Today we continue our series entitled, “Back to the Bible,” with Part 56. We have been looking at Psalm 119. Today we get to the END of this amazing psalm. I started this series on February 26th and over three months later, we will bring it to and end this week.
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. King David basically wrote an ‘ode to God’s Word from A to Z. There are 22 characters in the Hebrew alphabet. David was the 8th son of Jesse. I am sure he liked the #8, which in the Bible refers to “new beginnings.” David wrote a stanza of 8 verses for every letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first 8 verses of Psalm 119 start with the Hebrew alphabets’ equivalent of the letter A, Aleph. The next 8 verses start with the Hebrew alphabets’ equivalent of the letter B, Beth. And this continues until the last 8 verses which start with the Hebrew alphabets’ equivalent of the letter Z, Taw. David wrote about God’s Word from A (Aleph) to Z (Taw). For the past three months we have been studying this amazing psalm. Today we get to the last verse. Let’s take a look at it.
David said:
The Passion Bible Translation
(v.176) I’ll never forget what you’ve taught me, Lord, but when I wander off and lose my way, come after me, for I am your beloved!
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- David said what we all say, “I’ll never forget what you’ve taught me, Lord.” We all talk a good game, and when it comes to the Lord, most of us mean it. The problem is that we are human. Humans are flawed. David acknowledged that, so he went on to say, “But when I wander off and lose my way, come after me, for I am your beloved!” David knew he was not perfect. He acknowledged the fact that he would make mistakes. He knew that even his best efforts would sometimes fall short. So he asked God to come after him when he messed up. He reminded God that he was his “beloved.” David found comfort in reminding both God and Himself that he was the apple of God’s eye. When you know you are loved by God, you know He will never turn His back on you, no matter how many mistakes you make. Thank God for His grace and mercy.
- In Psalm 1 David talked about the fact that God’s goodness (or grace) and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. Have you ever thought about how thankful you should be for God’s grace and mercy? Mercy is God NOT giving you what you deserve. Mercy is God withholding the punishment you have clearly earned. Mercy is God cancelling out the bad harvest on the bad seeds you willfully planted in your own life. Conversely, grace is God then turning around and free giving you what you clearly DO NOT deserve. Grace is unearned, unmerited and undeserved. David knew that he would make mistakes along the way. While he openly confessed that he loved God with all his heart, and he openly declared that he would follow God all of his days, David also knew that even with his best efforts, sometimes his “video” would not match his “audio.” David knew he would sometimes miss the mark. And for those occasions, he knew he was God’s “beloved,” and he knew that God loved him too much to leave him lost when he wandered from God’s path. He said, “When I wander off and lose my way, come after me, for I am your beloved!” We serve a God who will NOT give you the punishment you deserve, who will freely give you blessings you do not deserve, and who will come after you when you lose your way. Who would not want to serve a God like that?
- God loves you with an everlasting love. You did nothing to cause God to start loving you and nothing you will ever do will cause Him to stop.
- God tirelessly pursued you until you gave your life to Jesus. Now that you are IN Him and He is IN you, He is no less committed to you. He will follow you and track you down when you lose your way. He will tug at your heart until you come back. He does this simply because He loves you.
I will talk more about this tomorrow.
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. I live with an expectation of Your goodness because I know You are tirelessly committed to me. I routinely declare that I love You with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. I openly declare that I love my neighbor as myself. I declare that I will follow You and Your ways all the days of my life. But I also acknowledge the fact that I sometimes lose my way. Sometimes my “video” does not match my “audio.” Sometimes I miss the mark. This is why I am extremely thankful for Your grace and mercy. You love me so much that You track me down when I wander off. You pursue me, love me, and help bring me back onto Your path. Thank You Father for loving me despite my faults, flaws and failures. Your love is what keeps me going! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
