Written ~ 12-11-2023
Psalm 119:129-136
129 Your laws are wonderful.
No wonder I obey them!
130 The teaching of Your word gives light,
so even the simple can understand.
131 I pant with expectation,
longing for Your commands.
132 Come and show me Your mercy,
as You do for all who love Your Name.
133 Guide my steps by Your word,
so I will not be overcome by evil.
134 Ransom me from the oppression of evil people;
then I can obey Your commandments.
135 Look upon me with love;
teach me Your decrees.
136 Rivers of tears gush from my eyes
because people disobey your instructions.
Every word of this passage from Psalms rings true to my heart. When I read and study, ponder and marvel over the words I read in the Scriptures, it’s not just another book that I just want to get through. I want to learn, I want to gain wisdom and knowledge. I want to apply the instructions found in this wonderful book to every aspect of my life.
The 119th chapter of Psalms was believed to be written by King David for his son Solomon. If you notice in your Bible, this chapter is broken up into 8 verse sections and labeled with a Hebrew word above each section. Those Hebrew words are the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. David wrote this Psalm as an acrostic, each 8 verse section begins sequentially with a letter of the alphabet. It is believed that David did this to teach his son the Hebrew alphabet while also teaching him “the alphabet to spiritual living.” Each section is filled with instructions to living a godly life by keeping the laws of God. Even though this chapter was written by a father to a son to teach him the alphabet and how he should live a godly life, we can benefit from these instructions and learn from it just as deeply.
So let’s look at this passage open hearts and open minds…
Verse 119:129,
129 Your laws are wonderful.
No wonder I obey them!
Some of us may find it difficult to follow the rules, there may be some who have a more rebellious spirit. Having that sort of attitude really doesn’t get you anywhere. When we obey the Word of God and follow the instructions within its pages we can actually live a much more abundant life, a life filled with joy and peace because we are following the commands of the Lord and not opposing them at every turn.
Verse 119:130,
130 The teaching of Your word gives light,
so even the simple can understand.
I found this verse to be very interesting! I love that it says the Word of the Lord gives light. That is so very true, this Word, the Holy Scriptures illuminates our path so we stay on the road leading to life. Obeying the Lord’s commands doesn’t oppress us, it gives us freedom! We step into the light of Heaven when we obey God’s Word. Through the generations there have been people who have tried to convince us that the Bible is difficult, boring, hard to understand, so, that causes many people not to even try to crack open their Bible. The preconceived idea is that you won’t get anything out of reading the Bible, and that understanding will never come. But for the heart that is ready to receive the instructions written in this Book with an open mind, the understanding will come flooding into your heart with such fullness, you will be quite surprised as to how quickly you will learn!
Verse 119:131,
131 I pant with expectation,
longing for Your commands.
Have you ever been so thirsty that your mouth feels like cotton, your tongue is stuck to the roof of your mouth and you are longing for some water, something to bring refreshment. Something that will hydrate your body and get you moving again. That is how we should long for the words written in the Bible. There should be an anticipation, a reaching out, a continual searching for refreshment that only the Word of God can provide. If your life feels dry, like walking through the desert on a hot summer day without any water. The only thing that will completely hydrate your soul is the Word of God. The Bible has all the answers. Seeking hydration in the world is going to lead you on a path towards destruction, disobedience and the longing for things that do not line up with the commands laid out for us in the Scriptures.
Verse 119:132,
132 Come and show me Your mercy,
as You do for all who love Your Name.
When we have surrendered our lives over to the Lord. We have been given the greatest gift of God’s love, mercy and grace. The only way to grow in our love for Him is to spend time in His love letter to us. When we ask the Lord to show us His mercy, where are we looking for it? We will not find it by spending time in the world, doing sinful things, acting in a way that is not pleasing to the Lord. No, we find His mercy, we learn about His grace and feel His love by increasing our knowledge, and that’s done by studying the Word of God. Our love for the Father is shown in our obedience to His Word, His commands.
