2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
Today we will examine the spiritual meaning of the fifteenth Hebrew letter, samech, as revealed in PS 119: 113-120. When we read these words, we find them emotional and directed both at God and at wicked, sinful people. If our Psalmist is David, then the context of his experiences (running from Saul who was constantly pursuing him or having to fight war after war with the Philistines) would certainly be a logical explanation for his intense emotion. All the while, when we look carefully at these words, our Psalmist’s love for God and trust in God’s ability to see to his safety in view of his obedience to the law can be seen. “I hate those who are not completely loyal to You, but I love Your law. You are my Defender and Protector; I put my hope in Your promise. Go away from me, you sinful people. I will obey the commands of my God. Give me strength, as You promised, and I shall live; do not let me be disappointed in my hope! Hold me, and I will be safe, and I shall always pay attention to Your commands. You reject everyone who disobeys Your laws; their deceitful schemes are useless. You treat all the wicked like rubbish, and so I love Your instructions. Because of You I am afraid; I am filled with fear because of Your judgments.” The spiritual significance here is the power of the word against the wicked.
This passage opens with the Psalmist’s expression of his abhorrence of those who are not firm in their faith. Before we come to a quick conclusion that he is being self-righteous, we need to take a good look at the suffering for the righteous that this causes. Think of what David went through due to Saul’s jealousy and continual pursuit to get an idea of that. 1 SAM 18: 10-11, “The next day an evil spirit from God suddenly took control of Saul and he raved in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did every day, and Saul was holding a spear. ‘Ill pin him to the wall,’ Saul said to himself, and he threw the spear at him twice; but David dodged each time.” That is only one example of a long list of incidents between these two that demonstrate this point. Our Lord Jesus Christ dealt with the issue of not being firm in one’s faith when He spoke against trying to serve two masters in MT 6: 24. While he used the example of God and money, this same principle can be applied to any kind of human effort to rationalize the mixing of what is Godly with what is not.
Again, we can use the story of David and Saul to illustrate the point our Psalmist makes in (114 & 116) about the Lord being his Defender, Protector, and granting him strength. 1SAM 18: 12-16, “Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with David but had abandoned him [Saul]. So Saul sent him away and put him in command of a thousand men. David led his men in battle and was successful in all he did, because the Lord was with him. Saul noticed David’s success and became even more afraid of him. But everyone in Israel and Judah loved David because he was such a successful leader.” Our Psalmist appeals to God to be his Protector because he has put his hope in God’s promise. God is not in the business of dashing the hopes of a true believer. We know this from reading JER 29: 11, “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.” Seeing the protection that God afforded David helps us to realize the same protection is available to anyone who has the conviction to remain obedient and faithful to Him.
In verse 118, our Psalmist expresses his belief that God rejects anyone who disobeys His laws; their deceitful schemes being useless. We need only look at what happened to Saul to see the truth of this. 1 SAM 15: 10-11, “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from Me and disobeyed My commands.’..” Later, the prophet Samuel was speaking to Saul in 1 SAM 15: 28-29, “Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today and given it to someone who is a better man than you. Israel’s majestic God does not lie or change His mind. He is not a man; He does not change His mind.’ “ The consequences to Saul of his wickedness are seen in the consummation of God’s decision here in 1 SAM 16: 1, “The said to Samuel, ‘How long will you go on grieving over Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. But now get some olive oil and go to Bethlehem, to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” Of course, we know that son is David.
Our Psalmist acknowledges God’s ultimate justice in (119) when he says, “You treat the wicked like rubbish, and so I love Your instructions.” There are several Scripture citations worth sharing here which take up the issue of the Refiner’s fire. The justice is that everyone is given an opportunity to make a choice about whether he will have faith in God or reject Him. People are put together by God to help bring each other to that decision, for that is God’s will. PR 27: 17, “People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron.” PR 27: 21, “Fire tests gold and silver; a person’s reputation can also be tested.” The ultimate test for the Jews will come in the Tribulation and was prophesied by the prophet Zechariah in ZECH 13: 8-9. “And throughout the land two-thirds of the people will die. And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to Me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are My people and they will confess that I am their God.” 1 COR 3: 13-15 reveals the quality of each person’s work, the fruits of his faith, will be tested. “And the quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone’s work; the fire will test it and show it’s real quality. If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. But if anyone’s work is burnt up, then he will lose it; but he himself will be save, as if he had escaped through the fire.” [Remember that Paul was writing to saved people who had already accepted Christ]. Peter also spoke of these tests of one’s faith in 1 PET 1: 7, “Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, just also be tested, so that it may endure. Then, you will receive praise, glory, and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
This passage ends with our Psalmist’s acknowledgment of God’s almighty power and right to deal with the wicked. The Word [Jesus Christ] is the manifestation of God’s power. That is why Christ has been given the authority to judge. Of course, our Psalmist didn’t know this when he was writing, but, as I’ve said before, I believe he will be given the chance to know that one day. In the meanwhile, verse 120 expresses the Psalmist’s spiritual observation that God is omnipotent, able to bring about the most severe of punishments upon those that continually make a lifestyle of rejecting Him. God is capable of tremendous compassion, but to demonstrate His righteousness, He must at times render extremely severe punishments [see RO 3: 26].
PRAYER: O Lord, we are brought to asking where do we stand on the issues the Psalmist brings up in this passage? Is our faith firm enough in You that we can recognize the safety to us of obeying Your commands? Over and over again, You have demonstrated to us both through stories in the Scriptures and experiences in our own personal lives that You are a God of justice. You teach us to leave the judging to Christ. The question is: Do we obey? You love us enough to tell us You do not want to see us defeated by sin, and You give us a way to escape the consequences of our sins by the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross. What greater love can there be? You have told us there were be a final separation at the Day of Judgment of the sheep and the goats. Yet, in Your compassion, You have given us the time to come to faith and protection from the wicked once we do this. We approach You in humility to confess our faith in You and our loyalty even in the face of temptation and persecution. We thank, honor, glorify, praise, and worship You. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at the spiritual meaning of the sixteenth Hebrew letter, ayin, as revealed in PS 119: 121-128. If you are getting a feel for the spiritual nature of the Jewish culture as God designed it to be, then you are also beginning to realize what a perfect lifestyle our loving Abba has designed for all of us who believe. We are truly a privileged people and should never want to stray from the safety and justice God’s law provides for us through His excellent grace. Peter and I also send you our love today and always.
Grace, Peace, and Love,
Lynn