Psalm 119
walking on a level path even when the enemy digs pits and sets up obstacles.
lievers lived (v. 158; see 53, 136), but their bad example did not change his own convictions.
Walking and waiting (vv. 166–168). Like the psalmist, we are waiting for "the salvation of the Lord," when the Lord shall come and set His creation and His people free (Rom. 8:18–25; 13:11; Heb. 9:28; 1 Peter 1:9). This is the "blessed hope" that every believer anticipates and longs for (Titus 2:13). But as we wait and hope, we must walk and work, for we want to be found faithful when Jesus comes (Matt. 24:45–51). When we love His Word, we will also love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:6–8) and live like those who are ready to meet their Lord (1 John 2:28).
Revive me, for Your Word can be trusted (vv. 159–160). "The sum of your word is truth" (v. 160 nasb) and this means all of it can be trusted. The totality of God's written revelation is not just true—it is truth. To love the Word is to obey it, and to obey it is to receive life from it. The Bible is not a magic book that conveys divine life to anyone who picks it up and reads it. God's living Word communicates His life and power to those who read it, meditate on it, and obey it because they love God and His Word. When Jesus raised the dead, it was through speaking the Word (Luke 7:11–17; 8:40–56; John 11:38–44; see John 5:24), and His Word gives us life today when we find ourselves in the dust (v. 25).
Tav (vv. 169–176)—Hear My Prayer! Except for 174, each of the verses is a prayer to the Lord, and the focus is on His wonderful ability to meet our needs as we trust Him. The word "Your" ["thy"] is often repeated and helps us understand the requests the psalmist was making.
Shin (vv. 161–168)—Blessed Are the Balanced During our time of study in Psalm 119, we have noticed that the writer practiced a balanced life of faith, and this quality is seen especially in this stanza.
I need Your Word (vv. 169–72). We never outgrow our need for God's Word, no matter how long we have been walking with Him. There is always something new to learn, and we often see new applications of old truths. Believers who boast that they "know the Bible from cover to cover" are only revealing how little they know about God's Word, for we shall spend eternity learning from His Word. The psalmist asked for understanding and deliverance, for he knew that the truth would set him free (John 8:32). After learning the statutes of God, he began to praise the Lord, for study and worship belong together. After Paul discussed the wonderful decrees of the Lord (Rom. 9—11), he broke out in worship and praise (Rom. 11:33–36).
Respect and rejoicing (vv. 161–162). The princes began their campaign against him by speaking against him (v. 23), but now they were persecuting him in a direct way. But the psalmist was not afraid of his persecutors; he stood in awe of God's Word. Once again we learn that when we fear God, we need not fear anyone else. He respected the Word and rejoiced in the Word at the same time, for the joy of the Lord and the greatness of the Lord are friends, not enemies. The princes wanted to rob him, but he found great wealth in the Word of God (see vv. 14, 72). The promises of God in the Bible are better than money in the bank, because they will never lose their value, and nobody can take them from us.
I need Your hand (v. 173). We all know that "God is spirit" (John 4:24) and therefore does not have a body with hands, feet, and so forth. In order to reveal Himself to us, He uses the familiar to explain the unfamiliar, and therefore the Bible describes Him in human terms. The hand of the Lord is mentioned only here in the psalm, but it is found many times in the book of Psalms. The idols of the heathen have hands that do not move or feel (115:7), but God's hand is active on the behalf of His people. We are the sheep of His hand (95:7), an image that Jesus used in John 10:28–29.
Love and hate (v. 163). "You who love the Lord, hate evil" (97:10). He loved God's law but hated every false way (vv. 97, 104, 127–128). He loved God's law but hated double-minded people (v. 113). Here he declared that he loved God's law but hated falsehood. Whoever loves and practices a lie will not enter the heavenly city and will be banished from God's presence forever (Rev. 21:17; 22:15).
Praise and poise (vv. 164–165). The devoted Jewish worshipper would praise God and pray three times a day (55:17; Dan. 6:10–11), but the psalmist went beyond that and worshipped seven times a day. The phrase means "often, many times, beyond what is expected." The legalist would set a goal and be proud that he reached it; the Spirit-filled believer sets no goal but goes beyond any goal he might have set. Just as prayer can bring peace to our hearts (Phil. 4:4–7), so praise can bring peace as well. Focusing on the Lord, asking for nothing, and being totally lost in our praise of Him has a way of making the problems look much smaller and the future much brighter. But praise also helps us to have poise in our Christian walk and to not stumble (Jude 24) or cause others to stumble (1 Cor. 8:13; Rom. 14:13). The singing saint is a stable saint,
I need Your salvation (v. 174). In his case, "salvation" meant deliverance from his enemies who were threatening him, but "salvation" can mean freedom from worry, the healing of a sickness, the provision of funds to pay a bill, or deliverance from satanic oppression. As we saw in verse 166, our ultimate salvation is the return of Jesus Christ to deliver all creation from the bondage of sin.
I need Your help (v. 175). The writer prayed "Help me!" in verse 86, but God's people are always crying for help. "My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped" (28:7 nkjv). God's hand can help us (v. 173), but so can God's judgments. "Judgments" is a synonym for the Word of God, but it can also refer to the work-