God’s Word for You

Psalm 119:153-155 Eleven points of truth

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, December 31, 2024

The Resh stanza is the twentieth of twenty-two stanzas or octaves in the Great Psalm. In the pattern I have observed, after each stanza where sanctified living is the theme (Delta, Heth, Lamed, and the first part of the Ayin stanza), the Psalm is followed by the theme of a return to the word of God (Heh, Teth, Mem, and the second Ayin stanza). Here, however, the theme seems to return to life among God’s wicked enemies, which usually precedes the sanctified living stanzas. Since the Sin/Shin stanza that follows (verses 161-168) combines the love for the word and the return to the word themes, this entire section appears to follow a chiastic or ABCBA (or A/D) pattern before the Psalm’s conclusion.

153 See my suffering and deliver me,
    for I have not forgotten your law.
154 Defend my cause and redeem me.
    Preserve my life according to your promise.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
    for they do not seek out your decrees.

The meanings of the words in this verse are clear enough, although a study of the unusual form of “deliver” in this verse might be interesting on another occasion. “Redeem me” in verse 154 is the verbal form of the noun “redeemer” we know so well from Ruth 2:20, 3:9,12; and 4:1-8, and also 4:14 (see also Isaiah 41:14, 44:6, 49:26, 54:5 and 60:16).

But here in these verses there are also quite a number of doctrinal truths; some of the most important of the Bible’s teachings, all in just three passages of poetry:

1, The identity of God. Although none of God’s names or titles is expressly written out or spoken here, he is clearly present in the repeated use of the pronoun “your” in each verse. The poet knows precisely who God is and what he has promised. This is the God who hears and answers man’s prayers, who saves, who has given his holy word, his promises, his laws, and his decrees. He is none other than the LORD God himself.

2, The incarnation of Christ, the holy Son of God. This, too, is not specifically written out or described, and yet all of the salvation words in the three verses point to the work of Christ our Lord and only to him: Deliver, Defend, Redeem, Preserve, Promise, and Save (Salvation). Furthermore, the first word of verse 153 is “See,” the same word used by Hagar when she saw the Angel of the Lord. This was the pre-incarnate Christ, and she named the well at the place Beer Lahai Roi, which means “Well of God who Sees Me.” The letter resh begins the word Roi in that divine name, and it is our resh-word in verse 153.

3, Sin. Sin is any breaking or violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4). Sin is a moral condition in which any behavior or act of man which is not what God wants it to be. Sin is a departure from God’s holy will. Sin is disobedience to God. Both the threat to the poet’s life and the presence of the wicked who do not seek out God’s decrees are examples of sin.

4, Grace. Grace is God’s undeserved love, made clear to mankind through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). For while any pagan can guess or hope that their god might be merciful at times, or even loving in some perverse way, only Christ defines the God’s love as being love that man does not deserve but which God gives to man anyway (2 Corinthians 13:14), a grace that brings peace between God and man (Galatians 1:3). This grace is shown by the poet’s choice of words such as “deliver” and “according to your promise.”

5, The means of grace. This is the gospel in the word of God and in the sacraments. While our sacraments are only hinted at in the Old Testament, the word of God itself as a means of grace was sufficient for the Church at the time, and the poet’s trust in God’s law, promise, and decrees shows that he knows that his very faith and salvation have come through the word of God.

6, Prayer. Prayer is man’s communication with God; it is inseparable from the spiritual life of a believer. It can come in the form of spoken words or mere thoughts, it can be sung, or even simply be a meditation or desire in the heart. Our poet’s imperative verbs: see, deliver, defend, redeem, and preserve, show that he is well aware that he is praying, and fully anticipates God’s answer to his prayer.

7, Justification. Justification is the forensic, courtroom pronunciation by God that man’s sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ’s suffering, death and merit. This was not merely revealed in the New Testament in the preaching of Paul, Peter and John, but known from the very beginning, from the moment the Lord promised a Savior to Eve and Adam in the Garden after the fall into sin. It is most clearly seen here in the word redeem (verse 154), which is placed side-by-side with the obvious courtroom phrase “defend my cause.” God declares the believer to be not guilty of sin on account of faith in Christ (Habakkuk 2:4).

8, Sanctification. This is the Christian’s life of faith, set apart for service by the Holy Spirit. This is shown not only by the presence of prayer (see number 6 above) but also by the believer’s desire to remember God’s law (verse 153), his trust in God’s promises and word (verse 154), and his understanding of the value of seeking out God’s decrees (verse 155).

9, The resurrection. To be delivered from sin (verse 153) is also to be delivered from sin’s consequences, including death. When a drowning man is rescued by a swimmer, he is saved from drowning; saved from water. When a person is rescued by God Almighty, he is saved from more than earthly threats and dangers, but even from the clutches of death and the grave. This is truly salvation.

10, Judgment day. Here is the moment of the courtroom defense, “Defend my cause and redeem me.” For the believer has nothing to fear of that day, but has all the promises of Christ. “In my Father’s house are many rooms; I go there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

11, Heaven and hell. The final abode of mankind is meant to be heaven. This is God’s promise: “God Most High is the Creator of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19). The Lord is the God of heaven (Genesis 24:7), he is there at the very top of the ascent from earth (Genesis 28:12) and who awaits us at its gates (Genesis 28:17). The poet looks forward to his place in heaven following the final judgment, shown by his words, “redeem me,” and “preserve my life according to your promise,” which is another way of saying, “more than I could ever anticipate, but based on what you have promised to me.” But the poet also acknowledges that the wicked are ”far from salvation” (verse 155) which means that if they die in their unbelief, that they cannot by any means be saved. Those who are in hell cannot pass across from hell to anywhere else, nor from anywhere at all into heaven once the judgment has come, for between heaven and hell “a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from one to the other cannot” (Luke 16:26).

Surely there is more to say, more to learn, and much more to discover from this part of the Great Psalm. But perhaps my humble effort will guide someone to look more deeply into the pure and perfect word of God, to walk up to every tree in that vast forest and give every branch a good shake, and to take every word to heart.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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