Psalm 119:169-176 is the twenty-second stanza of this
psalm, and every line or verse begins with the twenty-second letter of the
Hebrew alphabet “TAV”, in the Hebrew Bible. The psalmist finishes this longest
psalm and chapter in the Bible with a prayer, a plea, a cry for help. And once
again, he is assured and confident that God will answer his request and meet
his every need because of the promises and truths that he finds in the Word of
God. Like the rest of the psalm, every verse in this closing stanza mentions
and refers to “Your word”, “Your statutes”, Your commandments”, “Your
precepts”, “Your salvation”, “Your law”, and “Your judgments”.
It is obvious that the psalmist desperately needs God’s
help and so do we! Years ago, I read that real prayer is simply a sense of
helplessness and I agree! I actually wake up every morning with a plea for
God’s help, and throughout the day continue to recognize that I need His help
and will not make it without His help! In these verses today, the psalmist
specifically recognizes his needs and asks for God’s help in several ways.
First in verses 169-172, he acknowledges his need for
God’s Word. We never outgrow our need for God's Word, no matter how long we
have been walking with Him. There is always something new to learn and we often
see new applications of old truths. Believers who boast that they "know
the Bible from cover to cover" are only revealing how little they know
about God's Word, for we shall spend eternity learning from His Word. The
psalmist asked for understanding and deliverance, for he knew that the truth
would set him free (John 8:32). After learning the statutes of God, he began to
praise the Lord, for study and worship belong together.
Next, he prayed that he needed God’s helping hand
(v. 173). We all know that "God is spirit" (John 4:24) and therefore
does not have a body with hands, feet, and so forth. In order to reveal Himself
to us, He uses the familiar to explain the unfamiliar, and therefore the Bible
describes Him in human terms. The idols of the heathen have hands that do not
move or feel (115:7), but God's hand is active on the behalf of His people. We
are the sheep of His hand (Psalm 95:7), an image that Jesus used in John
10:28-29.
He also prayed and shared his longing for God’s salvation
(v. 174). In his case, "salvation" meant deliverance from his enemies
who were threatening him, but "salvation" can mean freedom from
worry, the healing of a sickness, the provision of funds to pay a bill, or
deliverance from Satanic oppression. As we saw in verse 166, our ultimate
salvation is the return of Jesus Christ to deliver all creation from the
bondage of sin.
In verse 175, he believed that God’s judgements would help
him. "Judgments" is a synonym for the Word of God, but it can
also refer to the working of God's providence in this world (105:7; Rom.
11:33). Of course, the two go together, because God always obeys His own Word
when He works in this world. God helps us as He arranges the affairs of this
world and of our lives, for there are no accidents in the life of the
believer—only appointments. Our Father watches over us and accomplishes His
will (23:3; John 10:4; Rom. 8:28).
Finally in verse 176, the psalmist recognizes his tendency
to stray away from God like a lost sheep, and he needed God to seek him because
he was His servant. God gives us promises and assurances so we will not
despair, but He also gives us warnings that we might not presume. The psalmist
was still the servant of God and not the servant of sin, and he still
remembered God's Word and His commandments, so he would not stray for long. He
knew that the Good Shepherd would find him and lead him back to the fold. He
would anoint his wounds with healing oil and give him a long refreshing drink
of water (Psalm 23).
I trust that Psalm 119 has been as big a blessing to you as
it has been to me, and I pray that it has encouraged you to spend time every
day in God’s Word!
God bless!
