Psalm 119:150

We continue working our way through the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Koph and we find the psalmist being approached by those who are up to no good.

Psalms 119:150  They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.

Let’s begin by defining mischief.

Mischief – Evil plight or condition.  Harm or evil considered as the work of an agent or due to a particular cause.

Those who follow after mischief strive to do evil.  For them evil is a goal to be attained.  The Scriptures call them “the wicked.”  Their pursuit of mischief is described in these passages:

Psalms 7:14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

Psalms 36:4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

Proverbs 4:16  For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

17    For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

Proverbs 6:14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

It is plain from these passages that the wicked bring forth mischief like women conceive and bring forth children.  They conceive the idea in their hearts and bring it forth in their actions.  They travail with it like a woman travails in pain until she can give birth.  They hurt until they can perform the evil they purpose.  They are continually plotting mischief, even on their beds at night.  They cannot rest unless they have done evil.  Mischief is their meat and drink.  These people live to do something wrong.  Indeed, they follow after mischief.  In fact, they follow after mischief so intently that their feet are “swift in running to mischief” (Proverbs 6:18).  And being thus, they are obviously far from God’s law, which ever only leads men to do good.  They stay as far away from the Bible as they can.  They want nothing to do with being either commanded or convicted by it.  And the more these kinds of people are in command of our institutions of government, industry, finance, education, media, and entertainment the more mischief we are going to see pouring out of those institutions. 

Now the mischief they do is not just aimed at other wicked people.  No, they draw nigh to those who love God and His word.  They want to do harm to anyone that reproves them for what they are and what they do.  They will try to tempt the godly person to do as they.  If the godly person resists, they will persecute him.  Hence, they drew nigh to our Lord to take Him and destroy Him.  They hounded the apostles of Christ as they went about preaching the gospel.  They have pursued the followers of truth from the time of Cain and Abel, and will do so until the trump of God shall sound and forever remove His children from their reach.  Nowadays with the internet, those who follow after mischief can easily draw nigh.  They are only a click away, a fact which calls for ever greater vigilance on our part.  But our next verse will show us that as the wicked draw nigh to us, they will encounter Someone else Who is near us.

Psalm 119:149

In today’s verse of Psalm 119 we encounter the fourth specific reference made by the psalmist in this octave to his prayers.

Psalms 119:149  Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.

In this prayer the psalmist brings two requests before the Lord.  He asks the Lord to hear him and He asks the Lord to quicken him.

Let’s consider the first request:  Hear my voice.  Although we can pray in our hearts without uttering a sound, it is good to do as the psalmist and pray aloud with our voices.  This assists in focusing our thoughts on what we are praying.  If you are reading something and having trouble concentrating on it, you might try reading it aloud as this will help to capture your attention.  When I meditate, I often speak out loud what I am thinking.  I usually preach my sermons to myself before I preach them to the congregation.  A person might think me crazy for doing so, but it works for me.  At least I have Scripture for doing this when I pray.  If it works there, why not use this tool in meditation?

Now the psalmist pled with God to hear him according unto His lovingkindness.

Lovingkindness - Affectionate tenderness and consideration; kindness arising from a deep personal love, as the active love of God for his creatures.

If God’s hears us, it is because He deeply loves us.  And this love moved Him to action in that He gave His only begotten Son to take away our sins and iniquities. 

1 John 4:10  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Without this removal of our sins, the Lord would not hear our prayers at all.

Isaiah 59:1  Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

2  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Therefore, it is because of the His lovingkindness shown in the forgiveness of our sins that God hears us when we pray.  This explains why David pled the lovingkindness of God when He begged God to forgive him for the sins he committed in his adulterous affair with Bathsheba.

Psalms 51:1  (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.) Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

When the Lord deals with us, we want Him to keep His lovingkindnesses in mind rather than our sins, especially the sins we committed in the folly and passion of youth which haunt us all.

Psalms 25:6  Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

7  Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.

If the Lord will but remember His lovingkindnesses instead of our sins, then we shall have an audience with Him when we pray.  And, oh, how we need that audience!

Then comes the second request:  O LORD, quicken me.  We have come across this request before in this psalm.  That it is repeated by the psalmist indicates that he repeatedly needed to be revived and stirred up.  And is not that the case with us?  We too easily become lax and lethargic in our spiritual life.  Bible reading and prayer become matters of routine rather than real communion with God.  Perhaps our mind wanders a lot in church and we just don’t get that much from the sermon.  If such is the case, we need to be quickened. And the extent to which the psalmist sensed he needed quickening is reflected in the expression O.  As we have noted before, the interjection O expresses emotion.  Just be thankful you do not become so lax that you are not even concerned about it.  That is dangerous!

