Romancing the Word. That’s what you might call Ps 119. Even more than that though as it is a romancing the Word in the midst of a great conflict and suffering. Perhaps that’s what I haven’t so much before. David wrote this psalm in the place of suffering, duress and begin attacked.
- “Take insult and contempt away from me” (v. 22)
- “Though princes sit together speaking against me” (v. 23)
- “My life is in the dust” (v. 25)
- “I am weary from grief” (v. 28)
- “…the one who taunts me” (v. 42)
- “the arrogant constantly ridicule me” (v. 52)
- “the ropes of the wicked wrapped around me” (v. 61)
- “the arrogant have smeared me with lies” (v. 69)
- “let the arrogant be put to shame for slandering me with lies” (v. 78)
- “I have become like a wine skin dried by smoke” (v. 83)
- “When will you execute judgment on my persecutors?” (v. 84)
- “The arrogant have dug pits for me” (v. 85)
- “people persecute me with lies–help me!” (v. 86)
- “They almost ended my life on earth” (v. 87)
- “The wicked hope to destroy me” (v. 95)
- “I am severely afflict” (v. 107)
- “My life is constantly in danger” (v. 109)
- “Depart from me, you evil ones” (v. 115)
- “Consider my affliction and rescue me” (v. 153)
- “My persecutors and foes are many” (v. 157)
- “Princes have persecuted me without cause” (v. 161)
- “Let me live” (v. 175)
- “I wander like a lost sheep” (v. 176)
How on earth did I miss all these? I think I was so conditioned that this psalm was about the Word and thanking him for the Word, that this is what I remember most. And that’s not all bad. But every good story and every good virtue is often pressed through conflict and tension, and that is that here.
Over and over the psalmist which we will presume is David mentions the above. And then after each of these descriptors of afflictions, David says “but” or “though” and that he will trust in the Lord’s precepts and statues. It’s really quite a beautiful tension–the realities of being hated with the perseverance and steadfastness of trust and faithfulness.
On a side note it might be worth mentioning that this psalm is one giant alphabetical acrostic. Each line begins with a respective letter of the alphabet. But I don’t want to get detracted from structure and miss the meaning.
For me in particular there are several verses that stood out.
“If only my ways were committed to keeping your statues! Then I would not be ashamed when I think about all your commands” (Ps 119:6).
This one struck out of me in that David recognizes his short comings. When comparing his life against the Word of God, this great man of God falls woefully short. But it doesn’t lead him to despair or believing that God doesn’t love him, but it leads him to love the Word more and to cast himself on the grace of God.
“Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless” (Ps 119:37).
Of course the many times I’ve read this previously my first thought, as probably yours, is that it was about moral/sexual purity. While I am sure that this is what it is about, because even if it is the gods that “gods” of the time were highly sexualized creations, it hit me in a fresh way.
We spend hours every single day on social media. Some of it is worthwhile but the sheer quantity of it that we are invested in steals our prayer life, our worship life, and our life in the Word. Even “good” things are robbing us of relationship with Him. And with each other.
It should be a prayer of all of us to turn away our eyes from things that steal from our soul.
“I understand more than the elders, because I obey your precepts” (Ps 119:100).
It’s something I’ve come to discover many times, and then forget many times as well. It is through our obedience that we get understanding. It’s not just through our beliefs. When we actually do the things that God has asked, it changes our perception, our understanding and so much more.