Psalm 119:109

In today’s meditation we find two outstanding themes that recur throughout this Psalm 119, those being danger and duty.  Although the psalmist often found himself in danger, he remained constant in his duty.  And that is what it means to be “a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2Timothy 2:3).

Psalms 119:109  My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.

To have one’s soul or life in one’s hand is to be in danger of losing it.  When Jephthah passed over against the children of Ammon and thereby risked losing his life, he described his plucky action as putting his life in his hands.

Judges 12:3  And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

Or when David, but a youth, risked his life to defy the giant Goliath, it was said of him:

1 Samuel 19:5  For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel….

This makes sense when you think about it.  If you have something in your hand, you run the risk of dropping it, losing it, or having it snatched from you.  Such is the case when your soul is in your hand.  If your soul is lost or snatched from you, you lose your life since the body without the soul is dead.  And that the psalmist’s soul was continually in his hand means that he was in continual jeopardy of losing his life. 

Although the psalmist was in danger of losing his life, he was in no danger of losing his faith as he held that fast in his heart and mind:  yet do I not forget thy law.  Now this word yet introduces an interesting element in the sentence.  It is a conjunction joining the two main clauses of the sentence together and is defined as follows:

Yet – Introducing an additional fact or circumstance which is adverse to, or the contrary of what would naturally be expected from, that just mentioned:  In spite of that, for all that, nevertheless, notwithstanding.

What is stated in the second clause is contrary to what you would expect from what was stated in the first clause.  Imagine the stress of living with such a constant threat of losing your life.  You would think the psalmist would be scarcely able to think of anything else other than fending for his safety.  But although this is what you might expect, yet the psalmist had God’s law in his thoughts.  How this should remind us of our Lord Jesus Christ Whose life was threatened from His infancy until He was finally killed on Calvary.  Nevertheless, though His life was continually in His hand, He always had the law of His Father uppermost in His mind.  This is readily apparent from His words as He was ever speaking of the Scriptures.  Even on His cross as His life was being drained from Him, He said things for the express purpose of fulfilling the Scriptures. 

John 19:28  After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

He never forgot God’s law.

I close with Charles Spurgeon’s beautiful comments on this verse:

“They say that all things are fair in love and war; but the holy man thought not so:  while he carried his life in his hand, he also carried the law in his heart.  No danger of body should make us endanger our souls by forgetting what is right.  Trouble makes many a man forget his duty, and it would have had the same effect upon the Psalmist if he had not obtained quickening (verse 107) and teaching (verse 108).  In his memory of the Lord’s law lay his safety; he was certain not to be forgotten of God, for God was not forgotten of him.  It is a special proof of grace when nothing can drive truth out of our thoughts, or holiness out of our lives.  If we remember the law even when death stares us in the face, we may be well assured that the Lord is remembering us.”

Psalm 119:108

We continue working our way through the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Nun.   

Psalms 119:108  Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.

Commenting on this verse Matthew Henry pointed out that we are here taught to pray for two things “in reference to our religious performances,” those two things being the acceptance of them and assistance in them.

The psalmist besought God to accept the freewill offerings of his mouth.  These were not offerings of his herd, or flock, or purse.  They were offerings of his mouth.  This refers to the praise and thanksgiving that we offer to God with our mouth.

Psalms 50:14  Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High….

Hebrews 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Hosea describes this as rendering “the calves of our lips,” instead of the calves of the stall (Hosea 14:2).  And this kind of sacrifice is more pleasing to God than any sacrifice of beasts such as the Jews brought in the Old Testament.

Psalms 69:30  I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

31  This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

But note that these are freewill offerings.  Let’s define freewill.

Freewill – Spontaneous will, unconstrained choice (to do or act).

A freewill offering is an offering that one chooses to make simply because he wants to do it, not because he has to do it.  Do you praise and thank God because you know you should or because you want to?  Is your praise constrained or freely offered?  We find far more joy in those things we do willingly than in those we do by necessity.

1 Chronicles 29:9  Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

And such offerings delight the Lord as well.

2 Corinthians 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

As the psalmist brought his offerings of praise to God, he besought the Lord to accept them:  Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth.

Beseech – To beg earnestly for, entreat (a thing).

He literally begged God to accept his praise.  When we think of begging, we tend to think of one begging another to give him something.  But in this case, the psalmist was not begging to be given to, but rather he was begging to give.  Now that says a lot about how earnest the psalmist was in worshipping the Lord.

He also begged the Lord:  teach me thy judgments.  He not only prayed that the Lord would accept his worship, but he also prayed that the Lord would teach him so that he might perfect his worship.  In order for our worship to be acceptable to the Lord, it must be in accord with the instructions of His word.

