Let my soul live, and it shall praise You; and let Your judgments help me.
--Psalm 119:175 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on July 24, 2013 of Psalm 119:169-176; Luke 5:1-16; 2 Chronicles 10-12.
Today's focus verse comes from the last stanza of the 119th Psalm, according to the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Tau. Throughout this lengthy wisdom psalm, the Lord has been praised for the giving of His law, which our author steadfastly seeks to comprehend and obey. The song reveals that everything man needs to know is contained within God's law, if we would only strive to search it out and understand it. The Lord blesses those who heed His Word so we, like the psalmist, should want to be more obedient. And through our earlier studies we know that God's Word is His Son, Jesus the Christ. This knowledge should further strengthen and encourage our desire to follow Him, and by doing so to obey the voice of God our Father.
In this last stanza the psalmist almost summarizes his work while wrapping it up in a neat package. Here he shows us how the Word of God impacts us in ways we can easily relate to. He tells us the Word affects our mind ("give me understanding" in verse 169), our mouth ("my lips shall utter" in verse 171 and "my tongue shall speak" in verse 172), our will, and specifically our free will ("I have chosen" in verse 173), our emotions ("Your law is my delight" in verse 174), and even our conscience ("I have gone astray" in verse 176). If we were to substitute the word "Son" for the word "law" in verse 174, I believe we would see a defining statement for all those who strive to follow Jesus: "And Your Son is my delight". For in a very true sense Jesus came to us as the human embodiment of God's law, of God's Word. Jesus taught us that while obeying God's commandments is important, doing so will not redeem us. Only through our faith and belief in Jesus will we be saved, and it is for that belief that we desire to obey God's voice.
Because through Christ we live, we want to praise God. Jesus working in us and through us begins a new creation within us, to be completed on that day when He comes to us again. We want to keep this new person going and growing, to get closer and nearer to Christ and to God. And one way to do so, as the psalmist so wisely observes, is to use God's judgments as a guide. We can read in our Bible of the Lord's past judgments over His people and of His judgments to come when Jesus returns and treat them as warnings as to what could happen to us. And we can also take to heart any judgments God has already pronounced in our own life. God does not just capriciously cause hardship and pain for no reason, and especially not for His own entertainment. He does so for our good, so that we might learn and improve ourselves. So that we might live forever with Him in Paradise. Let God's judgments help us. Amen.
Gracious Father, thank You for all You have done for us in our lives. Thank You for Your commandments and for Your Word, for Jesus who offers redemption and salvation. Because He grants our souls life, we will praise You. Please help us with Your judgments so that we might grow nearer to You. In the name of Your beautiful Son and our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
In this last stanza the psalmist almost summarizes his work while wrapping it up in a neat package. Here he shows us how the Word of God impacts us in ways we can easily relate to. He tells us the Word affects our mind ("give me understanding" in verse 169), our mouth ("my lips shall utter" in verse 171 and "my tongue shall speak" in verse 172), our will, and specifically our free will ("I have chosen" in verse 173), our emotions ("Your law is my delight" in verse 174), and even our conscience ("I have gone astray" in verse 176). If we were to substitute the word "Son" for the word "law" in verse 174, I believe we would see a defining statement for all those who strive to follow Jesus: "And Your Son is my delight". For in a very true sense Jesus came to us as the human embodiment of God's law, of God's Word. Jesus taught us that while obeying God's commandments is important, doing so will not redeem us. Only through our faith and belief in Jesus will we be saved, and it is for that belief that we desire to obey God's voice.
Because through Christ we live, we want to praise God. Jesus working in us and through us begins a new creation within us, to be completed on that day when He comes to us again. We want to keep this new person going and growing, to get closer and nearer to Christ and to God. And one way to do so, as the psalmist so wisely observes, is to use God's judgments as a guide. We can read in our Bible of the Lord's past judgments over His people and of His judgments to come when Jesus returns and treat them as warnings as to what could happen to us. And we can also take to heart any judgments God has already pronounced in our own life. God does not just capriciously cause hardship and pain for no reason, and especially not for His own entertainment. He does so for our good, so that we might learn and improve ourselves. So that we might live forever with Him in Paradise. Let God's judgments help us. Amen.
Gracious Father, thank You for all You have done for us in our lives. Thank You for Your commandments and for Your Word, for Jesus who offers redemption and salvation. Because He grants our souls life, we will praise You. Please help us with Your judgments so that we might grow nearer to You. In the name of Your beautiful Son and our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
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