This post’s passage reference: Psalm 119:19-23.
Have you ever been in a situation where you were not accepted, or were run down by others for just being who you are? I had a friend that lost a job due to staff cuts. They were on unemployment for a little while. Then one of their relatives offered to get them a job at a company they were working for. They took the job opportunity which was in the same field. It went downhill from day one.
It was a customer service job and their customer service skills were the best. Customers stopped going to existing employees and came to this employee instead. To keep this one short, I’ll just tell you that the employees started undermining my friend. Then management kind of got into the act because they had been asked to hire my friend from someone in upper management—possibly wondering if they were a plant maybe. You can read between the lines. They did not last long there.
People can be selfish and mean and vindictive. I’m sure I did not just expound some new knowledge there. The damage people can do with hard hearts and lying tongues is immense.
These next few verses in Psalm 119 are a sort of picture of that reality. The psalmist of Psalm 119:19-23, writes that as they walked this earth, they knew that they were a foreigner, not like those that walked there as natives. They knew that to make it through their journey they would need to have access to God’s commandments. They prayed for Him to please make them available to them every hour of every day.
They had a constant, yearning hunger for God’s judgements within their soul so deep inside that it felt like their heart could burst with the longing of it. One of the commentaries I read that attributes this Psalm to David said, “David had such reverence for the word, and such a desire to know it, and to be conformed to it, that his longings caused him a sort of heart break…”*
The psalmist was surrounded by prideful people. He writes that God rebuked those that were puffed up with pride. He says they were condemned when they strayed away from the commandments of God. I can almost see that those who strayed from God’s commands were those that did not really consider His commandments as a precious jewel to be treasured.
They then asked God to take away the stigma and hostility that others heaped on them because they were active in keeping God’s testimonies. They write that there were those in high places that ran down their character for no reason, because they continually meditated on God’s statutes. Wonder if that was a really hard customer service job there too?
What it sounds like is a bunch of selfish and mean and vindictive people that were walking aside from God’s commands.
The challenge for Christ followers as we journey through this life could be to—number one, be nice—and then stay focused on our real homeland. It is not here. For us, being physically here, it sometimes gets easy to lose sight of Heaven. A quote by Charles Bridges says, “A man’s greatest care should be for that place where he lives longest; therefore eternity should be his scope.” This should be our challenge.
To apply this scripture to our lives we can try to develop a heart for God’s Word that will not rest, will not be satisfied until It is revealed to us. Or as Jacob told the man he wrestled with throughout the night, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” – Genesis 32:26. We need to seek not to just understand what God’s Word is telling us, but how it can bless us, and how it can apply to our day-to-day lives and not let go of it until we get the blessing.
What does this mean to my Faith? When I first read this passage, I was a little overwhelmed with the seriousness of it and how I would find a life story to go with it. But then as I just ran through my study processes, and found out as much as I could about these verses, it came together. That strengthens my faith—God allowing me to learn from even difficult passages. I can see that when I reveal my desire to listen to God, He will bless me with what my heart is longing for.
My Lord, I am so encouraged by You and how You bless me. I am thankful that as long as I seek and ask You to show me Your Laws, with a right heart, You will allow me to see them. I pray that my desire will be to thirst for more from Your Word and that You will always quench that thirst. Lead and guide me as I study so that it is always fresh and new to me and that it never becomes tedious, and that the desire for Your Word will never grow dim for me.
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“19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me. 20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. 21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. 22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.” Psalm 119:19-23 (KJV)
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.” Psalm 39:12 (KJV)
“With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.” Psalm 119:10 (KJV)
“My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” Psalm 84:2 (KJV)
“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6 (KJV)
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I feel that since God has given me the gift of this platform, I must always tell you about my Jesus.
What is your relationship to the all-knowing God of the universe? Do you know Jesus? Do you know the peace that can come only from an intimate relationship with Him? You can know Him. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, born into human flesh, sinless, crucified and giving His life freely, buried, arisen on the third day, will come into your life and change the outcome of your eternity. You just have to be willing to believe and accept His truth.
Here is an excellent website that can give you additional information about making your decision for Jesus Christ! PeaceWithGod.net
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* Blue Letter Bible Online, Commentaries — C. H. Spurgeon, “Psalm 119 Verses 17-24”
Restricted Vision, Unburdened Sight 