#864 Samekh 60

Samekh

113 I hate the double-minded,

but I love your law.

114 You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in your word.

115 Depart from me, you evildoers,

that I may keep the commandments of my God.

116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,

and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

117 Hold me up, that I may be safe

and have regard for your statutes continually!

118 You spurn all who go astray from your statutes,

for their cunning is in vain.

119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,

therefore I love your testimonies.

120 My flesh trembles for fear of you,

and I am afraid of your judgments. Psalm 119: 113-120 ESV

Samekh is the 15th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, with a pictograph that some say represents a shield. It's numerical value is 60. 

The root of the word means to lean upon, uphold or support. The root is also found in the word semikhah, which is the laying of the priests hands upon the sacrificial animal in a blood offering.

10 Bring the bull to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. 11 And you shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 12 Take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.… Exodus 29: 10-12

20 When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to bring forward the live goat. 21 Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness.… Leviticus 16: 20-22

I hate the double minded, but I love Your law - He was not so fond of men who were as reeds in the wind. We have dubbed this as wisdom in our culture, that opposing thoughts can all be true. God has said His word is truth, but we have vainly glorified ourselves for deep thinking, thought much more of self help and compromise. He loves God's law, so he would rather the thoughts of God than his own, and so we have heard him ask to be taught of the Maker in prior sections. 

You are my hiding place and my shield - Escape and defense, when the solitude of the former is unavailable, He is yet with me and protecting me as a shield amidst the onslaught.

- It is easy to exercise hope where we have experienced help. Sometimes when gloomy thoughts afflict us, the only thing we can do is to hope, and, happily, the word of God always sets before us objects of hope and reasons for hope, so that it becomes the very sphere and support of hope, and thus tiresome thoughts are overcome. Amid fret and worry a hope of heaven is an effectual quietus. C. H. Spurgeon

Depart from me, you evil doers - He is very shepherd like here. If he allows the wolves to den up, as the king, he shares in their iniquity. The church is overrun in these days with men who were quick in the laying on of hands, and they will share a part in the shame brought by those who should have been sent away.

- Kings are all too apt to be surrounded by a class of men who flatter them, and at the same time take liberty to break the laws of God: David purged his palace of such parasites; he would not harbour them beneath his roof. No doubt they would have brought upon him an ill name, for their doings would have been imputed to him, since the acts of courtiers are generally set down as acts of the court itself; therefore the king sent them packing bag and baggage, saying, -- "Depart from me." Herein he anticipated the sentence of the last great day, when the Son of David shall say, "Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity." We cannot thus send all malefactors out of our houses, but it will often become a duty to do so where there is right and reason for it. A house is all the better for being rid of liars, pilferers, lewd talkers, and slanderers. We are bound at all hazards to keep ourselves clear of such companions as come to us by our own choice if we have any reason to believe that their character is vicious. Evil doers make evil counsellors. C. H. Spurgeon

And let me not be put to shame in my hope - Hope has come to him from God's word, and he does not base this upon the pillar of his own resolve, but it is the Lord Who holds him up. He has committed his heart to God, but this same Psalmist has also asked God to create in him a new heart. Listen, carefully, and this will relieve a great deal of depression, the same God Who causes you to hope, Who saves you, also sustains you. As His child, His sovereignty should be your cause of peace and not of dread. 

9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you. 11 To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen.… 1 Peter 5: 9-11

For their cunning is in vain - Men are crafty, and as if God is not aware of the true nature of their heart, they pretend at integrity, quote even His word out of context, but as they live and breathe they think themselves in the right. Let your yes be yes and your no be no, but alas they do not remember what the truth looks like anymore. If given the choice, they would never choose it.

All the wicked of the earth, You discard like dross - Dross is that unusable part, worthless, and not at all how we see ourselves, even in the worst of sins. Everyone, without exception, thinks more highly of themselves than they ought to think. We even teach men to do so, even in the church where God has said "humble thyself in the sight of the Lord," but no, we say, "you need more self esteem, self realization, self promotion, self worth,". Jesus says, "deny yourself", and we are told elsewhere that our hearts our wicked and deceitful, so I would say, get over yourself, lift up Christ Jesus.

