Psalm 119: 161- 168

Psalm 119 is called the Alphabet of Love, the Paradise of Divine Doctrines, the Storehouse of the Holy Spirit, and the School of Truth.

The Theme of Psalm 119

is

The Word of God

161.  Princes persecute me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your

         Word.

162.  I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure.

163.  I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your law.

164.  Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.

165.  Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to

         stumble.

166.  Lord, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commands.

167.  My soul keeps Your testimonies, and I love them exceedingly.

168.  I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before

         You.

161.   Princes persecute me without a cause.   Such people should have known better; they should have had sympathy with one of their rank. You expect a fair trial from your peers. It is terrible to be the target of predjudice. However, if honor is banished from all other breasts, it should remain in the bosom of kings.  Honor forbids the persecution of the innocent. Princes are appointed to protect the innocent and avenge the oppressed.  It is a shame when the princes become the assailants of the righteous.  It was sad when the man of God found himself attacked by the judges of the earth, for their eminent position added weight and venom to the enmity.  The sufferer could truthfully assert that this persecution was without cause.  David had not broken their laws, and he had not injured them. He had not wanted to see them injured, and he had not been an advocate of rebellion or anarchy. Neither had he openly nor secretly opposed their power.  While this made their oppression all the more inexcusable, it took away part of its sting and helped the brave-hearted servant of God to bear up.

But my heart stands in awe of Your Word. He might have been overcome by the awe of the princes had it not been that a greater fear drove out the lesser; he was swayed by his awe of God's Word.  How unimportant crowns and scepters become in the judgment of the person who perceives a more majestic royalty in the commands of God.  We are not likely to be disheartened by persecution or driven by it into sin if the Word of God continually has supreme power over our minds.  

162.  I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure.  His awe did not prevent his joy.  His fear of God was not the kind that perfect love casts out, but the kind that perfect love nourishes.  David trembled at the Word of the Lord and yet rejoiced in it.  He compares the joy to someone long in battle who had won the victory and is now dividing.  This usually falls to the lot of princes, and, though David was not with them in their persecutions, he had victories, and his spoil was equal to their greatest gains.  The profits made in searching the Scriptures were for Him greater than the trophies of war.  We too have to fight for divine truth.  Every doctrine is a battle, but when we gain a full understanding from personal struggle, it becomes doubly precious.  In these days, godly people have a full share of battling for the Word of God.  May we have for our treasure a firmer hold on the priceless Word

Perhaps, however, the psalmist rejoiced as one who finds hidden treasure for which for which he had not fought.  This is the analogy in the child of God who, while reading the Bible, makes grand and blessed discoveries of the grace of God which is laid up for him; surprise discoveries, for he did not expect to find such surprise.  Whether we come by the truth as finders or as warriors fighting for it, the heavenly treasure should be equally precious.  With great joy, the plowman steals home with his golden find!  Victors shout as they share the plunder!  Happy is the one who has discovered his portion in the promises of Scripture and is able to enjoy it, knowing by the witness of the Holy Spirit that it is all his own.

163.  I hate and abhor lying.  This is a double expression for inexpressible loathing.  A falsehood in doctrine, life, or speech, a falsehoood in any form or shape, had become utterly detestable to the psalmist.  This was a remarkable state for an Oriental.  Lying is generally their delight, and the only wrong they see in it is a lack of skill if the liar is found out.  David had made great progress by the time he had come to this.  He does not, however, only refer to a falsehood in  conversation; he also refers to perversity in faith and teaching.  David sets down all opposition to the God of truth as lying, and then he turns his soul against it in the most intense form of indignation.  Godly people should detest false doctrine as much as they abhor a lie.

But I love Your law  because it is all truth.  His love was as ardent as his hate.  True people love truth and hate lying.  It is good for us to know which way our hate and love runs, and we may do essential service to others by declaring what the objects of our hate and love are.  Both love and hate are contagious, and when they are sanctified, the wider their influence the better.

164.  Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.  David labored perfectly to praise his perfect God and to fulfill the perfect number of psalms.  Seven could also mean frequency or without limit. Frequently, he lifted his heart in thanksgiving to God for the divine teaching of the Word and for divine actions in providence.  With his voice, he extolled the righteous Judge of all the earth.  Whenever he thought of God's ways, a song leaped from his lips.  At the sight of the oppressive princes, and hearing the abounding falsehoods all around him, he felt all the more bound to adore and magnify God, who is truth and righteouness in all things.  When others rob us of our praise, it should be a caution not to fall into the same conduct toward God, who is so much more worthy of honor.  If we praise God when we are persecuted, our music will be sweeter to Him because of our constancy of praise in suffering.  If we keep clear of all lying, our song will be more acceptable because it comes from pure lips.   If we never flatter, we will be in a better condition to honor the Lord.  Do we praise God seven times a day?  do we praise him once in seven days?

