Tag: prayer

Heth

⁵⁷  The Lord is my portion; 

I promise to keep your words. 

⁵⁸  I entreat your favor with all my heart; 

be gracious to me according to your promise. 

⁵⁹  When I think on my ways, 

I turn my feet to your testimonies; 

⁶⁰  I hasten and do not delay 

to keep your commandments. 

⁶¹  Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, 

I do not forget your law. 

⁶²  At midnight I rise to praise you, 

because of your righteous rules. 

⁶³  I am a companion of all who fear you, 

of those who keep your precepts. 

⁶⁴  The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; 

teach me your statutes! 

ESV

When the Lord is a person’s portion, there is no other response but to promise to keep His Words (v 57). The psalmist begins this stanza with the Lord as his portion (הֶלְקִי) and ends with the Lord filling the earth with His covenant faithfulness (חֶסֶד steadfast love). The psalmist exudes his love for the Lord and His Word in this stanza.

The Lord is my portion is a statement of trust. “The metaphor signifies that everything he possesses is bound up in his relationship with the LORD. It may be that this expression reflects the circumstances of the Levites; they were not allocated any land for their possession but had to depend on the LORD (see Num. 18:20). The expression would have been true of every Israelite; even if they had a plot of land, everything they possessed was to be found in God” (A. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms (90-150) KEL, 2016, pp. 516-517). I have promised to keep the Lord’s Words is the “appropriate response to the provision of God” (p. 517).

In verse 58 I entreat (sought NASB, CSB) your favor is literally I entreat your face (חִלִּיתִי פָנֶיךָ). “[This] is a poetic description of prayer; it basically means to stroke or caress the face [like a child would stroke a parent’s face], appealing to God’s good pleasure with a flattering entreaty. There is no false flattery here, however. The devout have a close, personal relationship with the LORD, so that they may make their appeal on the basis of God’s love and compassion for them” (Ross, p. 517).

The psalmist makes his appeal with all his heart (mind, will and emotions) asking God to be gracious to him (חָנֵּנִי) according to His promise. The reason for the psalmist petitioning/commanding God to be gracious (qal, imperative, 2ms with 1cs suffix) is because the cords of the wicked ensnare him (v 61). “Rather than relying on his own resources or turning to others for their assistance, he wholeheartedly seeks the Lord’s grace. He places all of his hope in the Lord, trusting the Lord to be true to his word of promise” (D. Estes, Psalms 73-150 NAC, 2019, p. 415).

In verse 59 the psalmist examines himself by thinking on his ways. While the psalmist does not mention that he has sinned, he emphatically turns (וָאָשִׁיבָה) his feet back to the Lord’s testimonies, which are “the compass for his conduct” (p. 415). It is worth noting “the mention of feet draws in the idiom of the believer’s walk, i.e., the way of life—here is a commitment to live in obedience to God’s word” (Ross, p. 518).

The psalmist hastens and does not delay to keep the Lord’s commandments (v 60). “His eagerness to keep God’s commands corresponds to his urgent prayer for God to fulfill his promises. There is something hollow about people pleading for God to fulfill the promises in his word when they pay little attention to keeping his word” (Ross, p. 518). Eager obedience to the Lord and His commands is “what it looked like in practice to seek the favor [face] of the Lord with all his heart (v. 58)” (Estes, p. 415).

In verse 61 the wicked are no doubt the same ones from verse 53. Using imagery found in hunting, the cords of the wicked “refe[r] to snares, traps, or fetters intended to bring destruction to him” (Estes, p. 415). However intense the wicked’s schemes and oppression are against him, the psalmist is committed to not forgetting the Lord’s torah (law/instruction). So much so that at midnight he rises to praise the Lord because of His righteous rules (v 62). “It is evident that the psalmist’s worship of the Lord is not confined to times that are convenient and comfortable. For him it is more important to thank the Lord than to get sleep…which may well have been prompted by his meditation on the Lord and his word (see v. 48)” (Estes, p. 416).

The psalmist is a companion (חָבֵר) to those who fear the Lord, and keep His precepts (v 63). Keep here is a qal, participle, mp, construct meaning that it is an ongoing action. The psalmist is a companion to those who continue in keeping the Lord’s precepts. This is not a one time action. This is a life devoted to living for the Lord and His Word. “The tie that binds the devout together is the commitment to keep God’s commands” (Ross, p. 519).

