me, I will choose to follow God according to His word.  By that word He upholds us and gives abundant life in hope and not in shame of that precious certainty of salvation’s hope.  He holds us to keep us in the palm of His hand in security which is removes its grip on us (John 10:28-29).  Because we are safe, we keep His commands continually; we do not live to obey in order to earn or not lose our standing, but because of the goodness and grace of the security of God’s promises in Christ for that standing in His righteousness that earned our salvation by ahi’s work and not our ever-infallible works.  God rejects those vessels of destruction who can be seen by their willingly continuous disobedience and disbelief, but we have been called and given faith to hear and believe, to understand and love His word in willing obedience.  We have the mind of Christ in these things which the wicked do not because of their rebellion and treasonous insurrection against God’s kingdom.  Those will be scooped off the refined metal of the faithful as slag is removed from purified metals as it is written here.  But we who love His testimonies of His good news of grace through the calling of repentance and faith will find a love for His word in fear and trembling with absolute and confident hope in His words and work.  We hate sin and love God.  He hates sin and loves us who follow as a result. 

A Lamp and a Light

Psalms 119:105-112

נ NUN

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

106 I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.

107 I am afflicted very much;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.

108 Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,
And teach me Your judgments.

109 My life is continually in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.

110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.

111 Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.

112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.

God’s word is like a lamp in the darkness of night to keep my feet from falling and my steps sure going forward, and like the light of day from the brightness of the sun which illuminates far beyond my immediate path, into the distance and all around.  His word provides such all- encompassing light to my walk (Proverbs 6:23) in this life with guidance to see what is right before me, as well as the bigger picture and plan seen all around us.  We need such illumination to avoid traps of the wicked one we come across without warning under the next place our foot may tread down on or into, and we likewise need to see the road ahead to plan by good preparation of habit and resolve to walk in the path of righteousness, not straying off it.  His word reveals both what we need for the next steps we take and the longer trip along the way like Pilgrim in The Progress; we need to know pitfalls and side paths to avoid them, and we need to know where we stand at each moment.  Only God’s light can show us both.  In preparation, we follow the example of the psalmist to first determine ahead of time to keep God’s word.  Then in our affliction we might not fall, but be revived with life from above and within according to His Spirit’s work of guidance and enabling.  This is walking by the Spirit according to His word (Galatians 5:16, Romans 8:13).  We offer ourselves as living sacrifices to our Lord by submitting ourselves to His word and will, seeking to be taught by Him that we might see where we stand and down the road where we are journeying.  We know He holds our lives in His hand of goodness and grace moment be moment, and we learn from Him according to His word with this comforting truth, even when the wicked who oppose Him and we in Him bring us under siege.  We do not stray from His word lighting our way, whether in darkness with limited view, or in broad daylight with a more clear vision.  It is His words of testimony to grace and guidance which give us confidence and continuous joy (Jeremiah 15:16) because He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light of grace in Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6, 1 Peter 2:9)!  Therefore, we align with the psalmist to bend our hearts to do all God tells us in the scriptures, even to the end of life here, living in the light as He is in the light, who guides our every step.  Amen and amen! 

Steer to Stay the Course

Psalms 119:97-104
מ MEM

97 Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.

98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the ancients,
Because I keep Your precepts.

101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.

102 I have not departed from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.

103 How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.

We are to steer our lives according to God’s word to stay the course set before us, by loving His words and dwelling on them throughout each day in all circumstances.  The meditation of our hearts should be on what He has said to fill our hearts in following Him as prescribed.  If we meditate on what we hear and read or better still, what we memorize in the scriptures, that changes us and keeps our navigation straight and true.  His commandments give us wisdom to overcome our ever-present enemies and in our understanding make us mature in wisdom years alone cannot provide.  But that wisdom is found only in putting the knowledge to feet and hands and lips.  Keeping God’s word stays our feet from walking on paths of evil and keeps us stayed on the course of the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1-2, Philippians 3:13-14).  If we covenant to keep those judgments which God teaches us by His Spirit living in us, we find it easier with His help in our willing participation.  How sweet are His words!  Yes, they are so much better than honey or any other material food we can find.  By His Word working in us, we get deep understanding to build wisdom which avoids the pitfalls of all the false paths offered by the world and its temporary ruler to keep us from God’s way in Christ.  May we so love God’s scriptures as the psalmist wrote here, and may His word steer us to stay the course! 

