Psalm 119:129-176/Commentary

Psalms 119:129-176 The Light Shines In The Darkness

119:129 “Many good things from the past are disappearing in today’s modern and postmodern society, and one of them is wonder” (Boice p. 1039). Do we stand in awe of the Scriptures? Are we just amazed by the fact that in our hands we possess the words of the Creator? I believe that if you will simply spend time in the Bible you will find how simple, straightforward, and wonderful are its teachings, that the answers to the big questions aren’t complicated, and that the path to happiness and contentment is so simple. Notice the second half of this verse, if we are impressed by what God has said—obedience is easy.

119:130 The mere reading of the Bible brings light to those in ignorance and darkness. Even someone who is naïve, ignorant, or even simple-minded can understand what the Bible says and profit from its study. “Reading the Bible throws light on life, on all its problems and trials, on the confusing behavior of other people, on what is important and what is not, on right behavior, right goals, and right priorities. If you have not found this to be true, it is because either you are not really studying the Bible or you are approaching it in a superior or vain frame of mind, judging it from your own limited views rather than allowing it to judge you” (Boice p. 1041). (Hebrews 5:11-14; 4:12-13).

Point To Note: The mere unfolding of Scripture gives light. Some sort of miraculous intervention isn’t needed to unlock the meaning of Scripture. The word “unfolding”, simply means, “opening”. We would all take Bible Study more seriously, if we realized how much light we really do need to handle the problems that we will face in life. Unfortunately, we live in a religious climate which argues that many problems are simply unsolvable or the solution is unknowable. Even to those who aren’t experienced, the Bible clearly reveals the right path or the right moral choice. What good news---my children don’t have to live by trial or error and I don’t have to try something first before I know if it is good or evil.

119:131 The language here suggests that the writer has a tremendous hunger and appetite for the Word of God. With great anticipation this writer longs to know the will of God. Note, he hungers for the “commands” of God. Do we?

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“He portrays himself as a thirsty animal, dying for water in the desert” (Williams p. 388). As he reads and spends time in the Word—his appetite only increases.

119:132 He understands that mercy will be extended to those who are willing to love God. Obviously, as he comes to know the commands of God, the writer realizes that he has fallen short and earnestly wants to be forgiven.

119:133 He desperately wants to be controlled by God’s Word rather than by his own lusts. Are you so tired of sin that you are willing to give up all control in your life to what God says in the Bible? The writer realizes that he will only find victory over sin—any sin, even the most chronic and habitual of sins, by consistently obeying the demands set forth in the Bible. There are so many people who are preaching a quick and easy answer to temptation, but the only way to conquer any sin is to give yourself completely to God and the teachings found in His word. Jesus repeated this concept when He said that the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32).

Point To Note: Wow! What good news, even the most stubborn sins can be whipped! Are you tired of being a slave to anger, lust, greed, and so on? Are you tired of being a moral failure? Are you tired of being spiritually weak?

119:134 This seems to suggest that any attempt to completely break from the ways of the world (1 John 2:15-16; Romans 12:2), will bring ridicule and hatred from the world (2 Timothy 3:12). In addition, the “oppression of man” might include such things as peer pressure. Only when we rise above the fear of what others think about us---can we completely and fully serve God. 119:135-136 “We should join the psalmist in weeping for those who prefer to stay in the darkness” (Williams p. 389). Matthew Henry said, “The sins of sinners are the sorrows of saints”. Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), and Paul had great anguish over the souls of lost countrymen (Romans 9:1-4).

Everlasting Righteousness 119:137-138 Since God is righteous, this demands that whatever He would say or have written would be completely just, fair, pure, and right. “The Bible mirrors the character of God. Anyone who cares about knowing what is righteous and wants to act righteously should study the Bible. Statesmen should study it; so should judges, policemen, teachers, parents---indeed everyone who believes that morality matters” (Boice p. 1044). “Trust in the reliability of God’s word is directly proportionate to one’s trust in the Lord himself” (Gaebelein p.

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759). Hence, to question the rightness of a biblical command is to question the very character of God Himself.

119:139 If we take the Bible seriously, then we will zealously oppose all who try to pervert what it says. Note, the word :”forgotten” infers that such adversaries had once been professed believers. “The zeal increases as the adversities increase so that it wears one out” (Gaebelein p. 759).

119:140-141 God’s word is pure, that is, the Bible will never lead us astray or tell us to do something which is not in our best interest. Do you long to be pure?

Do you appreciate the Bible because it always tells you the truth? The purity of the Word reflects the purity of the Author (1 John 1:5). Even though the writer is viewed as small and is despised by men (that is viewed as insignificant), he refuses to backdown. Even in our society, faithful Christians are often discounted and ridiculed as being old fashioned or out-dated.

119:142-144 If God’s righteousness is everlasting, then the Bible contains everlasting truth. “By implication, why surrender to that which is passing away?”

(Williams p. 390). God’s law is truth, that is, we can absolutely trust in it and count on it. The Hebrew idea of truth is not merely that it is reasonable, but that it will hold us up when we lean our entire weight upon it. Despite his battles with the world (143), despite the cost of being faithful, this writer continues to delight in God’s commandments.

