As a weekly reminder for this series, the 119th Psalm was written so that we might get to know God better, love Him more, and live our lives according to His Word. Although the author is not identified, in my mind, the Psalm portrays the “Song of the Joyful Sojourner” as he navigates his way through the potential pitfalls of life. I pray that you will sense the joy of the psalmist, and that the same joy will fill your own heart as we work through this Psalm together. So, let’s continue our excursion by looking at the third grouping of 8 verses under the heading of the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
(Gimel) – The third letter of the Hebrew alphabet begins this 8-verse section
This section begins with a request from the psalmist that God would deal bountifully with him:
Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your Word (vs 17).
First of all, notice that the psalmist identified himself as the LORD’s “servant.” His whole life was wrapped up in serving God and fulfilling the purposes for which He had been called, as it should be ours also.
And then, with the heart of a humble servant, he asks to be blessed by God, just as each of us desire. However, we also need to be conscious of our motivation for requesting God to bless us. Is it to live more comfortably as we accumulate more possessions? Is to gain prestige and power? For the psalmist, his request was made so that he could live a life that is in line with the lifestyle as revealed in His Word, so that he could be a blessing to others. Oh, that our motivation for asking God’s blessings would be the same. Living in the New Covenant, the passion of every follower of Jesus should be like that of the Apostle Paul who said, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). But there is more for us to glean from this portion of the Psalm:
Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law (vs 18).
The psalmist is asking God to open his spiritual eyes so that He might see new and wonderful truths from His Word. I am reminded of the modern praise chorus which makes this request of the LORD: “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, I want to see You.” The song isn’t requesting physical, or “optical” sight, but “spiritual” insight. The request of the song writer is that we might all experience the blessings of “seeing” the beauty of the LORD and the wonderful things that can be discovered from His Word. What a lesson for each of us as we read our Bibles – that we would begin by asking God to reveal to us some wonderful things that we haven’t seen before — Things about the character of God and things that we need to pay closer attention to as we live our lives. And then the psalmist confesses something interesting:
I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me (vs 19).
In a spiritual sense, those who know Christ are like the recipients of Peter’s First Letter whom he calls “strangers and aliens” on the earth. Just as we sing the old hymn, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through…,” the psalmist recognized that he was different from those around him simply because his commitment in life was to live according to God’s Word. In the eyes of the “world,” he was not only a “stranger,” but a “strange stranger!” And as a “stranger,” he asked the LORD to reveal the depth of His commandments to him. He asks that those commandments not be hidden from him, but clearly revealed. Why? Because he wanted an even closer walk with the Lord, not straying from any of His commandments.
My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times (vs 20).
The psalmist senses the emotional and spiritual weight of constantly longing after the LORD’s ordinances. Why does he feel the “weight” of this? It’s because he does it all the time and considers it as “serious business.” That was his constant desire and passion, as it should be ours.
You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed; all those who wander from Your commandments (vs 21).
Of course, God hates pride, and we learn from the Book of James, “He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Can you grasp the thought of God constantly resisting you and your prayers because of your pride? The proud and arrogant are living their lives by stepping on those “land mines” as they wander through life with no direction because they have wandered far from the LORD’s commandments. The psalmist recognized this, and that’s why he didn’t want to wander away from His commandments.
Remove the scorn and contempt they have for me; For I observe Your testimonies (vs 22).
The psalmist is asking God to remove the disdain that the “arrogant and cursed” (see vs 21) have for him. He is committed to living a life of integrity and honor, and he is being blessed because of it. He wants his revilers to see the beauty of following the LORD’s commandments.
Even though princes sit and talk against me; Your servant meditates on Your statutes (vs 23).
This is one phrase in Psalm 119 that may point to David as being the author. He is talking about high officials like princes who revile him, probably behind his back, but in spite of this, he continues to meditate on God’s Word. And that is a blessing for each of us, for when others revile us, we should be asking God to keep us true to His Word, and to not pay attention to their mocking.
Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors (vs 24).
Once again, the joy is evident on the lips of the psalmist as he shares with those listening that his delight is in God’s Word. We should understand this to mean that he enjoys reading, meditating upon, and then applying God’s Word, something that each of us should be doing every day. For the psalmist, it’s like sitting with a counselor, guiding him along the path of life. Although there are times when we may need a “professional” counselor to help us through a rough spot in life, let’s not forget that our real Counselor is the Holy Spirit who is ever present as we read and meditate on God’s Word.
Like the psalmist, let’s go ahead and ask God to bless us so that we can continue living out the truths in God’s Word. Let’s ask God to open our spiritual eyes to see new things revealed in God’s Word as we read and meditate upon it. And let’s look upon God’s Word as our “Counselor” as the Holy Spirit is always alive and active as we read and apply God’s Word to our lives.
May the Lord bless you this week – Hope to see you then.
