Weekly Introduction: Because the psalmist is living his life according to the precepts of God’s Word, he is able to rejoice in the life God has given him as he successfully navigates the unexpected turns and potential pitfalls of life. I pray that you will sense the joy of the psalmist as we look at the next 8 verses presented under the heading of the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
(Yodh) – The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet begins this 8-verse section
Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands (vs 73).
Here we find another suggestion that King David may have been the author of this Psalm. Remember the words of Psalm 139, written by David:
For you created my innermost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14).
The psalmist recognizes God’s hand in his own creation, and he is now asking the God who created him to also give him understanding so that he might learn God’s commandments. Once again, the psalmist has the commands on scrolls of parchment available to him, but he not only wants to understand the “why’s” of each command, but also “how to” most effectively keep those commands. And we should be asking the same with each of Jesus’ commands to the church in the New Testament.
May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your Word (vs 74).
And now the psalmist asks God to allow those who also reverence Him (“fear” Him) to rejoice over a fellow sojourner who longs to keep the Lord’s commands. The psalmist is looking for genuine fellowship with those who put their trust in and follow God’s Word. And the psalmist also acknowledges the fact that he has put all his hope in God’s Word, and of course, he is specifically thinking of the promises to those who are faithful in keeping His Word.
I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me (vs 75).
The psalmist now acknowledges that God’s laws are “righteous,” that is, they are both good and beneficial, and because he had failed to keep one or more of God’s commands, God has allowed affliction to come his way. Wow! Of course, we are reminded of the basic biblical principal that because God will not be mocked, “…whatsoever a person sows that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). May we all pay attention to the “seeds” that we are sowing, either for good or for evil, and that we will reap in the same measure what we have sown.
May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant (vs 76).
To all those who are afflicted, whether due to illness or as a result of some specific sin, God’s unfailing love is our comfort. The psalmist is asking the Lord for comfort, and knowing that His love is unfailing, and therefore He will provide all that he needs. The psalmist recognizes that God’s unfailing love is promised to all who ask for it, and that includes each of us as well.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight (vs 77).
In addition to the psalmist’s desire to experience God’s unfailing love, he also asks God to show him compassion so that he may go on living a productive life. In short, he is asking God to feel the same pain that he has been feeling, and to reaffirm his delight in God’s laws.
May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts (vs 78).
For the psalmist to ask the Lord to put the arrogant to shame is not a mean-spirited, revengeful request. After all, if the arrogant are put to shame, then that just may open the door for them to repent, which is God’s ultimate desire for all people. Again, you can feel the pain on the lips of the psalmist, knowing that even if the arrogant prevail, he will continue to meditate on God’s precepts, as should we.
May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes (vs 79).
This is an interesting request of the psalmist. I understand this to mean that he wants all those who fear the Lord to respond to him with words of encouragement and affirmation. These are the same ones who understand God’s statutes, and these are the same ones in the church who are followers of Christ and who will come along side those who need encouragement in their walk the God.
May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees, that I may not be put to shame (vs 80).
The psalmist had just asked the Lord to put to shame those who are mocking him, and now he is asking the Lord to not let him be put to shame by not following His decrees. And did you also notice that the psalmist was not only concerned about just “following God’s decrees,” but about not following those decrees “wholeheartedly.” The psalmist did not want to be a rote follower of rules and regulations, but a follower who is passionate about being a faithful follower of the Lord.
And this is just where we should also be as followers of Jesus. Our Christian lives should go far beyond just keeping commandments but keeping them “wholeheartedly.” May each of us let our lights shine before others, and may it shine with a wholehearted passion for Jesus.