God’s Eternally-Settled Word of Salvation

Psalms 119:89-96
ל LAMED

89 Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven.

90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.

91 They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.

92 Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.

93 I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.

94 I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.

95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will consider Your testimonies.

96 I have seen the consummation of all perfection,
But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

God’s word is not up for review, revision, or recanting.  It is eternally settled in heaven because that is where God abides forever as the omnipotent and eternal one who was and is and is to come (Matthew 24:35, 1 Peter 1:25, Revelation 1:4, 8, 11:17), and His words are as unending as He is.  This gives us great confidence and hope in all He tells us through the scriptures, for these words can never be taken away or added to.  They are our sure foundation of faith and life itself.  Because He is forever faithful according to His word as demonstrated in creation, we have a more solid certainty than the planet on which we stand that cannot be moved of changed in its predetermined orbit and rotation.  He established the earth for it to abide forever, which He has also done in we whom He has called out of wrath and the darkness of sin’s destruction to Himself (Romans 16:25, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 Peter 5:10).  Just as the earth continues endlessly to stay its course until the end set by God’s word, so we stay our course because He holds us in His hand from which nobody can remove us.  Our salvation is forever; eternal salvation never is moved even after the end, for we are of infinitely higher value than the earth created to support us.  The settled world we stand upon continues according to His word, and so do we who are in Christ as His servants forevermore, even into the new earth in the newly created heavens (Revelation 21:1).  Without God’s word, we would utterly perish in our sins (John 8:24), therefore we delight in every word from the mouth of God to live by.  How can we forget or neglect the word which brought us life, saving us from our just sentence of spiritual death and suffering for our sin?  We are God’s sons and daughters; we seek Him and the words of life to live accordingly still, because He has saved us with so great a salvation (Hebrews 2:3)!  Though the wicked who mock God’s word attack us in various ways, we hold to the settled and established words of His testimony of Christ our Savior.  His commands cover every aspect of life for godliness and eternal security for perseverance to the end.  He is the consummation of perfection, and His perfect and living word is spoken of Himself who is also (John 1:1) perfect.  Everything for life and godliness is contained in the scriptures for our edification and guidance.  This is our eternally-settled word of salvation, the words of life as the foundation of our faith. 

The Palm of His Hand

Psalms 119:81-88
כ KAPH

81 My soul faints for Your salvation,
But I hope in Your word.

82 My eyes fail from searching Your word,
Saying, "When will You comfort me?"

83 For I have become like a wineskin in smoke,
Yet I do not forget Your statutes.

84 How many are the days of Your servant?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?

85 The proud have dug pits for me,
Which is not according to Your law.

86 All Your commandments are faithful;
They persecute me wrongfully;
Help me!

87 They almost made an end of me on earth,
But I did not forsake Your precepts.

88 Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.