In the BHS the first part of the last stanza reads חַסְדְּךָ֣ יְ֭הוָה מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָ֗רֶץ the ESV and the NASB begin this verse with the earth (הָאָ֗רֶץ), the CSB begins with Lord (יְ֭הוָה), however, the Hebrew begins this verse with your covenant faithfulness (חַסְדְּךָ֣ ESV your steadfast love/NASB your lovingkindness/CSB your faithful love). A more literal translation of this part would be Your covenant faithfulness, O Lord, filled the earth. The earth (הָאָ֗רֶץ) is the patient, “the person or thing that is acted upon or caused to change” (J. Thompson, The Lexham Glossary of Semantic Roles, 2014, n.p.). The Lord’s ḥesed (covenant faithfulness) is an “essential part of his character” (Estes, p. 416). The Lord will never do anything that violates His Name, Character, Covenant and Word. It is on that basis that the psalmist ends this stanza commanding the Lord to teach him His statutes! (v 64b).

Lord God, for those of us who have tasted Your provision, knowing You as our portion, may we promise to keep Your Words. Lord God, may we seek Your face with all of our hearts as we ask You to be gracious to us in light of Your promise. Lord God, when we meditate, reflect and think upon our actions, may our feet be quick to turn to You when we have gone astray. May we hasten and not delay in keeping Your commandments. May we hurry and not delay, being eager to obey You. Lord God, when the wicked seek to ensnare us may we preach Your Word to ourselves. Lord God may we praise You all day long because of Your righteous rules. May we be a companion to all those who fear and keep Your Word. Lord God, in Your common grace Your covenant faithfulness fills this earth but how much sweeter it is for those who are believers. Lord God, teach us Your Word so that we may love You more and share You with others who are far from You. Lord thank You for this reader! May we be gracious to others as You have been gracious to us. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Zayin

⁴⁹  Remember your word to your servant, 

in which you have made me hope. 

⁵⁰  This is my comfort in my affliction, 

that your promise gives me life. 

⁵¹  The insolent utterly deride me, 

but I do not turn away from your law. 

⁵²  When I think of your rules from of old, 

I take comfort, O Lord. 

⁵³  Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, 

who forsake your law. 

⁵⁴  Your statutes have been my songs 

in the house of my sojourning. 

⁵⁵  I remember your name in the night, O Lord, 

and keep your law. 

⁵⁶  This blessing has fallen to me, 

that I have kept your precepts. 

ESV

The psalmist opens this section commanding the Lord to remember His Word to His servant (v 49). “The call to remember is a common plea in the lament psalms (D. Estes, Psalms 73-150 NAC, 2019, p. 413). The Lord’s Word gives the psalmist hope as well as it is his comfort in affliction (v 50). “Through his adversity the psalmist has come to learn that the Lord’s word can be trusted. He has felt pain from his oppressors, but from the Lord he has received protection and preservation that have given him comfort” (p. 413).

The psalmist does not turn away from the Lord’s Word even though the insolent deride and mock him (v 51). When the psalmist remembers (זָכַרְתִּי translated think ESV) the Lord’s Word he takes comfort. “The use of the verb here is instructive: if people want God to “remember” (i.e., fulfill) his word, they must “remember” (i.e., obey) his word. What he remembers are the laws and decisions of God in all matters, which are here described as “ancient” (מֵעוֹלָם, “from antiquity”). They have stood the test of time with all its conflicts and pains; God’s word is eternal—ever reliable and ever binding” (A. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms (90-150) KEL, 2016, pp. 511-512).

Only the Lord and His Word can truly comfort in times of oppression, affliction etc. However, “with the comfort there is also a burning indignation (זַלְעָפָה). This is a rare word; it can mean a burning, or the effects of the burning (faintness)” (Ross, p. 512). The psalmist’s burning indication is more directed toward the wicked who “have no regard for the word of God than for his own plight. The truly devout naturally have a moral outrage over the ungodly who forsake God’s laws” (p. 512).