Psalms 119:7  I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 

The more of God’s judgments we know and keep, the more acceptable praise we can offer to Him.  On the other hand, you may be sure that all the singing and shouting of praise and thanksgiving heard in churches that are governed by the tradition of men rather than the commandments of God, are vain lip service that God utterly rejects, no matter how freely it is offered.

Matthew 15:7  Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Let us join in prayer with the psalmist beseeching God for His acceptance and assistance so that such may never be spoken of our worship.

Psalm 119:107

When you are dealing with a lot of problems that inflict pain either in body or soul do you ever state that you are “going through a lot”?  In the verse of Psalm 119 that we consider today, the psalmist did, in effect, say the same thing. 

Psalms 119:107  I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.

The psalmist was afflicted very much.  He was “going through a lot.”  He was, as Peter put it, “in heaviness through manifold temptations” (1Peter 1:6).  The psalmist’s problems were bearing down on him to such an extent that they were having a deadening effect.  He was losing his joy, hope, and zeal.  He was to such a point that he felt he couldn’t handle it anymore.  How do I know this was the case?  I know this from the prayer request he made:  quicken me, O LORD.  Once again, consider the definition of quicken.

Quicken – To give or restore life to; to make alive; to vivify or revive; to animate. To give, add, or restore vigour to (a person or thing); to stimulate, stir up, rouse, excite, inspire.

The psalmist needed to be revived.  He needed something to invigourate him since he felt so sapped of life and strength.  He needed to be brought back from the dead, as it were.  And for this revival and restored vigour he looked to God.  Good choice!  For, as we have noted in previous meditations, God has promised in His word to revive those who humbly wait upon Him.

Isaiah 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Referring to this quickening operation Charles Spurgeon wrote:  “This is the best remedy for tribulation; the soul is raised above the thought of present distress, and is filled with that holy joy which attends all vigorous spiritual life, and so the affliction grows light.”

The psalmist looked to God to quicken him according unto thy word.  He did not expect the Lord to revive him apart from his Bible, for God uses His word to quicken us as we saw in verse 93 of this psalm.

Psalms 119:93  I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.

According to verse 50 of this psalm, the psalmist had already experienced the quickening power of God’s word when he was in affliction.

Psalms 119:50  This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

Since God’s word had quickened him in the past, the psalmist had good reason to expect it to do so again.  How many times has a passage of Scripture, one of these mediations on this psalm, or an edifying sermon revived you when you were down?  If this has happened before, then it is likely to happen again.  Therefore, based on today’s verse, I would heartily advise you to keep coming to this reviving, invigourating source of refreshment, the word of the living God.  For it is there that you will encounter the Lord Who will quicken you again.  To fail to come to God for quickening is either to give up in despair or to look to some other source to revive you.  When you do that, your heart will depart from the Lord and you will perish in your affliction.

Psalms 119:92  Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.

Oh, dear reader, if you have allowed your affliction to embitter you to the point that you neither call on the Lord for help nor search His word, may I urge you to repent and retrace your steps back to Him Who alone can revive your drooping heart and give you “songs in the night” (Job 35:10).

Psalm 119:106

We come now to the second verse of this octave of Psalm 119 entitled Nun.

Psalms 119:106  I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.

If you want to know what the psalmist’s religion consisted of, it can be summed up in this single statement:  I will keep thy righteous judgments.  God is not only the Judge of all that we do, He is also the Judge that decrees what we ought to do.  Therefore, God’s decrees or commandments of what we ought to do are called judgments.  And since whatever God commands we should do is right, His commandments are called righteous judgments.  Now it was the determination of the psalmist to keep those righteous judgments.  That was his religion. 

The psalmist was so in earnest about the practice of his religion that he bound himself to it with an oath: I have sworn, and I will perform it. 

Swear – To make a solemn declaration or statement with an appeal to God in confirmation of what is said; to take an oath.  To promise or undertake something by an oath.

You might find yourself shying away from such a notion.  You fear making a vow and not keeping it.  And well you should fear.

Ecclesiastes 5:4  When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

5        Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

But notice what the psalmist is swearing or vowing to do.  He is swearing to keep God’s righteous judgments.  Now whether you swear to do this or not, you are bound by the commandment of God to keep His judgments.  Even if you do not swear to perform this duty, you will be held responsible to do it and judged if you fail to do it.  There is no way out!

Ecclesiastes 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

John 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

To what purpose is it then that we should swear that we will keep God’s righteous judgments?  The purpose is that it adds support to our resolve if we back it up with an oath.  Our nature is so prone to err that we need to bind it to the service of God everyway that we can.  The more resolved we are to keep God’s judgments even to the point of swearing to do so, the more likely we are to keep them.  It is as Stephen Charnock expressed it:  “Resolution in a weak man will perform more than strength in a coward.”  It honours God to take our obedience so seriously that we even swear to perform it.  If we swear allegiance to our spouse, or to our country, or to a cause, why should we not swear allegiance to our God?

