#870 Sin and Shin

Sin and Shin

Princes persecute me without cause,

but my heart stands in awe of your words.

162 I rejoice at your word

like one who finds great spoil.

163 I hate and abhor falsehood,

but I love your law.

164 Seven times a day I praise you

for your righteous rules.

165 Great peace have those who love your law;

nothing can make them stumble.

166 I hope for your salvation, O Lord,

and I do your commandments.

167 My soul keeps your testimonies;

I love them exceedingly.

168 I keep your precepts and testimonies,

for all my ways are before you. Psalm 119: 161-168 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, God's word inspires awe.

Shin is the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet with a numerical value of 300. In English it can represent the relative pronouns, that, which and who. 

According to Judges 12:6, the tribe of Ephraim could not differentiate between Shin and Samekh; when the Gileadites were at war with the Ephraimites, they would ask suspected Ephraimites to say the word shibolet; an Ephraimite would say sibolet and thus be exposed. From this episode we get the English word shibboleth. cited from Wikipedia

Shin also stands for the word Shaddai, a name for God. Because of this, a kohen (priest) forms the letter Shin with his hands as he recites the Priestly Blessing. In the mid-1960s, actor Leonard Nimoy used a single-handed version of this gesture to create the Vulcan hand salute for his character, Mr. Spock, on Star Trek. Cited from Wikipedia

Princes persecute me without cause - No request, just stated, this is the reality of the Psalmist life, whom I believe to be David. He was persecuted by King Saul, but also by a prince of his own loins, Absalom. 

ii. “It was well that the sufferer could truthfully assert that this persecution was without cause. He had not broken their laws, he had not injured them, he had not even desired to see them injured, he had not been an advocate of rebellion or anarchy, he had neither openly nor secretly opposed their power, and therefore, while this made their oppression the more inexcusable, it took away a part of its sting, and helped the brave-hearted servant of God to bear up.” (Spurgeon)

iii. “This division is remarkable in that it is one of the only two which contain no petition (other was Mem, 197-104). That fact is the more remarkable because its opening sentence shows that the singer is still conscious of the circumstances of trial.” (Morgan)

But my heart stands in awe of your words - The letter shin is seen by some to share the structure of the heart, and this is a heart ablaze. This will offend some, but I use to say how can there be a God when there is so much evil, pain and agony in this world? I have come to understand that there is death because of sin, that is the wages of sin, but that it persists in this world, even against men and women who have not wronged their assailants, that is love. Go back to the garden, everything that God created was called good, even our parents, Adam and Eve, directly created by God, were good. When man fell in the garden, a just and righteous God, Who is called Holy, Holy, Holy, has the right over His creation, and the right over what He has made, to uphold justice, and with a word, undo all that was made. He chose not to destroy everything at that time, but now every child born by procreation, coming out of fallen mankind, is born into sin. 

…4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge. 5 Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. 6 Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.… Psalm 51: 4-6

Paul teaches us that love is patient, and herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and gave His son to die for our sins. The apostle Peter said:

…8 Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.… 2 Peter 3; 8-10

I rejoice at Your word, like one who finds great spoil - The plunder after a battle, and one not won by him, one that overshadows present circumstances with princes and kings. We day dream of finding treasure, men turn great amounts of earth over, in pursuit of diamonds and gold. The Psalmist rejoices like a man, who having just lost his job, comes home to find that someone has left him a winning lottery ticket. They try to bring him low, but God's word brings him up. 

I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love Your law - If I hate this, then naturally I love that. If I come to know the word, love the word, then I will hate sin.

i. “If we keep clear of all lying, our song will be the more acceptable because it comes out of pure lips. If we never flatter men we shall be in the better condition for honouring the Lord.” (Spurgeon)

Seven times a day I praise You - He would not be a Sunday only worshiper. Seven is the number of perfection, which should not inspire legalism, because that would not be true worship. This is from a changed heart and often because.

Nothing can make them stumble - It is the gospel of peace. We love what we cannot attain unto outside of Christ perfection, atonement and glory. He is the keeper of our feet. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path, that I may not stumble blindly into the dark. 