In verse 54 the Lord’s Word has been his song. “Wherever he goes and whatever he faces, God’s word tunes his heart for worship” (Estes, p. 414). The psalmist remembers the Lord’s name in the night, keeping His Law (v 55). Night could be a reference to time or it could be a reference to adversity, either way the psalmist will keep His Law.

The psalmist ends this section literally saying, “this was to/for me” (זֹאת הָיְתָה־לִּי). The question then becomes what is “this?” The ESV supplies the word blessing which has fallen on him. The CSB translates this as “This is my practice.” Commentators agree “this” refers to the psalmist having kept the Lord’s precepts. The psalmist in this verse “sums up his whole life as doing what the Lord directs. He does not just know God’s words, but he practices them because his life is formed and shaped by what the Lord commands. Obedience to the Lord is not just part of his life, but it is central to his life as it controls all that he does” (Estes, p. 414).

Lord God, help us to be a people who delight in remembering and obeying You! May we remember and obey You and Your Word no matter what situation we are going through. Lord God, may we take comfort in Your Word, may we also comfort others because You have comforted us. Lord God, there are many wicked people today who want to harm Your Name and Your people, may we have righteous indignation for the wicked who mock and defame You more than being angry about what the wicked are doing to us. Lord God, thank You that when we choose to praise You that You will fill our hearts and mouths with songs of worship that please You. Lord God, thank You for all the songs You have given us for this journey! Lord God, may Your servants make a joyful noise to You today! Lord God, You call Your people to remember. When Israel did not remember You, disobedience abounded; when we do not remember You we are no better. Lord God, may it be our practice, may it be to us that we have kept Your precepts. May we be like the Apostle Paul who fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7). Lord God, may we remember You and Your Word today. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Waw

⁴¹  Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, 

your salvation according to your promise; 

⁴²  then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, 

for I trust in your word. 

⁴³  And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, 

for my hope is in your rules. 

⁴⁴  I will keep your law continually, 

forever and ever, 

⁴⁵  and I shall walk in a wide place, 

for I have sought your precepts. 

⁴⁶  I will also speak of your testimonies before kings 

and shall not be put to shame, 

⁴⁷  for I find my delight in your commandments, 

which I love. 

⁴⁸  I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, 

and I will meditate on your statutes. 

ESV

The psalmist opens this stanza asking for the Lord’s covenant faithfulness (ḥ^asādîm pl of hesed also translated steadfast love/unfailing love/loyal love) to come to him. The Lord’s faithfulness and love is the promise of salvation. “What the psalmist does in this stanza is what all believers should do, pray for the promises of God to be fulfilled. The focus of the request here is on the promised deliverance from the opposition and reproach of the world” (A. Ross, Psalms (90-150) KEL, 2016, p. 503). 

The Lord will never do anything that violates Himself or His Covenant. He is faithful and the psalmist (and the psalmists at large) know this. In verses 41-42 confidence in the Lord’s salvation is what “will cause him to triumph over the one who taunts him” (D. Estes, Psalms 73-150 NAC, 2019, p. 412). The psalmist clearly states that it is the Lord’s Word that he trusts, not the words of his oppressors.

In verse 43, the psalmist does rely on his own ability and strength to answer his oppressors. “Because he realizes he could be tempted to speak falsely, the psalmist urges the Lord to help him continue to speak what is truthful” (Estes, p. 412). The psalmist’s hope and confidence is in the Lord and what He says. “As in vv. 142, 151, 160, “truth” (ʾĕmet) here has the sense of being trustworthy and reliable” (p. 412).

The Lord’s Word always has and will always be True, Reliable and Trustworthy! As such the psalmist will keep, guard, watch, observe (וְאֶשְׁמְרָ֖ה) the Lord’s law continually (torah tāmîd) forever and ever (v 44). “Although he does not specifically refer to himself as a student, his resolution to keep the Lord’s instruction continually (tāmîd) implies that he will never graduate from God’s school but will be a perpetual student of his way (cf. v. 117). Obedience to God’s tôrâ (“instruction”) is the fixed commitment of the psalmist’s life” (Estes, p. 412).

