Psalms 119:145

Psalms 119:145 says, KOPH.  We have the identifying letter, then verse one-forty-five says, I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.  We need to wholeheartedly call out to God to hear us and promise to keep His statutes as David did.  Verse one-forty-six adds, I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.  After asking God to hear him, David the asked God to save him and then said he would keep God's statutes.  We must first accept God's salvation, and then keep His laws.  Attempting to find salvation by keeping God's law without accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord will never work.  Verse one-forty-seven continues, I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.  David said he prayed to God throughout the night and put his faith in God's word.  If we awake in the night, the best thing we can do is pray.  Verse one-forty-eight continues, Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.  David repeats basically what he had just said, but adds that even during the night he meditated on God's word.  I believe this tells us that when we are awake that we need to be meditating on God's word as Christians.  Verse one-forty-nine states, Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.  Just as David did then, we must ask God to hear us because of His lovingkindnesses, and not because of our goodness.  Then, if we hear God's call to salvation and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, God will quicken us, or make us alive, spiritually.   Verse one-firty adds, They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.  David said that people who were far from the law and followed after mischief were all around him.  We may be surrounded by people who do not believe in God, but this should not alter our belief in Him.  Verse one-fifty-one declares, Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.  God is always close and His commandments are always true.  We do not serve an absentee God whose word is sometimes true and sometimes not.  God is always with us and His word is always true.  Verse one-fifty-rwo adds, Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever. As David said,  God's law is old and He has founded them forever.  We will not come up with a new law of God. 

Psalms 119:137

Psalms 119:137 says, TZADDI.  After the alphabetical separator, verse one-thirty-seven says, Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright are thy judgments.  David pronounced God to be righteous and upright in His judgments, and He still is and always will be.  Verse one-thirty-eight adds, Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.  Not only is God righteous, but so are His testimonies, or laws, righteous and faithful.  God and His law will never change, but He will always be faithful to do what He says He will do.  Verse one-thirty-nine declares, My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.  David said his zeal for God's word grew because his enemies, those who fought against him, had forgotten God's words.  As followers of Christ today, we must have a zeal for God's word, because the lost people of the world have forgotten it or never knew it.  Verse one-forty adds, Thy word is very sure: therefore thy servant loveth it.  As Christians, we like David must recognize the surety of God's word, and we must likewise love God's word.  What God's word says will always be true, and we should never dread what it says, but should instead love His word.  Verse one-forty-one states, I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.  David may have been seen as a powerful man by the world, but he said he was small and despised compared to God.  When we compare ourself to God, we will always be small, and until we accept forgiveness for our sins by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, our actions will be despised by God.  Verse one-forty-two adds, Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.  As David said,  God's righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and His law will always be the truth.  The righteousness and truth of God do not change over time, nor with the situation.  Even if everyone were to agree that God's word has changed, it will still be true.  Verse one-forty-three states, Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.  We may sometimes think that as followers of Christ everything in life should be good, but just as it was with David, we may be surrounded by trouble and anguish, but we must still delight in God's commandments.  Verse one-forty-four adds, The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.  If we are to have everlasting life, we must understand God's laws, beginning with the fact that the only way to truly understand them is to first put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Then, the Holy Spirit will guide us to a better understanding of God's word.

