Psalm 119:65-72 ט

ט Teth

Do good to your servant
    according to your word, Lord.
Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
    for I trust your commands.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
    but now I obey your word.
You are good, and what you do is good;
    teach me your decrees.
Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,
    I keep your precepts with all my heart.
Their hearts are callous and unfeeling,
    but I delight in your law.
It was good for me to be afflicted
    so that I might learn your decrees.
The law from your mouth is more precious to me
    than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

• Psalm 119:65-72

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach.  In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This is a psalm by itself, like none of the rest; it excels them all, and shines brightest in this constellation. It is much longer than any of them more than twice as long as any of them. It is not making long prayers that Christ censurers, but making them for a pretence, which intimates that they are in themselves good and commendable. It seems to me to be a collection of David’s pious and devout ejaculations, the short and sudden breathings and elevations of his soul to God, which he wrote down as they occurred, and, towards the latter end of his time, gathered out of his day-book where they lay scattered, added to them many like words, and digested them into this psalm, in which there is seldom any coherence between the verses, but, like Solomon’s proverbs, it is a chest of gold rings, not a chain of gold links. And we may not only learn, by the psalmist’s example, to accustom ourselves to such pious ejaculations, which are an excellent means of maintaining constant communion with God, and keeping the heart in frame for the more solemn exercises of religion, but we must make use of the psalmist’s words, both for the exciting and for the expressing of our devout affections; what some have said of this psalm is true, “He that shall read it considerately, it will either warm him or shame him.” The composition of it is singular and very exact. It is divided into twenty-two parts, according to the number of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and each part consists of eight verses, all the verses of the first part beginning with Aleph, all the verses of the second with Beth, and so on, without any flaw throughout the whole psalm. Archbishop Tillotson says, It seems to have more of poetical skill and number in it than we at this distance can easily understand. Some have called it the saints’ alphabet; and it were to be wished we had it as ready in our memories as the very letters of our alphabet, as ready as our A B C. Perhaps the penman found it of use to himself to observe this method, as it obliged him to seek for thoughts, and search for them, that he might fill up the quota of every part; and the letter he was to begin with might lead him to a word which might suggest a good sentence; and all little enough to raise any thing that is good in the barren soil of our hearts. However, it would be of use to the learners, a help to them both in committing it to memory and in calling it to mind upon occasion; by the letter the first word would be got, and that would bring in the whole verse; thus young people would the more easily learn it by heart and retain it the better even in old age. If any censure it as childish and trifling, because acrostics are now quite out of fashion, let them know that the royal psalmist despises their censure; he is a teacher of babes, and, if this method may be beneficial to them, he can easily stoop to it; if this to be vile, he will be yet more vile.

II. The general scope and design of it is to magnify the law, and make it honourable; to set forth the excellency and usefulness of divine revelation, and to recommend it to us, not only for the entertainment, but for the government, of ourselves, by the psalmist’s own example, who speaks by experience of the benefit of it, and of the good impressions made upon him by it, for which he praises God, and earnestly prays, from first to last, for the continuance of God’s grace with him, to direct and quicken him in the way of his duty. There are ten different words by which divine revelation is called in this psalm, and they are synonymous, each of them expressive of the whole compass of it (both that which tells us what God expects from us and that which tells us that we may expect from him) and of the system of religion which is founded upon it and guided by it. The things contained in the scripture, and drawn from it, are here called, 1. God’s law, because they are enacted by him as our Sovereign. 2. His way, because they are the rule both of his providence and of our obedience. 3. His testimonies, because they are solemnly declared to the world and attested beyond contradiction. 4. His commandments, because given with authority, and (as the word signifies) lodged with us as a trust. 5. His precepts, because prescribed to us and not left indifferent. 6. His word, or saying, because it is the declaration of his mind, and Christ, the essential eternal Word, is all in all in it. 7. His judgments, because framed in infinite wisdom, and because by them we must both judge and be judged. 8. His righteousness, because it is all holy, just, and good, and the rule and standard of righteousness. 9. His statutes, because they are fixed and determined, and of perpetual obligation. His truth, or faithfulness, because the principles upon which the divine law is built are eternal truths. And I think there is but one verse (it is ver. 122) in all this long psalm in which there is not one or other of these ten words; only in three or four they are used concerning God’s providence or David’s practice (as ver. 75, 84, 122), and ver. 132 they are called God’s name. The great esteem and affection David had for the word of God is the more admirable considering how little he had of it, in comparison with what we have, no more perhaps in writing than the first books of Moses, which were but the dawning of this day, which may shame us who enjoy the full discoveries of divine revelation and yet are so cold towards it. In singing this psalm there is work for all the devout affections of a sanctified soul, so copious, so various, is the matter of it. We here find that in which we must give glory to God both as our ruler and great benefactor, that in which we are to teach and admonish ourselves and one another (so many are the instructions which we here find about a religious life), and that in which we are to comfort and encourage ourselves and one another, so many are the sweet experiences of one that lived such a life. Here is something or other to suit the case of every Christian. Isa. any afflicted? Isa. any merry? Each will find that here which is proper for him. And it is so far from being a tedious repetition of the same thing, as may seem to those who look over it cursorily, that, if we duly meditate upon it, we shall find almost every verse has a new thought and something in it very lively. And this, as many other of David’s psalms, teaches us to be sententious in our devotions, both alone and when others join with us; for, ordinarily, the affections, especially of weaker Christians, are more likely to be raised and kept by short expressions, the sense of which lies in a little compass, than by long and laboured periods.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 119:67 “A number of years ago, I heard a Chinese man say, after going through two terrible wars and losing every member of his family, that he had come to realize his best times with God were early in the morning. ln fact, he said, ‘I live by the motto:·No Bible, no Breakfast.’ I don’t remember anything else he said aside from his circumstances and that statement.”