My flesh trembles for fear of You - Ask yourself this, have I ever known this, seen myself in truer fashion and then thought of the holiness of God? Have I ever come to realize that the Bible is His word, that killing the messengers will do me know good? Can I see that what He says, He always accomplishes, that I cannot debate Him over intent, it is His word and not open to so many interpretations? Have I come to the beginning of knowledge, that God is Holy, infinitely so, eternally opposed then towards sin, and that I am a sinner?

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#863 Nun 14

Nun

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,

to keep your righteous rules.

107 I am severely afflicted;

give me life, O Lord, according to your word!

108 Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,

and teach me your rules.

109 I hold my life in my hand continually,

but I do not forget your law.

110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,

but I do not stray from your precepts.

111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever,

for they are the joy of my heart.

112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes

forever, to the end. Psalm 119: 105-112 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, God's Word brings light.

Nun is the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and the pictograph resembling a seed or sperm. In the Talmud it means fish, and the numerical value is 50.

The number 50 represents freedom and fullness of life. The previous letter, Mem, represented water and 40.

• 40 years Israel wandered in the wilderness. Jesus fasted 40 days, and the rain of the Genesis flood came down 40 days and nights.
• The 50th year is the year of Jubilee.

Your word is a lamp to my feet - Because of Your Word, I can see where I presently stand, my immediate footing, and the further I read, the farther I can see. I was born spiritually dead, in utter darkness, of a sort so dark that I cared not to acknowledge it exists. I was, in fact, so blind that I thought I could see. With Your word came reality, the truth of where I stood, near the precipice of eternity. At first the edge scared me, but like a migraine I also recoiled from the light, and for some time I wished it would grow dark again, veiled. You could say, I loved the darkness more than the light.

And a light to my path - What a hard sell is this light, for if I look only at my feet, at times I am tempted to count this present suffering as too much, or count as suffering that which is really not. Jesus gave His disciples a light which looked to a time when they would be hated by all men for His sake. He showed Peter future failures which he denied possible, "not me Lord, I would never deny You." Jesus also showed him that when he was old someone would take him by the hand and lead him where he wouldn't want to go. The light reveals sin, and as Christians we are called to be the light of the world, so the further we drift from God's word, the more we rely on our own sense of direction, the less like light we become.

…6 If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.… 1 John 1: 6-8

I have sworn an oath and confirmed it - What light has revealed is the way, and the response of the Psalmist is to walk in it. It is clearly apart from our fallen natures, but graciously delivered in both the language and desire.

- Perhaps mistrusting his own fickle mind, he had pledged himself in sacred form to abide faithful to the determinations and decisions of his God. Whatever path might open before him, he was sworn to follow that only upon which the lamp of the word was shining. The Scriptures are God's judgments, or verdicts, upon great moral questions; these are all righteous, and hence righteous men should be resolved to keep them at all hazards, since it must always be right to do right. Experience shows that the less of covenanting and swearing men formally enter upon the better, and the genius of our Saviour's teaching is against all supererogatory pledging and swearing; and yet under the gospel we ought to feel ourselves as much bound to obey the word of the Lord as if we had taken an oath so to do. C. H. Spurgeon

To keep Your righteous rules - There is this call in the gospel, a call to walk in the footsteps of our Lord. It is the temptation of men to add unnecessary burdens upon this, but at the same time forsake that which is most certainly commanded. Men, who do not have the gift of singleness, have put such a yoke and a stumbling block upon themselves. The Jews of Jesus time had added much to the letter of the law, but with no understanding of the Spirit. They condemned Him for healing on the Sabbath, yet He was Lord of the Sabbath. 

