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ס（Samekh) Double-Minded
Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law 15/22
Psalm 119:113-120
Andy Nagahara
This is the fifteenth in a series of Psalm 119, which is called a hymn to the Law. Today, we will focus on verses 113-120, in which the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “ס（Samekh)” is placed at the beginning of each line of the fifteenth paragraph.
Let’s start reading.
1. Double-minded (113, 114)
113 I hate double-minded men,
but I love your law.
114 You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.
The “double-mindedness” that appears at the beginning of this passage is the theme of today’s entire message. The Hebrew word translated as “double-minded” is a word that appears only once in the Old Testament, here. Also, the equivalent Greek word appears only twice in the New Testament in the Epistle of James (1:8, 4:8). However, “double-mindedness” is a universal thing that can be said to be part of the sinful nature of every human being. It means that the desire of longing for God and the thoughts of turning one’s back on God live together in one’s heart.
The psalmist says, “I hate the double-minded and love your law,” but this does not mean that there are two kinds of people, the “double-minded” and the “observant of God’s teachings.” . Christians tend to use the dichotomy of “believers and unbelievers,” “sinners and righteous,” and “saved and unsaved,” toward others. However, it is often an abuse of one’s own judgment, not God’s. “Double-mindedness” should also be taken not as a word to judge others, but as a word to reflect on oneself. There is not a single human being who is not “double-minded.” The only exception is Jesus, God who became human. Even though we have thoughts that give priority to God’s thoughts, it is the “double-minded self” that gives priority to our own desires.
But being disappointed in myself like that is not a bad thing. At the very least, it is a sign of a healthy soul that we have the longing for God alive in our hearts and that we suffer from conflicts with the opposite thoughts. Even if we are double-minded, it does not mean that we do not love God’s Word.
The question is, how can I, a “double-minded person,” walk with my beloved Jesus? How can I not move away from Him, but rather get closer to Him?
2. Traps to try to disappoint God (115)
115 Away from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commands of my God!
Many of us may not actually be under attack from someone with malicious intent in the same way as the psalmist. But the enemy is also the double-mindedness within us. Our greatest threat is rather this inner enemy. If we could not see anything evil around us, that may be the time when we are most likely to let our guard down and fall into traps that keep us away from God. Human beings can easily forget the fact that they have been protected and supported by God until now. We take God’s grace for granted, like air. The devil tempted Jesus and encouraged him to become the ruler of this world by surrendering to the devil. But Jesus did not intend to disobey God and gain visible power. Being executed, he was crucified and suffered as the most powerless existence in this world.
Jesus Himself said, “You cannot serve both God and riches,” and rejected the authority and riches of the world. But what about church? History clearly records that the church has been associated with wealth and power. Faith and prosperity have been linked using the Old Testament example of God giving prosperity to his people. However, it is a “double-mindedness” that seeks to serve both God and wealth. Saying that you serve God but serving something else grieves Him more than not believing in Him at all.
We cannot eliminate our own tendencies, but we can be careful not to unwittingly fall into the trap. Here the psalmist teaches us how to do it. He ordered the enemy to “Go away.” And he declared, “I obey the commandments of God.” In fact, Jesus, who was tempted by the devil, used the exact same method to turn the devil away.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ” （Matthew 4:8-10)
We can follow the psalmist and Jesus in commanding and declaring this to our own hearts.
3. We cannot stand without God’s upholding (116, 117)
116 Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live;
do not let my hopes be dashed.
117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered;
I will always have regard for your decrees.
After commanding the evil-doer to “depart” and declaring, “I obey God,” what the psalmist did was to implore God. Although the psalmist made a powerful declaration, he knew very well that it was not something he could do on his own. We should also know that we are beings who cannot stand without God’s support. The psalmist repeatedly asks God to sustain him. Without God’s support, hope may end in disappointment. On the contrary, he finds it difficult to even keep his mind focused on God’s Word.
The Apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the Romans about “hope”:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:1-5)
The core of this statement is that “our hope does not end in disappointment,” but Paul writes immediately after that that hope does not end in disappointment because “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Just like the psalmist, Paul also knew his own powerlessness.
When you know your own powerlessness, you can realize God’s love that is poured out on you. If we do not admit our weakness, we will not be able to realize God’s great love and will try to rely on our own strength and other things.
4. Fear God reasonably (118-120)
118 You reject all who stray from your decrees,
for their deceitfulness is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;
therefore I love your statutes.
120 My flesh trembles in fear of you;
I stand in awe of your laws.
The psalmist was convinced that even in the midst of the afflictions caused by the wicked, God would never let them go unnoticed. History teaches us that evil may flourish, but it will not last forever. However, as we have seen today, if our enemies are also in our own hearts, then God will not tolerate the evil within us either. The psalmist knew that there was evil within him that deserved to have that God’s wrath directed against it.
Have you ever thought that you might incur God’s wrath and be removed from the earth? Reformer Martin Luther was also someone who, surprisingly, suffered from that terror. Has anyone read his biography?
He intended to become a lawyer and, to put it in today’s terms, entered college at age 17 and earned a master’s degree in liberal arts then went to law school at age 21, but before beginning his studies, he went home for a time to his parents.
Then, as he was walking down the road from his parents’ house to return to the college, he encountered a thunderstorm and was so frightened that he swore to St. Anne (Mother of Mary) that he would become a monk if his life was spared.
And then, fearing what would happen if he didn’t keep his oath, he joined a monastery instead of going to law school, despite his parents’ strong objections. Even though he led a devoted religious life, studied theology, became a priest in good standing, and became a professor of biblical studies, he was not truly at peace with the fear that God might punish him if he did not live rightly.
The turning point for him came about five years before the Reformation, when he was preparing a lecture on “The Epistle to the Romans,” which we read earlier. Luther realized that he had misunderstood what Paul meant by “God’s righteousness (correctness),” and for the first time he found peace of mind. Let’s read Romans 5:1,2 again.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
The point is “I am (already) justified by faith / having peace with God through Christ!”. The “righteousness of God” is a “grace” from God who came as Jesus Christ, and is never something that requires human beings to perform and then punishes them if they don’t meet the standard.
In the past, Luther feared punishment and did not have peace of mind, because he believed that a righteous God demands righteousness from human beings, and that those who fail to live up to this demand must be punished, and that no matter how hard he works to do good deeds, he is not perfect and will never be able to satisfy God.
However, by rereading the Epistle to the Romans, his understanding was transformed as follows. God is righteous, but He knows that humans are not perfect, but only sinners. God had mercy on us and gave us the gift of His own righteousness in the form of His coming as Jesus Christ. We humans just have to accept it, and accepting it is faith.
We have absolutely no need to fear God as a punisher. God never punishes us for our deeds. Instead of fearing God’s punishment, we should be most thankful that Jesus is leading us, and let us continue to rejoice in the life we lead with Him and try to love people as He loves them. That is what it means to fear God. Jesus never condemns us if we are not good enough or if we fail.
(Prayer) Dear God, thank you for recognizing us as righteous people and for walking with us, even though we are unworthy of your righteousness.
the thoughts within our own hearts that turn us away from You. And we long for Your word. Please guide our steps.
We cannot continue to walk without Your support. Fill us with Your Spirit and do not allow us to be free of thoughts that grieve You.
We thank you for your grace and pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
In our hearts, there is a coexistence of longing for God and a desire to turn our backs on God. This is manifested in our inconsistent attitudes and actions. There is no one without a double-minded except Jesus. We cannot overcome this division of heart by ourselves, but God sustains, protects, and guides us in response to our prayers.
For Discussion
1. What is double-minded?
2. What does it mean to fear God reasonably?