Jesus
promised a life of trouble from this world to those who would follow Him; He
also assures them that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). In other words we are foolish to think that
our life of obedience will ever become free of affliction. Likewise we are foolish to ignore the
provision of Christ for His people.
The
Psalmist understands this. In this final
stanza we again find him pleading with God for help. It may be that the trial that forms the
backdrop for Psalm 119 is still ongoing; or it may mean he has seen the next
difficulty on the horizon. Either way,
he continues to put his hope in the Lord and His word.
He
is still “crying” to the Lord (169). He
still lifts his supplication (170). But
there is a thought in this stanza that should encourage all of God’s
people. He has experienced so much of
God’s word in his trial; now he desires to share it with others.
o 171: he has been taught so
much that he would declare his praise to the Lord for all to hear.
o 172: he is so overcome by
the way he has seen God’s righteousness that he would speak God’s word to
others.
Having
expressed this desire he does not allow himself to become proud, as if he had
learned all he needed and can now walk on in his own strength.
The closing 4 verses continue to call on God
for help.
o 173: let your hand be my help.
o 174: I long for Your deliverance.
o 175: let my soul live; let your judgments help me.
o 176: seek Your servant. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; without
You I will do it again.
The
longer we live our lives the less we may be shocked by the things that happen
in the lives of believers. The longer we
live hopefully the more we know of God’s word so it can be used in our
lives. But we never outgrow our
dependence on God. Nor do we ever
completely escape the temptation to stray away from our Good Shepherd. May our time in this longest of Psalms be a
motive to come back often to find in God’s word that which we need to glorify
Him in our afflictions.
God
be praised!
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