Psalm 119:26-27

"When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes! Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works."

- Psalm 119:26-27

I have to admit that I sit here and stare at these verses and I'm not quite sure what to make of them. Maybe that's because it's 2 in the morning. But they are in a way hard to wrap my head around. The first portion of verse 26 doesn't quite mesh with the second half. But maybe it does more than I realize. 

The Amplified version of verse 26 says "I have declared my ways and opened my griefs to You, and You listened to me; teach me Your statutes." The first thing that I notice here is how much the Psalmist understood prayer, and how prayer worked. He poured his heart out to the Lord. He opened up to Him, he told the Lord of His ways. He pours out his frustrations and griefs to the Lord and likely confessed his sin. And he knows that the Lord listens! Sometimes I can't even fathom the idea that He listens to me. He listens to little me who prays about this and that, complains about this and that, but He still listens. 

Maybe the reason the Psalmist follows up his statement with "teach me your statutes!" is because he realizes how much he doesn't follow them. When we come to the Lord in prayer, whether it be to pour our hearts out to him with request or seek forgiveness, we need to understand what He has to say about those things. When we confess our sins to Him we need to have teachable hearts that are willing to change and learn from scripture how we can change our ways. It doesn't help to seek forgiveness for the same thing over and over if we aren't willing to be teachable and learn what the Lord has said about that sin. 

The Psalmist asks for understanding of the Lord's precepts. Understanding can only be gained through careful examination or meditation. We need to focus on what the Lord has said. We need to take time to study scripture and examine it. His Words and works are without a doubt wondrous. The things that He has done throughout history are amazing. The examples of his wondrous works are numerous in Scripture. We would do well to meditate on them and remember them. When we go through trials, temptations, etc. It's good to know what scripture says about those things, and to read stories of those that have over come them. 

Heavenly Father, 

Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for your forgiveness of my sins. I pray that I will have a teachable heart to learn from You and from Scripture how to follow your rules and statutes. I pray that I will take the time to meditate or what Your Word says and that I will yearn for You and Your Word everyday. 

Psalm 119:21-24

"You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments. Take away from me scorn and contempt for I have kept your testimonies. Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors." 

Psalm 119:21-24

I realized looking back over my posts that I skipped these verses though I'm not quite sure why or how, so I came back to them. 

Verse 21 is a verse that most of us probably don't like very much because we don't like being told we are wrong or being rebuked for it. The Psalmist clearly states that God rebukes the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from the Lord's commands. As you may have noticed before I love looking up words in the dictionary to help me grasp a better understanding of what I'm reading. The term insolent means to show a rude or arrogant lack of respect. Accursed can be used to mean someone under a curse, or used to express a strong dislike or anger to something or someone. Since we don't have a firm grasp on the author of this particular Psalm, though it is believed to have been David, it's hard to pin point the time in the history of the Israelites that these words were penned. But clearly the Psalmist has an understanding that the Lord rebuked those that openly and arrogantly disrespected his laws and commands. The same is true today! Don't be fooled into thinking that we won't be rebuked for an open disrespect of the Word of God. 

Do not be fooled into thinking that this is a problem for unbelievers, because it isn't. Notice that the Psalmist says "those who wander from your commandments." A person who is not saved cannot wander from something he was never near. Wandering implies that we were once near a place and are no longer there. Wandering away from God's plan, His rules and commands, usually leads to nothing but trouble, and nothing but sin. Look at some prime Biblical examples below and think about some of the ways that you wander from what God has commanded. 

Lot's Wife - She let her eyes wander to look back at Sodom and Gomorrah. It resulted in her turning to a pillar of salt.

Saul - He wandered from the Lord's command to kill all the Amalekites, he spared Agag. It resulted in the Lord rejecting him, and removing from his family the right to be King. 

David - He let his eyes wander to Bathsheeba. It resulted in an affair, a child out of wedlock, a murder, and the death of his child. 

Solomon - He allowed himself to marry women from other nations, and allowed His heart to wander toward their beliefs. It resulted in bad king, after bad king following him and the nation as a whole wandering from the Lord. 

Verses 22-24 are more unified. The Psalmist felt scorn and contempt even though he felt that he had followed the testimonies of the Lord. There were people, princes, plotting against him.  But he chose to draw near to and meditate on the Words of the Lord. He said they were his delight and his counselors. Is the Word of God like that for us today? Do we take delight in reading it and studying it? Do we let it be our counselor and our guide when things go wrong and we feel like the whole world is against us? If not it should be. I know that in my own life, my schedule is busy and I don't make enough time for the Word and for prayer. It's a conviction to be to mediate on scripture more and to let it be my counselor and guide when things seem like they aren't going well.

  Abba Father, I pray that Your Word will be my counselor and my guide. I pray that it will guide my footsteps and that I will not wander away from what you have said and what you have commanded. I pray that I will love your word and take delight in it every day. Amen.