Read Psalm 119:49–56
Questions from the Scripture text: What does Psalm 119:49 ask God to do with His Word? What has the psalmist done with it (verse 49b)? What does Psalm 119:50a talk about? What has been his comfort (verse 50b)? What was this affliction (Psalm 119:51a)? For what has he been derided (verse 51b)? What has he remembered (Psalm 119:52a)? In order to do what to himself (verse 52b)? But what does he feel (Psalm 119:53a)? Because of what (verse 53b)? What have the Lord’s statutes been to him (Psalm 119:54a)? How does he describe his life in this world (verse 54b)? What else does he do, when (Psalm 119:55a)? With what outcome (verse 55b)? How does he view this walk with the Lord (Psalm 119:56a)? How did he come into such a possession (verse 56b)?
What is it like to hope in God’s Word? Psalm 119:49–56 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that hoping in God’s Word gives us God Himself as our constant companion.
The blessed life. Two of the most common Hebrew words that begin with this letter are the word for “remember” (Psalm 119:49, Psalm 119:52, Psalm 119:55) and the demonstrative pronoun (“this”/”that”/etc; Psalm 119:50, Psalm 119:56). Between asking God to remember His own Word (i.e., promise, Psalm 119:49) and remembering God Himself (Psalm 119:55) and His judgments (Psalm 119:52), together with two declarations in Psalm 119:50 and Psalm 119:56, five of the eight verses of this stanza are taken up. So the stanza, as a whole, puts forward the life of the one who is remembering God because he has been remembered by God. The stanza is a portrait of the blessed life.
Comfort and joy. What does the one who is living the blessed life do with God’s Word? He hopes in it (Psalm 119:49), sticks to it (Psalm 119:51), keeps it (Psalm 119:56) remembers it (Psalm 119:52), and even sings it (Psalm 119:54) and meditates upon it in the night (Psalm 119:55). The result is comfort (Psalm 119:50) even when others mock (Psalm 119:51): comfort from the Word giving him life (Psalm 119:50), comfort that he can strengthen himself in by meditating upon YHWH’s Word and works (His judgments, Psalm 119:52). And the result is also joy: a song to sing (Psalm 119:54a) that reminds him that this life is a brief sojourn in a foreign land (verse 54b). He has a forever-life with the Lord Whose songs they sing.
Grief. The blessed life, in this world, comes with grief. So long as there are “the wicked who forsake Yor law” (Psalm 119:53b), believers ought to be indignant and grieved. Jesus was grieved with unbelief and sin. So also ought His people to be.
How is the Word your companion day and night? How is the Lord your companion? What effect does this have?
Sample prayer: Lord, thank You for giving us a life of the comfort, joy, and even grief that comes from being yours. Give us to be remembering You, and meditating on Your Word, day and night. And bring us home from our pilgrimage, through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP119G “Keep Your Promise to Your Servant” or TPH119G “Your Word Remember to Your Needy Servant”
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