God’s Word for You
Psalm 119:86-88 An end to me on earth
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Friday, September 6, 2024
86 All your commandments are firm.
Men persecute me without cause. Help me!
87 They almost brought an end to me on earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
Here again we have two verses that act like a mirror, one to the other. If we look at the four lines together, it’s easy to see how the two center lines reflect: Men persecute me / they almost brought an end to me. I have set the cry, “Help me!” where it is in Hebrew, at the end of the line. The second line contrasts the first: God’s commandments are all firm and true, so their persecution is for nothing. The word translated “without cause” is sheqer, which is a word from the Ten Commandments. It’s the “false” in “false testimony” (‘ed sheqer). We also see this word in Habakkuk 2:18, warning about “an image that teaches lies.” Both the prophet and our poet are warning about false teaching; false claims. Luther warns that false teachers often hide their falsehoods under a little truth: “And this is the worst persecution, because it destroys souls.”
In verse 87, there is another kind of contrast. The persecutors have “almost brought an end to me.” Their constant battering and bashing abuse has destroyed the reputation of the godly, and now he has nowhere to turn for help. He is like Naboth when Ahab decided that he wanted his vineyard for his very own. Once the lies had begun, and the cry of “treason!” went up, there was no one to step in and save his life (1 Kings 21:13). But the faithful believer clings to his faith. “I have not forgotten your precepts.” They can destroy my life on earth, but heaven is my home.
None of us who read this now can know what it is to face a violent death in the name of Jesus Christ. We can’t put ourselves in the place of the martyrs; we can only praise them. But we should not envy them. There are accounts in the early days of the church when some men wanted to join in the glorious number of the martyrs, but then became afraid, and refused to hold on to their faith, and burned incense to the Emperor who claimed he was divine, and removed themselves from the church. God glorifies those who keep their faith in terrible circumstances, but man should not run to embrace such a terrible opportunity. Rather, pray that God would strengthen your faith today, and forgive the sins of you and your children, as Job did (Job 1:5). Pray that God would supply whatever might be lacking in your faith (1 Thessalonians 3:10).
88 Preserve my life according to your love,
and I will obey the testimony of your mouth.
God preserves our lives through his own power every day. Our preservation is nothing other than a miracle, for the moment God’s hand is removed and our life ends, corruption and decay begins almost immediately. And equally miraculous (if not more so) is that God works through us, despite us, and even uses our sins even though he does not will them or approve of them. “God so governs his saints that even though they err and stray, the outcomes are nevertheless salutary… All things work together for good to the elect… even errors and sins” (Luther, LW 6:59). So the prayer we have here, “Preserve my life according to your love,” is absolutely in lock-step with God’s holy will. While we live and breathe, it is through God’s providence, and according to God’s holy will and according to God’s merciful love.
“And I will obey” is not a bargain, but the inevitable result of God’s love. We thank him with what we say, think, and do. What else can the child of God do when he is repentant and knows his forgiveness through Christ? There is nothing else but to go on living in the joy of that forgiveness. There is nothing else but to live in such a way that God is glorified with everything we do. There is no job, task, calling, or role we have that is greater or superior to being a forgiven Christian. From that marvelous position, we use whatever gifts we have to serve God and to give him glory. But if I change garbage bags or work in the sewers for a living, and I do it because God has given me that gift, then I do it to his glory. It is no different from any other job or career. Embalming bodies, building roads, harvesting rice, studying flies and fleas, teaching, preaching, painting storm windows, binding books, or unraveling the delights and mysteries of Renaissance poetry to High school students—whatever gift one has is a gift from the Lord. Use your gift to the best of your ability, and praise God with what you do.
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.