This is The Way – Devo Day 9

Gimel – Psalm 199:17-24

17 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.
21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.
22 Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

Today we’re back in Psalm 119. Each line in this stanza starts with the Hebrew letter “gimel”. Here the psalmist will address the trials and difficulties of life and the Word of God in a prayer for God’s blessing and support.

The psalmist begins by asking largely, “deal bountifully.” Knowing who he is addressing he asks for a lot, not just a little. The second verse tells us why, “that I may live and keep your word.” He was not asking for personal indulgence or comfort, but so that he might be able to keep and live God’s Word. This is a wonderful God-honoring prayer.

As the rest of this section will demonstrate, the Psalmist prayed this because of the difficult things he was experiencing. He had known persecution (119:22-23), he had known deprivation and fear for his life (119:17), seasons when he seemed to get nothing from God’s word (119:18), he had also known loneliness, rejection, and a sense of abandonment (119:19-20). But, in the midst of these trials, he wanted to live – not only in the sense of surviving but also in the sense of the quality of life, especially in regard to his relationship with God through His Word.

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Psalm 119:18

The psalmist understands that without God’s enlightenment, he could not see what he should see in God’s Word. But it isn’t the Word of God that is obscured and needs changing. It is us as if our eyes are blinded. We are the ones unable to understand apart from the work of the Spirit in our hearts and minds. Like the Apostle Paul’s eyes were unveiled when he was converted (Acts 9:18) when it was as if scales had dropped from his eyes.

This reveals that for us to keep the Word of God we must understand what He is saying to us. This means that prayer must always be linked to our reading and study of the Word. Not for God to give us an easier version of the Bible to read but for our eyes to be opened to the revelations and wonders of His Word.

This also means that not everyone sees the “wondrous things” that are contained in the Word of God, but when they are beheld they should be evidenced by delight and gratitude that the Spirit of God has greatly blessed you.

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

Matthew 11:25-26

The psalmist concludes his prayer with the declaration that the Word of God is his “delight” and that they are his faithful “counselors instead of people in high places (princes). In this section, he saw many things that hindered his relationship with God through His Word and he prayed to be preserved from them.

• He saw the danger of a cold heart separated from God, so he prayed, “Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.”
• He saw the danger of a darkened understanding, so he prayed, “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
• He saw the danger of living as a stranger in a strange land, so he prayed, “Hide not your commandments from me.”
• He saw his own weakness, so he prayed, “My soul is consumed with longing for your rules.”
• He saw how the attacks of others might hinder him, so he prayed, “Take away from me scorn and contempt.”
• He saw the plots of those close to him, so he prayed, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.”

Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. – This is The Way

Psalm 119:19

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. Are you at times intimidated by the Scriptures, thinking that they are somehow beyond you? Have you ever been intimidated by another Christian’s knowledge of or insight into the Word? If so, does that shut you down or take you to God in prayer?
2. Who is the best source of information, insight, and revelation into God’s Word that you know personally? If it’s not the Holy Spirit, what would it be like to have God at your side bringing the Word to life?
3. What would it mean to your life, your relationships, your vocation, your future to have the Spirit of God’s perspective on your choices, your motivations, and your trials and challenges? Could you echo the verse, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.”?

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