Slices
Prepare
What sort of person do you think God sees when he looks at you – not in terms of holiness and wickedness but concerning more specific personality traits that you feel are important to him?
Bible passage
י Yodh
73 Your hands made me and formed me;
give me understanding to learn your commands.
74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope in your word.
75 I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,
and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76 May your unfailing love be my comfort,
according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
78 May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;
but I will meditate on your precepts.
79 May those who fear you turn to me,
those who understand your statutes.
80 May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,
that I may not be put to shame.
כ Kaph
81 My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
but I have put my hope in your word.
82 My eyes fail, looking for your promise;
I say, ‘When will you comfort me?’
83 Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do not forget your decrees.
84 How long must your servant wait?
When will you punish my persecutors?
85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me,
contrary to your law.
86 All your commands are trustworthy;
help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
87 They almost wiped me from the earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88 In your unfailing love preserve my life,
that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.
ל Lamedh
89 Your word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
91 Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve you.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.
94 Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder your statutes.
96 To all perfection I see a limit,
but your commands are boundless.
Explore
We discover a lot today, from the writing, about the person responsible for Psalm 119. The first quality we may notice is a special intimacy with God which is evident through these verses. There is no suggestion of a stereotypical ‘Old Testament’ approach via temple and sacrifice. Body, mind and spirit – the writer seems engaged with someone with whom he has an open, unshakeable relationship. The entire section is addressed to God himself (this varies through the psalms). The writer is sure that at the heart of the relationship is the love God constantly shows him (v 76).
Like a modern Christian, the psalmist hopes that the demonstration of his faith will draw others to God (vs 74,79). This is perhaps more in hope than in expectation: the circumstances of the writer are not obvious, but it is clear that they involve real persecution and a serious threat to his life (vs 78,84– 88). There seems to be a difference between the expressions of faith in the first section (vs 73–80) and in the the last (vs 89– 96). In the verses headed ‘Yodh’, we sense someone experiencing the very presence of God. In the later verses, headed ‘Lamedh’, perhaps the feeling of God’s actual company has faded. The writer needs to recall, by faith, the truth of God’s Word.
Respond
Ask the Holy Spirit for that same sense of intense longing for him.
Deeper Bible study
How hopeful are you feeling today? Why? What are the things that increase or decrease your sense of hope?
Throughout Psalm 119, we see references to different threats the psalmist faced. In today’s reading the pressure seems to have reached boiling point; there’s a sense of urgency in these verses. The writer has been wronged without cause (v 78) by arrogant, dangerous people (vs 85–87). You may never have faced someone who literally wanted to destroy you, but you may have encountered someone intent on hurting your reputation or manoeuvring you out of a position. What did you do? What did the psalmist do?
The first thing is to call out to God. Last Sunday I mentioned that Psalm 119 is a poem about God’s Word. Another approach is to see it as a prayer of desperation. Have you ever noticed how prayer comes alive when you are at the end of your rope? Much as we hate it and try to avoid it, being overwhelmed makes us ready to listen. That’s the starting point for effective prayer.
The second thing is to put your hope in God’s Word (vs 74,81), which is the heart cry woven throughout this entire psalm. I’ve always found great comfort in verses 89 and 90. Whenever I’ve faced stressful, life-altering choices, I’ve turned to the Bible for direction. My prayer has been, ‘God, I don’t know if I’m making the right decision, or even if I’m interpreting this passage correctly, but I’m going to move forward based on your Word’. It’s not a magic formula – sometimes it has taken me down a rough road – but the fact that God’s Word is eternal and that I was doing my best to align with it gave me direction and peace to step forward in faith when the way was unclear. That’s what it means to put your hope in God’s Word.
Has God’s Word ever given you direction and peace to take a life-altering step of faith? What happened, and what did you learn?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Daniel 4,5; 1 John 5
Pray for Scripture Union
John 4:35. Give thanks to God for Tabz and Hettie and the SASW Trust, and how their faithful sharing of the good news is leading non-churchgoing children and young people to Jesus.
