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(See: pronunciation guide
for the Hebrew vowels)
Psalm 119:161-168
THE PERSECUTION FILE
Each verse in this file begins with a siyn or a shiyn, which represents a
TOOTH. The use of this letter speaks of violence and persecution. Keil and
Delitzsch summarize this file, “In the midst of persecution God’s word was
still his fear, his joy, and his love, the object of his thanksgiving, and the
ground of his hope.”
Verse 161, The Reverence
Entry
Regardless of persecution even from rulers, the faithful believe continues to
trust in God and His word.
1. Princes persecute me
without cause: The word, sar, refers to the majority of the nation’s leaders,
who are opposed to God’s viewpoint and policy for both leadership and social
life. The verb is rAdaph again, and the noun, used as an adverb, is chinnAm,
and comes from the verb, chAnan (be gracious). As GRACE is expressed WITHOUT
MERIT on the part of the recipient, so also is this aggression expressed on
its object WITHOUT MERIT. That is, undeservedly. The faithful believer
represents the cause of God and God’s word and the persecutors attack him for
no divinely motivated reason.
2. But my heart stands in awe of your word (dAbhAr): the heart (lābh)
continues to reverence God and His word in spite of the UNJUST attack of the
nation’s rulers. The verb is pAchad, which indicates a humility attitude of
total trust in God’s word.
Verse 162, The Happiness Entry
For the faithful believer, the word of God brings as great a joy spiritually,
as would the acquisition of riches, materially.
1. I rejoice at your word: The verb is sus as a qal participle, and indicates
an overt expression of an inner attitude.
2. as one who finds great spoil: This refers to material gain that is usually
acquired through military victory, but that idea is not an issue here. The
point is that as one would naturally rejoice over the finding and acquisition
of great material resources, so does the faithful believer rejoice at the
inherent value within the word of God. This reflects what was stated at the
beginning of this Psalm at verse 14, 72 and 103, as well as Psalm 19:7-11, and
all throughout the Proverbs.
Prov. 2.4-5; 3.13-15; 8.10-11, 18-19; 16.16
Verse 163, The Value Entry
The contrast between hate and love indicates the proper placement of value.
This is a matter of a volitional choice based on proper standards in the
conscience.
1. I hate and despise falsehood: Two verbs (sAn’ā and tA`abh) to express the
intensity of rejecting anything contrary to divine viewpoint. The word,
falsehood, is sheqer, and as seen before, it refers to anything that is
contrary to the truth as revealed by God.
2. I love your law: The verb is ’Ahabh again to indicate the proper placement
of value on God’s truth.
Verse 164, The worship Entry
The faithful believer recognizes the value of God’s justice and righteousness
every day.
1. Seven times a day I praise you: This is simply hyperbole to emphasize the
believer’s daily occupation with the character and plan of God. It further
stresses his humility and faith-rest that puts total trust in God.
2. for the justice (mishpAt) of your righteousness (tsedeq): This is the same
expression as seen at verse 160. In the context of spiritual evil and the
persecutors who are influenced by it, it is justice and righteousness that
provides the believer with protection.
Verse 165, The Abundant Life Entry
THE ABUNDANT LIFE is the
quality of life available to the believer while he lives here on earth. At
John 10:10, Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life (salvation) and
have ABUNDANCE."
LIFE refers to the
possession of salvation relationship with God through trust in the Savior.
ABUNDANCE refers to the
life of peace, joy and confidence that results when we allow the word of God
to govern our soul through the filling/control of the Holy Spirit.
At Romans 15:13, "Now
may the God of (who is the source of) all confidence, fill you with all joy
and peace BY believing (not salvation faith, but trusting-faith in the word of
God, v. 4) so that you may abound in confidence by the power (filling/control)
of the Holy Spirit."
1. To those who love your
law (torAh): The verb of placing value occurs again, ’Ahabh, and states a
principle that when God’s word is the object of that value, there is great
benefit – peace. It is a qal active participle plus the preposition, LE, to
indicate “to” or “for.”
