#DailyDevotion Only The LORD’s Promises Keep & Strengthen Us
Psalm 119 113I hate two-faced people, but I love Your teaching (torah). 114You are my Hiding Place and my Shield —I wait for Your promise (dabar). 115Go away from me, wicked men – I want to do what my God orders (mitsvah). 116Help me as You promised (imrah) so that I may live, and don’t let me be disappointed in my hope. 117Strengthen me so I may be saved, and I will always respect Your laws (choq). 118You reject all who leave Your laws (edah) to go wrong with a lie they deceive themselves. 119You get rid of all the wicked on earth like dross, but I love the truths (edah) You wrote. 120My flesh shudders in fear of You; I stand in awe of Your judgments (misphat).
Two-face, some translations are half-hearted or double-minded. Such are people who say they worship the LORD but they really put their trust in other things or people for every good. Hate is a pretty strong word. Are we supposed to hate? St. Paul tells us to stay away from people who call themselves Christians but who live unrepentant lives. We can’t avoid unbelievers though without leaving the world. (1 Cor. 5:11ff, Rom. 16:17) We on the other hand should love the LORD’s teaching. We see His teachings in the Gospels and the letters of the Apostles.
The LORD Jesus Christ is our Hiding Place and Shield. We turn to Him from protection against all evil thoughts and actions. We are called to wait for His promise. Peter tells us in his second epistle, “4Thus He has given us His precious and very great promises, so that after you have escaped the corruption that lust brought into the world, you might by these promises share in the divine nature.”
Bad company corrupts good character so it is right for the psalmist to expel wicked men from his midst. It’s tough enough dealing with our own flesh in wanting to do what God had commanded us. We don’t need to hang around false Christians who tempt us into do evil. A promise we can look to is from Isaiah 45, “22Turn to Me to be saved, all you most distant parts of the world, because I am God, and there is no other.” We need to remind the LORD of His promises not because He forgets but because we do. Sometimes it seems long in coming but He will and does fulfill all His promises.
His petition to be strengthened so he may be saved reminds us that we need to continually be strengthened by the LORD to remain faithful and be saved. He has given baptism, the Supper, absolution and the preaching and teaching of His Word to keep His promise of preserving us in the faith unto life everlasting. By His strengthening we keep all that He tells us.
Verses 118 and 119 should be terrifying to those who pick and choose what parts of God’s Word they are going to keep and not keep. True, many of the particulars of the Mosaic Law are no longer in force. They were for Israel as a nation state. Jesus has fulfilled it all for us. Yet, there remains in the New Testament His moral law which we keep by the Gospel. We should not dismiss the holiness Jesus has called us to through His holy apostles. We should not be like those who abuse God’s grace in Christ Jesus in order to sin. They will not remain with the LORD. He will get rid of them all in the Lake of Fire on the Last Day.
We love all truths the LORD has given us through the apostles and prophets. Our flesh should indeed shudder at the LORD’s commands. It never keeps them. It will be purified by fire and a new glorified body will be given us at the resurrection. We indeed should stand in awe of all the LORD has given us. In them we find the power, wisdom, might, grace, mercy and peace of the LORD our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Merciful Father, grant us Your grace through Word and Sacrament to uphold all You have given us so we may shun those who reject Your teaching but call themselves Your people and live according to Your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.