We continue making our way through the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Pë.
Psalms 119:131 I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.
So great was the longing of the psalmist for God’s commandments
that he described it as opening his mouth and panting.
Pant – To breathe hard or spasmodically, as when out of breath; to draw quick laboured breaths; to gasp for breath. To gasp (for air, water, etc.); hence, fig. To long or wish with breathless eagerness; to gasp with desire; to yearn (for, after).
Whenever we have an intense need for air or water, we pant
for it. And when we pant, we open our
mouth to breathe in the coveted air or to drink the water for which we greatly
thirst. This way we take in more air or
water to satisfy out greater need. However,
in this case the psalmist had an intense need for God’s commandments. Imagine being that desirous to be told by the
Lord what to do, for that is precisely what God’s commandments do! But as we noted in our meditation on verse
19 of this psalm, God’s commandments also refer to His commandments that
created and govern the universe, His commandments of our deliverances, and His
commandment of our eternal salvation. In
short, the expression thy commandments
encompasses the whole story of the Bible.
So what the psalmist is expressing in this verse is great yearning for
His Bible, a yearning so great that he opened his mouth and panted for it.
Sadly, this gasping desire for God’s word is too often
wanting in God’s children. They allow
the cares and pleasures of this life to stifle their desire for God’s holy
words. If you wonder just how
spiritually minded you are, check the level of your desire for the teaching of
the Holy Scriptures. Is your level of
desire to the degree that you pant after God’s commandments? Should you find your desire for the word of God to be weak, then stir yourself up and pray to be revived as the psalmist prayed
several times in this psalm when he besought the Lord to quicken him.
Now the Lord reveals Himself to us in His commandments. Studying the commandments of God we learn His
works and His will for us. So if you are
panting after God’s commandments, it is owing to the fact that you are panting
after the Lord Himself.
Psalms 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
This intense thirst for God and His commandments, all of
which are righteousness (PSA 119:172), is a blessed thirst and one certain to
be satisfied.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
1 comment:
This is a message of great encouragement. I'm blessed that my everyday begins with time with God (reading the Bible, praying, meditating). The results are most helpful. But these comments on Psalm 119:131 insight new vigor. I am MOST interested in what God's Word says and how it applies to life and I set time aside for personal devotion, Sunday services, Bible studies, etc. But now I can add a desire for eagerness to seek it out. I clearly remember the early days when I was first learning about the Bible and grace. It was unbearable to endure the time in waiting from one Bible study to next Bible study. One day after a Bible study over 25 years ago, I went to work and did no work all day because I could not get what I learned the night before set aside in my mind to concentrate on the work of the day (I did make up this lost time over the years and paid it back in excess). This message in Psalm 119:131re-insights that vigor and I want to focus on recovering it to some degree. Just some thoughts.
Post a Comment