Point To Note: Have you found God’s Word to be fully trustworthy? Some believers in the past have placed the letter’s “T” and “P” next to various verses in the Scriptures. The letters stood for “tried and proven”. “So much of what we hear from other sources, even those considered to be reputable and reliable, is false. Who trusts anyone’s words today?” (Boice p. 1045). Various studies have noted that Americans lie all the time and often for no apparent reason. Is there anyone who does not lie? God does not lie. Every word He has spoken can be trusted.

Every word! That is something truly wonderful.

Hope Deferred 119:145-147 The price of faithfulness is often persecution (Acts 14:22). This writer is suffering, but he is persistent in prayer (Luke 18:1ff). “Yet these verses are not really about the psalmist’s enemies, as bad as they were. They are about the writer’s prayer life and how he had learned to use God’s Word when praying” (Boice p. 1047).

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119:148 He longs for time to simply read the Scriptures and mediate on what God has said (Joshua 1:7-8). “Meditation involved thinking what the passage he was studying was about and internalizing it, imagining what it would mean for him in specific acts of conduct” (Boice p. 1050).

119:149 The writer believed and even during such oppression there was always something in Scripture which would revive him.

119:150-152 The enemies draw near—but God is near. It is this conviction in the nearness of God to the faithful that enables this writer to handle the nearness of his enemies. God is always near in that He has given us everything we need in the Bible (2 Peter 1:3). We have the answers to even the most difficult situations right at our finger tips. Here we are again reminded that God’s Word is truth (not part truth, part lie), but truth, and that such truths are eternal in their validity. The writer had understood such concepts for years. One of the fundamental things that enables one to remain faithful even during times of hardship is that what God has said---never changes.

Precious Life 119:153 “There is a mounting urgency, if repetition is any sign of it, in the plea for life” (Kidner p. 428).

119:153-159 Notice the elements in this prayer. It is all right to tell God that you are following His word---such isn’t self-righteousness. The wicked here are described as people who do not seek God’s commandments, they persecute the godly, and they are “treacherous”, that is, faithless, whose words and actions are completely unreliable. He “loathes” such people, which means that we can weep over the sins of other people (136), and at the same time be very angry over what they are doing. Note the word “consider” in verse 159. This is an appeal to God’s fatherly heart.

119:160 The expression, “the sum”, is literally, “the head”. The idea isn’t, “by and large”, but rather, “every part of”. This verse really condemns those who try to claim that this portion of the bible is genuine, but that portion isn’t. True faith will accept everything that God has said. “The ungodly are false, but God’s word is true (although typically ungodly men try to claim that their words are true and the Bible is false). God’s word has been true from the first moment in which it was spoken, true throughout the whole of history, true to us from the instant in which we believed it, true to us before we were true to it. The Scriptures are as true in Genesis as in Revelation, and the five books of Moses are as inspired as

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the four Gospels….The Lord has nothing to regret or to retract, nothing to amend or to reverse” 1

The Place Of Peace

119:161 This writer was being persecuted by some very powerful and influential people. But, he didn’t resent God’s standards. When we have to stand for a truth that is unpopular today, do we still stand in awe of the teaching for which we are being ridiculed? This man wasn’t ashamed of truths which the world ridicules (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:21ff). “Who calls the shots? For the psalmist it is not the rulers of this world. Their persecution does not humble him.

God’s word alone does that….Since the psalmist is in awe of God, he is not in awe of anyone else. This is our true freedom in this world” (Williams pp. 395396).

119:162 Are we preoccupied with earthly wealth and praise, or the wealth that is just waiting to be mined in the Scriptures?

119:163 To love what God teaches means that we must hate every false idea and every attempt to bend or compromise the truth.

119:164-168 Serving God faithfully, being diligent to keep every command, being careful to follow exactly what God had said---doesn’t make this writer neurotic or miserable, rather, he has great peace! May I suggest to you that people who try to convince us that “peace” is found in finally realizing that grace will just automatically cover everything—are people who don’t have any real peace. The person who really has peace, is the person who doesn’t feel compelled to have to apologize, change or tone down anything in the Bible. The person who is always trying to tone down biblical truths in order to please people or keep them from being offended, is a slave to fear (John 12:42-43). The writer also realized that God saw everything that he did or thought---so being unfaithful to any command is a waste of time and an exercise in foolishness. If we are sneaking about and doing things which are sinful, then we really don’t believe in the God revealed in the Scriptures.

Teach Me, Help Me 119:169 Carefully note that the only “understanding” that the writer knew what God would give him, would be understanding found readily in God’s written revelation to mankind.

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The Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon, pp. 425-26 5

119:172 He is so impressed with God’s Word that he must sing songs which praise Scripture.

119:176 Since the writer has declared his faithfulness time and time again, this closing note must not be an admission of apostasy, but rather the cry from a broken spirit, who because of persecution feels helpless, like a lost sheep, and cries to the Good Shepherd to seek him.

Final Comment: “And how are we to receive His word? There is only one answer. With humility.

We are not to be among the proud who declare their independence from God. They believe their own words to be the final authority” (Williams pp. 398-399).

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