God’s Word for You
Psalm 119:65-67 Teach me good judgment
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, August 27, 2024
The next eight verses all begin with the Hebrew letter Teth, and five of the eight verses feature the word “good” (tov). God is good in every way. Goodness is one of his divine attributes; he is “the only one who is good” (Matthew 19:17). He is always good to his creation (Psalm 145:9) and especially to mankind. He wants to bring us out of sin and the curse of death, and he draws us to himself (Jeremiah 31:3).
65 Do good to your servant
according to your word, O LORD.
Here our Psalm writer (whom I simply assume is David) asks God to do what God has already promised to do. To paraphrase Luther: “God surely does good by himself even without our asking, but we pray in this verse that he would also do good to us who pray.”
What word promises that God will do good to his servants? The Lord said when he showed himself to Moses: “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). And again, when God first made the creation, he looked at each day, especially the day when man was made, and he said, “It is good” (Genesis 1:31). This was his holy will, and we know that he continues to carry out his will with us today. For although we sin, he wants us to turn from our sinful ways and live (Ezekiel 33:11). Therefore we pray: “Do good to your servant, according to your word.”
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
All of God’s commandments are of supreme importance. The ones that especially involve good judgment in the ordinary way are the fifth, sixth and seventh. For the man who is caught in murder, adultery, or stealing has sinned openly and publicly, and would very probably be bound for the death penalty under the law of Moses (Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus 20:10) or slavery (if a thief, Exodus 22:1-3).
But what a marvelous turn of phrase that David gives to us: “I believe in your commandments.” This is a creed just as much as the creeds we say in worship today, the Apostles’ and the Nicene. We ask God for good judgement as we live, that we will make good choices, and keep the good of God’s kingdom in mind with everything we do, and say, and even think. We also ask God for knowledge, so that we will learn the depth of his love and his will. How can I love my neighbor? Should I listen to an unbeliever or a false prophet? Or should I read and contemplate the word of God? The Samaritan in the parable did not do what even the officials of the Jews thought it was wise to do, but which of them showed love to his neighbor? May God teach us to know his will and his way.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
God’s word is foolishness to mankind. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). We want to be the ones who trust in his word, but we show our sinful weakness by going astray. What new sins will we commit today? Or will they be old sinful habits that we can’t stop returning to (Proverbs 26:11; 2 Peter 2:22)?
But notice the progression of the verse in time rather than in poetry:
- I went astray.
- I was afflicted.
- Now I keep your word.
It is the affliction that is being praised here. ‘Anah means “to be bowed down low,” to “be humbled.” God must crush us with his law, so that we will stop trying to find any way of saving ourselves. Then, knowing that “the evil man has no future hope” (Proverbs 24:20), we are turned back to Christ through the gospel. The gospel “teaches things that are lowly and rejected,” such as the cross of Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins through his blood, the resurrection of all flesh on the last day, and everlasting life in heaven.
This verse’s poetry is antithetic parallelism, showing the contrast of the sinner’s way (going astray and being afflicted by God) and the believer’s way, which is keeping the word of God. This displays the first, second and third uses of the law. First, the law stops the sinner by being a curb and keeping the sinner from continuing his sin with affliction. Second, the law has worked as a mirror because the sinner has recognized his sin. And then, after repentance, forgiven sinners walk and live according to the word of the Lord. Those are the ones he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25). God bless your path and life, today and always.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.