What a Wonderful God We Serve

What a Wonderful God We Serve

Psalm 119:57-64

Main Idea: Let nothing stop you from seeking, praising, and obeying the Lord because only he can supply all your needs.

The great Greek philosopher Socrates (ca. 470–399 BC), when put on trial for corrupting the young and disrespecting the republic, wisely and with wit declared, “The unexamined life is not worth living” (Plato, Apologia, 38a). Psalm 119 agrees. In stanza Cheth (?) of Psalm 119, verses 57-64, the psalmist notes the importance of thinking on his ways (v. 59) and carefully examining his life.

As the psalmist reflects on his own life, it drives him to consider the God he loves and serves. He cannot think of himself apart from his God. He can only conclude that he serves a wonderful Lord, who is his portion (v. 57) and whose “faithful love” fills the earth (v. 64). And because he serves a wonderful God, he will respond in four specific and precise ways.

Recognize that All You Have Is from the Lord

Psalm 119:57

Psalm 24:1 informs us, “The earth and everything in it . . . belong to the Lord.” Likewise, the writer of Psalm 119 declares that the Lord and everything with God belong to him. In other words, to have the Lord is to have everything! Everything we will ever need we have in our Lord. Michael Wilcock points out,

Two great Old Testament words beginning with ?eth must have jostled for attention when the psalmist reached this stanza. He began its first verse with the word for “portion,” ?eleq, and its last with the word for “love,” ?ese?, and thus its theme was practically chosen for him: the believer’s deep personal relationship with the Lord and his word. (Psalms, 201)

He Is My Portion

The declaration “The Lord is my portion” is personal and powerful. It comes from the language and world of the Levites, though we find it elsewhere in the Psalms too (Pss 16:5; 73:26; 142:6). When Israel entered the promised land of Canaan, each of the twelve tribes except one received a portion of land: the priestly tribe of Levi. However, in Numbers 18:20 the Lord tells the Levites, “I am your portion and your inheritance” (cf. Deut 10:9). The psalmist applies this to himself and, by extension, to all of God’s people. To have the Lord of all creation as your portion or inheritance is to have everything. What an inheritance! What a privilege! What a blessing! All we have, we have in our God—a God whose faithful love fills the earth (v. 64).

Here Is My Pledge

To have the Lord as our portion or inheritance calls for an immediate response of commitment and devotion: “I have promised to keep your words.” Overwhelmed by the reality of his relationship with the sovereign God of the universe, the songwriter makes a promise (a pledge) to obey his Lord’s words. He promises to obey because of love, not obligation. Jesus puts it perfectly in John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” God’s gift to us is himself. Our gift to him is a promise to keep his Word. Why? Because we love him.

Seek the Lord with Your Whole Heart

Psalm 119:58-60

In Mark 12:30, when asked what the greatest command is, Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” In other words, God wants you to love all of him with all of yourself all the time. It is similar to how a wife wants to be loved by her husband: completely, totally, always. So how do we get there? Verses 58-60 provides three helpful steps.

Pray (119:58)

Following closely on the heels of his promise to keep God’s Word, the psalmist petitions the Lord, “I have sought your favor with all my heart.” The idea of seeking the Lord’s favor is for him to turn his face toward us in kindness. The songwriter has made a promise to obey the Lord (v. 57); now he asks him to “be gracious to me according to your promise.” Such an appeal naturally flows from one whose whole heart is focused on the Lord (vv. 2,7,10-11,32,34,36). What access the child of God has to his heavenly Father, his sovereign Lord! We can go to him and talk with him anytime and anyplace. Only through Jesus is this possible (1 Tim 2:5).

Think (119:59a)

The psalmist is introspective and self-reflective in the first part of verse 59. He will examine his own heart and ways, carefully considering them. This is a good thing for us to do on a regular basis. Think about your life—your plans and priorities. Do they line up with God’s? Satan will work hard against this. With a thousand diversions he will try to prevent us from rightly thinking about ourselves and our God.

Run (119:59b-60)

Thinking truthfully about ourselves will bring us to the place of repentance. Consider the prodigal son who, “when he came to his senses” (Luke 15:17), quickly made his way back to his father. Thinking on where he is with his Master, the psalmist declares, I “turned my steps back to your decrees.” Was he walking in the wrong direction? If so, he is not anymore. Further, “I hurried, not hesitating to keep your commands.” There will be no delay in keeping God’s Word. He has determined to run hard after his Lord and his Word. There is resolve and steel in these words. They remind me of a song from my childhood: “I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back, no turning back.”

