Psalm 119:49-56
is the seventh stanza of this psalm, and every line or verse begins with the seventh
letter of the Hebrew alphabet “ZAYIN”, in the Hebrew Bible. If
the psalmist was a priest or a Levite, and he probably was, then he was
required to be an expert on the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy means
"second law." The book records Moses's "farewell speech"
that he gave to prepare the new generation of Israelites for the conquest of
Canaan. After forty years of wandering, the nation would stop being nomads and
would become settlers, but new generations would come along and be prone to
forget the lessons of the past. In Deuteronomy, you find the word
"remember" fifteen times and the word "forget" fourteen
times. Some things in the past we must forget (Phil. 3:12-14), but some things
we must never forget.
We need to
remember that God remembers His people (vv. 49-51). When applied to the Lord, the word "remember"
means "to pay attention to, to work on behalf of." Being omniscient,
God cannot forget anything, but He can decide not to "remember it against
us" (Isa. 43:25; Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12; 10:17). That is the negative side;
the positive side is that He "remembers" to do us good and give us
His blessing. He remembered Noah and delivered him (Gen. 8:1); He remembered
Abraham and delivered Lot (Gen. 19:29); He remembered Rachel and Hannah and
enabled them to conceive (Gen. 30:22; 1 Sam. 1:19). Remembering is not
recalling, for God never forgets; it is relating to His people in a special
way. The psalmist prayed that God would use the Word to work on his behalf. The
writer had hope because of the promises God had given to him, and he prayed
that those promises would be fulfilled. When Daniel found in the prophecy of
Jeremiah the promise of Israel's deliverance from captivity, he immediately
began to pray for the promise to be fulfilled (Dan. 9). True faith not only
believes the promises but also prays for God to work. In his believing and
praying, the writer found comfort and encouragement,
("comfort" comes from the Latin meaning "with strength"). He
did not abandon his faith or run away from his problems. He was revived with
new life (v. 50)!
We need to
remember God's Word (vv. 52-54). How could
this spiritual leader know the "ancient laws" that God gave Moses
centuries before? The nation had preserved the Word (Deut. 31:24-29) and taught
it to each new generation (Deut. 4:1-14), and this is the obligation of the
church today (2 Tim. 2:2). Unless the Word of God is honored, taught, and
obeyed in a church, that congregation is one generation short of extinction.
The psalmist was dealing with proud and wicked people (vv. 51, 53). His
response was to turn God's statutes into songs and to use the Word to praise
the Lord (v. 54; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). He did not consider God's law a burden
to bear; he saw the Word as a blessing to share—and he sang it! Praise that is
not based on the truth of Scripture is unacceptable to the Lord. We are on a
difficult pilgrimage from earth to heaven, and we need God's songs to encourage
us and to help us witness to others along the way (Acts 16:22-34).
We need to
remember His name (vv. 55-56). The name
of God—Jehovah, Yahweh—is full of meaning and power. God's name Yahweh speaks
not only of His existence and His eternality, but also of His sovereignty, His
power, and the dynamic working out of His will in this world. To remember His
name is to encourage our hearts to trust Him, obey Him, and not be afraid. "And
those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, Lord [Yahweh],
have not forsaken those who seek you" (Psalm 9:10).
To remember
God's name is to ask Him to remember us and work on our behalf. We must do this
when we are in the darkness and afraid (v. 55), or when we are lonely and
discouraged (Psalm 42:6). "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the
righteous run to it and are safe" (Prov. 18:10).
God bless!
