Psalm 119:50
This is my comfort in my affliction:
for thy word hath quickened me.
~ Psalm 119:50
This is my comfort in my affliction:
He refers to God’s Word as his comfort. Note that he isn’t speaking hypothetically or in the realm of possibilities. He writes of his experience: “my comfort” and “my affliction.” He has known heights of joy and depths of sorrow and found comfort in the Word of God.for thy word hath quickened me.
Comfort from the Word has come from its quickening power. He has been given life or infused with fresh power and strengthening. These are not mere words in a book, nor a set of instructions, nor even a collection of comforting thoughts. God’s Word is the word of life (John 6:63, 68). This is why the Psalmist prayed for the quickening power of the Spirit through the Word (Psalm 119:107).
Psalm 119:49
Remember the word unto thy servant,
upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
~ Psalm 119:49
Remember the word unto thy servant,
This is a prayer of faith that isn’t a reminder to God but rather an appeal to God’s faithfulness to His Word. God has spoken it and will also do it (Isaiah 46:11). He isn’t seeking some new thing but praying in line with our Lord when He taught the disciples to pray, “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10).
Remember is a term associated with God’s covenant faithfulness. He remembers His covenant and therefore will keep the promise (Genesis 9:15-16; Leviticus 26:42-45). This was the way Moses prayed (Exodus 32:13).
upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
Comfort for the Psalmist did not rest in signs and wonders but his hope was upon the Word of God. The patriarchs of faith in Hebrews 11 died without receiving the promises (Hebrews 11:39), but they died in faith and faith is the “substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 1:1). Their hope was in the sure Word of God and had no other ground. So the Psalmist turns to God and His Word at all times for hope and comfort.
Psalm 119:48
My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved;
and I will meditate in thy statutes.
~ Psalm 119:48
My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved;
The word love first appears in this Psalm in verse forty-seven. It is soon repeated in verse forty-eight. In both places, the Psalmist declares his love for God’s commandments, a word which is often used collectively to speak of God’s law. So he is professing strong affection for God’s law.Using these words seems odd to our contemporary minds. First of all, the mention of law does not usually provoke good thoughts. Law sounds more like duty than delight. It sounds more like obligation and restraint than refreshment and enjoyment. Secondly, law makes us think of courts, lawyers, and legal code like the tax law or OSHA regulations. Those things are some of the driest and boring material in existence. Who delights or reaches out to the building codes or tax codes?
The expression of love is striking but is it proper? The language almost sounds worshipful. Should it be expressed about God’s law or only about God? Love is actually the key and I will try to illustrate it. Let’s say I’m apart from my wife on a long trip. The situation is such that I cannot see her or talk with her. After a while I receive a letter from her. I will read and savor that letter. In her absence it will bring me joy and I can honestly say I love that letter. So in that context, the question of whether I love her or her letter makes no sense. I love her and therefore I love the letter from her. It expresses her mind and heart to me.
I see the Psalmist’s expression here in similar fashion. God’s law is written by Him. It reveals Him in a way that the glorious stars in sky do not. Because he loves God, he loves His law.
and I will meditate in thy statutes.
Jesus taught that the thoughts of our heart will be of what we truly treasure (Matthew 6:21). We will readily meditate on what we delight in. For the Psalmist it is God’s law. The blessed man of God meditates in God’s law day and night (Psalm 1:2).
Psalm 119:47
And I will delight myself in thy commandments,
which I have loved.
~ Psalm 119:47
Verse 47 of this great Psalm has another expression of this sort. The Psalmist speaks of God’s commandments and speaks of delight and love. This expression is common throughout this Psalm (Psalm 119:47-48, 97, 127, 140, 167, 174).
The word for delight here is also used to speak of a child playing (Isaiah 11:8) and conveys the thought of seeking pleasure or enjoyment. The word for love is used to speak of a diversity of types of affection. So the Psalmist has great affection for the Word and seeks his delight in it. He has obviously made a high treasure of the Word and consequently his heart follows.