I hope for your salvation, O Lord - He has believed the report.

ii. This hope is very much like faith. “Faith is the exercise of the soul in a sense of need, in desire, and in trust. Faith goes to God on the ground of the promise; hope in the expectation of the thing promised. Thus hope implies the operation of faith.” (Bridges)

For all my ways are before You - His bar is set at the highest set of eyes, so everything below is exceeded, and if accused otherwise, God will be the judge of his accusers.

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#869 Resh

Resh

Look on my affliction and deliver me,

for I do not forget your law.

154 Plead my cause and redeem me;

give me life according to your promise!

155 Salvation is far from the wicked,

for they do not seek your statutes.

156 Great is your mercy, O Lord;

give me life according to your rules.

157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,

but I do not swerve from your testimonies.

158 I look at the faithless with disgust,

because they do not keep your commands.

159 Consider how I love your precepts!

Give me life according to your steadfast love.

160 The sum of your word is truth,

and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. Psalm 119: 153-160 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, according to Thy word.

Resh is the 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, numerical value of 200, and can mean poverty or head. 

Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget Your law - The Psalmist has previously expressed the righteousness of God in His chastening him, so what appeal could a sinner possibly have to the law? It is like the gospel being offered to sinners, if you do not think yourself a sinner then the gospel is not for you, but if you see the law, recognize yourself as a breaker of the law, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. He does not run from the law, hide from God, but ask Him to look into his affliction. 

Plead my cause and redeem me - This is much in line with a plea for mercy, imagine asking the giver of the law to be your representation when you have already acknowledged your guilt before the law. He is no way disavowing his past or present infractions, for we see he also ask of the Lawmaker, redemption. I have not forgotten Your law, and though I am a king, with great assets, I am spiritually bankrupt, will You stand in as a kinsman and pay my debt?

ii. “Awful indeed was the cause which he had to manage. Our adversary had the law on his side. We could not deny the charge, or offer satisfaction… But at that moment of infinite peril, our cause was pleaded by a ‘Counselor’ (Isaiah 9:6), who never was nonsuited in court, who brought irresistible pleas, and produced satisfaction that could not be denied.” (Bridges)

iii. “But you say, – ‘How do I know that he speaks for me?’ Yet if not for you, then for whom does he speak? Who needs an advocate more than you? He pleads nothing favorable of you; but much, very much, for you. For he pleads the merit of his own blood.” (Bridges)

Give me life according to Your promise - Not my will, not my works, but solely on the grounds of Your Word, for therein is wisdom. Herein is also hope, when those who are far off want to draw near to that which they once despised. If you need food and water to survive then you would want to be near a source of sustenance, your very nature would demand it, a new born cries for it, only the dead feel no such pangs. I cannot hold my breath that long, my body screams at me to breathe.

Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes - The wicked know no such hunger, but I have known and lived their indifference. Seek and ye shall find, but they will not, they will look elsewhere. The thief on the cross will be the greatest judge of those who have sought salvation in themselves. His greatest conviction was not from Rome, but from seeing that the One next to him did not deserve this sentence. Remember me, I do not forget Your law, I seek Your statutes, I believe in Your promises, please redeem me. It is a 180, it is hope, the Psalmist can hope because he has been given this gift of faith, this hunger for righteousness.

Great is Your mercy, O Lord, give me life according to Your rules - Lord, You say it's there, but I can't even see how it's possible. I cannot ask you to no longer be Holy, I love that You are Holy. I am not asking that You suspend reality, in Your righteousness You cannot overlook sin forever, but You have allowed me to see and taste that You are good, will You also have mercy on me, save me?

But I do not swerve from Your testimonies - The distractions are real, the enemies are real, but they do not and will not change Your testimonies. The truth has not changed, and I will still cling to Your word.

i. “So long as they cannot drive or draw us into a spiritual decline our foes have done us no great harm, and they have accomplished nothing by their malice. If we do not decline they are defeated. If they cannot make us sin they have missed their mark. Faithfulness to the truth is victory over our enemies.” (Spurgeon)

I look at the faithless with disgust - It is not because the Psalmist is holy, but that he is coming to know God through the revealed word, and as he has stated before, become a stranger, a sojourner. He mourns over God's honor, that God, Who made all things, Who has made Himself known, is yet not respected. They have set Your Words aside, mocked, and as those in the end, rejoiced over the death of Your prophets.

Consider how I love Your precepts - Remember me, I believed You, I love Your Word. 

