Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.My soul is crushed with longing
After Your ordinances at all times.You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed,
Who wander from Your commandments.Take away reproach and contempt from me,
For I observe Your testimonies.Even though princes sit and talk against me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.Your testimonies also are my delight;
They are my counselors.(Psalm 119:17-24)
People value friendships, family relationships, and being part of a community. But often, God’s people will be strangers and outcasts. His word provides comfort and guidance when we feel as the psalmist did – as “a stranger in the earth” (Psalm 119:19). In this lesson, we will consider the idea of God’s word providing companionship for us.
If We Follow God’s Word, the World Will Reject Us
“I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me” (Psalm 119:19).
“Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your servant meditates on Your statutes” (Psalm 119:23).
Why would David feel like “a stranger in the earth” (Psalm 119:19)? Why will God’s people today feel like strangers? It is because we seek to follow God’s commandments. This determination is an automatic difference between the people of God and the people of the world. Paul wrote, “For we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks and all under sin; as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one’” (Romans 3:9-10). Of course, even the people of God have sinned (Romans 3:23). The difference is that we strive to obey God and not remain in sin.
God expects His people to be different. Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Being strangers is not just a feeling of not belonging, but a reality. Peter said, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). We do not belong in the world. Paul reminded the brethren in Philippi, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).
David also wrote of the opposition he faced from princes (Psalm 119:23). Those who reject the Lord will reject us. John explained the reason why Cain killed Abel: “Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous” (1 John 3:12). He gave this example to make his point: “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). If we are righteous, we can expect to be hated by those who are evil (cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Often, the persecution will come from those in positions of authority (cf. Matthew 10:17-18). This is especially true when power is held by those who are evil (Proverbs 29:2). But we must be prepared for this reality: if we strive to serve the Lord, we will be ostracized and oppressed.
God’s Favor is Better Than the Favor of Man
“Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law” (Psalm 119:17-18).
Humans are social beings. We crave the approval of others to varying degrees. But too many want to be “a friend of the world” (James 4:4) by compromising their faith. However, Paul made it clear that we cannot strive to please men and please the Lord. “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
Since we can only please one – either God or man – we must choose one or the other. Our choice must be to please God because His favor is better. David explained why this is:
- God can “deal bountifully” with us (Psalm 119:17), because He is the source of every blessing (James 1:17).
- He provides life (Psalm 119:17). This includes both physical life (Acts 17:25) and eternal life (Romans 6:23).
- He has shown “wonderful things” in His word (Psalm 119:18) – including His love, grace, and power to save. This has been recorded to give us hope (Romans 15:4).
There is nothing that any man can offer us that could even begin to compare with what God offers us.
God’s Rebuke Comes Against the Disobedient
“You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, who wander from Your commandments. Take away reproach and contempt from me, for I observe Your testimonies” (Psalm 119:21-22).
Those who “wander from [God’s] commandments” and disobey His word will be punished. Paul reminded the brethren in Thessalonica that “those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus…will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). Because of this, we must not join (seek companionship) with them. Paul warned the saints in Corinth: “Do not be bound (unequally yoked, KJV) together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” He added, “‘Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:14, 17).
If we know that God will punish the disobedient, and we want to avoid that punishment, we must remain separate from them. But more than just separating ourselves from those who are disobedient, we must be obey the Lord. Paul wrote, “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). Practicing those things which are found in the word removes “reproach and contempt” (Psalm 119:22) and makes it possible to enjoy God’s companionship (“The God of peace will be with you” – Philippians 4:9).
However, it is also worth noting that God’s favor and companionship that come as a result of our obedience is not the same thing as man acting in such a way as to earn salvation. Many in the religious world ridicule the idea that we must do anything to be saved, claiming that would mean we earn our salvation. It is true that we cannot earn salvation because of sin (Romans 6:23). Therefore, if we are saved, it is by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8). But remember what Jesus said, “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done’” (Luke 17:10). If we claim to be servants of God, we must obey Him and “observe [His] testimonies” (Psalm 119:22). This does not mean that God owes us salvation or anything else. It simply means that He has given us conditions we must meet and we simply do what He has commanded.
We Must Long for God’s Word
“I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times” (Psalm 119:19-20).
After declaring himself to be a stranger, the psalmist expressed a longing for God’s word. “Do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances” (Psalm 119:19-20). Notice two other verses from the same psalm that express the same longing for God’s word:
“Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me through Your righteousness” (Psalm 119:40).
“I opened my mouth wide and panted, for I longed for Your commandments” (Psalm 119:131).
Why should we desire God’s word? There are many reasons we could cite. But in this context, we desire the word of God because it can give the faithful what the world cannot – companionship.
God’s Word Gives Us Counsel
“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:24).
The psalmist said that he delighted in the testimonies of God because they were his counselors. We must have the same delight in the word of God because it provides us with counsel as well. God’s word leads us in the way that we should go.
Like David, we are strangers in the earth (1 Peter 2:11). Yet through the word we find companionship. It is not that we have the physical presence of God with us. But we do have His word. Notice a few passages:
- Jesus gave the promise: “Lo, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). How is He with us? He is with us as we continue to “observe all that [He] commanded” (Matthew 28:20).
- The Lord said, “‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6). How can we have confidence that the Lord is with us? Notice the next verse: “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7). As we remember the word that we have been taught, we can remain confident that the Lord will not forsake us.
- John wrote, “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9). To have the Father and the Son means to have fellowship with them. How can we continue to enjoy fellowship with God? We must abide in the teaching of Christ.
The Lord is with us through His word. In other words, we can enjoy the Lord’s companionship to whatever degree His word is written on our hearts. We are “filled with the Spirit” as we allow “the word of Christ [to] richly dwell within” us (Colossians 3:16).
Conclusion
We are strangers on the earth. We may often feel alone or isolated. Yet the Lord is always with us through His word. As long as we remember His word, He will be our constant companion.
This entire series is available in paperback. Click on the link for more information – The Psalm of the Word: A Study of Psalm 119.
