The theological theme is the Word of God–pay attention
to the synonyms for Scripture: “your
decrees,” “your words,” “your commandments,” “your promise,” “your precepts,” “your
statutes,” “your law.”
The poetic theme is the body–pay attention to the “embodied” poetry: “my soul” (literally: “my
throat”), “open mouth,” “my steps,” “your face,” “my eyes.”
And at the heart of it all is a living relationship between the Lord and the
human being: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom toward those
who love your name” (verse 132).
Verses 129-131 Wisdom-like statements about God’s
Word: “Your decrees are wonderful. . .”
Verses 132-135 Petitions: “Turn to me… Keep my steps steady… Redeem me from oppression”
Verse 136 Wisdom-like statement: “My
eyes [cry] because your law is not kept.”
The force of verses 129-131 are that the Word of God
is a means of grace. Through the Word–which is both law and gospel–the Lord of
Israel encounters the people of God. The word is “wonderful.” This Hebrew word
(pila’ot) is often used in the psalms
to describe God’s mighty actions on behalf of both the people as a whole (77:10,
14; 105:2; etc.) and also of God’s redeeming actions on behalf of individual
people (9:2; 17:7; etc.). Here in Psalm 119, this characteristic is applied to
God’s Word.
In other words, just as God’s might acts of
deliverance can be means through which God shows grace to suffering people, so
also the Word itself is such a means that mediates God’s wonders to his people.
The psalm then compares God’s word to light that gives guidance (the image here
is one in which a scroll is unrolled and light shines upward and outward).
Verses 132-135 build on the promises of verses
129-131, by essentially asking that the Lord make real for the psalmist that
which has been promised in the word. The phrase that is translated “be gracious to me, as is your custom”
by the NRSV, more freely means, “be
gracious to me as you have promised in your word (“your custom” is “your
judgment” in Hebrew). The psalmist prays for relationship (“turn to me,” “be gracious to me”), guidance (“keep
my steps steady,” “never let iniquity
have dominion over me”) rescue (“redeem
me from human oppression”), and blessing (“make your face shine upon your servant,” “teach me”).
At the heart of these petitions is a very realistic
theological anthropology. The psalmist knows that we cannot by our own strength
or effort, believe in God, keep God’s word, or defeat the power of sin. That
is, left to our own will, we cannot maintain a relationship with God. We cannot
keep our feet on the narrow path. We cannot defeat sin. Therefore, we need
guidance (a light to shine in our darkness) and we need rescue (from ourselves
and from other human powers) and we need blessing. In short, we need a teacher:
God.
The closing comment is, “my eyes shed streams of tears, because your law (Hebrew, torah;
better: “instruction”) is not kept.” Far from being a
self-righteous statement, this closing verse should be understood in a communal
and personal way. The psalmist sheds tears both because hi own community does
not keep the word, but also because he is aware that personally, he fails to
keep the commandments (see Psalm 19:12-13).[2]
[1] Go into all the world, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[2] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-17/commentary-on-psalm-119129-136-2
[3] Collect for Psalm 119, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church vol. IV The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, © 1996 Delhi, NY
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