Psalm 119:113-120

SAMEK

O write upon my memory, Lord,

The text and doctrines of thy Word,

That I may break Thy laws no more,

But love Thee better than before!  

With thoughts of Christ and things divine,
Fill up this foolish heart of mine. 

~ Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts' hymn sounds much like a modern-day psalm that King David could've penned, doesn't it?  He opens this stanza of Psalm 119 again with a declaration of his love of God's law. 

"Double-minded" in verse 113 has also been translated as "crooked" or "vain" thoughts.  Regarding this, John Calvin notes:

That the crooked inventions of the human heart and whatever the wicked devise, according to their own perverse understandings, are set in opposition to the law of God, which alone is right.

 

You are my hiding place and my shield; 

                I hope in Your word. 

                                                   ~ Ps. 119:114



Of all the ingredients that sweeten the cup of human life, there is none more rich or powerful than HOPE. Its absence embitters the sweetest lot; its presence alleviates the deepest woe. 

~ William Grant

 Where do you place your hope?  

Hold me up and I shall be safe,

And I shall observe Your statutes continually.

~ Ps. 119:117

Matthew Henry makes a beautiful statement regarding this verse: 
We stand no longer than God holds us, and go no further than He carries us. 

You reject all those who stray from Your statutes

                                             ~ Ps. 119:118

In today's culture that is embedded with a "tolerance" mindset, verse 118 is a startling reminder that God takes sin VERY seriously!  Calvin notes, God overthrows all the despisers of His law, and casts them down from that loftiness which they assume to themselves.



We would do well to seek after and embrace God's thoughts rather than succumb to political sway or popular thought!

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• God is my hiding place and my shield
• God's word is my hope
• God holds me up
• God rejects those who stray from His statutes

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• When I feel battered by the world, I praise the Lord that He is my hiding place and my shield !
• I praise God that His word is truth, it is sure, and it is my hope

PRAYER:

     I love You, Lord, and bless You that You are my hiding place and my shield.  How I bless You that my hope is secure in Your word, not in any false or temporary thing of this world.  Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live, and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.  Hold me up, and I shall be safe - may my anxieties melt away as I meditate on this marvelous truth, and thank You, O Lord, for the safety I have in You.   In Jesus' name I pray ~ Amen