Psalms 119:89

Psalms 119:89 says, LAMED  Again there is the separating letter, the verse eighty-nine says, For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.  As David said then, God's word is forever settled in heaven, and we can add on earth as well. Even if people don't believe God's word, it is settled, or true forever.  Verse ninety adds, Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. Gods faithfulness to those who trust Him by putting their faith in Jesus Christ will always remain.  Verse ninety-one continues, They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.  David said that God's laws and faithfulness continued to his day, and they do to ours as well.  Of course, even though they apply to everyone, they only have meaning for those who are God's servants, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse ninety-two declares, Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.  David said that had he not delighted in God's law he would have perished, and so will anyone spiritually who does not delight in, or accept and live by, God's law.  Verse ninety-three adds, I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.  We, like David, must never forget God's precepts, or laws, because by them we are quickened, or made alive spiritually.  Verse ninety-four states, I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.  David declared himself to be God's because he had sought God's precepts.  We as Christians today are God's because we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and once we do we are to follow God's precepts, or laws.  Verse ninety-five adds, The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.  Even if the wicked wait to destroy us today, we must always follow God's testimonies, or His laws.  Verse ninety-six continues, I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.  David said he had seen an end to everything the world considered perfect, but that God's word was true in all cases.  God's word will never end nor be proven wrong.

Psalms 119:81

Psalms 119:81 aays, CAPH.  Again, the dividing letter, then verse eighty-one says, My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.  David said that even as his soul fainted due to all the oppression he was under, his hope was still in God's word and salvation.  We may sometimes feel that life is hard, but if we do, as Christians we must put our hope in God's word and His salvation of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse eighty-two adds, Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me? David said that when he looked around, he didn't always see proof of God's word, and asked how long it would be before God comforted Him.  We as followers of Christ may sometimes ask the same thing, but we really shouldn't.  We should simply put our faith in God's salvation plan.  Verse eighty-three continues, For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes.  Matthew Henry says that this refers to a bottle being weathered and cracked when being in a smoke filled room.  David was feeling old and beaten and battered physically, but he said he still did not forget God's statutes.  No matter how beaten down we may be by life, we also must never forget God's statutes.  Verse eighty-four asks, How many are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?  David asked how much longer he would live and how long it would be before God executed His judgment on those that persecuted him.  Today, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on the second coming of Christ with an almost joyous feeling of the wicked being punished, but I don't believe that should ever be our reason.  We should be in despair at all the people who will go away into everlasting punishment.  Verse eighty-five adds, The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law. David said those full of self-pride had dug pits, or created traps to harm him, because they did not believe in God's law.  There are many people today who would create pitfalls for Christians, but we need not be in despair.  Verse eighty-six states, All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.  As in David's day, all of God's commandments are still faithful, and sometimes we are wrongly persecuted if we keep them, but God is always there to help us.  Verse eighty-seven adds, They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts. David said that the wicked had almost destroyed him, but he still put his faith in God's precepts.  No matter how bad things get in life, as Christians we must never forsake the precepts of God.  Verse eighty-eight continues, Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth. David asked God to quicken him, or make him alive, so that he might keep God's testimony.  As followers of Christ, we have been made spiritually alive, and our purpose is to follow Christ, keep God's testimony, and witness to the lost people of the world about God's salvation plan. 

Psalms 119:73

Psalms 119:73 says, JOD.  After the identifying letter, verse seventy-three says, Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.  David acknowledged God as his Creator and asked that God give him knowledge so that he could understand God's commandments.  We must acknowledge that God is the Creator of us and all things, and ask Him for the ability to understand His commandments and all His laws.  Verse seventy-four adds, They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word. Like David said of others who believed in God then, our fellow believers today should be glad when they see us because they know that we have put our hope in God's word.  Verse seventy-five declares, I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.  David said that he knew that God's judgments were right, and that even in his affliction he knew that God was faithful.  If afflictions do come in life today, we cannot allow them to cause us to question God's faithfulness.  Verse seventy-six adds, Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.  God's merciful kindness, which lead to His sending Jesus Christ to redeem all who will accept Him as their personal Savior and Lord, should always bring us comfort as Christians.  Verse seventy-seven states, Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.  David asked for God's tender mercies to come to him, and said that he would delight in God's law.  As Christians, we have everlasting life because of the tender mercies of God, and we should delight in His laws always.  Verse seventy-eight adds, Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.  David asked that those who were full of self pride and who dealt perversely with him to be brought to shame, and that he would continue to meditate on God's word.  One day, all those who are so full of self pride that they do not believe in God will be brought to shame.  We do not need to be concerned about them today, but need to simply continue to follow God's word.  Verse seventy-nine states, Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies.  David asked that his fellow believers turn to him so that they could be united by their faith and said that they knew his testimonies to God.  We as followers of Christ today need to be united in faith and share our testimony with others.   Verse eighty adds, Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.  If we are not to be ashamed of our faith, it must be based on God's statutes and firmly embedded in our heart, or mind.

