129 Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple
131 I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.
133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts.
135 Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.
Psalm 119:129-136
This passage is giving us some simple instructions for living. The Psalmist here has found that the way to keep his way pure and to stay on the right path is simply to fall in love with God’s word. That was the same back in Old Testament days as is it is now and vice versa. The Psalmist states in verse 129 “your testimonies are wonderful”. As the Psalmist has studied the scriptures, he recognizes the words as wonderful. I love, love love verse 130.
“The unfolding of your words gives light, it imparts understanding to the simple.” v. 130
It reminds me of one of my favorite verses.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7
Years ago, I thought the understanding of God’s word was only for pastors, teachers, and scholars. I didn’t feel smart enough to ever grasp some of the meanings found in God’s word. Then I found Psalm 19:7 and it became my prayer. I am a very simple-minded woman. I have no desire to get too involved in things like politics or economics. I think there are smarter people than me that desire to do those things and they should be doing them. However, I do desire to know God more and the way to do that is to fall in love with His word and I discovered that early on. And it became my prayer for God to give me, this simple minded woman understanding of His word. Somehow I knew that knowing His word more would help me to love His word more. Now don’t get me wrong there is still a vast amount that I don’t understand. But that’s what else I love in the first part of this verse. When he says “the unfolding of your words gives light”! Every time I study God’s word, more and more of it unfolds to me. I love that. I pray I never stop learning God’s word as long as there is breath in my body. I believe that is the way it is supposed to be. We will never stop learning because there will always be more to learn!
The Psalmist here is also asking for God to be gracious to him based on who God is. God loves everyone but I think He gives an extra dose of grace to those who love Him. (just my thoughts here) And that is what the Psalmist is banking on too.
In verse 133 the Psalmist is making a request from God to help him in his everyday walk.
“Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.” v. 133
The Psalmist has recognized the way to stay in step ~ according to your promise. The only way to stay in step with God is to, well stay in communion with God. The second we stop communion with God, the second we stop having our time with Him, is the second our senses start to dull about the ways of this world. You must, as a Christian stay in step with God. I love too that the Psalmist says “let no iniquity get dominion over me.” You see, we will all fall short every day. That is simply because we are human. But when we habitually fall short and when we are not keeping our steps steady is when sin gets dominion over us. As Christians, I believe God will always give us a way out of sin. If you have spent time with God, then His precepts and testimonies are in your mind and ours senses are more heightened to sin first of all. And then, God will always give us a way out of sin gaining dominion over us. That’s because of who He is, not who we are. Yes, we are going to sin, we are human. But it does not have to have a hold on us.
The Psalmist has come to recognize not only his own sin and his desire to keep the precepts of God, his heart is broken because of the sin around him too.
“My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” v. 136
Is your heart broken because of the sin you see in the world? I’m not sure mine is enough. Oh don’t get me wrong, I think we do have to start with our own back door first. But, we are living in a time that it seems sin is glorified in our world. There are things happening right out in front of us daily that I never thought we would see. Does it break your heart? Does it break mine? If we are in step with God, we are not only uncomfortable in our own sin, I think we are uncomfortable with the sins of the world around us. And as Christians, I think we have been silent too long about the sins that are allowed right out in front of us. The first step is to ask Him to break our hearts for what breaks His.
Restore 