Give me life according to Your steadfast love - If you were mistaken in interpreting the line before as an appeal to David's virtue as a scribe, a professor, a student, a poet, a lover of knowledge only for the sake of appearing wise or profound, no, but according to mercy, God's grace to the undeserving. The fruit of love, a tree nourished by God, cherishes the rain of every Word from heaven, it flourishes in the broken ground, and does not retreat from the light. The root is deep, and it will not be cast down.

i. The entirety: “Is literally ‘the head’; hence AV, ‘from the beginning’. Coupled with ‘from’ this word can indeed mean the beginning (e.g. Isaiah 40:21; Proverbs 8:23); but here it only says ‘the head of thy word’. In this kind of phrase it means, as in RSV, the sum (cf., e.g., Psalm 139:17); and its use as an equivalent to ‘a census’ in Exodus 30:12; Numbers 1:2, etc., shows that ‘the sum of’ is not a way of saying ‘by and large’, but rather, ‘every part of’.” (Kidner)

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#868 Qoph 100

Qoph

With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!

I will keep your statutes.

146 I call to you; save me,

that I may observe your testimonies.

147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;

I hope in your words.

148 My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,

that I may meditate on your promise.

149 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;

O Lord, according to your justice give me life.

150 They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;

they are far from your law.

151 But you are near, O Lord,

and all your commandments are true.

152 Long have I known from your testimonies

that you have founded them forever. Psalm 119: 145-152 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, the cry of the sincere is in accordance to God's word.

Qoph is the 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has the numerical value of 100. The pictograph is thought by some to represent the eye of a needle, and word meaning ape or monkey. It is also thought to picture a sun with the line representing the horizon, and the root meaning a revolution or time.

…23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”… Matthew 19: 23-25

…21 All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.… 1 Kings 10: 21-23

With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord - Not so eloquent, almost desperate, and I have heard many a prayer that I was not sure if the person speaking was petitioning God or trying to teach Him. Maybe it was for my benefit, but if I believe the Bible to be God's word, then the whole of this 119th Psalm has taught me at least two things, God's word is significant, prayer is a sincere soulful endeavor, and to add a third, they are knit closely together. 

I call to you; save me, that I may observe Your testimonies - The reading, meditating and praying have all had a sense of obedience in themselves, for blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way with sinners, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law doth he meditate day and night. A supplicant wanting to be saved yet unto obedience, and what a novel concept in our time, I dare say I haven't heard many if any a prayer like this. 

I rise before dawn and cry for help - Maybe this is the line representing the horizon, but how smart is he, he will not let the day start without first laying hold of the ear of God. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you, so why wait?

That I may meditate upon Your promise - What good is it to read through the Bible several times a year, does God check off such boxes? This man is so enthralled by God and His word that he lays awake, pondering it in the night.

- ii. Boice defines meditate: “Internalizing the Bible’s teaching to such an extent that the truths discovered in the Bible become part of how we think, so that we think differently and then also function differently as a result.” Boice

Hear my voice according to Your steadfast love - Not according to my goodness, but Your mercy.

- “Lovingkindness is one of the sweetest words in our language. Kindness has much in it that is most precious, but lovingkindness is doubly dear; it is the cream of kindness.” C. H. Spurgeon

O Lord, according to Your justice give me life - He asked for mercy, but this is interesting, it does not seem that the prior request desires, in any way, to diminish the law that he says he loves. He would have God remain Holy, and we know this to be satisfied in Christ, that while we were yet sinners, He died for us. He also wants to be saved to observe God's testimonies.

…19 because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness, so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.… Philippians 1: 19-21

1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.… Romans 2: 1-2

They are far from Your law - His persecutors are not so for cause of the truth, that is not their real concern. 

But You are near, O Lord - What is it about these places in life? Maybe because I cannot convince, logic has no affect on them, nor right or love, but I find in these times a glowing sense of God. Why did I ever worry so much about how they considered me, seeing the men they are, I would not want their praise or company. It is my great joy and satisfaction that God is near and His word is true.

That You have founded them forever - How many ways can I say this, His word is not going away.

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#867 Tsade Righteous

Tsadhe

137 Righteous are you, O Lord,

and right are your rules.

138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness

and in all faithfulness.

139 My zeal consumes me,

because my foes forget your words.

140 Your promise is well tried,

and your servant loves it.

