Psalm 119
ances in these verses help us face the enemy with courage and win the battle.
Eccl. 5:1–7). The Holy Spirit can help us fulfill new resolutions if we depend on His power. What we say when we are praying (v. 107) should also be truthful. To talk to God piously without being willing to obey Him in the matters we are praying about is to bring hypocrisy into our fellowship with God. After we have prayed, are we available to be a part of the answer (Eph. 3:20–21)? Perhaps the highest use of speech is in the worship of the Lord (v. 108), and we must see our words as sacrifices offered to the Lord (Hos. 14:1–2; Heb. 13:15). Do we sing to Him from the heart (Eph. 5:19)? Do we mean the words that we pray, sing, and read aloud from the litany? If worship is the highest use of words, then to be careless in worship is to commit a great sin.
God protects His people (vv. 113–115). The "double-minded" were the people who were undecided and therefore uncommitted to the Lord (1 Kings 18:21; James 1:8; 4:8). Today, we would call them "half-hearted." There is nothing strange about believers experiencing both love toward God and His Word and hatred toward those who reject the Lord (vv. 104, 128, 163; 101:3; Amos 5:10; Mic. 3:2). "Hate evil, you who love the Lord" (97:10 nasb). If we love the Word, we will hate lies and oppose liars. The psalmist knew that his shelter and shield was the Lord alone, and he trusted in Him. He is not hiding in the Lord from fear of facing the enemy, because he addresses the enemy in verse 115. Only in the Lord could he find the help he needed. The Lord protects us that He might equip us to face the enemy and fight the battle (3:3; 27:5; 28:7; 31:20; 32:7; 33:20; 46:1–2; 61:4; 84:11; 91:1). The psalmist had his heart set on the Lord (v. 112), so there was no need to reconsider the matter. It was settled!
A faithful memory (vv. 109–110). The Old Testament believer did not have a pocket Bible that he could consult at will, for the Scriptures were written on large scrolls and deposited with the priests. This meant that the people had to listen carefully to the public reading of the Word and remember what they heard, an art that has almost vanished today. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to bring God's Word to our remembrance when we need it (John 14:25–26; 16:12–15), but we cannot remember what we have never heard and learned (v. 11; Heb. 5:12–14). The psalmist was taking risks, just as we all do as we walk through the mine fields of this world, but he knew the Word would direct him.
God upholds the obedient (vv. 116–117). The NASB and NIV each use "sustain" in verse 116 and "uphold" in 117, but the words are almost synonyms. "Sustain" pictures the believer leaning on the Lord for support and rest, while "uphold" means that plus the idea of giving aid and refreshment. (For the first, see 3:6; 37:17, 24; and for the second, see Gen. 18:15.) When we feel like falling down and just giving up, the Lord comes to our aid in ways we could never fully understand.
A faithful heart (vv. 111–112). What a precious treasure is the Word of God (vv. 14, 72, 127, 162; 61:5)! It is like a deep mine filled with gold, silver, and precious gems, and we must take time to "dig" for these treasures (Prov. 2:1–9; 3:13–15; 8:10–11; 1 Cor. 3:9–23). A mere surface reading of Scripture will not put spiritual treasure into our hearts. Mining treasure is hard work, but it is joyful work when we "mine" the Bible, as the Spirit guides us into truth. Then, the Spirit helps us to "mint" the treasure so we can invest it in our lives (obedience) and in the lives of others (witness). Sometimes God takes us through the furnace of suffering so we can better receive the treasure into our own lives (1 Peter 1:6–12). The Word needs no purifying (v. 140; 12:6; 19:8), but we need to be cleansed so we can appreciate God's truth and appropriate it. Once your heart is set on obeying the Word, the life is on the right course (Matt. 6:33; Prov. 4:20–27).
God rejects the wicked (vv. 118–119). God's people in the Old Testament fought their enemies with swords and slings, but God's people today use the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12). It is a conflict between truth and lies, and God's truth must prevail. The writer described the enemy as sheep that had gone astray (vv. 10, 21, 176) and as cheap dross that must be discarded (Prov. 25:4; 26:23; Isa. 1:22, 25). God in His judgments purifies the saints but reveals the wickedness of the sinners, the way the refiner's furnace reveals the dross (Jer. 6:28–30; Ezek. 22:18–19; Mal. 3:2–3). "Their deceitfulness is useless" (v. 118 nasb) means that the thoughts and plans of the wicked are based on lies, but they are only deceiving themselves because their plans will fail.
God alone should be feared (v. 120). On the fear of God, see the comments on verse 63.) The fear of the Lord is the fear that conquers every fear. "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Heb. 13:6 nkjv; Ps. 118:6). The psalmist did not approach God as a criminal about to be slain but as a son showing loving respect to the father. God honors those who fear Him (15:4) and blesses them (115:13). If we fear the Lord, we depart from evil (v. 115; Prov. 3:7). This takes us back to verse 113: if we are singleminded, we will fear only the Lord and trust Him. "[T]he battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chron. 20:15).
Samekh (vv. 113–120)—Dealing with the Enemy If the life of faith consisted only of meditating on the Word and loving God, life would be easy, but people of faith have enemies, and life in this world is not easy. "Through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22 nkjv). Like the ten faithless men who spied out Canaan, if we look only at the enemy and ourselves, we will be discouraged and want to quit. But if like Caleb and Joshua, we look to the Lord, we can conquer the enemy (Num. 13:27–33). Four assur-