165.  Great peace have those who love Your law.  What a charming verse!  It does not deal with those who perfectly keep the law, for where could they be found?  It deals with those who love the law, whose hearts and hands square with its precepts and demands.   These people are always striving to walk in obedience to the law, and though they are often persecuted, they have great peace.  They have learned the secret of the reconciling blood.  They have felt the power  of the comforting Spirit.  They stand accepted before the Father. The Lord has given them His peace, "which surpasses all understanding" (Phiippians 4:7).  They have many troubles, and they are likely to be persecuted, but their usual condition is deep calm, a great peace, too little for this world to break.

And nothing causes them to stumble, or will really injure them.  "We know that all things work together for the good to those who love God, to those who have been called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28).  Offenses will come, but these lovers of the law are peacemakers, and so they neither give nor take offense.  Peace that is founded on conformity to God's will is living, lasting, and worth writing about with enthusiasm, as the psalmist does here.


166.  Lord, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commandments.  This is salvation by grace and its fruits.  David's hope was fixed on God.  He looked to Him alone for salvation.  Then, he earnestly tried to fulfill the commands of His law.  Those who place the least reliance on good works are frequently those who do the most.  The same divine teaching that delivers us from confidence in our works leads us to abound in every good work to the glory of God.  In times of trouble, there are two things to be done;  first, hope in God, and second, do what is right.  the first without the second is presumption;  the second without the first is mere formalism.  It is well if, in looking back, we can claim to have acted the way the Lord commanded.  If we have acted correctly toward God, we are sure that He will act kindly with us.


167.  My soul keeps Your testimonies.  My outward life keeps Your precepts, and my inner life, my soul, keeps Your testimonies.  God has given testimony to many sacred truths, and these we hold as precious as life.  Gracious people store God's truths in their hearts like a treasure that is exceedingly precious and valuable.  Their secret souls, their inner selves, become the guardian of these divine teachings, which are the sole authority in our soul matters.

And I love them exceedingly.  This is why David kept them, and having kept them, this was the result of the keeping.  He did not store revealed truth merely as a duty; he had a deep affection for it.  David would sooner die than give up any part of God's revelation.  The more we store our minds with heavenly truth the more deeply we will love it.  The more we see the exceeding riches of the Bible the more our love exceeds measure and expression.

168.  I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies.  Both the practical and the doctrinal parts of God's Word were stored, preserved, and followed.  It is a blessing to see the two forms of the divine Word---precepts, testimonies, equally valued, and equally confessed.  there should be no picking and choosing as to the mind of God.  We know those who try to be careful with the precepts, but seem to think that the doctrines of the gospel are matters of mere opinion, which they may shape.  This is not a perfect condition of things.  And we have known others who are rigid about the doctrines but painfully lax with the precepts.  This is also far from right.  When the two are kept with equal earnestness, we have perfection.

For all my days are before You.  This was his motive for trying to be right in both head and heart.  And God knew and saw him.  Under the sense of divine presence, David was afraid to wander, or else he appealed to God to bear witness to the truth of what had been said.  In either case, it is no small consolation to feel that our heavenly Father knows all about us and that if princes speak against us and sinners fill their mouths with cruel lies, He can vindicate us, for there is nothing secret or hidden from Him.

We are struck with the contrast between this verse which is the last of its octave, and verse 176, which is similarly placed in the next octave.  this is a protest of innocence, I keep Your precepts, and a confession of sin, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep" (verse 176).  Both were sincere, both accurate.  Experience makes many a paradox plain.  Before God, we may be clear of open fault and at the same time mourn over a thousand wanderings of heart that need His restoring hand.

Commentary by Charles Spurgeon - taken from The Treasury of David

162. I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure.

My thoughts on the above passage v.62 ...

God's Word is full of undiscovered treasure waiting to be mined out for our delight.  It is our delight because it holds forth so many promises and so much wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One and His Son, Jesus Christ.  We find out that Jesus Christ is the Only Savior for the world and that when He returned to heaven He did not leave us alone, but sent the Holy Spirit to help us in the way He would if He were living still on earth.   The Bible gives us God's commands and His wisdom for daily living so that we can live our lives for Christ Jesus knowing that He has given us everything we need to do and live out His will (Php.2:13).  We find out that God's children are watched over by God and that God is ready to come to their aid as they call out to Him in their time of need.

The Bible never gets old.  It is always new and fresh as you can read it over many times and still find treasure in places you missed before.  It is the most exciting Book that ever was written, ever will be written, and it will last for eternity.

I love it!

~Annie~