“To all perfection I see a limit; but Your commands are boundless.” -Psalm 119:96
The earth and all that is in it will wear out. As beautiful as creation is, it groans under the Curse (Romans 8:19-23). The old Earth is wrung out like a tired dish rag, ready to be replaced with the new Earth and Heaven. It has a timetable and limits God has set in place. Yet God’s Word not only endures, it transcends Time through the Living Word, Jesus Christ. He is perfect and sufficient.
We can fancy ourselves very civilized and sophisticated in the 21st century, but sinful ways have not changed since the Fall. There is nothing in human nature God does not address explicitly or implicitly. His Word is relevant, powerful, living and active, able to bring what once was dead to life. God is in the business of transforming hearts of stone to hearts that look like His Son’s. He does this miraculous work through the power of His Spirit and His Word. The life giving treasure we have been given in the written Word is only dear to those who love its Author. Father, move mightily in Your people, kindling an inward desire for us to move toward You as You open our eyes to see the beauty of Scripture and not wander away from Your Good Book.
“The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder Your statutes.” -Psalm 119:95
The psalmist knows the plans of the wicked against him. It is helpful to remember when we too are oppressed by evildoers, it is more that they have a hatred of God than we did anything worthy of their venom. Loving the Lord our God in faithful obedience is our “crime”. Therefore persecution should not take us by surprise because if they crucified Jesus, unbelievers will afflict His people as well (John 15:18-25). Yet we look to Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our faith, clinging to God when enemies assail us.
Persecution is to be expected, not viewed as something strange for the Christian. When we suffer for Christ’s sake we can trust God is at work! All Christians should expect the way of the cross in this life- to be a daily living sacrifice pleases our Father. Instead of asking “why is this happening?” we must ask “what would You have me do today?” and walk in obedience. No matter how small or insignificant your obedience may seem, the loving Lord sees all. Continue to do good and place your faith in the One who loves you best. Jesus sacrificed Himself for sinners to have eternal peace with God. Set your gaze in His Word, asking the Lord to help your unbelief, doubts, or fears when you are weary and downcast. His statutes will provide comfort and wisdom to those who seek Him.
“Save me, for I am Yours; I have sought out Your precepts.” -Psalm 119:94
This cry for deliverance comes from one assured of his standing before God. The psalmist belongs to God. Knowing that the Lord will not forsake His own, the psalmist uses his adopted status as part of his plea for help. All believers have this privilege. We can confidently come to the Throne of Grace in our time of need, assured the Lord has heard us. This is our soul calm, the truth we rest in even when external circumstances swirl in chaotic warfare. God is with us, our refuge and strength, an ever present help in times of trouble. He is never late to a rescue mission, as His divine timetable and ways are always perfect.
We wait with confident hope for God to fulfill all His promises, trusting in His goodness. If God’s children are considered the apple of His eye, then rest assured He has not forgotten you. In the “already and not yet” timeframe, let us persevere in keeping God’s holy precepts. His work on Earth is still not done. Our Father calls us to faithfully serve alongside Him to the very end.
“I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have preserved my life.” -Psalm 119:93
Precepts are man’s moral obligations as we are joined with God. Christians represent Christ and therefore imitate His character, following God’s command to be good stewards of all He has given us (Genesis 1:26-28). Yet one of the greatest snares to holy living is forgetfulness. I forget every day where I placed my phone or if I responded back to a text. But spiritual amnesia is far worse. Think of how many times in Scripture the Lord commands His people to “Remember”. The psalmist declares he will not forget God’s precepts. Like Christian in Pilgrims’s Progress, when we step off the narrow path forgetting how God has called us to live, we are headed down the wide road of destruction, and just might end up in the clutches of one Giant Despair! God’s commands are for our own good. They keep us from destroying ourselves, preserve our souls, and sustain consecrated holiness.
On this side of the cross, you and I have the privilege of remembering what Christ has done for sinners and sufferers. We remember the bloody cross and God’s mercy. We remember that Jesus paid the believer’s sin debt once and for all. We remember Who we belong to. We remember that this place is not our home but Jesus is preparing a place for us with Him. We remember and believe and do not despair. The Gospel saves our souls, allowing us to live out the precepts God graciously provides for His children.
“Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve You.” -Psalm 119:91
This verse nicely compliments the previous two verses. The psalmist is still praising God for the endurance of His Word. God in His lovingkindness has proved Himself faithful over the course of human history to reveal His Truth to us. We would be eternally lost if the Lord had not left His instruction on how to find Him. What does the Bible say on how to find God? Jesus said, “I AM The Way, and The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). If we want to know God and His ways of saving faith, we need not look any further than His Son Jesus Christ (John 17).
All things serve God as well. Even a soul which does not know or acknowledge their Creator, God in His Sovereignty can use whatever tool He pleases for His purpose. The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart to accomplish His plan in redeeming enslaved Israel through Moses (Romans 9:14-24). God appointed Cyrus, a pagan ruler of Persia, to allow the Jews to return to Israel after 70 years of captivity. Isaiah even prophecies Cyrus’ role in Jewish history, calling him by name, 150 years before Cyrus was even born:
“This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge Me.” (Isaiah 45:1-4)
God gives each of us a will which He can use in His foreknowledge for His purpose. Nothing takes the Father by surprise, there is no ‘plan B’. This is the beautiful mystery of man’s will and God’s sovereignty at work. Praise God He allows us to mine the depths of His revealed wisdom. Yet I believe we have only begun to scratch the surface of this incomprehensible, indescribable, unchanging Lord of all. In writing his letter to the Roman church, Paul stops two-thirds of the way and exclaims,
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)
“Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures.” -Psalm 119:90
There will always be a remnant to proclaim the wonders of God from one generation to the next. God’s Word has promised this. It is part of the Lord’s faithfulness to us. Our duty as Christians is the amazing privilege of working with the Lord, serving Him by going and telling others the Gospel. We get to disciple our children, training them in the way they should go, not merely to be outstanding citizens in society but learn what it means to die to self and follow Christ. If believers refuse to obey these commands, taking them seriously, then we not only lose rewards in Heaven but will be held accountable for our sins of omission (James 4:17; James 1:22-25; Matthew 12:47; Luke 11:42). The rocks will cry out and praise Him if we do not. Creation will testify to its Maker more than it already does because all of creation is made to worship (Luke 19:40; Colossians 1:16; Psalm 148).
God doesn’t need us, but desires to include us in His good purpose, loving His own dearly. Whether we obey or not, His Name, His World, will endure until He is ready to change the current Earth and Heaven into something new (Revelation 21:1). God does nothing half-way. He has firmly established His Creation, His people, His Word- and now we actively wait in eager anticipation of the Lord’s promises fulfilled at the end of this Age, the Era of Grace (Romans 8:19-25).
“Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the Heavens.” -Psalm 119:89
Each verse in Psalm 119 is a beautiful stand alone prayer framed as a plea, or a confession, of adoration, or thanksgiving. Here the psalmist praises in adoration the true and trustworthy Word of God. He proclaims God’s words are eternal. The Scriptures are truly our most treasured possession as Christians. God did not anoint us as pilgrims and then leave us alone to figure everything out. He has given us His own instructions, which if we follow them, will lead to goodness and mercy all the days of our lives and into eternal glory.
God’s Word is eternal. It will never be irrelevant or forgotten in human history as thousands of other books have. Even when we fade and wither, returning back to the earth, God’s Word stands forever (Isaiah 40:6-8). The Bible is the one book which leads to everlasting life, because of whom it points to. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth, The Life (John 14:6). All of Scripture points to Him as the Redeemer of mankind. What blessing, what mercy, for us to have the Bible at our fingertips.
“Preserve my life according to Your love, and I will obey the statutes of Your mouth.” -Psalm 119:88
The cry of the psalmist for preservation is not unique to him. Many frightened and weary souls have pleaded for the Lord to protect their physical beings as well as preserve their souls. The psalmist’s prayer is for God to keep him “according to Your love.” He petitions God to remember how much He loves this poor pitiful creature. Then the psalmist declares to pursue holiness as God refreshes his spirit.
There are times to be brought low and times to be lifted up. We cannot thrive in the valley indefinitely. The Lord knows our weak frame would wear out and wither. He may not remove the affliction, but He does promise to refresh you with His grace (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). God will give us exactly what we need for optimum spiritual growth. Whatever He decides for us to personally endure He will be faithful to keep you close to Him to the very end. Our Father will not forsake His own. He cannot and will not be faithless. And what will your response be? Will you forget His mercies on you and go about your business? Or will you stop and consider His grace in preserving your spirit for all eternity? The latter response leads to worship and obedience to the Preserver of our souls. No matter our external circumstances, God has promised soul rest through His Son Jesus for all who trust in His sufficient work on the cross. Praise God for our Great Shepherd and High Priest, for now we can approach His Throne of Grace in our time of need and God not only listens to our pleas, but He cares and responds accordingly in His Sovereign Wisdom.
“They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken Your precepts.” -Psalm 119:87
This is a heavy topic. Evil men plotted not only to smear David’s reputation, but sought to kill him. The Bible is full of gritty, messy, real life stories. Perhaps you aren’t fearing for your life, but this type of behavior to “wipe someone from the face of the earth” still happens today in our cancel culture. It is an attempt to silence a voice, discredit their opinion and make them irrelevant. Wickedness seeks to bury truth, but truth-tellers will be justified. If not in this life then in final victory when God will make all things right. They do not forget God’s Word but cling faithfully to clarity in a world of confusion.
The true believer will echo the psalmist in perseverance of God. The harder we are assaulted for our faith, the tighter we hold on to what we know is true. Like the old hymn says, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.” Ask the Lord to daily renew a fresh fire in your heart to pursue Him. He promises to draw near to those who still seek Him (James 4:8).
“All Your commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause.” -Psalm 119:86
The first part of this verse is an acknowledgment that our Lord, Maker and Law-Giver can be trusted. He will never deceive, never lead us astray from what is good, what is best for us eternally. God’s Word is absolute Truth. External circumstances do not change the object of our Hope or salvation status for the one who follows Christ the Lord no matter the cost. Their souls are secure so the inner man can rest despite the trials of life.
The latter part of the verse is a cry for help. Even if the writer knows God can be trusted, he still prays for his suffering to end. Affliction is not without purpose, but unless our spirits are refreshed even with one cool drink, we will wither. Man cannot stand alone against our adversary the devil apart from God’s divine help. The thorn may never be removed, but our perspective can change. The psalmist also does not take matters into his own hands but instead trusts in the One who loves him best, the Perfect Judge. He will avenge His elect, His Bride, one day with complete finality when every tear will be wiped away and pain will no longer exist (Revelation 21:3-5). The reason you and I can have such outrageous hope is because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. The God of the Universe came down to us because we could not go to Him on our own (John 1:14). He endured not only the hatred of men through persecution and murder, but experienced God the Father’s wrath, so those who place their faith in His sufficient blood never have to eternally bear God’s punishment for their sins. Our sins have been pardoned, wiped away, because of the matchless grace of King Jesus. He is worthy of our trust at all times, He is worthy of worship in all of life, even in persecution.
redeemed in grace 