141 I am small and despised,

yet I do not forget your precepts.

142 Your righteousness is righteous forever,

and your law is true.

143 Trouble and anguish have found me out,

but your commandments are my delight.

144 Your testimonies are righteous forever;

give me understanding that I may live. Psalm 119: 137-144 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, the righteous testimonies of God.

Tsadhe or Tsade is the 18th letter of the Hebrew alphabet with a numerical value of 90. The pictograph is said to represent someone laying on their side (in need). It is said that the righteous person is revealed in the letter shape, consisting of a Nun which represents a humble servant bowed, and the Yod representing a lifted hand, raised in humility.

…7 Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mankind, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6: 7-8

Sarah was 90 years old, passed her cycle, when she became pregnant with Isaac, through whom Abraham's seed would be reckoned. 

Righteous are You, O Lord - This speaks to God's Being, His very nature, and in the humble heart, which is the honest heart, it will invoke fear. Righteousness is not the state of the natural man, and the more one is exposed to the righteousness of God, His holiness comes to be understood, the more reverent our posture becomes. You chose to love me, and so I see Christ and so the Nun and so the Yod. Angels are transfixed by these things, and so who am I that I should not be in awe?

And right are Your rules - As You are righteous then that which flows from You will be too. My aversion to the law comes not from righteousness but from self righteousness, which is none at all. It comes from the love of all the things that Your law holds in contempt. Men would prefer it in parts that suit what comes easily to them, or a practice of outward ritual which other men affirm for them, but Your eyes see my soul and require the whole of it. 

My zeal consumes me - None exists without Your word, but everywhere I look I find those who have forgotten You. I find those who claim You by name, but they hate Your law. The cross has become an ornament to them, Christ is no longer recognizable in their teachings, they have all strayed from Your word. 

12 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. 13 And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” 14 The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them.… Matthew 21: 12-14

Your promise is well tried, and Your servant loves it - Cited from Enduring Word:

For the Hebrew Scriptures, the quality of the text was preserved by the diligent practices of the professional scribes. According to researchers (such as Josh McDowell in Evidence that Demands a Verdict) they practiced the following in the preparation and copying of manuscripts:

· The parchment was made only from the skin of clean animals. It had to be prepared by a Jew only, and the skins were fastened together by strings taken from clean animals.

· Each column must have no less than 48 and no more than 60 lines. The entire copy must be first lined before writing began.

· The ink must be of no other color than black, and it had to be prepared according to a special recipe.

· No word and no letter could be written from memory; the scribe must have an authentic copy before him, and he must read and pronounce out loud each word before writing it.

· He must reverently wipe his pen each time before writing the word for “God” (Elohim) and he must wash his whole body before writing the word used in place of “Jehovah” [LORD in the New King James Version) so as not to contaminate the Holy Name.

· Strict rules were given concerning forms of the letters, spaces between letters, words, and sections, the use of the pen, the color of the parchment, and so forth.

· The revision of a roll must be made within 30 days after the work was finished; otherwise it was worthless. One mistake on a sheet condemned the entire sheet; if three mistakes were found in any larger section, the entire manuscript was condemned.

· Every word and every letter was counted, and if a letter were omitted, or an extra letter inserted, or if any letter touched one another, the manuscript was condemned and destroyed.

iv. The manuscript evidence for the accuracy of the Hebrew text is established. Until 1947, the oldest Hebrew manuscripts were from about AD 900. In 1947, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls brought to attention manuscripts from 150-200 BC. In comparing the manuscripts, almost 1000 years apart, there were remarkably few differences. This proved that the diligent practices of the professional scribes had accurately preserved the text of the Hebrew Scriptures.

v. Regarding the Greek Scriptures, there is a similarly astonishing rate of accuracy. Because of the vast number and quality of ancient Greek manuscripts, and the existence of relatively early copies, scholars often say that error rate is between 0.5% and 2%.

vi. “New Testament specialist Daniel Wallace notes that although there are about 300,000 individual variations of the text of the New Testament, this number is very misleading. Most of the differences are completely inconsequential–spelling errors, inverted phrases and the like. A side by side comparison between the two main text families (the Majority Text and the modern critical text) shows agreement a full 98% of the time.” (Greg Koukl)

vii. Of the remaining differences, virtually all yield to vigorous textual criticism. This means that our New Testament is 99.5% textually pure. In the entire text of 20,000 lines, only 40 lines are in doubt (about 400 words), and none affects any significant doctrine. (Geisler and Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible).