Note that the psalmist begged the Lord to quicken him according to His judgment.  He left it with the Lord to judge, to decide when and by what means He would quicken him.  Sometimes instead of pumping us up, the Lord presses us down.  “The LORD…bringeth low, and lifteth up” (1Samuel 2:7).  In the Lord’s mysterious ways sometimes the way up is down.  But that turn downward may be just what we need to quicken us.  Some of our most fervent prayers arise from our most desperate circumstances.  We draw close to the Lord in such times because there is nowhere else to go and no other than can deliver us.  That prolonged illness, that crash of an investment, that failure of a business, that loss of a loved one, that prodigal son, or whatever other adversity we could name might be just the thing whereby the Lord quickens us.  It exercises our faith and brings out the best in us to the glory of God, and the conversion and edification of others.  It is ours to ask.  It is God’s to decide how He will answer because He is the Judge.  And His judgment is always just.

Psalm 119:148

Today’s verse from Psalm 119 follows upon the theme of the preceding verse in that it deals with the time of the psalmist’s devotional life.  In the preceding verse he prevented the dawning of the morning.  In this verse his eyes prevent the night watches.

Psalms 119:148  Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.

In the Biblical times, the night was divided up into watches as may be seen in the following passages:

Judges 7:19  So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

Matthew 14:25  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

Luke 12:38  And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

Mark 13:35  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning….

Whichever watch it might happen to have been, there were times when the psalmist was awake and meditating in God’s word before the watch occurred.  His Bible was not only his companion by day, but by night as well.  And meditating on God’s words, he learned God’s language so as to be better able to communicate with Him in prayer.

The psalmist was obviously experiencing wakefulness.  But this wakefulness was not the unintended wakefulness of insomnia that troubles many of us.  It was rather an intentional wakefulness.  He stated that he prevented the night watches that I might meditate in thy word.  He was so tuned into what the Scriptures teach that he would deprive himself of sleep to study them.  I can attest that there have been times when something in the Bible had such a hold on me that I arose in the night from my bed to look into it.

I quite like Matthew Henry’s comments on this and the previous verse:

“And this is our comfort, when we pray in the night, that we can never come unseasonably to the throne of grace; for we may have access to it at all hours.  Baal may be asleep, but Israel’s God never slumbers, nor are there any hours in which he may not be spoken with.”

As was the case with the foregoing verse, so this verse also reminds us of the practice of our blessed Lord during His time on this earth.

Luke 6:12  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

The Lord Jesus engaged in this nighttime vigil of prayer just before He chose His twelve apostles thereby laying the foundation of the New Testament church.

One characteristic of the wicked is that they devote the night hours to plotting mischief and evil.

Psalms 36:4  He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

Micah 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

If they can prevent the night watches to devise evil to practice during the day, might we not prevent at least some night watches to meditate on the words of God so that we might practice them during the day?

How many of you prevent the night watches so you can finish an intriguing novel, or tune into a favourite late night television show, or surf the internet, or party with friends?  But here we find the psalmist keeping late hours for a far different purpose:  the purpose of meditating in God’s word.  And then he would engage in fervent prayer before the break of day. We would all be stronger Christians if we were like the psalmist in this regard. What a blessing it would be if the last thoughts of our day were left with God only then to find them with Him first thing in the morning! 

Psalm 119:147

We come to the third verse in this octave of Psalm 119 entitled Koph and we find the psalmist crying yet again to his God.

Psalms 119:147  I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.

This makes three times in a row in which the psalmist said he cried unto God.  Thomas Manton pointed out occasions where we read of others in Scripture who prayed three times for something.  It is written of our Lord that in the Garden of Gethsemane He “went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words” (Matthew 26:44).  The apostle Paul “besought the Lord thrice” that his thorn in the flesh might be removed (2Corinthians 12:8).  Elijah stretched himself upon the widow’s dead child “three times, and cried unto the LORD” for the life of the child to be restored (1Kings 17:21).  I find all this to be an interesting “coincidence”? 

And then we read of Daniel who “kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed….” (Daniel 6:10).  Lastly, notice that David cried to God three times a day:

Psalms 55:17  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

In today’s verse the psalmist stated that he prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried.

Prevent – To act before, in anticipation of, or in preparation for (a future event, or a point of time, esp. the time fixed for the act); to act as if the event or time had already come.