Psalms 119:129

Psalms 119:129 says, PE.  Again, there is the dividing letter, then verse one-twenty-nine says, Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.  David said God's testimonies were wonderful and that he would keep them with his soul, his very utmost being.  God's testimonies have not changed and are still wonderful, and we as followers of Christ must also keep them with our soul.  Verse one-thirty adds, The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.  David said when someone allowed God's light into his or her life it gave understanding, even to the simple.  God's light can only give us understanding if we let it in, and we are all simple minded before God.  Verse one-thirty-one continues, I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.  David said he panted after the word of God.  We likewise should be so desirous of the word of God that we are left breathless without it to guide us in life.  Verse one-thirty-two states, Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.  David asked God to look on him in mercy as he had done with people who put their faith in Him in the past.  God's mercy is always available to those who look to Him in faith.  Just as God has been merciful to those in the past, He will be merciful to anyone who calls on Him today.  Verse one-thirty-three adds, Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.  Just as David asked God to order, or guide, all his steps so that sin might not have dominion over him, so must we.  We cannot just follow God part of the time, but must follow Him every step of the way.  Verse one-thirty-four continues, Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.  David knew that God alone had the power to deliver him from the oppression of people,  and this will always be true. We must always look to God for deliverance, no matter how powerful we may be in the world.  Verse one-thirty-five says, Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.  As David asked of God then, we today must ask God to shine His light on us and to teach us His statutes.  This can only happen if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse one-thirty-six adds, Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.  David said he cried like a river when people did not keep God's law.  As Christians, if we allow sin back into our life we should be just as broken-hearted as David said he was.  We should never take even the smallest sin lightly.  We should also be broken hearted that people refuse to accept God's law, which begins by accepting Jesus Christ as one's Savior and Lord. 

Verse 119:121

Verse 119:121 says, AIN. After the dividing letter, verse one-twenty- one says, I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors.  David said he had acted with good judgment and justice and asked God to not leave him to those who oppressed him.  We as followers of Christ must act with good judgment towards others, which is based on following God's law and guidance, and we must act with justice in all that we do.  If we are oppressed because of this, we need to leave it up to God to deal with those who oppress us.  Verse one-twebty-two adds, Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.  David asked God to be his assurance that he would do good, because he could not base his goodness on his own ability, and neither can we.  Verse one-twenty-three declares, Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.  David said he had long looked for God's salvation, but he had not seen it yet.  He was looking for God to fulfill His word of righteousness.  We really cannot see God's salvation through faith in Jesus Christ physically, and at times it may seem that the world is defeating us, but we must never lose faith in God.  Verse one-twenty-four adds, Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.  As Christians, we can know that God will always deal with us out of His mercy and will teach us His statutes, as David asked God to do with him then.  All we have to do is to always look to God in faith.  Verse one-twenty-five continues, I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.  David may have been an earthly king, but he was God's servant and asked for God to give him understanding.  As followers of Christ, no matter our status in the world, we are servants of God, and we need to ask Him to give us an understanding of His testimonies, or laws.  Verse one-twenty-six states, It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.  David said it was time for God to act, because the people of the world who opposed David and God had made God's law void.  There are many people today who have made God's law void, but we simply need to rely on God to deal with them in His time and way.  Verse one-twenty-seven adds, Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.  David said he loved God's commandments more than fine gold.  We likewise must value God's law above anything in this world, no matter how valuable it may seem.  Verse one-twenty-eight continues,  Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way. David said he considered all of God's precepts to be right and that he hated every false way.  God's precepts will always be right whether we consider them to be so or not, but as Christians, we must always believe them to be so and hate anything that goes against God's precepts, or laws.

Psalms 119:113

Psalms 119:113  says, SAMECH.  After the dividing letter, verse one-thirteen says, I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.  David said he hated vain thoughts, but the loved God's law.  We probably spend more time on vain thoughts, thoughts about things that are really of no importance, than we do thinking about God's law.  Verse one-fourteen adds, Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.  Like David, God should our hiding place and shield, or source of security.  All our hope as Christians should be placed in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse one-fifteen declares, Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.  As David did then, we should tell those who do evil to depart from us because we are going to keep God's commandments.  We must also acknowledge that something may sound good and even appeal to us, but if it is not in accordance with God's word it is still evil. Verse one-sixteen adds, Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.  David asked God to uphold him according to God's word, so that he might live without shame in his hope of God's deliverance and protection.  As followers of Christ,  God will always uphold us, so we should never doubt Him or be ashamed of our faith.  Verse one-seventeen continues, Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.  As David asked of God, when we are held up by our faith in God, we will always be safe and therefore should always have respect for God's statutes.  Faith in God should not be a part time thing, but should be just as strong if we are materially blessed or if we are barely getting by.  Veree one-eighteen states, Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit is falsehood.  This will not happen until the return of Jesus Christ, but all those who have refused to accept God's salvation plan to follow the falsehoods of the world will be trampled down.  In this lifetime, evil doers may often prosper, but their time of prosperity is limited.  Verse one-nineteen adds, Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.  One day, as David said, all the wicked will be put away like dross, or rubbish, so like David we should love God's testimonies, or laws.  Verse one-twenty concludes, My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.  As Christians, I don't believe that we should tremble in fear of God or be afraid of His judgments, unless we have stopped following His laws.  I believe that as followers of Christ, we are forever saved, but we are not given a license to sin with no consequences for our actions.