The psalmist knows that the Lord is the only One who delivers and saves (v 41); as such, he will trust His Word (v 42), hope in His rules (v 43), keep His law continually (v 44) and walk in a wide place (v 45) meaning he will “liv[e] life fully” (Ross, p. 505) because he had sought (drš) His precepts. “By setting his focus to study or seek (drš, as in v. 2 speaks of a wholehearted, intentional search) God’s precepts, he finds that obedience to God’s word leads to freedom, not to confinement. As with a train, true liberty comes from staying on the tracks of obedience to God’s instruction, not by going off the rails in an attempt to do as one pleases” (Estes, p. 412).

The psalmist is taking His love for the Lord and His Word public (v 46a). True love and devotion to the Lord cannot help but to overflow in public, no matter the cost. Hence why the psalmist will not be put to shame (v 46b). The psalmist finds delight in the commandments which he loves (v 47). It is obvious throughout this psalm that he (the psalmist) loves and delights in the Lord and in His Word.

Because the psalmist is so full of love and delight in God’s Word (v 47), he raises his hands toward His commandments and will meditate on them (v 48). “This is an active, intentional response, as the psalmist does not resist God’s word, but he receives it joyfully and without reluctance. Because he loves what the Lord has said, he accepts and assimilates it into his life. As in Ps 1:2, the process of meditation causes him to internalize God’s word so that he lives what he learns from him” (Estes, pp. 412-413).

Praise You Lord for Your covenant faithfulness! Praise You Lord that You do not violate Your Covenant and that You have made Your way and standard clear to us! Lord God, may Your Word overflow authentically from our lives because of our personal time in worship, devotion and study with You. Lord God, help us to love and trust Your Word. Help us to be confident in our salvation that is by grace through faith in Christ so that we will not doubt nor be shaken when trials, oppressors or negative emotions come against us. Lord God, may we be reminded that when we go off the rails and follow the things of this world that we will suffer consequences for our disobedience. Lord God, thank You for this reader. May this reader be reminded that Your Word is True, Reliable and Trustworthy. Lord God, for the reader who is not in Christ, may today be the day of their salvation. Thank You Lord for preserving Your Word in each generation. Lord, for those of us who are in Christ may we never stop delighting, loving and meditating on Your Word. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

He

³³  Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; 

and I will keep it to the end.

³⁴  Give me understanding, that I may keep your law 

and observe it with my whole heart. 

³⁵  Lead me in the path of your commandments, 

for I delight in it. 

³⁶  Incline my heart to your testimonies, 

and not to selfish gain! 

³⁷  Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; 

and give me life in your ways. 

³⁸  Confirm to your servant your promise, 

that you may be feared. 

³⁹  Turn away the reproach that I dread, 

for your rules are good. 

⁴⁰  Behold, I long for your precepts; 

in your righteousness give me life! 

(ESV, emphasis mine)

Verses 33-39 each begin with a hiphil, imperative, 2ms with a 1cs suffix. Each of these seven petitions “reveal the psalmist’s humility and dependence on the LORD” (A. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms (90-150) KEL, 2016, p. 496). In verse 34 give is supplied in English and the literal translation would be cause me understanding or cause me to understand. God is also the Agent in these verses meaning He is “the person or thing that instigates an action or causes change in another person or thing” (J. Thompson, The Lexham Glossary of Semantic Roles (2014, n.p.). 

With the above in mind, in verse 33 “Once again, as in vv. 12, 26, the psalmist invites the Lord to be his teacher (cf. Pss 27:11; 86:11). He is not just curious to learn God’s way, but he is committed to live the path of life defined by God’s word” (D. Estes, Psalms 73-150, NAC, 2019, p. 410). The psalmist will keep the Lord’s statutes to the end (ʿēqeb). Alter translates ʿēqeb as “without fail” (The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary, 2007, p. 423). The psalmist is petitioning/inviting the Lord to teach him the way (derek) of His statutes, keeping them continually without fail. “For the psalmist the road of obedience has no off-ramp” (Estes, p. 410).

Cause me understanding in verse 34 is a request for discernment. In petitioning the Lord to teach him (v 33) “the psalmist knew he needed discernment to know how to understand and apply [the teaching]” (Ross, p. 497). By understanding and discerning the Word, the psalmist will be able to keep His Law, observing it with his whole heart (mind, will and emotions).