The psalmist cried to God before the day dawned.  He was up before sunrise fervently engaged in prayer.  There is no better way to meet the approaching day with whatever duties, challenges, and temptations it may contain than by calling upon the Lord in prayer.

Psalms 5:3  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Psalms 88:13  But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

Isaiah 26:9  …yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early….

I deem it a good practice when you awaken in the morning to roll out of bed onto your knees and begin the day by calling upon the Lord.  This will get the day started on the right foot, or perhaps I should say, the right knee. 

And let us not overlook that our blessed Saviour Himself prevented the dawning of the morning that He might pray to His Father and God.

Mark 1:35  And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Now just what was it that prompted the psalmist to be so diligent in prayer?  The answer lies in the second half of today’s verse:  I hoped in thy word.  God’s word makes rich promises to those who call upon the Lord, promises that encourage them to hope.

Psalms 86:5  For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Psalms 86:7  In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

Psalms 91:15  He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

Jeremiah 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Romans 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

These promises are from the mouth of God that cannot lie.  Believing them imparts hope.  We expect the Lord to do just what He says He will do unto those that call upon His name.  Even if you do not experience immediate relief when you pray, you can still hope in God’s word as did the psalmist.  Those who hope in God never hope in vain.  In the end, the promise will always come.

Habakkuk 2:3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

If you find yourself becoming lax in prayer, it is likely owing to the fact that you do not expect much to come of it.  Weak hope will result in weak prayers.  If you would be more hopeful, try praying more diligently even to the point of crying to God.  Cry to God to fan the fires of your hope.  And as hope thrives, so shall your prayer life.  Prayer and hope work in tandem.  Hope incites prayer and praying we have hope.  It is as Charles Spurgeon wrote:  “He who is diligent in prayer will never be destitute of hope.”

Psalm 119:146

We come today to the second verse of this octave of Psalm 119 entitled Koph and we find the psalmist still crying to his God.

Psalms 119:146  I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.

In the preceding verse the psalmist cried to God to hear him.  In today’s verse he cries to God to save him.  So long as we live in this fallen world driven by the prince of darkness, so long as we live in bodies of flesh wherein dwell all manner of sinful lusts battling for the control of our minds, we will need to be saved.

But to fully grasp the nature of the salvation the psalmist cried for, we must consider what he attaches to his request: and I shall keep thy testimonies.  The psalmist desired to be saved from anything that would hinder him from keeping God’s testimonies.  Whether it was a temptation to disobey God's commandments, or an enemy that would steal his Bible or otherwise hinder his service to God, or whatever might come between him and his Bible, the psalmist cried to be saved from it.  He was not requesting to be saved just so he could have the personal comfort and ease of being delivered from a difficult situation.  Rather, he wanted to be saved to serve his Lord.

If you are in any kind of tribulation and you are asking God to save you out of it, consider why you want to be saved.  If your main objective is your own easiness and pleasure, you may well be denied your request as we are warned in this verse:

James 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

But if you pray to be saved so that you may serve and glorify God, so that you may go up to His house to offer thanks to His name, so that you may bear witness of His truth to others, then you may be assured that whatever deliverance is needed for these purposes will be granted.  And if you truly love God’s testimonies, you will be content with the salvation that enables you to keep them, whether that salvation be experienced in poverty or wealth, sickness or health, life or death.

When Hezekiah fell ill and was told he would die, he prayed to be delivered.  But as he prayed to be saved, he had in view being able to go up to the house of the Lord as we see from this verse:

2 Kings 20:8  And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?

And we know the sequel of the story.  Hezekiah was saved in that he was given fifteen more years in which to honour his God in His service.  This prayer to be saved to serve the Lord delights the heart of God.  It is your bargaining chip with Him.  I suggest you make frequent use of it. 

In conclusion, let me stress that this prayer for salvation was directed fervently to God:  I cried unto thee.  Commenting on this fact, Thomas Manton wrote the following:

“In mercies and afflictions, our business lieth not with men, but God; by humble dealing with him we stop wrath at the fountain-head:  he that bindeth us must loose us; he is at the upper end of causes, and whoever be the instruments of our trouble, and how malicious soever, God is the party with whom we are to make our peace; for he hath the absolute disposal of all creatures, and will have us to acknowledge the dominion of his providence and our dependence upon him.  In treaties of peace between two warring parties, the address is not made to private soldiers, but to their chief:  ‘The Lord hath taken away,’ saith Job; ‘When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?’  Job xxxiv.29.”

If you give weighty consideration to what Mr. Manton has written, you will find it rich as do I.