Verse 119:133,
133 Guide my steps by Your word,
so I will not be overcome by evil.
If you think you can live your life the way you want to, without consulting God’s Word, without seeking His guidance, more than likely you will find yourself in a distressing situation. Our sinful nature, our true heart’s desire is to have the attitude of anything goes. If we continue to give into the pleasures of the world, if we try to satisfy our desires by doing whatever we feel like doing, our hearts will become so parched and our well-being so dangerously dehydrated, that we may have great difficulty seeing the light of God’s Word. Evil is lurking around every corner. In this world there will always be temptation to do what is not pleasing to the Lord. That’s why as a believer, or anyone searching for answers, it is imperative that the Word of God be what guides our every step. This verse doesn’t say we will overcome evil all on our own. Nope! We must have the Word of God as our guide.
Verse 119:134,
134 Ransom me from the oppression of evil people;
then I can obey Your commandments.
What if the prayer of your heart is that the Lord would release you from the oppression of evil and after He has answered that prayer you go on doing whatever you want and still associate with evil people? It is important that when we ask the Lord to do something in our lives, that we turn to the Scriptures and obey the commandments written for us. It doesn’t do us any good to ask the Lord for a change in our lives if we don’t plan on actually changing our attitudes or actions. If you find yourself in an oppressive situation and God releases the pressure, the love and gratefulness you can show to Him is by obeying His Word.
Verse 119:135,
135 Look upon me with love;
teach me Your decrees.
God loves us so much, and He longs to teach us. That’s why He gave us His Word! He didn’t create us to be disobedient, rebellious children. He created us to love. He created us in His own image. He expects us to learn His decrees and stick to them.
Verse 119:136,
136 Rivers of tears gush from my eyes
because people disobey your instructions.
I really feel David’s heart in this verse. I too, have cried over what I see people doing. A lot of what they go through is because of disobedience. God cannot allow disobedience and rebellion to continue without some sort of discipline. When you give your heart over to sin and turn away from Scriptures, you will find yourself in a very lonely spot. Depression and negativity can step in and become the norm. But that’s not where God wants you to stay. He wants a repentant heart, He wants to see us turning to Him and seeking Him in all we do. When there is a disregard to reading the Scriptures, God’s love letter to us, it must be so disappointing to Him. But the Lord God loves us, He shines His light ever so brightly so we can find Him, even in the darkest corner. He will never give up on us. Even in our disobedience, He loves us with an everlasting love.
What if you are studying Scripture? What if you are leaning on the Word to guide your every step? But you continually find yourself on the path of negativity and depression clouds your every thought. My prayer is that your heart will have a deep cleansing. It’s quite possible there is unresolved bitterness, anger or sorrow that has taken over your soul. You are trying to climb out from under the pressure, but even with your heart’s desire to follow God’s Word, you can’t seem to overcome those things that oppress you. True repentance of sin is a complete release of the things that Jesus took upon His body when He hung on the cross. If you have given your heart to the Lord, it’s time to believe He can release you once and for all from the darkness that has remained! All the troubles, all the trials, all the disappointment life has thrown your way, can be lifted, you just need to give it all to Him. Let the light of God’s Word fill up every place of your heart, EVERY place that is not full of joy and peace and comfort! We are to live in obedience and we are to live with the light of Jesus shining through us… No. Matter. What. I am not saying that the words we read in the 119th Psalm are always going to be easy. But the rewards we receive by obeying the Word of God outweigh any rebellion we want to cling to. So let’s do ourselves a favor. Make a check list. Think about those negative attitudes you struggle with, pray over those things and ask God to remove them from your heart and transform your life once again. Then, REFUSE to allow those negative attitudes to take up residence in your heart ever again.
God loves you. He wants to be a part of your life. Allow Him to walk beside you. Turn away from all forms of disobedience. And give the Lord, your Savior, all your honor, glory and praise by the way you live your life.
~AMEN~