Erling Thu

I want to lay hold on the word!

Psalm 119.48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.

It may be a little unclear as to David's intention to raise his hands towards God's commandments, but I think it's about raising his hands to grasp the word of God. He says he loves God and wants to reflect on God's precepts. That is why he wants to raise his hands to lay hold on the word of God and not let it go. He loves God and will meditate on the word to understand God's plan and will.

Passion and delight in the Word of God

Psalm 119.47 for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. 

I am so excited by the joy David finds in God's commandments. "I delight in your commandments." He finds joy and delight in God's law. In fact, it can be translated with: "I am entertaining me in your commands!" When many hear words like commandments, laws, rules, they respond negatively. Very many want to cast it in the sea and get rid of them, because they want to be free to follow their own sinful heart.

I will not be ashamed of the word of God or His good arrangements!

Psalm 119.46 I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, 

It is a bold David we meet in this words. But it is not wishful thinking he expresses. Before he was king, he was both bold and preached the word of God to King Ashish and Saul. After becoming king, he continued to speak to kings about God's testimony and law. He did not hide what he believed in and whom had his loyalty.

I want to live in complete freedom!

Psalm 119.45 and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.

When David has stated that he will always, at every moment, follow the law of God, he continues in this verse with a prayer to walk in an open landscape. I was born and raised in Jæren, at the south western coast of Norway, and I love open landscapes. At Jæren I can breathe freely. I am not created for trong fjords or valleys or deep forests. I have to have a view, preferably see water, to thrive. Tronge landscape depress me because I feel I'm trapped. For this reason, I have asked many times to get out into a wide and open place so that I can live and breathe freely.

I will keep your law continually

Psalm 119.44 I will keep your law continually, forever and ever, 

In trusting that God answers and shows his faithful love, David comes with a bold promise. "I will always keep your law!" These are strong words, but it is a attitude that the Lord reewards. David will forever live in accordance with the law of the Lord.

Courage to Say What God Says

Psalm 119:43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules.

Here, David begs God not to take the word of truth out of his mouth. The Word of Truth is about God's faithful love and saving grace. If the Lord had not saved him, it would have meant that this word had been ripped out from his mouth, because it would no longer be true. The good thing is that God saves in accordance with His good and true word which is the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

I always want an answer to those who mock me!

Psalm 119,42 Then I can answer the scoffers, for I trust in your word.

This prayer is a close follow-up to what he asked for in the previous verse. There, David prayed that God's faithful love and his good salvation should come to him, as God had promised him. Now he tells God what he will do when he experiences God's mercy and works of grace.

May your gentle and faithful love overwhelm me

Waw is the Hebrew letter that the next eight verses start with. Very few Hebrew words start with this letter, but it is often used as a conjunction as "and". The theme of this section is trust in God.

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Psalm 119.41Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; 

Again David prays to Jehovah, the Lord, the Eternal I Am. He prays for two things, mercy and salvation. They are in some ways synonymous words in this context, because they are all about the same. When God shows mercy, we share in His salvation.

I long for your commandments!

 

Psalm 119,40 Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!

David has just talked about the scorn and disgrace he gets because he stuck to God's word. With that in mind, I think what he says is very strong: "I long for your precepts!" That is a powerful statement that we need to look more closely at.

Defend me against ridiculous and negative criticism!

Psalm 119.39 Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good.

David prays for grace to be spared from the mockery and shame that comes from sticking to God's good laws. He is like us and obviously doesn't like to be looked down upon. He wants, as we all do, to be respected for who he is and for what he believes in. Unfortunately, he knows from bitter experience, that he is not always respected when he speaks the word of God.

Confirm your promises to me!

Psalm 119,38 Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.

This prayer shows us that David had learned to recdeive the Word of God. There was no longer any talk of commandments, laws or regulations. He has received the word to him into his heart. He has heard God through the Scriptures. He has read and meditated on God's Word in such a way that he has heard God's voice through what he has read and meditated on. We see that from what he says: "Your promise to your servant." God's word has become personal to him. This is one of the most important lessons we can learn, learning to hear from God as we read the Bible.

Turn my eyes away!

Psalm 119,37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. 

Our eyes are important. Our eyes are the door to the soul. What we see creates thoughts and can awaken all kinds of desires within us. We are strongly influenced by what we see. Unfortunately, we are not always as aware of this and look at things we should not have looked at. In our culture, we are bombarded with pictures of young and old that we could benefit being spared from. We are exposed to nudity and worse in many media. Pornography is easily accessible and captures many in its devastating web.

