Psalm 119, Part Four

We continue our series on Psalm 119, this month studying verses 73 through 96.

Yod indicates the next set of verses, 73 through 80. It reads:

“Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Your word. I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant. Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; for Your law is my delight. Let the proud be ashamed, for they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; but I will meditate on Your precepts. Let those who fear You turn to me, those who know Your testimonies. Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, that I may not be ashamed.”

God is our Creator, as the Psalmist begins. The Lord made us and fashioned us; indeed Psalm 139:15-16 states: “My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet they were none of them.” Not only did our Creator see us (He saw our substance not yet formed!), He also made us (He made us in secret, He made us fearfully and wonderfully!), and He chose us – before He made us!
Ephesians 1:4 states: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…”

The author writes that those who fear the Lord will be glad when they see the Psalmist, because he has “hoped in Your word.” Psalm 34:2 states: “My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.” Notice who this draws – the humble. The prideful have a difficult time hearing about the boasting of the Lord. Also noteworthy is that the Psalmist has hoped in the word of the Lord. When we receive a word from the Lord, we can take it to the bank! It will be a reason for our hope, because it comes from our source of all hope – the Lord. Let me give an example of this.

In May of 2008 I sensed one day during prayer a verse from Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” I had read this Scripture, heard it many times and at that time was not going through a situation where this verse seemed especially timely. Oh, what a God we serve, however! The One who is the First and the Last could see what was coming in my life, and since He made me, He knew certain things I should be prepared for. So, this verse was given to me to under gird me for what was to come. June 1st my father passed away. A week later my Pastor was seriously injured. Five weeks later, my grandfather passed away. That word from the Lord was food for my spirit and my soul – given to sustain me in a time of grief, loss, and woundedness. During the months that followed, I needed the tender mercies of the Lord to come to me, so I could go on. My hope was in the Lord, who had wanted to reassure me that in the midst of adversity and affliction, He was – good.

Next are verses 81 -88: “My soul faints for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word. My eyes fail from searching Your word, saying, ‘when will You comfort me?’ For I have become like a wineskin in smoke, yet I do not forget Your statutes. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me? The proud have dug pits for me, which is not according to Your law. All Your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; help me! They almost made an end of me on earth, but I did not forsake Your precepts. Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.”

As we consider the importance and power of verse 81, let us examine other Scriptures:

From these three verses, we can identify the significance of the word “portion.” It comes from the Hebrew root word “chalaq” and refers to the father’s estate, which is divided up for his sons. That is amazing! In the Scriptures above, the Psalmist is claiming that God is his portion – it is as if God is saying we are His children and He will give us Himself. That is our inheritance.

There is precedence for this in God’s choosing and treatment of the Levites. Numbers 18:20 states, “Then the LORD said to Aaron, ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.” The Levites were chosen by God and set apart for priestly service. Once Israel entered into the Promised Land, the Levites were not given tribal land; rather they were given places of refuge as they relied on God as their portion, their strength, and their inheritance.

Further, let’s look at Dt. 32:9 – “For the LORD’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.” We can claim the Lord as our portion because He claimed us! A portion was allocated to Jesus, as found in Isa. 53:12 – “Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

The Psalmist describes persecution and wrongdoing and utters one of the greatest prayers in the Bible: “Help me!” In verse 88 the author states, “Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.” This reads like a plea for spiritual life support, as the writer is in need of revival. It is the favor and kindness of the Lord that revives us when we feel weak and low.We end with verses 89 through 96: “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.

They continue this day according to Your ordinances, for all are Your servants. Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life. I am Yours, save me; for I have sought Your precepts. The wicked wait for me to destroy me, but I will consider Your testimonies. I have seen the consummation of all perfection, but Your commandment is exceedingly broad.”

Let us consider the beauty of verse 89, which states that God’s word is settled or fixed in heaven. Isa. 40:8 states, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isa. 55:11 further states, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Now, turn to Matthew 24:35 – “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” We also know from John 1:1 that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God.” Jesus Christ is the Living Word, while the Bible is the written word. This Word, and these words, are settled forever in heaven. When we allow the Lord to reveal Himself to us through His word, we know it is a settled word – and the place where it is settled is heaven!

The Lord speaks to us in so many ways. When He speaks, He is revealing an aspect of His character and nature to us. He can speak to use as Creator, Sustainer, Provider, Healer, Banner, Protector, Hearer, Seer – and so much more.

We end this study with verse 96 from Ps. 119 – “I have seen the consummation of all perfection, but Your commandment is exceedingly broad.” The Complete Jewish Bible states it – “I see the limits of all perfection, but your mitzvah has no bounds.”
We can reference the words of Jesus found in Matthew 5:18, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not to destroy it. The words of the law and the prophets are still being fulfilled; some yet to be fulfilled. Indeed, the Lord’s commandment is exceedingly broad and has no bounds. John 15:12 wraps up this important truth – “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”