“It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken.” Psalm 119.126 This prayer provides another profound example of the psalmist’s trust in the Lord. He knows that the law of God has been violated. He has spoken numerous times in this psalm of the wicked, insolent enemies attacking him. Notice though, that he doesn’t seek …

“I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!” Psalm 119.125 With this prayer, the psalmist returns to one of his most-used pairings in this psalm—devotion and dependence. He declares that he is God’s servant, declaring his devotion. Then, he asks for understanding from the Lord, declaring his dependence. We cannot get far from this pairing …

“Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119.124 In the previous verse, the psalmist displayed great expectancy that the Lord would fulfill his promises. Here, he longs for that in his life particularly. He knows and expects fulfillment of the Lord’s promises. In the current verse, he narrows this to God’s particular …

“My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.” Psalm 119.123 The writer offer his prayer to the Lord many times through this psalm. In the previous verse, he prayed specifically for a pledge for the Lord. He asked for the Lord to assure his success over those who would oppress him. Having offered that …

“Give your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me.” Psalm 119.122 In this verse, the poet expands upon the prayer for protection begun in the prior verse. In that verse, the psalmist pledged himself to living in righteousness and justice. Knowing that such a life produces resentment and oppression from the world, he appealed to the …

“I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.” Psalm 119.121 This verse opens a new stanza in this epic exaltation of God’s word. This stanza focuses on this psalmist’s dedication to the Scripture and his dependence on God to guard that dedication. These are familiar themes within the psalm. Here, the poet opens …

“My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.” Psalm 119.120 Yesterday, we looked at how God’s righteous judgment of the wicked caused the psalmist’s love for Scripture to grow. This verse highlights the flip-side of that coin. God’s judgment also increases his reverential fear of the Lord. With these two verses, we have a …

“All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies.” Psalm 119.119 In the previous verse, the psalmist looked at the Lord’s spurning of evildoers. He took comfort in knowing that the cunning of evil is ultimately in vain. In this verse, the psalmist continues to look at the Lord’s dealing with the evil. Here, …

“You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain.” Psalm 119.118 Evil—whether blasphemy, greed, pride, injustice, murder, false witness, sloth, lust, immorality—has its divinely appointed end. The word of God teaches us that God will bring all evil to an end, ultimately judging evil and ushering his own into a glorious eternity with him. …

“Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!” Psalm 119.117 Renowned preacher Charles Spurgeon illustrated this verse with the imagery of a nurse and a newborn baby. The newborn, once born, needs the nurse’s ongoing care. Here, the poet shows his need for the ongoing grace of God. The Lord needs to hold …