Praise the Lord During Your Trials

Psalm 119:61-62

Allen Ross is right when he says, “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” (Psalms, 518). The psalmist has declared his intention to keep the commands of the Lord. Furthermore, when trials and difficulties come and the wicked try to trap him, he will not waver. He knows he will serve the Lord no matter what.

Do Not Let the Wicked Stop You (119:61)

Evil people want to take the psalmist down, and it appears they might succeed. The cords or ropes of the wicked “were wrapped around me.” The Message has, “The wicked hemmed me in—there was no way out.” Evil hunters have tracked him down and snared him. Exactly how, we do not know, but we do know that the psalmist will not forget the instruction of God. He will continue to honor, trust, and obey God no matter what happens to him. The mistreatments and unjust actions of the wicked will only drive him to his God and his Word. God is his portion (v. 57) and his counsel (v. 61; also v. 24). God’s presence and his Word will keep the psalmist running in the right direction.

Do Not Let the Hour Stop You (119:62)

The psalmist declares, “I rise at midnight to thank you.” Hassell Bullock points out, “This may represent a daily pattern of piety, like Daniel’s custom of praying three times a day (Dan. 6:10)” (Encountering, 222). It certainly reminds us of the late-night prayer habits of the Lord Jesus (Luke 6:12). “The psalmist did not get out of bed to check on nighttime robbers” (Spurgeon, Treasury, 256). He got up to walk or kneel in prayer. The posture of the heart, not of the body, is the key. He gets up late at night to pray, motivated by “your righteous judgments.” A righteous God who has given us a righteous Word is worthy of our praise anytime, including the midnight hour.

Join with Others in Obeying the Word

Psalm 119:63-64

Two ideas drive the final verses of stanza Cheth. First, we are not in this effort alone. We have friends or companions with us as we run hard after God. We are not lone rangers. Evil people may try to ruin us and “drag [us] into sin” (v. 61 NLT), but we have a band of brothers to keep us on the right path. Second, our God is a God of chesed—of loyal, steadfast, faithful covenant love. No god loves his people like this God.

Loyal Partners Are with You (119:63)

We are known by our choice of friends. The psalmist wants to run with those who run with God. This is his spiritual posse. He is a friend (and brother) to all who fear and have respect for the Lord. He is a friend to all who keep God’s precepts, who obey God’s Word. God’s Word is a tie that binds together those whose hearts long to see God’s face turned toward them with pleasure. Friends play a vital role in our lives. We must choose them wisely.

Loyal Love Is with You (119:64)

The devoted follower of Jesus Christ knows God’s steadfast, faithful love personally and intimately. However, God’s love is bigger and greater than that. Indeed, the earth is full of God’s loving care. Whether they know it or not, whether they acknowledge it or not, the whole world lives in this fullness of his love. It is present like the air we breathe. Were this not the case, we would not survive for even a millisecond.

Because God loves us in this way, we want to know and enjoy our God even more. The stanza ends, “Teach me your statutes.” The request “teach me” is a recurring theme in Psalm 119 (vv. 12,26,29,33,64,66,68,99,108,124,135,171). It reminds us of the importance of loving our Lord with our minds. Knowing who he is and what he is like moves us to want to know him more. Where is such knowledge found? The answer is simple: in his Word.

Conclusion

The Lord himself is our portion, or as the Good News Translation translates verse 57, “You are all I want, O Lord.” And this Lord’s “faithful love,” his “unfailing love” (NLT), fills the earth. Those who have met this sovereign Lord through faith in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, can indeed shout and sing, “The Lord himself is all I want, and his unfailing love not only fills the earth; it fills me!” This is the blessing and joy of the Lord’s salvation. This is the blessing and joy God promises to all who seek him with their whole heart.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why is it important for the psalmist (and you) to remember that the Lord is his (and your) portion? What in this psalm’s context helps you answer this question?
2. How should having the God of creation as your inheritance cause you to act?
3. What is the relationship between obedience to God and love for God? How could pursuing obedience increase your love? Could someone pursue obedience in a way that would not increase their love? How so?
4. What promise(s) could the psalmist be referring to in verse 58 (cf. Deut 4:1-40; 6:1-25)?
5. In what ways can you better seek the Lord with all your heart? What steps can you take this week?
6. What keeps you distracted when you pray or meditate? How can you cultivate a less distracted spiritual life?
7. How do you usually respond after you realize that you have neglected the Lord and his Word for a period of time? How should you respond in light of the truth of the gospel?
8. What does the psalmist mean when he says that he did not “forget” God’s instruction?
9. Are you ever tempted to repeatedly put off spending time with God? How can verses 58, 60, and 62 help you know how to pursue God?
10. Do you have friends who are currently helping you obey the Word? How are they doing this? How can you also be a faithful friend who helps others obey the Word?