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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