Psalm 119:57

(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.)

 

"The LORD is my portion;

I have promised to keep Your words."

 

Jesus was the ultimate example of this, John 4:34.  ‘Portion’ is the Hebrew ‘חֵלֶק, ḥēleq: A masculine noun indicating a portion, a territory.’  Normally a portion is limited in some way.  But You, O Lord, are infinite!  This is used as ‘inheritance’ in Psalm 16:5, a forever portion in Psalm 73:26, and my portion in the land of the living, Psalm 142:5.  With You as my portion, I should be forever satisfied, freed from the desire for lesser things.  Because You are my portion, I take my fill in the means which You have provided, Your living word.  Unlike earthly food, which in one sense is less necessary (Job 23:12), Your word is a delicious delight (Psalm 19:10, Psalm 119:103-104) which we need not fear gorging ourselves on (Psalm 81:10)!  Filled, may I be free from lesser, destructive desires (Proverbs 17:14-15).  The satisfaction is not merely in the eating, but in the experience of doing (James 1:25).

 

‘The poet is lost in wonder while he sees that the great and glorious God is all his own! Well might he be so, for there is no possession like Jehovah himself… Who that is truly wise could hesitate for a moment when the infinitely blessed God is set before him to be the object of his choice?... With much else to choose from, for he was a king, and a man of great resources, he deliberately turns from all the treasures of the world, and declares that the Lord, even Jehovah, is his portion… he preferred the word of God to the wealth of worldlings. It was his firm resolve to keep - that is, treasure up and observe - the words of his God, and as he had aforetime solemnly expressed it in the presence of the Lord himself, so here he confesses the binding obligation of his former vow. Jesus said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words,”… Full assurance is a powerful source of holiness. The very words of God are to be stored up; for whether they relate to doctrine, promise, or precept, they are most precious. When the heart is determined to keep these words, and has registered its purpose in the court of heaven, it is prepared for all the temptations and trials that may befall it; for, with God as its heritage, it is always in good case.’[1]


[1] Spurgeon, Charles Haddon, Treasury of David, on Psalm 119:57, e-Sword edition


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