ש Sin and Shin
Rulers persecute me without cause,
(Ps. 119:161-168 NIV)
but my heart trembles at your word.
I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.
I hate and detest falsehood
but I love your law.
Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.
Great peace have those who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.
I wait for your salvation, Lord,
and I follow your commands.
I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.
I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.
The rulers of the earth join together to persecute the Psalmist, but the Psalmist will only tremble at God’s word. In the face of persecution the Psalmist rejoices because he has won a victory and the spoil of that victory is the promises that he has discovered in God’s word.
The more the Psalmist has come to love God’s word, the greater has he hated falsehood. In the word of God the Psalmist has found truth, and he has come to love that truth and hate the opposite falsehood.
When he states that he praises the Lord seven times a day, he is conveying the idea that he is in a mindset of praise of the Lord most of the day. The praise arises from what he discovers in God’s word. God speaks to the Psalmist through the word of God, and the Psalmist responds by praising the Lord.
In the midst of persecution, and the falsehood that he sees around him, the Psalmist has a great peace because he loves God’s word. That sense of peace means that he cannot be made to stumble. He has a peace that no-one can take away.
The Psalmist patiently bears the trial of persecution, and he acknowledges the sovereign will of God by being prepared to wait on God’s time. However long it takes for God to come and deliver him, he will follow the Lord’s commands. He doesn’t follow the Lord’s commands because they bring him benefits. We all should follow the Lord’s commands simply because they are the Lord’s commands.
It is no great burden to follow the Lord’s commands because he has come to love what God says. He has already told us that those who love God’s law have a great peace.
The Psalmist does not attempt to hide any area from the Lord. He is open before the Lord in his obedience, and he makes this truthful claim before the Lord acknowledging that he knows that the Lord knows all his ways.
When peace like a river attendeth my soul:
Prayer
Lord we thank You that it is well with our souls. We have great peace because You have taken away the cause of strife through the work of our Saviour on the cross. We thank You that Christ shed His blood for our souls that we might be forgiven, therefore we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept our praise and thanksgiving through our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.