Psalm 119:129-136 is the seventeenth stanza of this psalm,
and every line or verse begins with the seventeenth letter of the Hebrew
alphabet “PE”, in the Hebrew Bible. Years ago, as a young believer I wrote in
the front cover of my Bible these words, “This book will keep you from sin, or
sin will keep you from this book”. And I’ll never forget a preacher preaching a
message entitled, “Getting Used to the Dark”. In the eight verses before us
today we find that the psalmist is a great example of this truth.
This section begins with the wonder of God's Word and ends
with the weeping of the writer because the arrogant disobey the Word. When we
begin to see the beauty and wonder of the Scriptures, we also begin to
understand the ugliness of sin and the cheapness of what the world has to
offer. This section describes a "spiritual chain reaction" in the
life of the psalmist, one that we can also experience in our lives if we ponder
the wonder of God's Word.
In verse 129, we see how the wonder of God’s Word leads us
to obedience. The psalmist stood in awe at the wonder of God's Word—its
harmony, beauty, perfection, practicality, power, and revelations. The longer I
read and study the Bible, the more wonderful it becomes, and a God who wrote a
book that wonderful deserves my obedience. To obey the Word is to become part
of that wonder, to experience power and spiritual transformation in our lives.
From verse 130, we observe that obedience leads to
understanding. The light of the Word comes into our hearts and minds and brings
spiritual insight and understanding (2 Cor. 4:1-6). The word "entrance"
is also translated as "unfolding" in other translations; it
means "disclosure" and "opening up" as in Luke 24:32 and
35. When Spirit-led teachers and preachers "open up" the Word, then
the light of God's truth shines forth and brings about spiritual transformation
(v. 135; 2 Cor. 3:18).
Verse 131 shows how understanding leads to deeper desire. As
a suffocating person pants for air or a thirsty person for water, so the child
of God pants for the Word of God, and nothing else will satisfy. Job said, "I
have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food"
(Job 23:12). When we lose our desire for God's Word, then we are vulnerable to
the substitutes the world has to offer (Isa. 55:1-2).
In verse 132, the psalmist deeper desire leads to a greater
love for God. Just as children long to share the love of their parents, so the
child of God experiences God's love through the Word (John 14:21-24). To love
God's name is to love God, for His name reveals all that He is. Then in verses
133-134, we find God's love leads to guidance and freedom. We are free to do
what we ought to do rather than what we want to do! Free from sin to serve the
Lord and others.
Finally in verses 135-136, we experience freedom in Christ that
brings us God's blessing. When God hides His face from His people, He is
disciplining them (13:1; 80:3-7), but the shining of His face upon them is a
sign of His blessing (4:6; 67:1; Num. 6:25). To seek His face is to seek His
blessing (v. 58). As we walk with the Lord in freedom, we walk in the light and
have nothing to hide. But enjoying His freedom and blessing does not eliminate
the burden we carry because of the wickedness in the world (v. 136). A broken
heart and a blessed heart can exist in the same person at the same time. Jeremiah
wept over the sins of a nation about to be destroyed (Jer. 9:1, 18; 13:17; Lam.
1:16), and Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they had rejected Him (Luke
19:41-44). The apostle Paul wept over lost souls (Rom. 9:1-3) as well as over
professed believers in the church who were living for the world and the flesh
(Phil. 3:17-21).
If our enjoyment of God's Word and God's gracious blessings
has truly reached our hearts, then we ought to have a burden for the lost and
want to try to reach them for Christ.
God bless!
