Psalm 119:81

The Fainting Of The Soul

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

The psalmist's soul, his inner being, the very core of his life, is fainting for the Lord's salvation. This can take several meanings, which any or all may be correct.

First, the soul may faint in its looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, which was a reality in that day, since the coming of Jesus Christ was yet a long time coming.

Second, the soul of man may depend upon itself for salvation, as it truly does before the Holy Spirit through the Law brings a person to the knowledge of his sins, and when that happens, a man will come to the end of his soul's desperate attempt of salvation, which meaning this Hebrew word KALAH (for faint) allows. We come to the end of ourselves when we are shown our real self in the presence of God, as Isaiah realized when he saw the LORD high and lifted up in Isaiah Chapter six.

Then we will desperately run to Jesus Christ as our Savior, since he is the only way, truth, and life. We will in true willingness, given to us by God, come to him, repent of our sins, believe in the Christ of Scripture, depend upon his righteous life, his death, his burial, and his resurrection, and be saved by his grace.

So, the psalmist is here trusting, not in his own soul, his own belief, his own religion, his own efforts or works, but he is depending upon a Savior, who is depicted in The Holy Scriptures as the Messiah of the ages, the Redeemer of his people, and the sustainer of all of life, both physical and spiritual.

He will hope in the word of God, which portends, predicts, and prophesies the coming of the only Messiah who can save his soul from sin.  He cannot see the Savior with his eyes, just as we cannot see him with our eyes; but he can see him in The Holy Scriptures. He can, then, hope in the word of God and believe upon that Christ who is to come, who is to live righteously, die in substitute, and give life to his people who believe in the very Messiah, the Christ of Scripture.

Now we all look, not forward as the psalmist, to this Great Shepherd of the sheep, but we look backward to his work in life and death for our justification.

It is, then, the great concern of all believers that those who have not done so will see this wonderful Savior through the Law, which can bring them to repentance, and through the grace of God, which can save the soul through faith, may faint in their own soul's attempt to save themselves or leave salvation alone altogether. May God make us all "fishers of men" that we might preach the wonderful message of grace to others that,through the Gospel, many may be born again.