Psalms 119:65

Psalms 119:65 says, TETH.  After the divider, verse one says, Thou hast dealt well with thy servant,  David said God had dealt well with Him, according to God's word.  If we are truly following God, we should always believe that no matter what is happening in life that God is treating us well, in accordance with His word.  Verse sixty-six adds, Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments. As David asked God then, we need to ask God to teach us good judgment and knowledge, based on our believing in His commandments.  We are not to rely on our own judgment and knowledge, but are to look to God's instead.  Verse sixty-seven states, Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.  David said before he was afflicted because of his following his way instead of God's, but now he was keeping God's word.  We will be spiritually afflicted as long as we go our way instead of following God's way.  Verse sixty-eight adds, Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.  We like David need to acknowledge that God is good all the time and ask Him to teach us His ways.  Verse sixty-nine declares, The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.  If we believe that the world is aligned against us today, we will not be the first to feel that way, because David felt the same way.  David also said he would keep the precepts of God with all his heart, and so must we even if the whole world seems to be against us.  Verse seventy adds, Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.  The hearts of those who are against us as followers of Christ may be filled with their own beliefs, but we are still to delight in God's law.  God's law should never feel like a burden to us, but should always be a delight.  Verse seventy-one says, It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.  David said being afflicted had been good for him, because it had caused him to learn God's statutes, or laws.  We too often complain to God when things go the least bit wrong in life,instead of seeing this as a time to learn more about God.  Verse seventy-two adds, The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.  If we would truly be rich, we must be like David and value God's word about the riches of this world. 

Psalms 119:57

Psalms 119:57 says, CHETH.  We have the identifier, then verse fifty-seven says, Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.  David said that God was his portion.  I believe all this means all that he needed.  God should be all that we need today, and we should be satisfied with whatever He provides for us.  David also said that he would keep God's word, and so must we as Christians.  Verse fifty-eight adds, I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word. David said he wholeheartedly asked for God's favor and that God be merciful to him according to His word.  If we seek God's favor today, we must do so by wholeheartedly putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Then, God will be merciful to us according to His word.  Verse fifty-nine states, I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.  I believe this means that David considered the way he was living and made a deliberate choice to follow God and keep His laws.  We must consider our ways and realize that we need to turn away from our own ideas and deliberately turn to God and follow His laws by first putting our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse sixty adds, I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.  Like David, we must keep God's commandments quickly, and not wait until everything seems to be going wrong to do so.  Verse sixty-one says, The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.  Even if the wicked, those who do not believe in God, take everything from us, we cannot forget God's law.  David said that the wicked had robbed him, not that God had prevented it from happening.  Verse sixty-two adds, At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.  David said he would give thanks to God at midnight because of God's righteous judgments.  I will not say that we should wake up at midnight to praise God, but I will say that if we are awake at midnight that we should praise God.  Verse sixty-three declares, I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.  David may have been king, but he considered himself to simply be a companion to his fellow believers.  No matter how rich or poor we are in life, we are all just fellow companions, brothers and sisters in faith as followers of Christ.  Verse sixty-four adds, The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.  The earth is still full of God's mercy and we still need Him to teach us His ways.

Psalms 119:49

Psalms 119:49 says, ZAIN. After the letter identifier, verse forty-nine says, Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.  David asked God to remember His word, or promise, to David which he had built his hope on.  We have God's word of salvation through Jesus Christ, and if we have built our hope on it, He will never forget us.  Verse fifty adds, This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.  God's promise of salvation should be our comfort in times of affliction, because through our salvation by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we are quickened, or made alive spiritually forever.  Verse fifty-one states, The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.  David said that those who were full of self pride held him in derision, as many people do Christians today.  David also said even though this happened, he had not declined from God's law, and neither should we.  Verse fifty-two adds, I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.  David said he remembered God's judgments from old and that they comforted him.  God's judgment should not be something we fear but something that brings comfort to us if we have accepted redemption by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Verse fifty-three declares, Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.  David said he was horrified because the wicked had forsaken God's law.  Instead of being judgmental, we should be horrified by the fact that those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are forever doomed.  I believe this should inspire us to continue to witness in earnest to them.  Verse fifty-four adds, Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.  Like David, God's law should be our song as we travel through this life.  Verse fifty-five says, I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law.  Just like David, we need to remember God's name day and night.  There shouldn't be a time as Christians that we forget Who God is and what His laws say.  There is no room for our opinion to determine what God's law says or which parts we will keep.  Verse fifty-six, This I had, because I kept thy precepts.  We have everlasting life because of our faith in Jesus Christ, and because of this we should always strive to keep God's precepts, or laws. 

Psalms 119:41

Psalms 119:41 says,VAU. After the identifier, verse one says,  Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word.  David asked God to let His mercies come to Him, especially God's salvation of David, in accordance with God's word.  God's mercy to us, which begins with salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, will be accomplished according to His word.  Verse forty-two adds, So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.  We can only answer those who reproach us because of our faith by continuing to live by faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord no matter what.  Verse forty-three continues, And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments.  Like David, we need to ask that we never stop speaking the truth of God's word, because it is the only thing we have hope in.  Verse forty-four states, So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.  David said he would keep God's law forever and ever, and this is what our goal as Christians should be as well.  Since we are saved forever, we should be obedient to God's word forever.  Verse forty-five adds, And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.  As followers of Christ, we can walk at liberty from the power of sin, as David said he walked then, and we should always seek to follow God's precepts.  We are not freed from the power of sin to do whatever we want, but are freed to follow God's precepts, or laws.  Verse forty-six continues, I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.  We need to be willing to speak of God's testimonies, or laws, before any leader, and do so without being ashamed.  Of course, we need to be willing to do the same thing before the lowliest person.  A person's status in the world should never keep us from sharing the truth of God with them.  Verse forty-seven declares, And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.  David said he would delight himself in God's commandments because he loved them.  We should feel the same way as Christians.  We should delight in God's commandments, and not view them negatively as some seem to do, and we should delight in them because we love them.  Verse forty-eight adds, My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.  We like David need to be guided by God's commandments in all that we do, because we love them.