PSALM 119:57-64 HACKMANITE – HABITUAL OBEDIENCE AND THANKSGIVING

HACKMANITE – HABITUAL OBEDIENCE AND THANKSGIVING

PSALM 119:57-64

ח (Het)

Psalm 119:57 Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.

Susie: Each of the tribes of Israel had an inheritance, a portion of the Promised Land. The psalmist was not necessarily a descendent of Aaron who would not have his own portion, but He is saying the Lord is all he needs to sustain him.

Numbers 18:20 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

Susan: The psalmist considers his relationship with the Lord the pinnacle of sufficiency. God is his sustenance, and life is found in His words. Therefore, he treasures and follows them, observing them with all diligence.

John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Psalm 119:58 I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.

Susie: Once again, the psalmist approaches the Lord wholeheartedly. He pleads for the mercy he has read about in the scriptures. He humbly acknowledges his need for God’s forbearance and forgiveness.

Psalm 119:59 I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.

Susan: After the psalmist took a close look at himself in the mirror of God’s word, he made a swift U-turn in his behavior toward the Lord and His word.

Susie: He turned away from any sin or error and corrected his course to be on the path God had shown him.

Susan: He corrected any course or action that moved him away from God’s righteous path.

Psalm 119:60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

Susan: He was expedient in making the required changes.

Susie: He did not procrastinate saying, “I’ll change this in a couple of days. I’m too busy right now.” He began obeying as soon as he saw the need to shape up.

Psalm 119:61 The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.

Psalm 119:61 (VOICE) The wicked have entangled me in their nets, but I have not forgotten Your teaching.

Susan: With tenacious resolve, the psalmist held fast to the word of God.

Susie: Because he had hidden the word in his heart (Psalm 119:11), no one could take it from him by threat or by force.

Susan: The psalmist had made God’s word the very fabric of his being.

Psalm 119:9 (AMP) How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to Your precepts].

Psalm 119:62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.

Susan: People are in the bars partying at midnight, offering their praise for the pleasures of this world. But the psalmist roused himself from sleep at midnight to offer praise and thanksgiving to his Lord.

Susie: Many times in Israel’s history, God had judged those who opposed His people. Perhaps He had brought justice against those who ensnared this psalmist. God’s righteous judgment was a reason to shake off sleep and spend time in praise.

Psalm 119:63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.

Susan: The psalmist made a conscious, deliberate decision to spend time with others who loved and showed reverence for the Lord.

Susie: In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he warned about hanging out with the wrong crowd:

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Susie: The psalmist is making a point to do just the opposite. He is surrounding himself with people who obey the Lord and encourage him to stay on the right path.

Susan: The psalmist is building for himself a foundation of good morals by the company that he keeps. Jesus pointed out that those He considered to be family were the ones who obeyed the word of the God:

Luke 8:21And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

Susie: Fellow believers or “familyship” (Susan’s word) help us to follow Jesus more closely and support us in prayer during times of distress. The Complete Jewish Bible refers to this as the “Messianic Community”:

Acts 12:5 (CJB) So Kefa (Peter) was being held under watch in prison, but intense prayer was being made to God on his behalf by the Messianic community.

Psalm 119:64 The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.

Susie: God’s mercy, lovingkindness, extends to all people in a general way. The Lord sends sunlight and rain necessary for life to both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

Susan: However, His saving grace is reserved for those He has chosen “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). These are the ones who will ultimately place their trust in Jesus or in the case of the psalmist, in God’s promise. The psalmist appealed to the mercy, the goodness and kindness of the Lord, asking Him to bathe him, saturate him in His principles and presence.

Points to Ponder:

·     The Lord is all we need

·     When we examine ourselves, we see how we need to redirect our lives

·     Obeying God’s commandments keeps us on His path

·     God’s word inspires praise

·     We should surround ourselves with good company, those who obey God

·     In His mercy, God instructs us

Reflection Question: The psalmist made a habit of studying God’s word and praising the Lord, even getting back out of bed at midnight to spend time with Him. Are you habitually in the word of God? Are you making the effort to internalize and even memorize scripture? Are you taking time to praise and thank God on a regular basis? Set aside time each day to immerse yourself in Bible study, prayer, and praise. Then you will see that God’s words bring renewed vigor to your life.