The letter Kaph or Kaf is the 11th letter of the Aleph-Bet, and means the palm of a hand, as well as the number twenty.   We can think of it here loosely as what we hold in our hand, God’s Word.  We hold the hope of salvation, deliverance from God’s wrath on our rebellious sin, in the promises of the scriptures which are breathed out by God and where He is spoken of on every page or turn of the scroll.  Though we hold this great treasure in the palm of our hand, still we find ourselves searching through it for comfort in long times of adversity as the psalmist wrote in verse 82.  We hold the answers, but it takes time to mine them through diligence in reading and studying to understand what we hear as we meditate on all God has in commands, promises, and examples for our salvation and sanctification.  Even when we feel totally spent, worn out by circumstances, we hold to those words in our hand and find hope in the journey.  Even as we suffer under the ungodly and await judgment on those opposed to our Lord and His children, even then as we count the days till His return for the final judgment, we seek help from God through the scriptures when righteousness and truth shall rule over us all.  Why?  Because we absolutely know that His word is as faithful as He is, and our help and Hope in persecution are in our Lord as known through that word.  Even if we are driven to the end of ourselves, we adhere to His word in our hearts, minds, words, and walk.  We don’t forget or cast aside His precepts, but continually build our lives upon His words of life.  When we fail and fall, He lifts us up in such kindness and love for restoration and renewal so that we can go on keeping His word as the testimony of His mouth placed in the palm of our hand to hold as our own treasure and hope.  Of course, the living Word made flesh (John 1:1, 14) held in the palm of our hand reminds us how He holds us in the palm of His own hand in order to keep us until that day (2 Timothy 1:12, Philippians 1:6), which is our eternal assurance and perseverance as planned for those who are called, chosen, and faithful (Revelation 17:14).  As Psalm 31:15 tells us, our times are in the palm of His hand. 

Foundation of God’s Word and Testimony

Psalms 119:73-80
י YOD

73 Your hands have made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.

74 Those who fear You will be glad when they see me,
Because I have hoped in Your word.

75 I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

76 Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to Your word to Your servant.

77 Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live;
For Your law is my delight.

78 Let the proud be ashamed,
For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood;
But I will meditate on Your precepts.

79 Let those who fear You turn to me,
Those who know Your testimonies.

80 Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes,
That I may not be ashamed.

This part of the psalm about God’s word is under the smallest consonant in the language, a formative element of the other letters and therefore words as well, and often seen as the the starting point of the presence of God in all things (His omnipresence) just like in all other letters and words God spoke.  For us in this lettered part of Psalm 119, we can think of God’s presence and foundation of His word in our understanding of our creation.  This understanding leads us to desire learning from His word because we know He made all things good and tells us all which is good and right to live accordingly.  We hope then in this word we call the scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, and that hope is walked out in the middle of life’s adversities so others may see God in us and the rightness of His words to build out or lives from, just as Yod is seemingly insignificant in its size but is a parallel to the beginning of all God’s works.  Our testimony is of God’s goodness as recorded in the scriptures, and is visible in those who believe and follow it as the foundation of all we say and do for His glory (Matthew 5:16).  It is not the testimony of our goodness or success in following God in Christ, but God’s faithfulness in the working of His word to transform in the new birth of regeneration and shape us in daily sanctification.  It is even by God’s faithfulness to do these things that He brings us to suffer adversity to demonstrate merciful kindness, as a testimony to His grace.  In faithfulness He has afflicted us.  Our comfort in these times is that goodness and kindness from His word which penetrates deep into our hearts and minds.  We delight in His word because we find life in that lovingkindness of grace, and rely on His certain working to complete us (Philippians 1:6).  When others slander us and spread lies to defame our lives lived in Christ, we can be assured that they will be ashamed before our Lord but we will not, because that is what we find in the scriptures as we meditate on all God tells us there (Matthew 5:11-12, Isaiah 50:7).  Those who then seek meaning in God’s word as He draws them will come to us for answers as they fear the one working all for good in us (Romans 8:28).  As for us, may we continue to sincerely read, hear, study, memorize, and meditate on God’s words of life (Acts 5:20, John 6:68).  There is no shame in keeping His word, only in not doing so that others may hear, see, and live.  This is the foundation of God’s word and testimony in His scriptures and working. 

Such Joy in Keeping His Word!

Psalms 119:65-72

ט TETH

65 You have dealt well with Your servant,
O LORD, according to Your word.

66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
For I believe Your commandments.

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.

68 You are good, and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.

69 The proud have forged a lie against me,
But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.

70 Their heart is as fat as grease,
But I delight in Your law.

71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.

