The last couple of stanzas of Psalm 119 have dealt with affliction. But where does this come from? That’s the topic of the tenth stanza, the one that begins with the Hebrew letter yodh. You can see the first half of this stanza in Psalm 119:73-76:
The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is yodh is the smallest of letters, and it takes just a simple stroke of the pen to form. This is probably the letter Jesus had in mind when he stated in Matthew 5:18, that “not the smallest letter, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law.” It is a small letter, and it is the letter that begins this tenth stanza of Psalm 119, but the import of this section of the psalm is by no means small. It may be one of the most significant, especially in this section that deals with affliction.
We will break this stanza into two sections in order to memorize it, but it flows together very tightly as a whole. The past few stanzas have dwelt on the topic of affliction, and have hinted at the source. But right here, the psalmist reveals the source of his affliction, and it is God himself. Look again at verse 75:
I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
God is the source of the affliction. But before we dig to deeply into that, we need to back up a bit. In the first verse of this stanza, the psalmist speaks of being made and formed. This brings to mind the passage from Jeremiah 1:5, where God states, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” Even more so, it brings to mind images from the creation narrative in Genesis 1 and 2, where God created the earth and everything in it.
Out of everything that God created though, mankind is the only one with understanding. God created us with an ability to know and understand, especially his commands and law, according to verse 73. That’s the thrust behind this prayer in the second half of that verse, that God would give the psalmist a clear understanding of God’s commands.
Specifically, the psalmist mentions four things that he has come to understand. Two of these are in these verses, the other two are in the second half of this stanza, and we will look at them next week.
God is faithful in all things
This is the first thing the psalmist understands. In verse 75, he has come to know that God’s laws are righteous, and that God is faithful, even in affliction. If our affliction comes from sin, God is faithful to punish it. If our affliction comes from testing and discipline, then God is faithful in love to grow and mature us through that affliction. In everything, God is faithful.
God’s love brings comfort
In verse 76, the psalmist states very clearly that God’s unfailing love brings comfort, and that it is a result of God’s promise. Even in the middle of difficult times, if they come from God, then we can draw comfort in that knowledge, because God is seeking to do something good in us as a result. But even though God loves us, times of affliction are difficult to endure, and we need the comfort of his love to carry us through. We need to remember that God loves us, in both the good times and the bad.
Although there are more things that the psalmist has come to understand about God, and we need to understand them also, we will stop here and look at the rest of this stanza in depth next week.
Question: How hard or easy is it to know that God is present in the midst of our afflictions and suffering? How have you grown during such times? You can leave a comment by clicking here.