In the third stanza of Psalm 119, we saw the psalmist feeling rejected and alienated. He continues that description in the fourth stanza, but provides a positive outlook at the same time. You can see the first half of this stanza in Psalm 119:25-28:

In the latter half of the last strophe, the psalmist described the alienation he felt due to his solid commitment to God’s Word. In the first half of Daleth, the fourth stanza, he gives two more results of the world’s hatred: humiliation and sorrow.

In verse 25, the writer states that he has been “laid low in the dust” because of his commitment to God and his precepts. The Hebrew word here is closely associated with the concept of “cleaving,” meaning he feels so low that he has bonded intimately with the dust he lies in. That feels pretty low, and permanent.

In verse 28, he states that his “soul is weary with sorrow.” There are a lot of good reasons for sorrow, but here, the writer seems to connect it to the rejection, alienation and humiliation that has been directed at him due to his commitment to God.

Seems kind of bleak, doesn’t it?

A couple of weeks ago, we began the third strophe of Psalm 119, looking at verses 17-20. This week, we will look at the second half of that stanza. You can find it at Psalm 119:21-24:

As this stanza began, the psalmist speaks of the concept of alienation he feels because he so diligently follows God’s laws. He follows that thought with another; those who do not understand his commitment to God bring about slander and speak ill of him.

This slander takes a step past mere alienation, and not just because it is directed at the psalmist by the rulers of his people. As believers, it is natural that we feel like don’t fit it, that we are aliens. Because that is what we are. This world is not our home. We do not belong here. As a result, alienation is to be expected. But slander? That’s another issue entirely.

Slander is a falsehood. Slander is saying things about someone that are not true. Slander attaches false motives to the things we do, and may even bring false accusations of evil that we did not do. To not fit in feels bad enough, but to have people lie about us, and falsely accuse us of doing evil while we are striving to live for God feels even worse!

This week, we begin the third strophe of Psalm 119, Gimel. The psalmist begins this stanza with an accurate view of his place in relation to the God he serves, and the results that come along with it. You can see it for yourself in Psalm 119:17-20:

The psalmist begins by stating that it is only with God’s help and actions that we can exist. In verse 17, he asks God to do good to him, and in verse 18, he asks that God open his eyes. In both of these requests, the author knows that God is the only one who can provide the answers needed: life, in accordance to God’s Word, and sight, in order to see the wonderful things in God’s Word.

But living in accordance to God’s Word leads to the world hating us. And in verse 19, the psalmist sees some of this. This is the first of four consequences that we will see over the next couple of stanzas. In all actuality, these are not consequences as much as they are trials that come because of our commitment to God.

Jesus told us that the world would hate his disciples in John 15:18-25, and the writer of this psalm experienced that same thing. Righteousness for the sake of God will always cause the world to hate us.

This idea of being a stranger on the earth can be seen in a couple of different ways, both equally true. First of all, this is not our home to begin with, we are just passing through, and our lives are short. There is limited time available to us, and we should devote what we can to reading and studying God’s Word and spreading the Good News that is found there to others.

In the first half of this second strophe of Psalm 119, we saw the psalmist’s desire to study Scripture, and the joy it brings. In this week’s passage, we can see four practical ways to put this into practice. Take a look at Psalm 119:13-16:

Studying Scripture is a key aspect of developing a vibrant and growing spiritual life. This means more than just a simple reading through of God’s Word, although that is a great start. But it is when we take that Word and really dig into it, studying it and even memorizing it, that we begin to see the full effect it can have on our growth.

In the first half of this stanza, the psalmist shared his desire for God’s Word, and the joy it offers. In the second half, these four verses, he gives four practical ways to implement God’s Word into our lives.

While there is some debate about how old the psalmist may be as he wrote this, one idea that seems to be likely is that this psalm is a sort of spiritual journal for King David. As such, it contains aspects of his spiritual growth through different periods of his life. In that case, these strophes at the beginning may represent his younger life, while those towards the end could have been written later in his life. I do not know if this is the case, but it certainly fits with much of this psalm’s structure.

In light of this possibility, it seems as if the psalmist, probably David, is writing to encourage young readers, maybe because he is young himself at this point. As he does so, he gives four simple and practical applications to inserting God’s Word into every area of our lives.

Beth, the second strophe of Psalm 119, begins with a very well known and oft quoted verse. Take a look at it for yourself in Psalm 119:9-12:

The most dominant theme that comes through in this second stanza is one of joy and praise. In these four verses, the psalmist writes about holding fast to the Word of God, and then ends with an exclamation of praise in verse 11. And where does this delight and joy find its source? In God’s Word.

This passage starts off with a simple question: How are we to live a holy life? How are we to keep ourselves pure? The answer is immediately given, and is found in living our lives in accordance with the Word of God.

As a youth minister, I cannot count the number of times I heard people say something to the effect of, “I want to enjoy my life while I am young. I’ll consider church and Christianity when I’m older.” But the psalmist reverses that, and says that the way to purity begins when we are young, or at least as young as we can possibly be. This does not discount the possibility of people coming to know God late in life, but rather states the principle that we need to turn to God now, before another moment goes by, as soon as possible. Or, as Hebrews 3 tells us, this is a decision to make today.

The next couple of verses show the lengths we are to go to in order to seek after God’s Word and make it a priority in our lives. Verse two tells us to seek it with all our hearts. Verse three states that we must hide it in our hearts. Doing so will have the effect of helping us not to stray, and helping us to avoid sin.

In the second half of the first strophe of Psalm 119, the writer describes his longing for God’s Word, and ends with a commitment of obedience. Take a look at this passage for yourself in Psalm 119:5-8.

Most of the time, when you read something, you expect the author to build his case and then, at the end, present his conclusion. But Psalm does just the opposite. In this first strophe, we see the introduction to the entire passage in the first three verses, but we also see the crux of the entire thing in verse 8, where the writer, likely David (although Hezekiah, Ezra and Daniel are also possibilities), states his commitment to obedience to God’s commands.

Since the first three verses are the introduction, the rest of this stanza is directly connected to it. God has set the standard for obedience to his decrees, and the psalmist expresses his desire to comply. In order to do so, he realizes that there must be a strong will to obey. In verse 5, he wished his ways to be “steadfast” or “established,” which means to be prepared, to make firm, to be resolved to stand firm upon God’s commands.

Because of his integrity in this matter, the writer knows that no shame will result. And this is true: standing firm upon God’s Word, and holding tightly to his values will never result in shame, but praise and joy will be the result, just as we see in verse 7.