Psalm 119
Ayin (vv. 121–128)—Blessed Assurance For the first time, the words oppressors and oppress appear in this psalm (vv. 121–122, and see 134). The word describes the abuse of power and authority, taking advantage of the underprivileged by either violence or deceit. The word includes the ideas of accusation and slander. The Jews were commanded not to oppress one another (Lev. 25:14, 17; Deut. 24:5–22), and this included the strangers in the land (Ex. 22:2; 23:9). Often, God's people suffer oppression, while the guilty go free. When that happens, we need to remember the Lord and what He does for us.
lems of life. Even more, He gives us promises that we can claim and thereby find the strength and wisdom we need. God's servants do not live by explanations; they live by promises.
The Lord is the Final Judge (vv. 126–128). In our impatience, we sometimes want God to work immediately and set everything right, but His ways and times are not always the same as ours. Faith and patience go together (Heb. 6:12), and God's delays are not God's denials. The day will come when the truth will be revealed and sin will be judged; meanwhile, instead of complaining about what we have paid or lost, let us rejoice in the wealth that we have in God's Word, wealth that can never be taken from us. All of God's precepts concerning all things are always right, so we can depend on the Scriptures and have the guidance that we need. If we love the Word, we will hate the wrong paths of sinners and stay away from them. We do not even put one foot on the path of the wicked (Prov. 1:13)!
The Lord is the Rewarder (v. 121). The psalmist was not boasting but affirming to the Lord that he was not guilty of anything that deserved punishment. He was a man of integrity who had a clear conscience; he had treated others justly and had practiced God's holy laws diligently. That in itself was a blessing, but God's people long to see justice reigning on the earth. When God rewards His people, it is a witness to sinners that their day of judgment is certain (58:10–11). "Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward" (Heb. 10:35 nkjv; Isa. 40:10; Rev. 22:12). The Lord is our Surety (v. 122). The King James Version and New American Standard Bible are superior here to "ensure" in the New International Version. A person became surety when he or she pledged to pay another person's debt or fulfill a promise. When Jacob refused to allow Benjamin to go to Egypt for food with his brothers, it was Judah who willingly became surety for his youngest brother (Gen. 43:1–10; 44:18–34). Judah's passionate speech before his brother in Egypt assured Joseph that Judah had truly experienced a change of heart and that it was safe to reveal his identity to the men. To become surety for a friend's debts is forbidden in Scripture, lest you end up with a burden greater than you can handle (Prov. 11:15; 17:18; 22:26–27). But the Son of God became surety for those who have trusted Him (Heb. 7:22)! No matter how many promises we might make to the Lord, we can never fulfill them. But in His death on the cross, Jesus has paid the debt for us, and in His ministry of intercession at the throne in heaven, He is our living Surety. As long as He lives, our salvation is secure, and He lives "by the power of an endless life" (Heb. 7:16). So, no matter what people do to us and no matter how we feel, our Surety is secure and we remain in the family of God. Jesus has taken the responsibility for our salvation, and He will never fail.
Pe (vv. 129–136)—A Chain Reaction This section begins with the wonder of God's Word and ends with the weeping of the writer because the arrogant disobey the Word. Just as love and hate (vv. 127–128) and joy and affliction can exist in the same heart (vv. 111, 107), so can awe and anguish. In fact, when we begin to see the beauty and wonder of the Scriptures, we also begin to understand the ugliness of sin and the cheapness of what the world has to offer. This section describes a "spiritual chain reaction" in the life of the psalmist, one that can occur in our lives if we ponder the wonder of God's Word.
Wonder leads to obedience (v. 129). People obey God's Word for different reasons, some because of fear of punishment, others to secure blessings, and still others because they love God and want to please Him. The psalmist stood in awe at the wonder of God's Word— its harmony, beauty, perfection, practicality, power, and revelations. The longer I read and study the Bible, the more wonderful it becomes, and a God who wrote a book that wonderful deserves my obedience. To obey the Word is to become part of that wonder, to experience power and spiritual transformation in our lives.
Obedience leads to understanding (v. 130). The light of the Word comes into our hearts and minds and brings spiritual insight and understanding (2 Cor. 4:1–6). The word entrance (kjv) is translated "unfolding" in the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version; it means "disclosure" and "opening up" as in Luke 24:32 and 35. When Spirit-led teachers and preachers "open up" the Word, then the light of God's truth shines forth and brings about spiritual transformation (v. 135; 2 Cor. 3:18).
The Lord is our Master (vv. 123–125). Whenever people attack us, they also attack the Lord, for we belong to Him. When Saul of Tarsus persecuted Christians on earth, He also persecuted their Lord in heaven (Acts 9:1–5). God cares for His servants. He does not always prevent us from being oppressed, but He always has a good reason for permitting it to happen. He is a loving Master who teaches us His will and gives us the discernment we need to handle the prob-
Understanding leads to deeper desire (v. 131). As a suffocating person pants for air or a thirsty person for water, so the child of God pants for the Word of God, and nothing else will satisfy. "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food"