Psalms 119:105

Psalms 119:105  says, NUN.  After the dividing letter, verse one-hundred-five says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  I believe that David was actually saying that God's word lit his way in the darkness of the world, and not just during actual darkness.  God's word will do the same for us today, if we follow it.  Verse one-hundred-six adds, I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.  It is not enough to just swear that we are going to keep God's word if we don't follow through in keeping it, as David said he did. Verse one-hundred-seven states, I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.  David said that he was very much afflicted and asked God to heal him. If wecare suffering physically, we should ask God to heal us, and He may, but more importantly, if we are suffering spiritually and ask God to heal us, He always will.  Verse one-hundred-eight adds, Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.  David said he would freely offer his words of thanks to God for God's healing him and asked God to teach him His word.  We should always offer God our thanks simply because if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are God's people forever.  We must also rely on God to teach us His word.  Verse one-hundred-nine declares, My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.  David said that even though he was often fighting for his life that he would not forget God's law.  God did not remove all the threats to David, who was called a man after God's own heart, so why do we claim that God will give us what we want today simply to keep us happy?  Like David, even if our life is threatened because of our faith, we must always keep God's commandments.  Verse one-ten adds The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.  The wicked, those who do not believe in God or His word, will continually set snares for God's people.  Some snares will be so subtle that if we do not really know what God's word says we may easily fall into them.  This is why we must rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit at all times.  Verse one-eleven continues, Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. David said God's word  was his heritage and brought rejoicing to his heart.  As Christians, our heritage is built on Jesus Christ, the Living Word, and this should bring rejoicing to our heart.  Verse one-twelve concludes, I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.  Like David, as followers of Christ, our heart, or mind, should be set on following God's statutes. 

Psalms 119:97

Psalms 119:97 says, Again we have the identifier, MEM, then verse ninety-seven says, O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.  David said he loved God's law and meditated on it all day.  We as followers of Christ should feel the same way, but often we seem to look at God's law as a burden and meditate on everything but it.  Verse ninety-eight adds, Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.  God's commandments should make us wiser than our enemies and His commandments should be with us forever.  Verse ninety-nine continues, I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.  I don't believe that David was bragging about his own brilliance, but was speaking about the superiority of God's teachings over man's teachings.  There are some brilliant people today whose teachings are wrong because they do not acknowledge or they even deny God's existence.  Verse one-hundred states, I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.  David said his understanding was based on God's precepts and was greater than the knowledge of those who based their knowledge on the teachings of the ancients, who would at best be limited in their knowledge, even if it were based on God's law.  We need to look to God's law itself for our best understanding of what it means to be a Christian, and not just to other Christians, past or present.  Verse one-hundred -one adds, I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.  Though David said he had refrained from following every evil way, we know this was not true, since at times he did go against God's law or commandments.  We have all sinned at times, both before and after we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but hopefully not too often afterwards.  Verse one-hundred-two continues, I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.  As just discussed, we know this was not always true.  David could not stand before God by his own innocence, and neither can we.  Verse one-hundred-three says, How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  David declared God's words to be sweeter than honey.  I believe too often we act as though God's word leaves a bitter taste in our mouth, robbing us of joy instead of bringing it into our life.  Verse one-hundred-four adds, Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.  We like David should get our understanding from God's precepts, or laws, and we should hate everything that goes against His laws.  We should never attempt to mix God's truth with the truth of the world.