Scripture Text – Psalm 119
The emphasis in this the longest psalm, and the basic theme, is on the vital ministry and practical use of the Word of God in the inner spiritual life of God’s children. It describes how the Word enables us to grow in holiness and handle the persecutions and pressures that always accompany an obedient walk of faith.
The Word of God performs many wonderful ministries in the life of the devoted believer. If we delight in His Word, learn it, treasure it within, and obey what it says, the Lord will work in us and through us to accomplish great things for His glory! Circumstances may change, but God and His Word remain the same.
Kaph – Faith and Patience
Please read Psalm 119:81-88 for the background to this section.
The focus in this section is on the responses of the believer while he waited for the Lord to judge his enemies and deliver him from persecution and danger. His oppressors were also the enemies of the Lord and of Israel, so his concern was more than personal. Satan has been seeking to exterminate the Jews since the time the nation was in Egypt, and he will continue until the end-times (Revelation 12). The Christian life is a battleground, not a playground and we must expect tribulation (John 16:33).
Fainting but hoping. The psalmist’s inner person was exhausted from longing for God to work. His eyes were strained from watching for some evidence of His presence (Lamentations 2:11). He felt like a dried-up wineskin that had been thrown aside as useless. However, he never gave up hope, for no matter how dark the hour, the future is our friend because Jesus is our Lord. The late American minister and author, V. Raymond Edman was noted as saying, “It is always too soon to quit.”
Questioning but waiting. “How many are the days?” he asked in verse 84, and “When” in verses 82 and 84. These questions have often been asked by suffering saints (see Psalm 6:3), even by the martyrs in heaven (Revelation 6:9–11), because they are the natural response of people who are suffering. (See also Jeremiah 12:3–4; 15:15; and 20:11–12.) It is difficult for most people to wait for the things they can see—a traffic jam to end, a checkout line to speed up, an important letter or e-mail to arrive—and it is even more difficult to wait for our unseen Lord to work out His will. It is through “faith and patience” that we inherit what God has appointed for us (Hebrews 6:12; also see Romans 15:4). Our trials will produce patience if we trust in the Lord (James 1:3–4). The enemy may be digging pits, but the Lord will see to it that they fall into them first (Psalm 9:15; Proverbs 26:27).
Trusting and reviving. Is the enemy spreading lies about you? God’s Word is dependable and can be trusted. Do you feel like your defeat is very near? Rest on His promises and rely on His love. When the Father allows His children to go into the furnace of affliction, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. He knows how long and how much. To walk by faith will bring unrest and weakness, but to meditate on the Word will bring peace and power. Once again, the psalmist prayed for new life and the Lord revived him. “Your Father in heaven loves you too much to harm you, and He is too wise to make a mistake,” stated the late Baptist minister, Robert T. Ketcham.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 