Psalm 119:24

Today we consider the last verse in the third octave of Psalm 119, the octave entitled Gimel.

Psalms 119:24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.

By means of the word also, the psalmist adds this thought to the thought of the previous verse. Recall that in the previous verse the psalmist wrote that “princes also did sit and speak against me.” His way of coping with this persecution was by meditating in God’s statutes. Rather than despairing over what the princes spoke against him, he focused on what God in His word spoke for him. Now in today’s verse, he tells us what God’s word was to him as he meditated in it. The testimonies of the Lord were his delight and his counsellors.

It is interesting to notice the things that the Holy Scriptures link together by the word and. In this particular case delight is linked with counsellors. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense that these two things are joined together. A counselor is one who gives counsel, which is advice or direction. When one is in perplexity or distress, to receive good counsel is one of the most delightful things that can happen. It brings relief and comfort to gain insight into a difficult situation, to get some direction on how to deal with it. To put it straightly, a good counselor is just a pleasure to have around. Solomon acknowledged this in this proverb:

Proverbs 27:9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.

The hearty counsel of a friend rejoices the heart; it brings delight.

But observe that God’s testimonies are our counsellors, plural. Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

The Scriptures contain a multitude of counsellors for our safety. None of these counsellors will ever give bad advice. And because of that, your purposes or plans can be established; they can be well-settled rather than being tossed about in indecision and uncertainty. Indeed, there are counsellors in Scripture for every situation that you can be involved in. And no counsellors in this earth are more expert in giving advice than the counsellors of Scripture. In fact, the advice of every other counsellor you may consult should always be weighed in relation to the counsel of Scripture to determine its merit.

Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Thomas Manton made the following interesting comments on this passage that show the advantage of finding our counsellors in a book:

“Alphonsus, king of Arragon, being asked who were the best counsellors? answered, ‘The dead (meaning books), which cannot flatter, but do without partiality declare the truth.’ Now of all such dead counsellors, God’s testimonies have the pre-eminence. A poor, godly man, even then when he is deserted of all, and hath nobody to plead for him, he hath his senate, and his council of state about him, the prophets and apostles, and ‘other holy men of God, that spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’ A man so furnished, is never less alone than when alone; for he hath counsellors about him that tell him what is to be believed or done; and they are such counsellors as cannot err, as will not flatter him, nor applaud him in any sin, nor discourage or dissuade him from that which is good, whatever hazard it expose him to.”

Now that is rich!

If you would have God’s testimonies be your delight, then take them for your counsellors. They will bring you little joy if you do not seek their advice. And if you would find in God’s testimonies your counsellors, then take them for your delight. You will not be prone to seek the advice of that which you dislike.

Lastly, we refer to attorneys and psychotherapists as counsellors. A beautiful thing about having God’s testimonies for our counsellors is that their advice and help are free. Imagine having access to a multitude of lawyers and psychotherapists to be consulted as often as you wish for as long as you wish and it costing you nothing but the time you spend seeking their advice. Now that is a deal! This fits well with this admonition with which I close:

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Psalm 119:23

By means of the word also today’s verse from Psalm 119 picks up the thought introduced in the previous verse.

Psalms 119:23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.

In the preceding verse the psalmist wrote of being the object of reproach and contempt. In the verse we consider today we find that this reproach and contempt did not just arise from the common folk, but it also came from princes. Let’s define what a prince is.

Prince – 1. A sovereign ruler; a monarch, a king. 2. One who has the chief authority; a ruler, commander, governor, president; also, the head man, chief, or leader of a tribe.

A prince can refer to anyone in authority in any sphere. Those who occupied places of authority in the life of the psalmist were speaking against him, heaping upon him their reproach and contempt.

Observe that our verse does not simply state that princes spoke against him. It rather says that they did sit and speak against him. When someone is functioning in an official capacity as an authority figure, he is spoken of as doing so from a seated position.

Judges 5:10 Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.

Isaiah 16:5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

Matthew 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

When our blessed Lord, Messiah the Prince, gave His authoritative pronouncements in that great Sermon on the Mount, He did so from a seated position.

Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:…
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,….

In fact, notice this definition given of the word sit in the dictionary:

To occupy a seat in the capacity of a judge or with some administrative function.

It is interesting that when someone today runs for office, we say that he is seeking a seat in parliament, or a seat in the senate, or a congressional seat. And when we speak of judges issuing their findings in a case, we say they are speaking from the bench, the place where they sit.

So taking all this together, we see in our verse that these princes were speaking in an official capacity; they were using the power of their office to speak against the psalmist. Sadly, it has happened all too often in history that persons in authority have abused their power by using that authority to speak against the good and godly. Time and space would fail to mention all of the unrighteous laws and decrees throughout history that have been handed down from seats of power against the innocent and the righteous. The ultimate example of this took place when the religious and political rulers of the Jews used their authority to speak against the only perfectly innocent and just Man in all of time, even our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,….

Although reproached and spoken against even by princes, our psalmist did meditate in God’s statutes. He found in God’s words comfort, strength, and refuge when those who should have been his protectors became his persecutors instead. As Matthew Henry pointed out, he found that when they spoke against him, the word of God spoke for him. In those statutes the believer finds that he is not alone when he is reproached for his godliness. He is in the company of the saints spoken of in the Scriptures. He is having fellowship with the sufferings of Christ His Lord. He finds that while princes may persecute him, God stands up for him and will vindicate him in due time as the following passage declares:

Psalms 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts (found in God’s statutes) delight my soul.
20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.

It is to the psalmist’s credit that during this time in which he was persecuted by princes, he mediated in God’s statutes. Rather than focusing on what the princes were saying against him, he focused on what God says. He did not envy the princes and spend his time fretting over what they were doing. Instead he meditated in God’s law. His position was vastly superior to the position of those evil princes as the following passage shows:

Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

How much better off some would be if they spent more time and energy meditating in God’s statutes than they do meditating on the unrighteous decrees of wicked princes.