72 The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

This ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet in this grand psalm starts by declaring how God deals with us; His word demonstrates that He is fair, just, and merciful.  That is how He deals with His people, not just the psalmist, but also including us, according to His word.  The cry of our hearts then is the ongoing prayer asking to be taught not just the facts of knowledge l but also good judgment, which is wisdom to apply what we are instructed to everyday life.  We ask out of faith, trusting His words of life.  Faith takes God at His word.  It believes Him and all He says, no matter how inconvenient or unpleasant or demanding it might first appear.  Sometimes it takes extreme adversity for us to learn these things, but it points us back to treasure and keep His word according to the scriptures from out of His mouth.  Those trials build faith and willing obedience.  It is because they reveal the character of our Lord, good and doing good for we His people, that we yearn to learn more and more.  We develop a burning desire of the heart and mind to know and do more when we are regenerated in Christ by the Spirit of God come into our hearts, and that drives open our eyes and ears to see and hear all we can.  Unfortunately, life often overtakes and diverts us, entangling us for a time.  We must untangle the world’s thorns often to keep that heartfelt love in our learning from Him through His word.  For even when the proud haters and deniers of God slander us, we still have our hearts set on pilgrimage in living and believing according to His word.  Even though they are mired in fat hearts like grease, we continue to find our delight in the scriptures.  Therefore, we can say along with the psalmist that it is good to be afflicted with troubles, or we might not learn the depths of trust and love for His words of life to us as His beloved children.  Yes, His words truly are better than all material riches we could ever temporarily accumulate, for what comes from our Lord and God from His word is the true and eternal treasure that never fades away or can be taken from us.  There is such joy in keeping His word! 

Unhesitating Obedience

Psalms 119:57-64
ח HETH

57 You are my portion, O LORD;
I have said that I would keep Your words.

58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart;
Be merciful to me according to Your word.

59 I thought about my ways,
And turned my feet to Your testimonies.

60 I made haste, and did not delay
To keep Your commandments.

61 The cords of the wicked have bound me,
But I have not forgotten Your law.

62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.

63 I am a companion of all who fear You,
And of those who keep Your precepts.

64 The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy;
Teach me Your statutes.

This eighth Hebrew letter points us to unhesitatingly obey God’s word.  The psalmist was inspired by the LORD to pen and sing these words to remind himself and we the people of God who hear or read them that He is all we need.  We eat of Him and His word (Jeremiah 15:16) each and every day, with our promise and resolve to keep all we take in from the scriptures by willingly adhering to the commands and examples given to us to apply in life accordingly.  As the writer was moved to pray that God would show favor to him, so we move our prayers upward to Him for mercy and grace according to His word as promised to we the people of God, especially now in Christ.  Like the divinely inspired psalmist, we also consider our ways and then align our feet to the road set before us as spelled out in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  When we find ourselves not living the way we are to do, then our meditation and heartfelt consideration turns us back to the testimony of His desires for us.  We are not to delay by dwelling long on these things, however, but should and must make haste to change by active and responsive repentance as soon as we know we need to.  Though the wicked around us may hinder our progress and entangle us, we cannot forget God’s word as our guide to life (2 Timothy 2:4), but rather look in study and meditation to find the way to forge ahead in pleasing our Lord in willing obedience.  We are to seek holiness because He is holy, even waking at night when needed to consider these things with thanksgiving in prayer (Acts 16:25, Psalm 42:8, 77:6), thinking about the righteousness of God in all He has told us to do and the judgment on those who refuse to follow.  Like the psalmist, I also am a companion of those who fear Him in obedience to His word, standing in awe and wondering in forgiveness.  Yes, the earth is full of His great mercy to deliver the humble who trust and follow him according to His word.  My attitude and deep desire is therefore to continue learning from God’s teaching from the words of His mouth as my sustenance and inner working of His Spirit within me.  Amen!

