Taken on its own, this final stanza of Psalm 119 is a multi-faceted gem scintillating with divine light which shines on the believer’s full human experience. But this stanza must also be seen as a smaller piece of a larger work, for it is the conclusion of Psalm 119, and quite likely even the main thrust of the entire book of Psalms.
In this little gem we find a summary of nearly every human struggle which has been fully engaged in all the psalms preceding it. I hope you will agree with my assessment after you read the comments below that this stanza encapsulates the believer’s ongoing struggle throughout life. I also believe, though it is not stated directly, that this psalm implicitly contrasts the believer’s life against the life of a proud sinner, a contrast which was first introduced in Psalm 1.
While there are many who would suggest that following God might provide us with our best physical life now, this psalm, in fact the entirety of scripture tells us that is incorrect. The result of holding onto God through this life of struggle is that we find hope and comfort in the truth. But this is not an abstract truth, this truth is a person with whom we can cry, for whom we can stand and praise, and by whom we will live joyously forever.
119:169-170 The psalmist tells us that none of us can rightly approach God with anything but humility and a broken and contrite heart. The one who seeks God in their pride stands on their own feet with fists pumping the air and pounding their chest calling for others to see their greatness. In contrast, however, the humble believer falls to his knees and cries the only words possible, “have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am a sinner.” The humble believer also asks that God would teach him according to God’s ways, not his own, for he has already tried his own path and found its end to be destruction.
119:171-172 Here the psalmist moves from one’s cries and pleas’ into praise. Whereas the proud man loudly declares how he has “done it my way” and that he has “pulled himself up by his own bootstraps,” the humble believer knows the only praise that can be offered is that praise offered to God for his righteous ways. The humble believer speaks timidly about his own sinfulness but raises his voice high as he praises God’s righteousness. The proud man never speaks of his own sin and only praises himself.
119:173 Only after we acknowledge our sinfulness and recognize God’s righteousness are we able to ask for God’s help. Like those men who will proudly never ask for directions, the proud sinner thinks he can do everything on his own, while the humble believer knows how utterly dependent they are on God’s gracious hand.
119:174 The humble believer also asks for salvation because he realizes he cannot find it or provide it on his own. Salvation comes only from the one who holds the power of life and death in their hands, a power held by no one other than God. But, while I am a big fan of C.S. Lewis and I know he claimed to have been “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England,” the humble man does not continue living his life “dejected and reluctantly.” The humble believer finds joy and delight in the ways of the Lord, no matter his personal circumstances.
119:75 He also knows the ways of God are the only place where true life may be found. It is interesting that the word used in this passage is “sustains” (see the NIV) for it implies a constant action, not a singular and completed work. When I was younger I thought of faith as a one-time event after which my life would be placed on a better path. But such is not God’s way. God is not a deistic God who winds us up then stands back wondering where we might go. No, he is constantly sustaining this entire universe, humankind included. Not only does he give us eternal and abundant life, but his word and power
119:76 Finally, the humble believer knows that it is we who have strayed and do stray from God. We all are like lost sheep and there is no one else to blame. We all wander off on our own seeking our own pleasure and forgetting God’s ways. We all need him to seek us out and shepherd us to back to the flock grazing in the fields of the Lord. We all know God’s ways yet will still stray wildly from the protection and correction of the shepherd’s staff. We all hear his voice, yet we all follow our own desires. The primary, and perhaps only difference between the humble believer and the proud sinner is that the humble believer knows who he is and that he needs God; the proud sinner thinks he is god and needs no one.
