Psalms 119:39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
Let us begin with defining the word reproach.
Reproach – A source or cause of disgrace or shame (to a person, etc.); a fact, matter, feature or quality bringing disgrace or discredit upon one.
Zero in on that personal possessive pronoun my. Like the psalmist, I fear my reproach. I fear those things about me, those things that I might do that could bring disgrace and shame. This is a healthy fear for any Christian to have and especially for a Christian minister, who is to be an example to others of how Christians should live.
The enemies of our holy religion are always on the lookout for believers to make some slip that they can use against them to tarnish their profession of faith.
Psalms 41:5 Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?
6 And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
Nehemiah’s enemies hired a man to entice him to hide in the temple to save his life. In doing so Nehemiah would have sinned and given his enemies something with which to reproach him.
Nehemiah 6:10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.
11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.
12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.
Now it is one thing to be reproached because we are following Christ. That kind of reproach is an honour.
1 Peter 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
When the apostles departed from the presence of the Jewish council after having been beaten for preaching the gospel, we read:
Acts 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
We also read in Hebrews 11:26 that Moses esteemed “the reproach of Christ.” But it is another thing entirely to be reproached for evil we have done. This is not the reproach of Christ. Instead it is our reproach and we should be afraid of it! Therefore, we should seek the help of God to deliver us from our sins so that we “give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (1Timothy 5:14). That is what David was doing in this prayer:
Psalms 39:8 Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.
If God delivers us from sinning, He will turn away our reproach.
Now the psalmist feared his reproach for this reason: for thy judgments are good. The commandments, precepts, and statutes of God’s word are also called His judgments. We should fear our reproach because God’s word is good and as Christians we profess to be followers of it. So whenever we sin, we not only bring reproach upon ourselves for being inconsistent with our profession, but worse, we bring reproach upon the word of God and its doctrine.
1 Timothy 6:1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
Romans 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
Let me speak my heart! I believe the Bible, preach the Bible, and try to live my life by the Bible. That Book has been very good to me. I would rather be dead than to be allowed to live in such a way that I bring reproach upon it and upon its good judgments. I had much rather be put away in a grave than to be put away in disgrace. I am so afraid of being a reproach to the cause of my Lord. I plead to God against it. Oh, God, turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good. Amen.
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