The psalmist petitions the Lord to lead him in the path (nātîb) of His commandments (v 35a). Path (nātîb) and way (derek) are “metaphor[s] for the course of life” (Estes, p. 410). The psalmist delights in God’s commandments (v 35b) as such he will follow the Lord’s path rather than follow his own path.

In verses 36 and 37 “the petitions are different; here the psalmist wants the LORD to turn his attention away from the things of the world and toward the things of God” (Ross, p. 498). The petition in verse 36 calls on the Lord to incline (turn CSB) his heart to the Lord’s testimonies and not to selfish gain (beṣaʿ). “The human heart defaults toward evil (cf. Jer 17:9), so it must be directed toward what is right; and in fact to turn the heart often refers to turning one’s heart to idolatry” (Estes, p. 410). Selfish gain (beṣaʿ) “refers to the plunder or gain one gets by means of violence and damage done to someone else. The psalmist knows it will take a supernatural influence on his affections and will to make him prefer the good and reject the bad. He cannot have both, mammon and the stipulations of the covenant (see also Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13); and if he wants to follow the LORD’s way, there is no place for unjust gain. In this prayer the psalmist reveals that he is completely dependent on God to change his heart; and this will be accomplished through God’s word” (Ross, p. 498).

Verse 37 the psalmist petitions the Lord to turn (haaber) or “avert” (Alter, p. 423) his eyes from looking at worthless things (šawʾ). šawʾ refers to that which is vain, false, empty, inconsequential. The psalmist commands God to both turn his eyes from šawʾ and to give him life! There is no life outside of the Lord’s ways. According to Ross, “This prayer for renewed life in God’s ways suggests at least that he had been inclined more to unjust gain and worthless things (two categories that cover almost everything in the pagan world) than to the way of God. These two verses may record the resultant prayers when God gives people understanding of the word” (p. 499).

The psalmist calls the Lord to act on his behalf in verses 38-40. Confirm (qwm) in verse 38 has a sense of rise, stand up. The psalmist is petitioning the Lord “to act on his behalf” (Ross, p. 499) by commanding Him to stand up, confirm to His servant His promise (covenant) which will cause the psalmist to fear and revere Him. In verse 39 the psalmist calls on the Lord to act on his behalf by haaber (turning, averting) the reproach (shame, disgrace) that he dreads/fears from sinful people (see vv 21-23). The psalmist knows the Lord’s rules (mispat) are good. The psalmist is “confident that the Lord will do what is just and good for him, he places his fearful experience and his reputation into the Lord’s hands” (Estes, p. 411).

The psalmist ends this stanza (v 40) exclaiming how (hinnē̂) he longs for the Lord’s precepts. “In this context the “precepts” must refer to those aspects of the law that result in divine acts…of judgment that bring help for the afflicted” (Ross, p. 500). The psalmist then implores the Lord in His righteousness to give him life (piel, imperative, 2ms with 1cs suffix). “In calling for the Lord to give him life or to revive him (cf. vv. 25, 37), he suggests that he is struggling and that he needs divine empowerment to sustain him in the face of the challenges he is enduring [such as his reproach in v 39]” (Estes, p. 411).

Lord God, cause us to have teachable spirits, so that we may know Your ways and keep them, especially during times of trials and testings. Lord God cause us to understand and discern Your Word so that we may keep and apply it. Lord God, lead us in the path of Your commandments, may we not deviate from them. Lord God, may we observe and delight in Your Word with all our heart, soul (nefesh entire being) and strength. Lord God, incline our hearts to Your Word so that we will not seek selfish gain, committing violence or slandering someone else. Lord God, turn our eyes from vain, worthless and empty things. Lord God, give us life that comes from following You and Your ways. Lord God, may we fear, revere and glorify You in all that we do. Lord God, help us to suffer well in a world that is becoming less and less tolerant of Yourself and Your people. Lord, may we never forget that Your rules are good. Lord God, may we long to know Your precepts more, so that we will know how to obey You in times of trials and difficulties. Thank You Lord that for those of us who are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ we have been made righteous by the blood of Christ. May we NEVER forget that we have done NOTHING to earn our salvation! Salvation always has and always will be Your work from start to finish. Lord work on the hearts of our readers and loved ones who are far from You. Lord God, thank You for this reader and for this section of Your Word. Amen.