Psalm 119:46
I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings,
and will not be ashamed.
~ Psalm 119:46
I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings
Testifying before kings is a weighty matter. It might seem the Psalmist is ambitious or eager to stand before kings but there might be other considerations. First, given the previous forty-five verses, he may simply be expressing that he is prepared to do so. He has been meditating on the Word of God, hiding it in his heart, being made to understand it, having his eyes opened by God, walking in the way, and finding delight in the Word. In other words, he has something to say if he is given the opportunity. Because of his desire and devotion to the Word, he is supplied with substance to speak.The second consideration is that the Psalmist could be David and speaking to kings would then be to speak to his fellows. Here again he has been prepared to witness to his peers and has something of substance to say.
and will not be ashamed
To speak and not be ashamed requires at least two conditions. First, it requires a sufficient knowledge of the subject. If you endeavor to speak and then don’t know what you’re talking about, you are ashamed. Second, It requires consistency of profession and practice. If you are going to speak one thing and do another, you will be ashamed as a hypocrite.
The Psalmist’s trust in God and devotion to His Word has fitted him to speak that Word. He has been prepared to speak from the poor to the kings and being made to walk in God’s way means he will not be ashamed before men.
Psalm 119:45
And I will walk at liberty:
for I seek thy precepts.
~ Psalm 119:45
To our modern mind, we associate law and precepts with restriction and confinement. The word for liberty in this verse means room in every direction. The allusion to running previously also conveys freedom. We could draw a few different implications but it will suffice to say that God’s precepts are for our good. God is not a joy-crusher but a joy-giver and there is glorious liberty in the way of God’s commandments.
Psalm 119:44
So shall I keep thy law
continually for ever and ever.
~ Psalm 119:44
Contrast this with many who are chasing that one event or one experience that will change everything. Precious few want to be as a tree planted by the rivers of water where they may continually drink and day-by-day grow until they come to full age where they stand tall and spread across the sky full of green leaves and fruit (Psalm 1:1-6).
Psalm 119:43
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth;
for I have hoped in thy judgments.
~ Psalm 119:43
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth
Manner of life has been more prominent in this Psalm than matter of speech. Speech is important but it has to be prioritized. We can easily say one thing and do another, which is hypocrisy, and thereby nullify the words we speak in the minds of those who hear us. The psalmist previously expressed this principle in prayer (Psalm 119:27), where he understood “the way of thy precepts” to be before and foundational to talking “of thy wondrous works.”This first phrase is a prayer to God for the word not to be taken from his mouth. The word can be forfeited through inconsistent walk of life but something more is behind these words. He prayed to God for His word not to be taken out of his mouth and the next phrase of the verse explains the impetus behind this prayer.
for I have hoped in thy judgments
The last phrase of this verse explains his dependence of God fulfilling His word. If he has spoken of the mighty promises of God and they fail, the word will be utterly taken out of his mouth. He prays for deliverance based on God’s word. He has declared the wondrous works of God, His judgments, and precepts. So He prays for God to fulfill that the spoken word will not fail.
Psalm 119:51
Posted by Jeff Short on January 12, 2016 · 1 Comment
The proud have had me greatly in derision:
yet have I not declined from thy law.
~ Psalm 119:51
The proud have had me greatly in derision:
Derision refers to scorn or ridicule. The proud have scorned the Psalmist because of his dedication to God’s Word and way. They have used his afflictions as an opportunity to heap scorn upon him. They do this because they hate God and His people. They do this because they also misunderstand affliction. God sovereignly works all these things together for good (Romans 8:28), but they have such a limited perspective that they cannot see it. Therefore, they mock.yet have I not declined from thy law.
The Psalmist had suffered double trouble. He endured his afflictions and the scorn heaped on him for them. However, despite these difficulties, his resolve for God’s Word is only strengthened. Job’s wife tried to provoke him to give up God’s way and the Psalmist’s scorners tried to do the same. Rather than forsaking it the Psalmist found comfort in it and so we must do in the face of affliction and the teeth of our adversaries.
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