…23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.… Matthew 23: 23-25

- Will not every believer own that he is under bonds to the redeeming Lord to follow his example, and keep his words? Yes, the vows of the Lord are upon us, especially upon such as have made profession of discipleship, have been baptized into the thrice holy name, have eaten of the consecrated memorials, and have spoken in the name of the Lord Jesus: We are enlisted, and sworn ill, and are bound to be loyal soldiers all through the war. Thus having taken the word into our hearts by a firm resolve to obey it, we have a lamp within our souls as well as in the Book, and our course will be light unto the end. C. H. Spurgeon

I am severely afflicted - He has had the awl punched through his ear, a slave of God now, a soldier, and tasting the blows of a battle he did not know before existed. Today we see the church falling apart, and men that stand up for truth are the most detested. The people cry to be entertained, they say, "I came for the fish and bread, quit talking about self denial and taking up the cross." The Psalmist is resolved though, so he will not seek deliverance by setting aside God's standard. 

Give me life, O Lord, according to Your word - My help comes from the Lord. My hope is in the Lord. Circumstances have brought me present discomfort; they are not my ideals for happiness, but quicken me, O Lord, bring me that joy that rises above the battle.

- David had but few promises to quote, and probably these were in his own psalms, yet he pleads the word of the Lord; how much more should we do so, since to us so many holy men have spoken by the Spirit of the Lord in that wonderful library which is now our Bible. Seeing we have more promises, let us offer more prayers. C. H. Spurgeon

Accept my free will offerings of praise, O Lord - God never needed anything we offered Him, and was held not by the blood of bulls or goats, but by what He owed rather to His own Word and covenant. He provided the only acceptable means of atonement in His Son. The Psalmist is reciprocating that which is born of love, of the life that he had asked for in the verse before. We are not ascetics, stuck in the throws of eternal mourning, not made alive to hate the works He has laid out before us. Though the circumstances may hurt, may ask us to feel ashamed, we have this great hope, this marvelous light, that God is both sovereign and good.

 

- He trembles lest these should be so ill uttered as to displease the Lord, and therefore he implores acceptance. He pleads that the homage of his mouth was cheerfully and spontaneously rendered; all his utterances were freewill offerings. There can be no value in extorted confessions: God's revenues are not derived from forced taxation, but from freewill donation. There can be no acceptance where there is no willingness; there is no work of free grace where there is no fruit of free will. Acceptance is a favour to be sought from the Lord with all earnestness, for without it our offerings are worse than useless. What a wonder of grace that the Lord will accept anything of such unworthy ones as we are! C. H. Spurgeon

- When we render unto the Lord our best, we become all the more concerned to do better. If, indeed, the Lord shall accept us, we then desire to be further instructed, that we may be still more acceptable, After quickening we need teaching: life without light, or zeal without knowledge, would be but half a blessing. These repeated cries for teaching show the humility of the man of God, and also discover to us our own need of similar instruction. C. H. Spurgeon

I hold my life in my hand continually - This is at great peril. He does not forget the law, and the peril does not become the new rule nor create the exception. "It's just business, all is fair in love and war," that is not the Psalmist's interpretation. If God has said this is good, right or just, then it is still so in the battle, at the loss of life or job. He is no longer belonging to the world or it's justifications.

The wicked have laid a snare for me - This reminds me of Jesus and His talks with the Pharisees, trying to catch Him against civil law with taxes, in matters of adultery, and even pressing Him about the Sabbath. I remember a story about Billy Graham, and how he had to have someone travel with him and check his hotel room before he entered. I am not certain of the story, but it is a good example, they put a naked girl in his room hoping to catch him in a compromising position. Why? Because being faced with sin or conviction, we always want to kill the messenger, unless we have a change of heart.

I incline my heart to perform Your statutes - Wake and pray. Make it your resolve to honor the greatest love of Your life, and let nothing else be in that place but Jesus. 

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#862 Mem 13

Mem

97 Oh how I love your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,

for it is ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,

for your testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the aged,

for I keep your precepts.