viii. Indeed: Your word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it. This is true for both the original autographs and the extremely reliable copies we have of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. “Therefore; because of that exact purity and holiness of it, for which very reason ungodly men either despise or hate it.” (Poole)

I am small and despised - 

- The beauty of the Psalmist's piety was that it was calm and well balanced, and as he was not carried away by flattery, so was he not overcome by shame. If small, he the more jealously attended to the smaller duties; and if despised, he was the more in earnest to keep the despised commandments of God. C. H. Spurgeon

Your righteousness is righteous forever - You do not change, all Your Holy attributes are eternal. What You have spoken in the past is not archaic, but timeless as You are. 

Give me understanding that I may live - It is not within himself he looks for this life, and he constantly cries for teaching and understanding. Honest introspection of oneself, holding me up to the mirror of the law, finds that I must look outside myself, my hope comes from the Lord.

- The more the Lord teaches us to admire the eternal rightness of his word, and the more he quickens us to the love of such lightness, the happier and the better we shall be. As we love life, and seek many days that we may see good, it behooves us to seek immortality in the everlasting word which liveth and abideth for ever, and to seek good in that renewal of our entire nature which begins with the enlightenment of the understanding and passes on to the regeneration of the entire man. Here is our need of the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, and the guide of all the quickened ones, who shall lead us into all truth. O for the visitations of his grace at this good hour! C. H. Spurgeon

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#866 Pey Speak

Pey or Fey

129 Your testimonies are wonderful;

therefore my soul keeps them.

130 The unfolding of your words gives light;

it imparts understanding to the simple.

131 I open my mouth and pant,

because I long for your commandments.

132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,

as is your way with those who love your name.

133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise,

and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

134 Redeem me from man's oppression,

that I may keep your precepts.

135 Make your face shine upon your servant,

and teach me your statutes.

136 My eyes shed streams of tears,

because people do not keep your law. Psalm 119: 129-136 ESV

A continuation of Psalm 119, panting for the Word of God.

Pey is the 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, representing the numerical value of 80 with a pictograph that resembles a mouth. The word peh means mouth which extends to breath, word, speech and expression. There is also a hidden letter Bet within the letter Pey.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.… John 1: 1-3

…8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him. 9 For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood fast. 10 The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples.… Psalm 33: 8-10

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.… Genesis 1: 1-3

Your testimonies are wonderful - When God speaks it is glorious and beautiful, that fallen men cannot see this is no fault of the Creator, for we are surrounded, cloaked in, and spectators to such wonder that we could not ourselves create. The oracles of God are no less that when all of Creation is undone, yet His Word will still remain. Christ, the eternally begotten, was the Word made flesh to dwell among us, and the more I read of Him, the more wonder, the more I am filled with awe.

Therefore my soul keeps them - It's good and so I am compelled, driven by desire.

- Some men wonder at the words of God, and use them for their speculation; but David was always practical, and the more he wondered the more he obeyed. Note that his religion was soul work; not with head and hand alone did he keep the testimonies; but his soul, his truest and most real self, held fast to them. C. H. Spurgeon

The unfolding of Your words gives light - The deeper a man looks, the more he reflects upon Your word, the more the darkness retreats from his soul. I heard with my ears, but I did not hear with my heart, and I am not so sure when, but at some point I started to read to be changed. 

It imparts understanding to the simple - There are some fine orators and philosophers, debaters and apologist, but none of this belongs solely unto them. I remember a woman when I was young, and the word was never far from her lips. No matter who stood in front of her, she was never ashamed, she would always find a way to introduce Jesus, no matter how the conversation started. I was embarrassed, because she was my mother, and Jesus wasn't cool. She was outdated, misled, in my opinion, but looking back I see she grew in such simple and faithful trust, knowing that the Bible was God's word and reading it she found that Christ was all she would ever need. There is many a seminary student that would do good to sit with my mom, to be on her prayer list, and love God that much.

I open my mouth and pant - Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The antelope and gazelle will risk everything in sight of the lion and the leopard to reach the water hole. Some will risk all for a drink while others would rather die of thirst.

