Psalm 119 ⁵⁷O LORD, You are my portion; I promise to do what you say (dabar). ⁵⁸With all my heart I want you to be friendly to me; be kind to me as You promised (imrah). ⁵⁹I have thought about my life, and so I have come back to the truths You wrote (edah). ⁶⁰I hurry without a delay to do what you ordered (mitsvah). ⁶¹The wicked put the ropes of their traps around me, but I don’t forget Your teaching (torah). ⁶²I get up at midnight to thank You for judging what is right (misphat). ⁶³I’m a friend to all who fear You and follow the way You want them to live (piqqud). ⁶⁴The earth is full of Your kindness, O LORD. Teach me Your laws (choq).

There are many things that the LORD God promises us. The greatest thing He gives us though is Himself. I think it was St. Augustine who said, “My soul finds no rest until it rests in Thee.” The psalmist knows this as he confesses, “O LORD, You are my portion.” Because the LORD has given Himself to us, the result of that is we seek to do what He tells us. Like the previous section, the first two verses go from the broad “dabar,” which includes writings to a narrower “imrah,” which is a narrower something that is spoken.

Verse 59 is translated interestingly here. It’s a bit idiomatic here I think. Literally it’s like, “I entreat Your face with whole heart.” To come before someone’s face is for them to be friendly towards us. With our whole heart is to say everything within me is captured by You. The psalmist and we then petition the LORD Jesus Christ to be gracious and kind according to the gracious and kind words He has given us. In vs. 51, he says he didn’t turn from His teaching. In vs. 59, having contemplated how he lives, perhaps he was not as faithful as he thought he was. He turns (shuvs), i.e. repents back to the testimonies/truths, those things the LORD contracted between Himself and Israel. When we examine our lives we also should repent of our selfish, self-centered ways and turn to the ways of our LORD Jesus Christ. Having examined oneself and repented of our ways, we without delay hurry to do what our LORD has ordered. We don’t go, “Oh I’ll change tomorrow.” Now is the proper time. Now is the time of salvation. We are not promised more time later. We only have the moment.

The wicked, those who do not know the LORD Jesus Christ lay the ropes, i.e. traps of wickedness around us. They want to see if we will be faithful to the LORD or not. If we are not faithful, it excuses their own unfaithfulness. They want us to join them in their bondage to evil. To not fall for their traps, it is necessary to not forget the teachings of the LORD. If we remember our LORD’s teachings we will guard and do them. Are you up in the middle of the night? This is a perfect time to praise the LORD Jesus Christ for all His righteous judgments. We can read all the righteous things the LORD has pronounced to us. His judgments are right, pure and just.

Instead of falling into the traps of the wicked, we befriend those who fear the LORD, who seek to live in accordance with details of life the LORD has given us. We do not find His ways burdensome but freeing when our heart is right with Him. Living a Christian life is easier when those we associate with also desire from the heart to live the way the LORD has called us to, who find it a way of freedom instead of limiting. We can therefore find kind the LORD fills the earth with His kindness, His steadfast love. We can see how the LORD turns what is evil to what is best for us as is promised in Rom. 8:28. Having seen the LORD’s goodness and kindness, we petition the LORD to teach us His covenant in Jer. 31:31 and Matt. 26:26-29. There we see He forgives us sins, declares us His people and He our God. He promises to put His instruction in our hearts, e.g. He gives us the promised Holy Spirit.

Merciful and gracious Father, in Your great kindness, turn us to Your word, promises, and ways so we may praise You and live according to Your will revealed to us in Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.