101 I hold back my feet from every evil way,

in order to keep your word.

102 I do not turn aside from your rules,

for you have taught me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through your precepts I get understanding;

therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119: 97-104 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, the love of God's word in practice.

Mem is the 13th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, having a numeric value of 40. It's pictograph looks like a wave of water, and can mean waters, people, languages, nations and tongues. Mem also represents aspects of God's rule, malkhut (kingship) and memshalah (dominion). 

…6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9: 6-7

Oh how I love Your law -

- It is a note of exclamation. He loves so much that he must express his love, and in making the attempt he perceives that it is inexpressible-- and therefore cries, "O how I love!" We not only reverence but love the law, we obey it out of love, and even when it chides us for disobedience we love it none the less. The law is God's law, and therefore it is our love. We love it for its holiness, and pine to be holy; we love it for its wisdom, and study to be wise; we love it for its perfection, and long to be perfect. Those who know the power of the gospel perceive an infinite loveliness in the law as they see it fulfilled and embodied in Christ Jesus. C. H. Spurgeon

It is my meditation all the day - Love for one does not increase upon meditation of another, pining for other than your betrothed. A godly man or woman greets the Lord in the morning, seeks out that time of study, personal time for prayer, and carries with them the strength of such deep and searching meditation. The heart grows and the desire reciprocates, the mind facilitates and each word becomes more precious. I met God through His word, Christ became that word, fulfilled His Father's words, and the Holy Spirit has convicted me through those words, that He now uses to sanctify me to that life I once was ignorant of and lost without. It is not my only thought or duty, but it is the foremost, above all, my standard and rule.

Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies - They haven't a genuine fear of God, and for those that would do by their own will, by clever means, swearing that the end does justify, a conscience to them seems burdensome. A lie always seems ready and accessible, but a man of principle never has to cover for a lie. He deals in truth, which being reality, he has not wasted his own time or mine.

- A thoroughly straightforward man, devoid of all policy, is a terrible puzzle to diplomatists; they suspect him of a subtle duplicity through which they cannot see, while he, indifferent to their suspicions, holds on the even tenor of his way, and baffles all their arts. Yes, "honesty is the best policy." He who is taught of God has a practical wisdom such as malice cannot supply to the crafty; while harmless as a dove he also exhibits more than a serpent's wisdom. C. H. Spurgeon

For it is ever with me - When in a cold war, enemies are not at battle but always armed, and the man of God is always at war, for the enemy is ever with him in this life. This is his sword, which study, prayer and meditation have prepared him to wield well. 

…16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.… Ephesians 6: 16-18

I have more understanding than all my teachers - I cannot make this same claim, for I have been fortunate to choose better and more godly men than myself to learn from, but I have sat under teachers and professors in the past, who were want of the least bit of discernment. If you make an arrogant man your teacher you will lack in the ways of God. It has been my sad experience that most of the "church" today has left Sola Scriptura, and now chases the soles of dead souls, men who have lost sight of Christ and do not cherish His word. 

- It behooves us then to follow closely the chart of the Word of God, that we may be able to save the vessel when even the pilot errs. If our teachers should be in all things sound and safe, they will be right glad for us to excel them, and they will ever be ready to own that the teaching of the Lord is better than any teaching which they can give us. Disciples of Christ who sit at his feet are often better skilled in divine things than doctors of divinity. C. H. Spurgeon

38 As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to His message. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”…

…41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things. 42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10: 38-42

For I keep Your precepts - With age comes wisdom, but he has found that ageless wisdom that the patriarchs did not yet have. In keeping the commands of God, he has also found their end, for God never spoke without intent, and men should never be hearers only.

I hold back my feet from every evil way - Many profess to know God, of God, but He has believed God. If You said it then it is above my feelings, my culture, my own natural want, and I am desperate to keep Your commandments. 

