Psalm 119:158

Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved;  When we even in our day see transgressors, we should also grieve. These transgressors, according to the Hebrew, are deceivers, as is Satan himself. They have their nature from him and are influenced by his cohorts.

The Hebrew word for "grieved" means "to detest." Should we not hate sin, whether it is found in others or in ourselves? To hate sin is to manifest the nature of Christ in our lives, for he saved us from our sins and gave us a divine nature.

because they kept not thy word.  The transgressors did not "give heed to" the word of God. They did not observe God's commandments, nor did they love them as believers do. They forsook the word of God and went their own way to do things that are not convenient, or fitting for good society.

This is one of the reasons that our own country is in trouble and despair: we as a national people have not kept the word of God and have forsaken it in that we as a nation do not teach God's word to our children; this shall breed a rebellion, yea, a violent society. What have we reaped so far?

Psalm 119:157

Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

Many are my persecutors

These "persecutors" are those who run after or pursue. Every believer who stands on the truths of God's word, loves them, defends them, and will not turn away from them is pursued by persecutors. The eyes of persecutors are upon faithful believers at all times desiring not only to intimidate them but also to eventually destroy them, their faith, and their precious word of God.

and mine enemies.  The Hebrew word for "enemies" has the basic meaning of "tight, narrow, or in distress." Enemies make the faithful work for God a hardship. They put stumbling blocks before us to make us stumble and fall, lose our testimony, and weaken our influence. These enemies also make war against Christians whether they are true believers or those who only nominally believe. The enemy's desire is to destroy all evidence of the existence of Christian influence in the world and will destroy property, people, and literature in order to do this. Phil. 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

yet do I not decline from thy testimonies. The word "decline" carries the idea of reclining or "stretching out." This meaning would indicate that some believers may be lazy in their faithfulness to remain and continue in the word of God, searching the Scriptures, for in them they can find eternal life.  Another meaning of the word "decline" means to "thrust away." This would mean that some would turn the Scriptures away from themselves for direction, inspiration, and comfort.

But the psalmist here admits that, though the persecutors and enemies may be many, he still remains faithful to the word of God. Even though the comfort and assurance of the word of God seems out of play in our current situation, we need still to remain faithful to reading God's word. The assurance that God's word gives us will come through in due time.

Psalm 119:156

by Ronnie W. Wolfe

We all know that God's mercies are tender, for we have experienced those mercies often. He was so tender with me when he came to me and showed me my sinful condition, not judging but showing grace and was like a kind Shepherd, calling my name whereby I responded as His sheep.

He was tender when he gently translated me into the kingdom of His dear Son. Now I am nursed tenderly by his grace into which I can partake, since I have access into that grace wherein I stand (Romans 5).

No one is so tender and loving as our Savior, who reached into the darkness of the world and the mire of sin and lifted us up as sinners to a higher 

level by His grace.

God quickened us by his grace, brought us alive out of our deadness, but he also quickens us by leading us into his living way and toward his true holiness, helping us to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Psalm 119:155

Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

Salvation is far from the wicked. Even though the message of God's grace in salvation can be very close to each one, yet salvation itself can be so far away; because man's heart is alienated from God and is deceitful and desperately wicked. The heart seeks not the Lord (Romans 3:11). Our hearts seek only that which pleases the flesh, and our lusts bring sin alive and in the end brings death.

Without the initiating grace of God, man will continue in his wickedness, speaking of those things which he does not understand and continuing in his prideful heart doing only civil righteousness but cannot produce a righteousness unto salvation.

for they seek not thy statutes.  If only man could seek the rules of God, his commands to come unto him and to put trust in Jesus Christ, then he could bring himself to salvation; but man has his own congenital rules, those with which he is born. These rules guide his life, and they only can be his master. God's rules are too high and holy for a man, yet man must meet that highness and holiness before he can have salvation.

This is why salvation is completely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and his work in life and in death, knowing and being persuaded of Christ's will to be both satisfaction and sacrifice for the sins of everyone who will believe.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.  The Son of man sought me and bought me, and now I belong to Him. Thank God for his marvelous and abounding grace!  Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Psalm 119:154

Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

For David to ask God to plead his cause there must be a good cause. God would never help a cause that is evil. As a young man, David said, "Is there not a cause?" (I Sam. 17:29), and Moses brought Israel's cause before the LORD (Num. 27:5). If our cause is good and important to the furtherance of God's Gospel and Kingdom, then we can plead with God concerning our cause. Jesus Christ is our advocate (1 John 2:1), so He is in a position to intercede as our High Priest to God the Father in favor of His cause and our cause when our cause is in agreement with God's cause.

He also asked for deliverance. Not only is God our advocate, but he is also our Deliverer. Jesus said in Matt. 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. If we beg God for deliverance, it must be from evil unto good, for He will not intercede in our favor toward evil.

God is able, and many times willing, to deliver us. The ultimate deliverance is threefold:  2 Cor. 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

David then begs the Lord to quicken him. Two quickenings are revealed in Scripture. The first is the quickening of the Holy Spirit in our salvation, made alive:  Eph. 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; The other quickening is bringing a servant of God out of his affliction and into the care of the LORD:  Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

Psalm 119:153

By Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

In the first part of this verse we see three important characteristics of God: His omniscience, His omnipresence, and His omnipotence.


In God's omniscience, He knows that we have afflictions, and not one of them goes by without His attention, even though we may feel that he has removed himself far away from us.


In God's omnipresence, He is ever present with us in our afflictions as in our peace and tranquility, as in our worship and praise and joy.


In God's omnipotence, He is able to deliver his saints from any and all afflictions, and he does so in one way or another: .2 Timothy 3:11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what perse- cutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.


It seems the psalmist is tending to think that God is not aware of his afflictions, so he asks God to consider his afflictions, but God is ever present in his afflictions; and, even though he may have known that, he desired to reassure himself of that very fact.


God's omnipotence is displayed in his faithful deliverance from these afflictions. God is not only able but is also willing to deliver his people from their afflictions.


The basis for David's willingness to ask God for deliverance was that he does not forget God's law, or his doctrine. He follows God's law and trusts God's law. He claims the promises of God's law (God's word) and depends upon it for instruction, correction, and comfort and peace.


Thus, David begs the Lord to consider his afflictions and deliver him from them. So God will do according to His own will and promise.

Psalm 119:152

David has known from a child that God's testimonies are sure and true, that by staying in them through reading and meditation he could understand that there are no other words like these holy words, that no other body of writings are so pure and everlasting, for they changed his heart and brought him comfort in times of sorrow and gave him joy through his many tears.

When he had sinned, these words restored his joy to him. When he was in battle, these testimonies assured him that God would be with him each time he entered into battle. He ate these words and digested them, he meditated upon these testimonies. He sang the testimonies of the Lord as he played his harp with cunning.

These can be none other than eternal words, which give rise to joy in the heart and assurance in the mind and energy to the feet. The ears, too, are anxious to hear these wonderful words, and they are like honey to the taste and like medicine to the inward being.

Yes, these testimonies shall be David's portion through his entire life, and he will die as an old man, anointing his son, Solomon, to be king of Israel, with the Messianic line in tact, and with comfort from these very testimonies which will carry themselves unchanged through the history of the world and shall rest in the end unchanged, unharmed but full of truth and glory to the God of heaven.