In the previous verses, the psalmist has been seeking God’s presence in his life, so that he may understand and know God as fully as he can. He listed three ways to do this. In the remainder of this stanza, he lists three more ways. Take a look at these verses in Psalm 119:61-64:

In the four verses that began this stanza, the psalmist showed three ways that he had discovered to help him understand God better, and he found these, and God himself, by searching the Word of God. He committed to seek God face (verse 58), follow God’s statutes (verse 59), and obey God’s commands (verse 60).

These three things, and the additional three we will see in this passage, show us how we can get to know the author of Scripture in a very close and personal way. After all, this is what the psalmist is pursuing, and it is what we should be pursuing as well. I stated this before, and it is worth repeating: The main purpose for a careful study of God’s Word is to get to know God himself. One can know everything there is to know about God and about his Word, but if he does not know God himself, he has missed the point. Scripture was given to us so that we can know its author, the author of life itself, as intimately as we can.

As the psalmist is seeking his portion, his “share” of God, he has realized that nothing short of God himself will suffice. What he wants from God… is God. And the place to which he turns to find God is Scripture. In the remainder of this stanza, he shares three more ways that he seeks and pursues the Father. This is what we ought to do as well.

Everything that the psalmist has written in Psalm 119 to this point, and especially the last couple of stanzas, culminates in this passage. He has sought God’s love, God’s protection, even God’s comfort. And here, he finds God himself. You can see this passage in Psalm 119:57-60:

The main thrust of God’s Word, the reason we need to spend time reading and studying it, is not simply for comfort or the ability to see some aspect of God more clearly, as important as those things may be. The main purpose for a careful study of God’s Word is to get to know God himself. One can know everything there is to know about God and about his Word, but if he does not know God himself, he has missed the point. Scripture was given to us so that we can know its author, the author of life itself, as intimately as we can.

That’s why the psalmist identifies God here as his “portion.” We don’t really understand this concept in the 21st century as well as we should. To our minds, a portion is a serving, our fair share, the right amount needed, such as a portion of the food served at dinner, or an equal portion of candy for my kids, or even our fair share of an estate or some other possession.

But to the Israelites, this is a word with some depth to it. When the nation of Israel left the wilderness after wandering in it for forty years, having left Egypt behind, they came to the Promised Land and began its conquest. As they entered the land, and the previous inhabitants were driven out before them, each tribe was given their own section of the land, their inheritance, their portion. That’s where they settled, and it was a part of their heritage.

All the tribes received a portion. All but the tribe of Levi. Instead of an area of land, the people of Levi were given forty-eight cities around the land, scattered among the rest of the tribes, so that their services as priests could be easily available throughout the nation. They received no piece of the land, but received something far better. Joshua 13:33 states, “But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance (portion), as he promised them.”

The main thrust of this stanza is that God provides comfort during times of suffering. In this passage, that comfort comes in the form of song. Take a look at this passage for yourself in Psalm 119:53-56:

When you are in the midst of suffering, your first response probably isn’t to sing. But Scripture makes the connection between the two more than once. God’s Word tells us that to sing when we face suffering, while not the logical choice we might turn to, is the choice we should turn to. The reason, perhaps, is that we can be more aware of God’s comfort in the midst of suffering when we sing.

The most prominent example of this perhaps is the account of Paul and Silas in prison, in Acts 16. The two were in Philippi, and had been severely beaten after driving a demon out of a slave girl. Paul and Silas were stripped and beaten, and then thrown into jail. Around midnight, they were singing and praying, drawing comfort from God for themselves, but also for the other prisoners who were listening to them. An earthquake occurred, and the prison doors were opened, leading to the salvation of the jailer before the night was over.

The fact that Paul and Silas were singing in the middle of the night, in the face of extreme suffering, mirrors Psalm 119 closely. The context of this whole stanza is focused on the persecution of the wicked upon the author, and the suffering he experiences as a result. But in verse 55, he remembers the name of the Lord “in the night,” just like Paul and Silas did.