4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death. He could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.… Hebrews 11: 4-6

How sweet are Your words to my taste - The Psalmist has found in the Word of God something more desirable than earthly comfort or food. If we could just grasp this, we would lay hold of that precious pearl of infinite value. Remember, nothing else shall remain.

Therefore I hate every false way - What I have come to love has taught me what to hate. If I am God's child, and my Father hates sin, then I should not take lightly that which Christ had to suffer for, forsaken in that moment that He wore my shame.

…28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”… Hebrews 10: 28-30

Jeremiah 23

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#861 Lamedh 12

Lamedh

89 Forever, O Lord, your word

is firmly fixed in the heavens.

90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;

you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

91 By your appointment they stand this day,

for all things are your servants.

92 If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

93 I will never forget your precepts,

for by them you have given me life.

94 I am yours; save me,

for I have sought your precepts.

95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,

but I consider your testimonies.

96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,

but your commandment is exceedingly broad. Psalm 119: 89-96 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, God's word is fixed.

Lamedh is the twelfth letter of the Hebrew Aleph-bet, numerical value of 30. The pictograph is that of a shepherd's staff or goad. It comes from the root lamad which means to learn or teach and it is the tallest of the letters, considered the center of the alphabet. It is said that the studying the Torah is for heart knowledge, it teaches us the way and like a shepherd draws us back when we stray. Studying itself is not the end, but rather the means to the end, which is to see the infraction and find the remedy, Christ, the King of kings. 

38 nor does His word abide in you, because you do not believe the One He sent. 39 You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me, 40 yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.… John 5: 38-40

…14 But as for you, continue in the things you have learned and firmly believed, since you know from whom you have learned them. 15 From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,… 2 Timothy 3: 14-16

Forever, O Lord, Your word is firmly fixed in the heavens - Everyone has an opinion, but as far as Scripture is concerned, it is not the best opinion among men, nor the popular opinion, my opinion doesn't matter. It does not change the counsel of God in heaven. In fact, heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word shall remain. He is unchanging, not a man that He should lie, and what He has spoken has come and will come to past. A diligent student must put aside his ego, and search most longingly for the Author's intent. Do not look to defend yourself, but rather look to defend the truth, the honor and glory of your Savior, Jesus Christ. 

- “Sentiments fluctuate so constantly in this nineteenth century that I suppose we shall soon require to have barometers to show us the variations of doctrine as well as the prospects of the weather. We shall have to consult quarterly reviews, to see what style of religious thought is predominant, and then we shall have to accommodate our sermons to the dictum of the last wise man who has chosen to make a special fool of himself. As for myself, I shall continue to be unfashionable, and abide where I am. ‘Sticking in the mud,’ says somebody. ‘Standing on the Rock,’ say I.” (Spurgeon)

Is firmly fixed in the heavens - God does not change, His sovereignty, His providence is not in the dark. He need not write another gospel, it is finished. Everything of old declares first, His right as the Creator, then the fall of man, promise of a redeemer, fulfilled in Christ. 

- Every preacher should especially be able to say, “Your word is settled in heaven.” “They say that they are thinking out their doctrines. I would be greatly sorry to have to think out the road to heaven without the guiding star of heaven’s grace or the map of the word. Not gospel-preachers but gospel-makers these men aspire to be, and their message comes forth, not as the gospel of the grace of God, but as the gospel of the imagination of men; a gospel concocted in their own kitchen, not taught them by the Holy Spirit. It is the reverse of being ‘settled in heaven,’ it is not even settled in the mind of its inventor.” (Spurgeon)

Your faithfulness endures to all generations - God has given His word to all generations, preserved it and it has found it's way to believers in remote places where the authority of God's word is hated by those who are in rule. He has caused men to rise in every generation, men that call for reform, the return to the glorious truths of the gospel. 