2. there is great peace: rabh shalom indicates both abundance and quality.,
and refers to the abundant life that is experienced by the trusting believer,
with the focus on paragraph one (peace – John 14:27). Psalm 85:8-13; Isaiah
26:3-4; Proverbs 3:1-2.
See Topic: The Peace of God
3. and nothing to them: we ’āyn (and not) plus the same preposition, le, in
front of the personal pronoun, them.
4. a stumbling: this is noun, mikshol. The literal then is, “and (there) is
nothing to them a stumbling (causes them to stumble).
This refers to the abundant life, paragraph 3 (inner stability – John 16:1).
Those who love God’s word experience the abundant life of peace, joy and inner
stability.
Verse 166, The Deliverance Entry
The faithful believer continues to trust in God’s deliverance provision and
continues to follow God’s policies.
1. I hope for your deliverance: The verb is sAbhar as a piel perfect to
indicate completed action; action that has been going on in the past and
continues at the present time. Thus, “I have waited with expectation.” The
word deliverance is yeshu`Ah with the preposition, le, and refers to
protection from death at the hand of the persecutors. In addition, based on
the context of the Psalm, it seems to include protection from any violent
contact with them. There is no indication that this believer has yet to
experience actual physical suffering; it seems to be simply the pressure of
the extreme persecution that he has faced, that threatens his life.
2. and have done your commandments: The verb is `AsAh, which means to DO or
make or perform. It is a qal perfect to indicate the past and present
obedience to God’s word.
Verse 167, The Dedication Entry
The faithful believer guards and loves God’s word as in indication of his
dedication.
1. My soul has guarded your testimonies (`ādAh): the verb is shAmar again, as
a qal perfect, to indicate both past and present activity. It indicates
preservation of God’s word in the life of the believer through study and
application.
2. And I have loved them exceedingly: The verb, ’Ahabh, again, as a qal
imperfect/consecutive, which preserves the COMPLETED action idea. The adverb,
meodh, indicates the quality of love and the intensity of the dedication that
this believer has toward God and his word.
Verse 168, The Obedience Entry
1. I have guarded your precepts (piqqudh) and your testimonies (`ādAh): He
repeats the verb, shAmar as the same qal perfect.
A. piqqudh refers to truths that have been gathered or appointed as God’s
policy and viewpoint for His creatures.
B. `ādAh refers to the
truths and principles that WITNESS to the greatness and magnificence of YAweh;
truths that magnify His Divine character and actions.
2. for (kiy) all my ways are before you: the word, ways, is derek with the
adjective, kol, and indicates the way of life with emphasis on the soul first,
and then the overt expression.
Are before you, is negedh, and means IN FRONT OF, as in “under your care.”
Yes, God observes and scrutinizes everything about the believer as per Psalm
139:1-6 and Hebrew 4:13, but this is NOT the reason that this believer keeps
God’s word. He does not live truth because God is watching. He lives truth
because he is under God’s special care and protection, and it is this kind of
provision that motivates him to remain faithful.
SUMMARY OF THE PERSECUTION FILE
Verse 161, The Reverence
Entry
Regardless of persecution even from rulers, the faithful believe continues to
trust in God and His word.
Verse 162, The Happiness
Entry
For the faithful believer, the word of God brings as great a joy spiritually,
as would the acquisition of riches, materially.
Verse 163, The Value Entry
The contrast between hate and love indicates the proper placement of value.
Verse 164, The Worship Entry
The faithful believer recognizes the value of God’s justice and righteousness
every day.
Verse 165, The Abundant Life
Entry
Those who love God’s word experience the abundant life of peace, joy and inner
stability.
Verse 166, The Deliverance
Entry
The faithful believer continues to trust in God’s deliverance provision and
continues to follow God’s policies.
Verse 167, The Dedication
Entry
The faithful believer guards and loves God’s word as in indication of his
dedication.
Verse 168, The Obedience
Entry
The faithful believer lives truth because he is under God’s special care and
protection. |
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