…13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. 1 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?… Psalm 41:13 - 42:2

As is Your way with those who love Your name - The Psalmist could look back through the testimonies of God and read of Enoch, who walked with God and did not see death. He could read of Noah, Abraham, who was a friend of God, and Moses, who God spoke to face to face. He could see the rebellions, the whining and those that raised themselves up against God. Will God hate those who love Him, no, if you truly love God it is because He loved you first. He loves God for Who He is, and this is a point to examine, do I love God, or am I in love with the idea of what God can give me here? Is my mind set upon heavenly things, is that my home, my longing? 

…42 And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.” 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard his message.… Acts 10: 42-44

…13 Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.… Exodus 3: 13-15

Keep steady my steps according to Your promise - Let me walk in the light of Your grace. Keep my feet from wandering off, my mind from foolish and superstitious speculations. Guide me with Your Word by Your Spirit.

And let no iniquity get dominion over me - Sin is a terrible master, and it can cause great despair when we see how easily we have been and are deceived. We must appeal to the most Holy, this is a great work of grace, that God has spoken, has opened the eyes, teaches and guides, surely He can give a new heart that despises error, and seeks to do His will.

- They pant for perfect liberty from the power of evil, and being conscious that they cannot obtain it of themselves, they cry unto God for it. C. H. Spurgeon

Redeem me from man's oppression - Here is great temptation to act out, to return evil for evil. Some will do the opposite evil of going along, and they pride themselves on pacifism, but stand for no good. 

- Although we ought not to yield to the threatenings of men, yet many do so; the wife is sometimes compelled by the oppression of her husband to act against her conscience: children and servants, and even whole nations have been brought into the same difficulty. Their sins will be largely laid at the oppressor's door, and it usually pleases God ere long to overthrow these powers and dominions which compel men to do evil. The worst of it is that some persons, when the pressure is taken off from them, follow after unrighteousness of their own accord. These give evidence of being sinners in grain. As for the righteous, it happens to them as it did to the apostles of old, "Being let go, they went to their own company. "When saints are freed from the tyrant they joyfully pay homage to their king. C. H. Spurgeon

Make Your face shine upon Your servant - A look of kindness from God is more precious to His child than all the praises of men combined.

My eyes shed streams of tears - 

- He wept in sympathy with God to see the holy law despised and broken. He wept in pity for men who were thus drawing down upon themselves the fiery wrath of God. His grief was such that he could scarcely give it vent; his tears were not mere drops of sorrow, but torrents of woe. In this he became like the Lord Jesus, who beheld the city, and wept over it; and like unto Jehovah himself, who hath no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, but that be turn unto him and live. The experience of this verse indicates a great advance upon anything we have had before: the psalm and the Psalmist are both growing. That man is a ripe believer who sorrows because of the sins of others. In Ps 119:120 his flesh trembled at the presence of God, and here it seems to melt and flow away in floods of tears. None are so affected by heavenly things as those who are much in the study of the word, and are thereby taught the truth and essence of things. Carnal men are afraid of brute force, and weep over losses and crosses; but spiritual men feel a holy fear of the Lord himself, and most of all lament when they see dishonour cast upon his holy name. C. H. Spurgeon

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#865 Ayin eye

Ayin

121 I have done what is just and right;

do not leave me to my oppressors.

122 Give your servant a pledge of good;

let not the insolent oppress me.

123 My eyes long for your salvation

and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.

124 Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,

and teach me your statutes.

125 I am your servant; give me understanding,

that I may know your testimonies!

126 It is time for the Lord to act,

for your law has been broken.

127 Therefore I love your commandments

above gold, above fine gold.

128 Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;

I hate every false way. Psalm 119: 121-128 ESV

A Psalm

Ayin is the 16th letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, having numerical value of 70 and a pictograph resembling and eye. The word ayin means eye, to see and then understand and obey.

22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your vision is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your vision is poor, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.… Matthew 6: 22-24

70 elders saw God on Mt. Sinai recorded in Exodus 24:9

70 years was the Babylonian exile.

