Psalm 119
Vau (vv. 41–48)—Walking and Talking We hear several voices in this section, and it begins with God speaking to us (v. 41). He does this, of course, as we read His Word and meditate on it. He speaks in love and in mercy, and even the warnings come from His compassionate heart. The Word of God is the expression of the love of God to us (33:11), and it should result in love from our hearts to the Lord, to His people, and to the lost. God's Word shares God's promises, and promises always imply future hope. Scripture is "the word of his promise" (1 Kings 8:56), and all His promises have their realization in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). The Scriptures are also "the word of this salvation" (Acts 13:26), for the Word declares that Jesus is the only Savior and we can trust in Him. What a wonder that God has spoken to us (Heb. 1:1–2)! Are we listening? But while God is speaking, the enemy is also speaking (v. 42). We have learned that the writer of this psalm was oppressed by enemies who lied about him, slandered his name, and even threatened his life. Our main weapon against these attacks is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17), for only God's truth can silence the devil's lies (Matt. 4:1–11). We need God's truth in our hearts, not only to keep us from sin, but also to equip us to answer those who oppose us or ask us why we believe as we do (1 Peter 3:15).
can use to convict and convert others. We do not worship the Bible, but we do honor God's Word and lift our hands to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving for His gift. In many churches, the entire congregation stands when the Scriptures are brought in and publicly read. (See 28:2; 63:4; 134:2; 141:2.)
The basic Christian virtues (1 Cor. 13:13) are seen in those who live by God's Word: faith (v. 42), hope (v. 43), and love (vv. 41, 47—48). Love is mentioned three times because "the greatest of these is love." (On loving God and His Word, see vv. 97, 113, 119, 127, 140, 159, 163, 165, 167; 1 Tim. 1:5.)
Zayin (vv. 49–56)—The Ministry of Memory If the psalmist was a priest or a Levite, and he probably was, then he was required to be an expert on the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy means "second law." The book records Moses' "farewell speech" that he gave to prepare the new generation of Israelites for the conquest of Canaan. After forty years of wandering, the nation would stop being nomads and would become settlers, but new generations would come along and be prone to forget the lessons of the past. In Deuteronomy, you find the word remember fifteen times and the word forget fourteen times. Some things in the past we must forget (Phil. 3:12–14), but some things we must never forget. "He who does not remember the past is condemned to repeat it" (George Santayana).
God's people speak to the Lord (v. 43). Like Nehemiah, we can send up "telegraph prayers" to the Lord right in the midst of our work and our battles (Neh. 2:5; 4:4; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 13:14, 22, 31). When we are confronted by the enemy, the Lord will not give us words we have never pondered from the Scriptures, but His Spirit can remind us of what we have read and learned (John 14:25–26). The writer connected God's Word with his mouth, because the word meditate in the Hebrew means "to mutter." The ancient Jews spoke the Word audibly as they meditated and prayed (Josh. 1:8).
God remembers His people (vv. 49–51). When applied to the Lord, the word remember means "to pay attention to, to work on behalf of." Being omniscient, God cannot forget anything, but He can decide not to "remember it against us" (Isa. 43:25; Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12; 10:17). That is the negative side; the positive side is that He "remembers" to do us good and give us His blessing. He remembered Noah and delivered him (Gen. 8:1); He remembered Abraham and delivered Lot (Gen. 19:29); He remembered Rachel and Hannah and enabled them to conceive (Gen. 30:22; 1 Sam. 1:19). Remembering is not recalling, for God never forgets; it is relating to His people in a special way. The psalmist prayed that God would use the Word to work on his behalf. The writer had hope because of the promises God had given to him, and he prayed that those promises would be fulfilled. When Daniel found in the prophecy of Jeremiah the promise of Israel's deliverance from captivity, he immediately began to pray for the promise to be fulfilled (Dan. 9). True faith not only believes the promises but also prays for God to work. In his believing and praying, the writer found encouragement ("comfort" comes from the Latin meaning "with strength"), and he did not abandon his faith or run away from his problems. He was revived with new life!
Our lives speak for the Lord (vv. 44–45). if our "walk" agrees with our "talk." The best defense of the faith is a transformed life that is compassionate toward others. Our obedience to the Lord and our loving ministry to others (Matt. 5:13–16) demonstrate the reality of our faith far better than anything else. Because we know and obey "the word of truth" (v. 43), we are able to enjoy freedom from the bondage of sin (v. 45), for it is the truth that makes us free (John 8:32; James 1:25; 2:12). Finally, God's people speak to others (vv. 46–48). If we truly love God and His Word, we will not be ashamed to share the Word even with important people like kings (vv. 6, 80; Rom. 1:16; Phil. 1:20; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2:15; 1 Peter 4:16). When we delight in the Word, love it, and obey it, sharing the message with others comes naturally. To witness means to tell others what we have seen and heard concerning Jesus Christ (Acts 4:20) and what He has done for us. A satisfied Christian is an awesome witness whose testimony God
His people remember God's Word (vv. 52–54). How could this spiritual leader know the "ancient laws" that God gave Moses centuries before? The nation had preserved the Word (Deut. 31:24–29) and