Remembering God’s Word

Psalms 119:49-56

ז ZAYIN

49 Remember the word to Your servant,
Upon which You have caused me to hope.

50 This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life.

51 The proud have me in great derision,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.

52 I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD,
And have comforted myself.

53 Indignation has taken hold of me
Because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.

54 Your statutes have been my songs
In the house of my pilgrimage.

55 I remember Your name in the night, O LORD,
And I keep Your law.

56 This has become mine,
Because I kept Your precepts.

Remembering God’s word.  God remembers His word to us in His promises, and we remember His word by keeping it.  His scriptures are our hope, what we absolutely rely upon in all times and circumstances.  They are not a wish of what we desire to have, nor something to be dismissed by disbelief and disobedience.  No, these reliable words are all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and are as certain as the rising and setting of the sun each day or the gravity holding our feet fast to the ground.  The proud who have God in none of their thoughts or considerations, they hate those who have this certainty, but that is not to persuade us to leave the path of righteousness for their approval or to lessen the attacks.  No, we are set on pilgrimage (Psalm 84:5) in following God, and our hope remains in Him according to His word.  We find comfort in reading through the scriptures to really appreciate His working for His people, and gain great assurance there.  We may find ourselves hating the wickedness of man (which we once were part of as Ephesians 2:1-2 and Colossians 3:6-7 humble us by reminder), but then recall that in the end of the story of creation, fall, and redemption there is justice in the glorification to come.  Vengeance is God’s, and He will certainly avenge us and Himself then.  Instead, we take this example of the psalmist to sing of God’s ways in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with praise to Him who sits on the throne in absolute control of all.  His way is our pilgrimage, our path forward through life in Christ.  We remember and meditate on who He is and all He does and will continue to do, and we obey His word in honor and worship as living sacrifices to ourselves and desires.  These have become ours as well, because we honor Him in following His words of life; He honors those who honor Him (1 Samuel 2:30).  May we strive to continue following in willing obedience to the truth by faith (Romans 1:5) in remembering God’s word. 

Walking in Liberty

Psalms 119:41-48
ו WAW

41 Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD—
Your salvation according to Your word.

42 So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me,
For I trust in Your word.

43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
For I have hoped in Your ordinances.

44 So shall I keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever.

45 And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.

46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings,
And will not be ashamed.

47 And I will delight myself in Your commandments,
Which I love.

48 My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
Which I love,
And I will meditate on Your statutes.

This sixth section lettered as meaning a hook continues this psalm about God’s word and our desire for Him through loving it.  It hooks us with His love and mercy, His deliverance we call salvation.  Because we know and love the word of God, we have a true and complete answer for those opposing us and our God (1 Peter 3:15) from the scriptures which He breathed out for us to speak as His ambassadors.  We trust the words God set down for us, and so are equipped to answer the scoffers and those needing their ears and eyes opened by Him to know reconciling peace and atoning forgiveness for deliverance from the wrath to come on us all.  Like the psalmist, we also pray that our hope will not fail us in times when we need His word ready in our mind and on our lips.  Thankfully, we now have His Spirit ever-present in us to provide the words we have gleaned out of the written word in our hearing, reading, studying, and meditation of it (Luke 12:11-12, John 14:26).  Because of these things, we all strive to live according to His word, keeping in diligent and consistent practice what we love in our hearts and minds when reading or hearing from Him.  In keeping His word, we find freedom, the liberty which is found in the promises of grace of the predetermined calling and working in we the people of God in the promised Christ.  We may find ourselves speaking the good news before kings and rulers without any shame because of the hope in us as revealed in the scriptures (Matthew 10:18, Acts 16:1-2).  Since we have open hearts following our opened eyes and ears, we love His word and delight in living according to it before others and in His sight.  Our hands we raise in constant praise for that word of commands and promises, and we meditate daily on all these that we may offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) to the glory, honor, and praise of God and His loving mercy to us.  It is for liberty from sin which we have been set free to walk in (Galatians 5:1) this grace according to His word and in following all we have been told.  The bondage to freedom has replaced the bondage to sin and the inability to keep His word completely to earn salvation by His grace.  Let us meditate on His word as often as possible! 

Teach My Heart, O Lord!

Psalms 119:33-40

ה HE

33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall keep it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;
Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.