I have done what is just and right - King David has repented of his own sin, and in his dealings as a ruler he has upheld a just weight and balance. We should not tip the scale in favor of the rich or relation or popularity, justice should be blind. No man is born without sin, it is the pro-creative inheritance of our father Adam, but a man may resist the temptation of such sin that would ask him to not do what is just or right for the sake of laziness. He can look at and meditate upon God's law, plead with God as the Psalmist has, to be given understanding and strength to act upon it. Wisdom is so necessary to them that lead, in order that they are balanced to do right, which will always acknowledge the whole truth.

…7 Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mankind, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6: 7-8

…15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that ? 17 So too, faith by itself, if it is not complemented by action, is dead.… James 2: 15-17

…9 Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate. 10 For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.” 11 Yet we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives and accomplishing nothing but being busybodies.… 2 Thessalonians 3: 9-11

Do not leave me to my oppressors - He has removed the moat from his own and so may confront his adversaries through an appeal to God. We should not be hypocrites in this, asking God to avenge in others what we are not critical of in ourselves. If a liar is a thorn to me, then I should hate my own lies even more so, and know the greatest adversary is my old self. 

- He who, as far as his power goes, has been doing right, may hope to be delivered from his superiors when attempts are made by them to do him wrong. If I will not oppress others, I may hopefully pray that others may not oppress me. A course of upright conduct is one which gives us boldness in appealing to the Great Judge for deliverance from the injustice of others. Nor is this kind of pleading to be censured as self righteous: when we are dealing with God as to our shortcomings, we use a very different tone from that with which we face the censures of our fellow men; when they are in the question, and we are guiltless towards them, we are justified in pleading our innocence. C. H. Spurgeon 

Give Your servant a pledge of good, let not the insolent oppress me - "Your servant" is a humble reference, contrasting that of his opposition, "the insolent", for the Lord attends the lowly but the proud He knows from afar. We too should rejoice that God sees and has not left us comfortless. His word is unchanging.

…5 Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy? 6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you… James 4: 5-7

My eyes long for Your salvation - For him there is no other place to appeal, salvation is of the Lord. His eyes have read the testimonies that the Lord is able to deliver, and so now my eyes look to His coming deliverance. Let the accuser of the brethren be cast down, for I have believed in the Righteous One of God. Save me Lord, for I cannot save myself.

…21 A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.… John 16: 21-23

Deal with Your servant according to Your steadfast love - Mercy that God has made Himself known, Mercy has made me known to myself, Mercy has not left me who I was, Mercy has taken the justice which was coming for me, and laid it upon Christ. Mercy should now be my MO, the proclamation of sin, of God's judgment, and what has been done to satisfy His holiness through Christ Jesus. There is no better news, here ye, here ye.

…15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many! 16 Again, the gift is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment that followed one sin brought condemnation, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!… Romans 5: 15-17

…19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for nothing.”… Galatians 2: 19-21

I am Your servant, give me understanding - 

- We are to confess ourselves fools, and then our Lord will make us wise, as well as give us knowledge. The best understanding is that which enables us to render perfect obedience and to exhibit intelligent faith, and it is this which David desires, -- "understanding, that I may know thy testimonies." Some would rather not know these things; they prefer to be at ease in the dark rather than possess the light which leads to repentance and diligence. The servant of God longs to know in an understanding manner all that the Lord reveals of man and to man; he wishes to be so instructed that he may apprehend and comprehend that which is taught him. A servant should not be ignorant concerning his master, or his master's business; he should study the mind, will, purpose, and aim of him whom he serves, for so only can he complete his service; and as no man knows these things so well as his master himself, he should often go to him for instructions, lest his very zeal should only serve to make him the greater blunderer. C. H. Spurgeon

For Your law has been broken - He does not see the cup as half full, but brimming and needing of the Lord to intercede. It was interesting in Spurgeon's notes that he related this to the church, which was always a dear concern to him. Lord, bring a revival, look at the ways of the present kingdoms, they are as those You have destroyed for such in the past. They are sacrificing infants again, leaving off Your original intent, men think they are women and the emperor, though naked, is being praised for the clothes no one can see. 

I hate every false way - With learning and understanding, if we know to ask for these then let us not be fooled by those with some learning, let us also have discernment. 

2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 3 Beloved, although I made every effort to write you about the salvation we share, I felt it necessary to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith entrusted once for all to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.… Jude 1: 2-4

…8 Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it was taught, so that by sound teaching he will be able to encourage others and refute those who contradict this message. 10 For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision,… Titus 1: 8-10

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