Stanza seven, along with the stanzas immediately before and after it, carry a singular focus to them, understanding who God is by a careful study of his Word. In these verses, the particular focus is that of God’s comfort during times of suffering. You can see it in Psalm 119:49-52:

The idea of comfort is prevalent in this passage, with the word “comfort” being mentioned twice, in verses 50 and 52, and the phrase “you have given me hope,” which also conveys the idea of comfort, found in verse 51.

It’s interesting to note that while the whole stanza is focused on the psalmist’s need for comfort, his only prayer in this passage is one for hope. He seems to immediately understand that the comfort that God can bring is only to be found in the hope that God offers. The comfort he seeks is not a specific request for his suffering to be removed; it is more of a request to be reassured that God’s promises never fail.

That’s an interesting perspective that we need to keep in mind in the present day. We often ask for God to remove those things which cause pain and suffering, and to be sure, he does do that, but it is more in line with Scripture to seek God’s presence and reassurance during such times than to seek to have them removed from our lives. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting that we seek out suffering, I’m only suggesting that our views of it may be limited and flawed.

In the first half of this stanza, we saw the psalmist speak of his experiences of God’s love. In the second half, we will see what his response must be. Take a look at it for yourself in Psalm 119:45-48:

The writer of Psalm 119 describes the outpouring of God’s love and the salvation that is linked to it in the first verses of this strophe, and concludes that there must be a response on his part, and ours. Those two responses must be as genuine from our hearts as his love and saving grace are for us. What really stands out about this though is that God’s love and salvation result in practical, tangible responses. These are things we must do in response to his love and salvation. Not because that earns us any point, but because we love in return.

These two practical responses are obedience to God’s Word, and sharing his love with those around us, or evangelism.

The next three strophes of Psalm 119 are centered around finding God in his Word. We will spend several weeks looking at these verse, beginning with the first half of the stanza “waw,” in verses 41-44. You can see it here:

The first of these three stanzas is all about God’s love, and the psalmist starts right off with that thought in verse 41. He will also end with that thought in verses 47 and 48, which we will look at next week.

What may be surprising to some readers is that this is the first time the psalmist has addressed God’s love in Psalm 119. What many consider to be the greatest of all of God’s attributes has been largely ignored to this point. Now, however, he jumps right in and speaks of the unfailing nature of that love.

This is also the first mention of God’s salvation in Psalm 119. To be sure, the author has implied it a few times, but here he specifically speaks of God’s promise to save.

Those two concepts go hand in hand however, so it is not surprising that they appear together here. God’s salvation of mankind, of you and me, is entirely dependent upon his love for mankind, and for you and me. The evidence of his love for us is that he saves us, and perhaps it is best stated in 1 John 3:16: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

Last week, we looked at the first half of this stanza, and saw how the psalmist was shifting his focus from those who reject God and his Word to his own commitment to learn that Word. In the second half, he continues that idea. You can see if for yourself in Psalm 119:37-40:

In the first half of this strophe, the psalmist identified three ways in which he sought to learn the ways of God according to the Word of God: with his mind, with his feet, and with his heart. As he continues this passage, we will see the fourth way he seeks to learn, and finish with the encouragement needed to persevere.

With His Eyes – Verse 37

This is an interesting perspective on how we view the things around us. Obviously, our eyes are needed in order to study the Word of God, although there are other options for those who do not have their eyesight. Our eyes are an important part of studying the Word. But I wonder if perhaps the psalmist isn’t just speaking of literal eyesight, but has added a layer of figurative thought to this, and means a mental perspective, or even worldview, as much as he does literally looking at the pages of Scripture.

I think this may be the case, because he speaks of what we should turn our eyes from, and not what we should turn our eyes to. This idea has merit because of the preceding verse, because those things that keep us from studying the Word of God are many and varied. Riches can be a distraction, of course, but there are so many other things that can pull our attention away as well. And in light of this passage, all of them are worthless pursuits, or vanities.

The danger lurks in the fact that such worthless things can be very alluring, and only by a solid commitment to the Word of God can we stay strong and avoid them. The Word of God is the only thing that lasts, and it is the only thing that can preserve our lives. Everything else will pass away.