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ת（Tau) keep trusting and waiting
Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119 – A Hymn to the Law (22/22) Psalm 119:169–176
Andy Nagahrara
Today, in the final part of our series on Psalm 119, we will focus on verses 169-176, where the 22nd and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “ת (tau),” is placed at the beginning of each line of the paragraph. We have spent 13 months reading this Psalm 119, 8 verses each time. It was an attempt to find the gospel of Jesus from the poems of the time when Jesus was not yet known, but I wonder if it helped you to understand the gospel of Jesus better.
From the beginning of creation to the end of the world, God speaks to us in many ways.
Even before Jesus came into the world, it was prophesied, and God’s will was communicated through prophets and psalmists. When compared to the entire history of the world, the short period of Jesus’ ministry of about three years after his coming to the world, and the time of his body, the Church, from there to the present, is a very short period of time. We spend only a few decades, at most 100 years, in it. However, God has mercy on us, who are such small beings, and transcends the constraints of time and space and has made us eternally existing with God.
As the final part of this series, Psalm 119, let us review the attitudes we need to take as we move forward.
1. Lord who hears cries and prayers (169,170)
169 May my cry come before you, O LORD;
give me understanding according to your word.
170 May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise.
Doesn’t that sound like a very roundabout way of saying it? ” It is not a direct way of saying something like, “Please hear my cry, my wish.” The psalmist seems to have felt that God was so far away, so disconnected that he could not get close to him.
Even if we want to deliver our voice and wishes, we can’t do it ourselves. It is our understanding that only God can do that for us. It is an honest self-understanding, whether in hardship or prosperity. No one can crawl out of the quagmire of sin on their own.
The “legalism” that Jesus criticized was an attempt to stand as a righteous person before God through one’s own righteous deeds. But that is something no one can do. Even if we can follow the rules handed down by adding our own interpretations to the words spoken by God, they are not recognized as correct by God.
What is worse, those who could not keep it for various reasons, regardless of their will, were considered “sinners.” The religious leaders of the time in the Gospels, seeing Jesus associating with those whom they called sinners, attending banquets of sinners, and declaring to them that “your sins are forgiven,” feared and hated him, as they saw him as a destroyer of the system of “legalistic” rule over the people they had built up.
God’s ultimate answer to this cry and desire was that he came to this world as one person, Jesus. And he offered us salvation only by believing in God as Lord and following him. The cross of Jesus is a great sacrifice paid by God Himself for the debt of sin that we cannot pay for. The call of Jesus is God’s response to our cries and petitions. Enlightenment and salvation come true when we begin to follow Jesus. And worship is at the center of our journey of following Jesus. You can see that in the next part.
2. Sing joyfully of His words and His righteousness (171,172)
171 May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees.
172 May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous.
This part varies depending on the translation. In this Bible we use at Yourchurch, JVSI (Japan Bible Society International ) version, the expression can be taken as if the hymns and songs are actually welling up from the mouth of the psalmist, whereas in other translations it could be taken as an unfulfilled expectation: “You will teach me the law, and praise will overflow. And, because the commandant of God is right my tongue will sing your commandments.” This gives us important suggestions when considering the worship we offer. The hearts of those who have begun to walk with the Lord overflow with songs of joy and praise for His word and His righteousness. There will also be love songs that say I love you and your words, and songs that confess your faith. They are central elements of the worship we offer. However, when you start walking with the Lord, various troubles will come. Should we pretend to be happy and sing happily at such times?
The songs we sing in worship are not just songs that praise God. Rather, there may be more content such as wishes and cries. That is why we should treat the word “praise” with caution. I don’t think God is pleased with us standing before him in a false state.
No matter what situation we are in, there is no doubt that God deserves praise. But our state of mind changes. If it is a Sunday service that everyone offers together, then each person’s condition is different. At times, you may feel that a song is being sung with content that does not quite fit your state of mind. All you have to do then is imagine that this is the song that should be sung right now for someone here. Or maybe it is also a song chosen for the needs of this community of Yourchurch. Also, try to think about what your soul might need, even if it doesn’t suit your feelings.
We are multilayered beings. Even though I am pleased with God who is with me, I find myself in a state where I cannot believe that I am worthy of God. I thought I would be fine because God was there, but then, instantly, I was attacked by a big anxiety because of a trivial thing. Even though we are full of contradictions and feel worthless, we are invited to stand before God and worship Him. As long as we are in this world, let’s keep praising, loving, praying, and crying out to the Lord here.
3. Choose precepts and long for salvation (173, 174)
173 May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
Walking with God is not something that comes at a cost. Nor are we the kind of people who can pay the price they deserve. One manifestation of such a misunderstanding is “legalism.” It has found its way into modern Christianity as well.
In this society we have to pay a fair price to get something, so we tend to carry that feeling into our beliefs as well. God’s grace does not increase or decrease according to the attendance rate of Sunday services, the amount of offerings
, or the degree of contribution to church activities. Also, whether it is a megachurch where tens of thousands of people gather or a house church where only a few people gather, God does not rank their blessings.
God makes the sun rise, gives the four seasons, and gives seasonal harvests even to those who do not recognize his existence. However, when it comes to the grace of walking and living with God, we are left to make our own choices. God is not the one who try the hard sell His grace on me.
The psalmist says to choose God’s instruction and yearn for salvation. Even though they know God’s grace, there are many who stop walking with God once they have made that choice. As some people say, God does not retaliate against turning away. He is the one who pours out enough grace on everyone.
But those who turn their backs on God cannot receive enough grace. If you want to live by God’s grace, keep your eyes firmly on God and open your arms wide. It means having a state of mind that turns your heart to God, listens attentively to what is spoken to you, and seeks boldly.
4. We who wander like lost sheep (175-176)
173 May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
Reading this verse, many of you may have been reminded that Jesus taught by comparing people and himself to “sheep and shepherd”. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9, we find the following description:
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
Also, in the 15th chapter of Luke’s Gospel, he expresses his love for people with the following parable.
Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? (Luke 19:4)
In the Gospel of John, which we read every other week, in chapter 10, Jesus introduces not only the sheep and the shepherd, but also the wolf that attacks the sheep, and the hired shepherd who runs away when the wolf comes. He describes himself, his people, and the powers and religious figures of his time who have unjustly ruled them.
Please read Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John this week along with today’s Psalm text.You will realize how the presence of Jesus himself is a message from God, good news, gospel. Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the shepherd was an easy-to-understand parable that was based on real life for the Israelites at the time.
However, in this parable, Jesus said something strange that people find it difficult to understand. “A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” “I lay down my life for the sheep.” Of course, if a real shepherd is attacked by a wolf, he will not simply abandon his sheep and run away like a hired worker. But it is impossible to give up one’s life for sheep. But Jesus repeated that he himself was the shepherd to the people, and that he would lay down his life for the sheep, adding: “I can lay it down and I can take it back.” There are other sheep (outside the Israelites), and they will all be united into one flock.” Religious leaders were forced to label him as a madman or a dangerous person.
For those of us who knew about the cross and resurrection of Jesus and the birth of the church, it was no wonder, but for those who didn’t know about it, it was incomprehensible. In the eyes of Jesus, all people are his sheep.
However, no matter what religion people believe in, or what country or ethnic group they belong to, they are in a state of wandering, unable to control themselves. Some are not even aware that they are wandering, while others, like psalmists, long for God’s helping hand.
Our state of mind is unstable and changeable, but God is the one who answers the prayers of the psalmist in this verse. All we have to do is pray for our needs like the psalmist.
(Prayer) Dear God, through reading Psalm 119, you have made me realize that your love is strong and sure. thank you.
Please speak to us who understand that You are with us, but who are easily distracted, misdirected, and led astray by the difficulties that appear before us.
Change our minds so that we can hear you better.
This week, please make new things happen that will give us courage to be confident that You are alive and at work in the problems that each of us faces.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
We have been reading Psalm 119 for over a year. For us, the “law” is not a set of rules to be followed, but a message based on God’s love, and we have confirmed that it actually came to the world as a visible existence called Jesus. We have heard the good news, the gospel, that anyone can become a follower of Jesus and a person who walks with Jesus, believe it, and actually start walking with Jesus.
For Discussion
1. What is the most desperate or urgent cry you have ever made to God?
2. What does it mean to choose God’s precepts?