• Charles R. Swindoll, Bedtime Blessings

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

These verses start with Teth, ט.

The psalmist starts with a plea for God to be good to His servant, the psalmist.

Then there is a confession that he did not follow God’s law earlier in life.  He calls this time as the time he was afflicted.   But now he follows God’s word, and he loves God’s word.

He praises God as being good and doing good.  Then he asks God to teach him God’s decrees.

This seems like a contradiction, but the psalmist distinguishes between God’s word – what God has written in the Scriptures – and God’s decrees – which seems to mean what God means by His word in the Scriptures and what God wants the psalmist to do, personally.

Starting in verse 69, there is a conflict with the arrogant people.  They taunt, but the psalmist loves God’s precepts – possibly translated to the laws and commandments within the Scriptures.  The arrogant are callous and unfeeling, but the psalmist delights in the law.

Then a profound statement is made.  Verse 71 says that it was good that he was afflicted.  He loves God’s decrees even more.  That is true with any of us.  Jesus argued that the one who has more sins that were forgiven would love God even more.  The habitual and wicked sinner is going to realize the problems that he caused more than the person who was arrogant or the person who says an unkind word on occasion.  I have met so many people that thought they never did anything wrong in their lives.  Are they sinners?  Of course, they are, but it has not been revealed to them, or they refuse to notice, that they are just as afflicted as everyone else.

The psalmist ends with how God’s word is more precious than silver or gold.

Psalm 119:73-80 י

י Yodh

Your hands made me and formed me;
    give me understanding to learn your commands.
May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
    for I have put my hope in your word.
I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,
    and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
May your unfailing love be my comfort,
    according to your promise to your servant.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
    for your law is my delight.
May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;
    but I will meditate on your precepts.
May those who fear you turn to me,
    those who understand your statutes.
May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,
    that I may not be put to shame.

• Psalm 119:73-80

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach.  In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

See 119:65-72 ט. above.

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 119:73-80 ” The trust in God’s word. The hands of God formed the psalmist. Therefore, he trusts his Maker’s word. He desires understanding so that he could learn [God’s] commands, and he desires compassion so that God’s instruction would be his delight (119:73, 77). The psalmist trusts God to bring shame on the arrogant and, simultaneously; to keep him from shame through a heart that was blameless regarding [God’s] statutes (119:78, 80).”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

These verses start with Yodh, י.

The last two or three letters in this acrostic have mentioned loving God, loving God’s word, but God please teach me your decrees.  This is the heart of sanctification.  We have God in our heart.  The Holy Spirit gives us guidance, but we need to be a broken record.  God showed us something for which we needed to repent yesterday.  What do we need to work on today?

The psalmist’s desire is for others to see the difference in his life.  The psalmist speaks of God afflicting him, and this might mean that while we bring sin upon ourselves, God convicts us of that sin so that we know that we need to repent.

The psalmist praises God about His compassion, His Mercy.

Again, the arrogant try to shame the psalmist, but there is no cause.  Those that fear the Lord seek the psalmist.  He follows God’s decrees.

Psalm 119:81-88 מ

מ Kaph

My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
    but I have put my hope in your word.
My eyes fail, looking for your promise;
    I say, “When will you comfort me?”
Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
    I do not forget your decrees.
How long must your servant wait?
    When will you punish my persecutors?
The arrogant dig pits to trap me,
    contrary to your law.
All your commands are trustworthy;
    help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
They almost wiped me from the earth,
    but I have not forsaken your precepts.
In your unfailing love preserve my life,
    that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.

• Psalm 119:81-88

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach.  In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

See 119:65-72 ט. above.

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 119:81-88 “The faithfulness of God’s word. The psalmist was experiencing weakness and distress because of his persecutors (119:81-84)_ He wonders how long he would have to wait for deliverance and vindication (119:84). Nevertheless, he knows the Lord’s commands are faithful and true and that he would act in accordance with [his] faithful love (119:86-88). Therefore, the psalmist would obey [God’s] decree (119:88) while waiting on God to work.”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

These verses start with Kaph, מ.

While the psalmist does not forget God’s decrees, remembers precepts, and obeys statutes, he turns the focus on salvation, praising God for salvation and asking how long it will be that the servant will wait?

The wineskin in smoke will stiffen due to the exposure.  More reason for God to rescue the psalmist.

Again, the arrogant again is mentioned.  This time, the arrogant set traps to ensnare the psalmist.  Again, the psalmist is persecuted without cause.

God’s commands are trustworthy, and His love is unfailing.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Psalm 119:65-72 ט

“1. What 8 ‘TH-words’ describe your group’s opinion of Bible study?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Psalm 119:73-80 י

“1. What 8 ‘J-words’ describe your group’s opinion of Bible study?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Psalm 119:81-88 מ

“1. What 8 ‘K-words’ describe your group’s opinion of Bible study?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for each of these psalms.  It is the same question, but who among you is the poet who can spin those 8 words into a story of how wonderful our God is?

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.