God, make me willing to obey!

Psalm 119.36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!

Again, David's prayer shows great insight into human nature. He knows himself so well that he asks for God's help. He knows that hearts and minds are a battle ground where strong forces fight for power. Therefore, he prays that God will stir the heart and bend it towards the word of God, that he may enjoy and delight to live after the testimonies of God. He prays, "God, make me willing to obey what you say! Make me want to stick to your law! ”

Lead me in the path of your commandments

Psalm 119,35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

In the previous verses, David prayed for insight and understanding. Now he asks for guidance. The words he uses in this prayer includes the meaning that God must guide him by bending his will. He prays that God must awaken his inner soul power to choose to do what God wants. This is somewhat similar to what Paul says: “For God will continually revitalise you, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases him” (Phil. 2:13). We need to understand both the word of God and how to do what God wants. In order to do that, we depend on God working in us.

Show me the meaning of your way

Psalm 119.33 marks a new section. All the next eight verses start with the Hebrew letter He. In these verses we find many prayers to understand God's path. These are prayers that God's people need to pray in our day.

Psalm 119.33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. 

"Lord, teach me!" This is how a disciple prays. Whoever is an apprentice says this to his master. "Teach me the profession. Teach me how to do it. Teach me to become a master who knows his subject, just like you! ” When David says, Lord teach me, it becomes too weak to compare it with the student asking his teacher for instruction. He had both priests, prophets, and wise counselors he could get help from, but he asked to be guided by God's counsel. For who is a teacher like him? (Job 36:22)

You make my heart great

Psalm 119, 32 I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart! 

With these words, David shows us his great zeal for the Lord. He is eager and full of fire. He has a burning desire to live according to God's commandments. "I hasten to obey your laws!" "I want to run in the way your commandments."

That's a fantastic attitude David is expressing here. May we all have the same willingness of heart and mind towards the Lord's commandments.

There is a wonderful reason for this prayer: "For you make my heart great!" Some thinks that this  it is about gaining more understanding in the word of God: "for you help me to understand the commandments right." If there is narrowness in our hearts and if we are restricted in our minds, we will not understand the word of God the right way. If we are one-sided and petty, the understanding of the Word will also be so. Then we become prisoners of the letter that kills and brings condemnation. Then we become legalistic and judgmental. Then we hang up in all sorts of details and small things, and tend to hit others in the head with strong opinions.

Let your whole life be firm and anchored in the word of God.

Psalm 119,31 I cling to your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame! 

Again, David confess his choice of life: "I cling to your testimonies!" He has bound himself to the word of God. In fact, he says he has been glued to God's commands. His entire life is firm and rooted in the Word of God. He has made a lifelong decision to hold on to the Word as his most valuable treasure. He hide it in his heart and lives after it.

A choice for life helps us in adversity

Psalm 119,30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.

In this verse, David says something very important. He says with great conviction and zeal: "I have chosen!" He has made a decision. He has taken an unshakeable stand. He has decided what he wants to do, how he wants to live, what goals he wants to achieve. He has made a choice for life. Such choices of life are vital to us and will save us from turmoil and confusion. I thank God that at a young age I had the grace to make a choice to serve the Lord all of my life. This choice has helped me many times of adversity and temptation. It has helped me to guide my life through many challenges and trials.

Keep me far away from false ways

Psalm 119.29 Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! 

When life is heavy and difficult, it is easy to listen to our soul enemy. He pumps our head full of lies that are easy to believe: That there is nothing you can do. That there is no hope for you. That you might as well give up. That everything is meaningless. That you are hopeless and without a future. That you have said no and turned away from God, so there is no more forgiveness for you. That you are not good enough and never will be.Only give up. Or maybe he says, you are good enough the way you are, and can live the way you want to after your own desires, without it having any negative consequences for you.

Drowned in tears of pain

Psalm 119.28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! 

Again, David tells how he is. Life is difficult. He cries with sorrow. He uses strong expressions to put words into the situation he is in. "It's as if my soul is melting away in those running tears." In fact, he says that the sorrow was about to kill him. In one version he says he has drowned in tears of pain (SPCL). He carries in his heart a painful grief that is heavy to bear. Grief overwhelms him. Sorrow eats him up. He is suffocated by the painful grief.