- “Throughout much of this time, the Bible was an object of extreme hatred by many in authority. They tried to stamp it out, but the text survived. In the early days of the church, Celsus, Prophyry, and Lucien tried to destroy it by their arguments. Later the emperors Diocletian and Julian tried to destroy it by force. In some periods of history it was a capital offense to possess a copy of the Bible. Yet the text survived.” (Boice)

For all things are Your servants - He spoke the universe into existence by His word, and there is nothing that can take place that will in anyway thwart His plan. This should give the believer much hope, present circumstances, no matter how frustrating, are not outside His plan.

- “A striking feature of these verses is the coupling of God’s creative, world-sustaining word with His law for man. Both are the product of the same ordering mind; and not only men but ‘all things’ are His ‘servants’.” (Kidner)

…38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. 39 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”… John 6: 38-40

I would have perished in my affliction - The Psalmist has mentioned in past sections that God's judgment is right, and that he has been rightly afflicted for his transgressions. Whether by case of sin or even in suffering for righteousness sake, he delights in God's law. It is there I have found the ability to forgive things I once thought unforgivable, because in the devouring of God's word I have found myself a transgressor of His law. There are no good men that come to the cross, only sinners, with only their sin to offer, believing in the words of our Lord, that "whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." 

…31 Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Luke 5: 31-32

For by them You have given me life - 

- God’s word brings life because it is alive. “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me. The Bible is not antique or modern. It is eternal.” (Luther, cited in Boice)

I am Yours save me - I am Your child, belonging to You, and so I have followed Your precepts. You are my teacher, corrector, Savior. 

…19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20

The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider Your testimonies - They have not been distraction enough, I still consider Your word, I return to Your words, and so they have lost, for all else is fading.

I have seen a limit to all perfection -

- “Of ‘all perfection’ in this world, whether of beauty, wit, learning, pleasure, honour, or riches, experience will soon show us the ‘end.’ But where is the end or boundary of the word of God?” (Horne)

But Your commandment is exceedingly broad - I shall not outlive Your word, and I shall always wish that I had known it better.

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#860 Kaph

Kaph

81 My soul longs for your salvation;

I hope in your word.

82 My eyes long for your promise;

I ask, “When will you comfort me?”

83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,

yet I have not forgotten your statutes.

84 How long must your servant endure?

When will you judge those who persecute me?

85 The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;

they do not live according to your law.

86 All your commandments are sure;

they persecute me with falsehood; help me!

87 They have almost made an end of me on earth,

but I have not forsaken your precepts.

88 In your steadfast love give me life,

that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth. Psalm 119: 81-88 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Kaph  is the 11th letter in the Hebrew alphabet, numeric value of 20, and a pictograph representing the palm of the hand. In Hebrew it looks like a bent line, which some say appears to be the crown of  a prostrate king. Crowns in the Bible:

12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.… James 1: 12-13

16 Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole company together. 17 They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head. 18 And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”… Mark 15: 16-18

…9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist, and came to be.”… Revelation 4: 9-11

Hands and Palms in the Bible:

…15“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me. 17 Your builders hasten back; your destroyers and wreckers depart from you.… Isaiah 49: 15-17

…40 Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD. 41 Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: 42“We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.”… Lamentations 3: 40-42

21 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality. 22 Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 23 Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.… 1 Timothy 5: 21-23

My soul longs for Your salvation - There is no other name under heaven. When a man can be brought to such a state that none else will do, he is then looking at the greater state for which none else can do. 

…11 He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” 13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.… Acts 4: 11-13

I hope in Your Word - His visible circumstances are declining quickly, but His hope is in what God says, "though You slay me yet will I praise You."

