Day 20 of the 119th Psalm, verses 153-160.
“Resh
“153 Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget Your Law.
“154 Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to Your promise!
“155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes.
“156 Great is Your mercy, O YHWH; give me life according to Your rules.
“157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from Your testimonies.
“158 I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep Your commands.
“159 Consider how I love Your precepts! Give me life according to Your steadfast love.
“160 The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever.”
– Psalm 119:153-160
THE BREAKDOWN
Verse 153: God promised to deliver those who keep His Law.
Verse 154: This is a curious prayer. The writer is guilty of sin and asking God to plead his case. And then he asks for redemption. He sees God as his lawyer and judge. 1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Messiah Yeshua the righteous.” Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:5), “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Messiah Yeshua.” The psalmist sees the two as one.
Verse 155: Those who do not seek to obey God are far from salvation. One cannot be saved while continuing in a life of sin.
Verse 156: God is merciful to forgive us our sins and give us life.
Verse 157: Another verse that shows the writer sticking with God’s commandments regardless of persecution.
Verse 158: We should be disgusted by those who reject and do not keep the commandments. We shouldn’t become desensitized to what the Father hates. But we should also pray for those who do not follow the commandments.
Verse 159: God gives life to those who obey Him.
Verse 160: I like how this is worded. The SUM of His Word is truth. There is not one commandment that is negative or subtracts anything. ALL of His commandments are true, righteous, and just. And they are forever.
Lord, deliver me from the sins that bind me. Plead my case and give me redemption. Awaken those who do not know your commandments or actively reject them. Draw them to You, Lord so they may know your many wondrous works. Your Law is true and gives life. Amen.
Shalom.