Happy and Blessed - Pt. 21

 

Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise! Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes. Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your rules. Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies. I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands. Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love. The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. (Psalm 119:153-160 ESV).

 

I am not admitting to being the kind of man who could be classified as a “grumpy old man”; however, I have been told on more than one occasion that I was acting “grumpy.” Of course, I always have a ready retort about how I feel, or the injustice of the moment. The truth is, we all have those moments when we can be classified as grumpy. The writer of our psalm is having one of those moments in our reading today. He does seem to have a lot of those moments throughout the psalm. Perhaps we should look at the psalmist’s circumstances to help us understand how he could be so tuned into God’s grace and still voice such deep lament. Perhaps we could then apply the same truth he does in our own circumstance to end at a happy and blessed attitude.

 

Some interpreters of the Scripture have suggested that King David of Israel wrote Psalm 119. David was a musician, and he did write a number of psalms. In fact, many of the songs and prayers in the book of Psalms are attributed to David, such as Psalms 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, and many others. David’s psalms also include many laments. Several times in his life, David was on the run, pursued by enemies who wanted to kill him. A number of psalms even include a headline note about such episodes in David’s life (cf. Psalm 52-59 and 1 Samuel 19-24).

 

So in some sections of Psalm 119, the writer may remind us of David and the struggles he faced. Though the writer may not have been David, this psalm could have been written “in the tradition of” David, at least in some of its parts. And that could have provided Israel a helpful teaching tool, encouraging later generations to remember God’s care for one of their greatest kings, David. The plea “preserve my life, according to your promise” can apply generally to all believers, but it can also remind people that one day God gave David a unique promise. God promised to establish David’s throne forever (cf. 2 Samuel 7), and today we know that Jesus, our Redeemer born into the line of David, has accomplished that. I believe the key in each case is in “remembering” that incredible work of grace. After it’s all said and done, Jesus will redeem us completely and eternally. That takes the “grumpy” away!