- Therefore he felt that salvation would come, for God cannot break his promise, nor disappoint the hope which his own word has excited: yea, the fulfilment of his word is near at hand when our hope is firm and our desire fervent. Hope alone can keep the soul from fainting by using the smelling bottle of the promise. Yet hope does not quench desire for a speedy answer to prayer; it increases our importunity, for it both stimulates ardour and sustains the heart under delays. To faint for salvation, and to be kept from utterly failing by the hope of it, is the frequent experience of the Christian man. We are "faint yet pursuing" hope sustains when desire exhausts. While the grace of desire throws us down, the grace of hope lifts us up again. C. H. Spurgeon

For I have become like a wine skin in the smoke - Drained, emptied, covered in the soot of despair, he looks longingly at the horizon, where will his help come from, when will it come? I think of my Lord upon the cross, hung up for all the world to see and abuse. The life fluids draining, covered in my filth, and wearing a crown of thorns, forsaken by God in that moment of the pouring out of His wrath against me, there it is, my salvation. 

When will You judge those who persecute me - These men have not spoken only once, but again and are still digging pits for him like a quarry for large prey. They may think much of their religion, but the Psalmist points out that they do not live according to God's law. 

…18 I am One who testifies about Myself, and the Father, who sent Me, also testifies about Me.” 19“Where is Your Father?” they asked Him. “You do not know Me or My Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew Me, you would know My Father as well.” 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.… John 8: 18-20

But I have not forsaken Your precepts - Regardless of what these men do, the Psalmist remains loyal to God's law. 

In Your steadfast love give me life - Give me life more abundant than these struggles, Thy will be done. 

- None keep the word of the Lord's mouth unless the word of the Lord's mouth quickens them. We ought greatly to admire the spiritual prudence of the Psalmist, who does not so much pray for freedom from trial as for renewed life that he may be supported under it. When the inner life is vigorous all is well. David prayed for a sound heart in the closing verse of the last octave, and here he seeks a revived heart; this is going to the root of the matter, by seeking that which is the most needful of all things. Lord, let it be heart work with us, and let our hearts be right with thee. C. H. Spurgeon

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#859 Yod

Yodh

73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;

give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.

74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,

because I have hoped in your word.

75 I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous,

and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

76 Let your steadfast love comfort me

according to your promise to your servant.

77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;

for your law is my delight.

78 Let the insolent be put to shame,

because they have wronged me with falsehood;

as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.

79 Let those who fear you turn to me,

that they may know your testimonies.

80 May my heart be blameless in your statutes,

that I may not be put to shame! Psalm 119: 73-80 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, give me understanding.

Yodh or Yod is the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, having numeric value of 10, and a pictograph representing an arm or hand. It is the smallest letter and most frequently used of the Hebrew alphabet and the form from which all the other letters begin and end. It can represent the power of God in all things, but also represent humility.

Significant Biblical use associated with the number 10:

• The 10 commandments.
• Ten things created on the first and sixth days of Creation.
• Tenth part was made holy to the Lord.
• Ten plagues were brought upon Egypt.

Your hands have made and fashioned me - Without You I do not exist, and upon deeper inspection, I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

…12 even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You. 13 For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.… Psalm 139: 12-14

Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments - As an image bearer I have a mind, logic and reason, but as a member of fallen humanity that too is in a broken state. Your ways are unfathomable, without Your revelation we are in a constant state of spiritual darkness. I need You, Who made me, to supply not just life, but also repair my heart and renew my mind. If You hate sin then I want to hate it as well. If You walk in the light, I should like to walk there with You. Teach me, O Lord, change me. 

Those who fear You shall see me and rejoice - He trusted in God and God has taught him, so he has much to offer now. The ungodly may sound from their jealous ambitions, may hate him for his walk because it does not align with theirs, but those that love God will be glad to see a man grown in the faith.

- We do not only meet to share each others' burdens, but to partake in each others' joys, and some men contribute largely to the stock of mutual gladness. Hopeful men bring gladness with them. Despondent spirits spread the infection of depression, and hence few are glad to see them, while those whose hopes are grounded upon God's word carry sunshine in their faces, and are welcomed by their fellows. There are professors whose presence scatters sadness, and the godly quietly steal out of their company: may this never be the case with us. C. H. Spurgeon

And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me - Because His law is righteous, His justice must be applied to those that would be called righteous. I should have more need of worry if my pride went unchecked, if my sins did not find me out. God is eternal and infinitely righteous, so to leave me in my sin would be to turn me over to final judgment, for the ways of the ungodly must perish. 

