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Psalm 119 - Resh

The Bible is the written Covenant of God.  It's wholly inspired by Him, contains no errors, and and is filled with His laws, testimonies, judgments, commandments, statutes, and precepts. In the day it was written, royal covenants always contained, in addition to the commands (laws) of the king, a record (history) of how the people responded to the those laws and of how the king responded to the people's responses.  Also contained in them were copies of all lawsuits made by the king against the people.  There was always, in fact, a complete record of every facet of the king's relationship to his people.  The Bible is that kind of covenant.

The result is that anyone who reads it carefully can certainly learn about the character of the covenant King.  The reader can also find, in the covenant history, how that King has responded to particular situations in which His people have found themselves.  Additionally included are the King's testimonies concerning specific kinds of behavior engaged in by His people - whether good or bad.  Thus, from the covenant record, any covenant citizen can discover the proper way to live and what he can expect if he does live that way - or if he doesn't.

The student whose words are found in Psalm 119 has spent a lot of his lifetime so far studying the Covenant.  He's also tried to live by it.  In the stanza before us he reminds Jehovah that, ". . . I do not forget Your law."  In fact, the writer says, "I do not turn from Your testimonies . . . I love Your precepts . . . every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever!"

Because the covenant contains the commandments, testimonies, and judgements of Jehovah, the student should be aware that he absolutely must live by them  He must respond to them just as if Jehovah were walking alongside him and talking to him.  He knows that if he is in any kind of trouble, then there are in the covenant examples of how he should respond as well as plain revelation of how the King will respond to him.  And he has therefore searched that covenant - much - for everything he needs to know in every situation.

In the present stanza the student once again cries out to the Lord from the midst of trouble.  He summarizes it by saying, "Lord, I've discovered Who You are and what You're like.  I've come to know what You expect of me, and, with Your help, I've tried to live up to those expectations.  Now, O Lord, I cry to You, to You Whom I've come to know, and I beg You to act just in accord with Your Word - I beg You to deal with me as with one who keeps Your Word.  I plead for help in present trouble."  He says, "Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes.  Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; revive me according to Your judgements!"  That's his prayer in trouble, and, knowing Jehovah, he has confidence that the prayer will be answered!

How is it with your prayers, dear brother or sister in Christ?  Are you so familiar with the covenant Word of your King that you know how to pray to Him?  Are you willing to spend much time in His Word IN ORDER to know how to pray to Him?  How acquainted are you with the God of the Word?

"judgments" again!

Guess what?  I looked it up in "Wikepedia," and discovered that it's correctly spelled either "judgements" or "judgments."  You've got a very sharp eye!

HAHAHA!

You can't believe everything in Wikepedia!