36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies,
And not to covetousness.

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way.

38 Establish Your word to Your servant,
Who is devoted to fearing You.

39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your judgments are good.

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts;
Revive me in Your righteousness.

HE, the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet and fifth group of verses in this psalm, is an excellent example for our hearts in desiring God’s word.  It begins with a cry of eagerness and earnest desire to be taught by God, which is answered by Him for we who are in the Messiah (John 6:45) and who have the promise of His presence and word in regenerated hearts (Isaiah 59:21, Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 3:3, Hebrews 8:10-12).  What He then teaches us, we vow to keep to the end (Luke 8:15), as we rely on His working in us to work out all we are commanded in life (Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13).  We follow the example to ask God for und of the scriptures so we are able to apply our wholehearted efforts into keeping His word, not relying on our own wisdom to reason things out or in our own strength to make changes happen.  We therefore humble ourselves under His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6-7) to be lifted up and led into willing obedience, asking for Him to make us walk out His word as we find great delight in it as verse 35 tells us.  We furthermore petition Him to move our hearts to covet His ways and not covet gain for ourselves (James 4:3).  This means we pray to have Him redirect our sight from temporal things to the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18) which do not fade away (1 Peter 1:4-5), and revive us along the way as He has given us life in Christ to begin with.  The psalmist asked the LORD to establish or root His word in him because he was devoted to follow if fearful awe (1 Peter 5:10).  This is how He settles His word in us in our sanctification.  We know all God said is good and true, and beg forgiveness when we sin and face His just reproach; we also long to know and live accordingly and with accountability in the grace we are given.  Oh, Lord, do revive me in Your righteousness and not allow me to attempt to do so in my own!  Give me that life predetermined according to Your working in my willing obedience to Your word (Ephesians 2:10) by the faith measured out to me (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Teach my heart!

Willing Obedience to God’s Word

Psalms 119:25-32
ד DALETH

25 My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.

26 I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.

27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.

28 My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.

29 Remove from me the way of lying,
And grant me Your law graciously.

30 I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me.

31 I cling to Your testimonies;
O LORD, do not put me to shame!

32 I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall enlarge my heart.

This section of the ascending song of praise is about choosing willing obedience to God’s word.  The psalmist starts with how he feels in his sinful state, as if in the dust of the earth which Adam was created, as if he was dying and going back dust to dust.  While holding to that feeling of death distant from God, he prayed for life again, revival from that result of sin as promised by His word recorded in scripture.  He confessed his sin, openly admitting his wrongdoing against the LORD, and received God’s answer in grace and mercy.  This then led to asking to be taught by Him, which meant he was willing to hear and follow in willing and heartfelt obedience.  The psalmist is like us, begging to understand the scriptures to learn God’s ways to walk out at all times.  Therefore, he meditated on all the wonderful works of God as he read, heard, and heeded by listening with the intent of applying the lessons and commands to living.  Though sin weighs heavily on the soul, we follow the example here to pray for strength out of that same word, knowing it has been breathed out by God’s own mouth (2 Timothy 3:16-17) to lead and guide us as it strengthens the inner man (Ephesians 3:16).  We also follow suit to choose to do good and not evil against His commands, such as lying mentioned by the singer of this song.  Instead, he asked to be given the grace of His word to change him and lead him onward.  Since he chose he way of God’s truth, since he put God’s judgments in his view, in his heart (Psalm 119:11), he had something to cling to, to hold fast to live by and avoid the shame of further sin.  In the end, the psalmist gave us the example to run hard after willingly obedience despite having initial feelings to do so, knowing that God would open his heart to want to obey more and more willingly along the way.  This principle of obedience is just as valid in light of the fullness of God’s grace in Christ today as it was before He set foot among us.  Our living sacrifice is obedience to follow from an ongoing metamorphosis of the heart by God’s word according to the working of the Spirit in us.  This is our sanctification.  He shall enlarge the heart set on Him (Psalm 84:5) in this pilgrimage to the celestial city of God.