In fact, it is a delightful thing to swear to keep God’s righteous judgments.  You will find the Lord very willing to support you in your solemn resolution.  Consider this from the experience of the nation of Judah in the days of King Asa, when they swore to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul:

2 Chronicles 15:12  And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

13  That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14  And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

15  And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.

Perhaps you are experiencing some unrest in your life.  Consider that this unrest may be there because you haven’t really become that earnest and resolute in your service to God.  You are holding back from the Lord and He is holding back from you.

“But,” you ask, “what if I fail to keep one of the righteous judgments I swear to perform?”  You will.  But God’s righteous judgments make provision for those times of failure if you repent and return to the Lord.

Job 33:27  He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;

28  He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.

29  Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,

30  To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.

Isaiah 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Ezekiel 18:23  Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

When you swear to keep God’s righteous judgments, you are swearing to keep His commandment to repent when you sin.  In swearing obedience to God, you swear to deal with any sin in your life that He brings to your awareness through His chastening or instruction. 

Job 34:31  Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:

32    That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

Such an attitude toward sin and such a resolve to overcome it delights the heart of God and invites His abundant mercy.

Lastly, we, who are the children of God, owe it to the Lord to swear our allegiance and obedience to Him because of His benefits toward us.  And so much the more is this so when we consider the benefit of the eternal salvation that He has granted us in and through the gift of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  The words of David express what should be the resolve of every redeemed soul:

Psalms 116:12  What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

13  I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

14  I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

15  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

16  O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

17  I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

18  I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,

19  In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 119:105

I am now ready to delve into the next octave of Psalm 119 bearing the title of the Hebrew letter Nun.  From what I can gather, this letter is pronounced like our word noon.  As I am writing this I am having some difficulty coming up with a comic twist on this sound.  Perhaps it is because it is late in the afternun and my wits are winding down with the day.  Ooooh!  It seems that with each letter my comic relief is becoming more of a burden than a relief.  Perhaps I had best get on with the Biblical instruction.

Psalms 119:105  ¶NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

This world is a dark place.  Its inhabitants sit in darkness.  When our Lord came into this world, He was a light shining in that darkness.

Matthew 4:16  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

John 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5        And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

If all is dark about us and we have no light to guide us, then we stumble about not knowing where we are going.

John 11:10  But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

John 12:35  …he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

But thanks be to God He has not left us to stumble about in the darkness.  He has given us His word that is a lamp and a light.

The word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. That is, it provides me with guidance and direction.  It helps me make decisions as to what course to take.  Therefore, unlike one stumbling about in the darkness, I know where I am going and, equally important, I know where I am not going.  The commandments of God’s word mark out the boundaries so that I reject any counsel or decision that takes me outside those bounds.  Just as light brings us relief when we are in a dark place, so do the Scriptures bring us relief when they shine a light on a difficult situation and help us make the right the decision.  I love the way Charles Spurgeon expresses this fact:

“Ignorance is painful upon practical subjects; it breeds indecision and suspense, and these are uncomfortable:  the word of God, by imparting heavenly knowledge, leads to decision, and when that is followed by determined resolution, as in this case, it brings with it great restfulness of heart.”   

I know from personal experience just what Mr. Spurgeon is talking about.

But let us not overlook the first person pronouns of this verse.  The psalmist spoke of my feet and my path.  God’s word was a lamp and light to him individually and personally.  Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and it seemed as if it was written specifically for you addressing your particular need?  It was!  Have you ever heard a sermon that you thought was tailor-made just for you? It was!  God’s word is lamp to your feet and a light to your path. 

As we have worked our way through these verses we have seen the various ways that they testify of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the subject matter of all Scripture (John 5:39).  The reason the Scriptures are a lamp and a light is that they testify of Him Who is the Light.  Indeed, our Lord is the "dayspring from on high" that came into this world “to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79).  Christ is the light that shines through the pages of the Scriptures. 

John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 12:46  I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

2 Corinthians 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

No artist could ever capture and convey light like the Scriptures capture and convey the light of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible presents Christ, a dazzling, glorious light to those who have eyes to see Him. And that light dispels the darkness and shows us the path from here to home.

But this lamp and light will do you no good if you do not heed it and follow it. 

2 Peter 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts….

If you follow the light of God’s word in a given situation, you will find it giving you light for the next situation you face and the next after that.

Proverbs 4:18  But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

But if you fail to follow the light God gives you in His word, you will find yourself in darkness.

John 12:35  Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Proverbs 4:19  The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

When we do not follow the light that is provided, God judges us by turning us over to the darkness of blindness so that we cannot see the light shining before us.  Therefore, beware lest these fearful words be true of you:

John 12:37  But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

38  That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

39  Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

40  He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Isaiah 29:10  For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

11  And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed….