In His Grip

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled God and His Word .  The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.)   "I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And shall not be ashamed."   Here the Psalmist has moved from fear of abandonment (Psalm 119:43) to confidence to stand before kings without shame.   So is the confidence of the word of God.   May I boldly and rightly speak of Your testimonies before all people regardless of position in life, the confidence being in Your word and the motivation being the fear of You.   Isaiah 2:22, Isaiah 40:17, Matthew 10:18-20.   What an unspeakable joy it is to live without the fear of man but in the fear of You.   ‘“If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy who drives a plough to know more of the scriptures th...

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled God and His Word .  The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.)   "And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts."   How could it not be so?   The way of freedom can only be pursued when the path is clear and the shackles of sin have been removed (Proverbs 4:11-12, Romans 6:20-23, 1 Corinthians 7:22-23).   Surely the paths diverge!   Proverbs 4:18-19.   ‘Liberty’ is the Hebrew ‘ רָחָב , rāḥāḇ: An adjective meaning broad, wide, spacious, large. It indicates that something is wide, broad; land (Exo 3:8; Isa 22:18); a wall (Jer 51:58). It refers to the broad freedom or openness of Your law or to walking in it (Psa 119:45).’   It is used one other time in Psalm 119, Psalm 119:96, ‘Your commandment is exceedingly broad.’...

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled God and His Word .  The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.)   "So I will keep Your law continually, Forever and ever."   Who can make such an insane statement?   A wish maybe, but a promise?   Lord, how could I fulfill it?   Knowing the truth of Psalm 119:1-2, I want to walk in Your ways always, to seek You with all my heart.   How?   The key may be in the word ‘continually’, which is the Hebrew תָּמִיד , tāmiyḏ: A masculine noun meaning continuity…In another light, the psalmist referred to God as One he could continually turn to in times of need (Psa 71:3).   I see this as something of consistency, a pattern.   My mind goes right to Proverbs 4:18-19 - that our pattern is in the upward and forward direction. ...

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled God and His Word .  The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.)   "And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Your ordinances."   This is a curious prayer, perhaps borne out of the Psalmist’s desire to have a ready answer (Psalm 119:42).   Your word seems readily available, our issue being our desire and capacity for it!   Why would you take Your word ‘utterly’ out of my mouth?   First, this speaks of the Psalmist’s treasuring Your word, perhaps aware that his very life depends on it (Deuteronomy 32:46-47, Deuteronomy 8:2-3, Job 23:12).   Second, this speaks of the seriousness of the stewardship.   In modern language, we would say, ‘use it or lose it’.   I think of the par...

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled God and His Word .  The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.)   "So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word."   Continuing the thought from Psalm 119:39, how shall we deal with those who reproach?   I lean upon Your lovingkindness and not my efforts, the holiness of Christ and not my credentials.   Any answer comes not from my own cleverness, but from Your word.   The Psalmist had experienced, not simply concepts of truth, but an experience of it, filled personally with Your lovingkindness and truth.   Surely ‘By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.’ (Proverbs 16:6).   In wisdom we answer fools (Proverbs 26:4-5), and Father, m...

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled God and His Word .  The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.)   "Vav. May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your word;"   ‘Lovingkindnesses’.   This is the Hebrew חֶסֶד , chesed, here in the plural.      I think of the ‘fullness…grace upon grace’ of John 1:16, and the ‘lavished’ of Ephesians 1:7-8.   Is not Your ‘lovingkindness’ eternally enough?   Yes, but I believe the Psalmist emphasizes its aboundance (I misstyped that but I like it!) and its energy, i.e. it is always active.   Chesed upon chesed!   Grace upon grace, according to Your Word, according to Your Son.   ‘He needed much mercy and varied mercy, hence the request is in the p...

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled God and His Word .  The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.) "Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness."   How does the Psalmist long for Your precepts?   To the point of transformation, not simply information.   ‘Long’ has the sense of ‘inherent desire’.   ‘Revive’ is the Hebrew חָיָה , ḥāyāh: A verb meaning to be alive, to live, to keep alive. This verb is used numerous times in Scripture…Psalm 119 employs this word to say that God's Word preserves life (Psa 119:25, Psa 119:37, Psa 119:40, Psa 119:88).     One would even say that it creates life, making alive.   In this sense, the prayer is being answered while the prayer is being uttered (Isaiah 65:24, Matthew 6:8), for surely only Your re...

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled God and His Word .  The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.) "Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your ordinances are good."   Disapproval can be devastating.   To be unwelcome by men is difficult enough, but to be rejected by You cannot be endured, either in this life or the next.   ’Turn away’ is the Hebrew ‘ עָבַר, ‛āḇar: A verb meaning to pass through or over, to cover, to go   beyond, to go along, to be crossed over, to make to cross over, to go through, to go away.   In this case, the word means to cause something to pass away.    ‘This too shall pass.’   We can endure when we know there is an end (Romans 8:18-25, 2 Corinthians 4:17).   ‘Reproach’ is the Hebrew ‘ חֶרְפָּה , ḥerpāh: A feminine noun me...

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled God and His Word .  The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.)   "Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You."   Long one of my memory verses, I trust Your word to produce godly character in my life.   ‘Establish’ is the Hebrew קוּם , qûm: A verb meaning to arise, to stand, to stand up.   It can mean to establish or strengthen (Psalm 119:28).   I think immediately of ‘show Yourself strong’ in Psalm 68:28.   So here, I read ‘show Your word strong’.   ‘Produces reverence’ is the Hebrew יִרְאָה , yir’āh: A feminine noun meaning fear. The word usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality.   Father, may the work of Your word in my life produce compelling fruit of You...