…29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.… 1 Corinthians 11: 29-31

1 What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?… Romans 6: 1-2

Let Your steadfast love comfort me - I haven't perfection, I need mercy. My works are as filthy rags, I need Your grace. I have believed in You, You have taught me that I need to believe You, to seek You in Your Word, and live my life accordingly.

- Having confessed the righteousness of the Lord, he now appeals to his mercy, and while he does not ask that the rod may be removed, he earnestly begs for comfort under it. Righteousness and faithfulness afford us no consolation if we cannot also taste of mercy, and, blessed be God, this is promised us in the word, and therefore we may expect it. The words "merciful kindness, "are a happy combination, and express exactly what we need in affliction: mercy to forgive the sin, and kindness to sustain under the sorrow. With these we can be comfortable in the cloudy and dark day, and without them we are wretched indeed; for these, therefore, let us pray unto the Lord, whom we have grieved by our sin, and let us plead the word of his grace as our sole reason for expecting his favour. C. H. Spurgeon

For Your law is my delight - People of God are people of the book, and when the child of God cries, to many in the hearing it is the sound of defeat, and they can little comprehend. When their words are but wounds, their tongues daggers, and their look is down the nose, there is no help in their condemnation, but Your law is my delight. I cannot bring others to the place of my despair, they cannot and would not want to understand such dark places, but in the belly of the great fish You still hear me. None of this is hid from You, and so I am consoled even in my pain, like the child laid up in bed is better for the sight of his mother, so I find solace in Your word, comfort in Your Spirit.

Let the insolent be put to shame - Lord, I have no place with the wicked any more, and though I was once a part of their system, I shall put those things behind me. You have taught me there is no room for pride, and my arrogance was not a badge to Your honor, so I shall leave the proud to Your better judgment. What they now say of me is no longer true, but to contend with them I would have to neglect my time in Your truth. I would rather fight the good fight, against my own sin, my life held up against Your every Word. Lord, rebuke them as You see fit, I trust in You.

- He would leave the proud in God's hands, and give himself up to holy studies and contemplations. To obey the divine precepts we have need to know them, and think much of them. Hence this persecuted saint felt that meditation must be his chief employment. He would study the law of God and not the law of retaliation. The proud are not worth a thought. The worst injury they can do us is to take us away from our devotions; let us baffle them by keeping all the closer to our God when they are most malicious in their onslaughts. In a similar position to this we have met with the proud in other octaves, and shall meet them yet again. They are evidently a great plague to the Psalmist, but he rises above them. C. H. Spurgeon

Let those who fear You turn to me, that they may know Your testimonies - It is sad whether on our own part or that of other's offense, when we are broken off from such communion as is supposed to occur among the saints. Some may have believed about us what was falsely spoken, or we have committed such a crime against the body that has since been confessed and forgiven by the Lord, yet those that fear Him have remained rightly cautious of us. Pride would press, but where grace has made true change in a man, he must humbly make his plea unto the Lord, for the Spirit can mend all these things in Christ.

- We know some believers who are gracious, but not intelligent; and, on the other hand, we also know certain professors who have all head and no heart: he is the man who combines devotion with intelligence. We neither care for devout dunces nor for intellectual icebergs. When fearing, and knowing walk hand in hand they cause men to be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. If these are my choice companions I may hope that I am one of their order. Let such persons ever turn to me because they find in me congenial company. C. H. Spurgeon

1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.… Galatians 6: 1-2

May my heart be blameless in Your statutes - What a pure prayer, for only God knows such a place. Men may hear me say, "integrity, honesty, good, love, humility," and some may be fooled for all of my talk, but God looks at the heart. I may even fool myself for a time, but in the end it will be to my shame, a religion contrived of my vanity, false in every way. 

…24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.… Matthew 23: 24-26

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