Psalm 119:129-136 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 119:129-136 on biblegateway.com
Verse 129Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.
Verse 130The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
Verse 131With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments.
Verse 132Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom toward those who love your name.
Verse 133Keep my steps steady according to your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me.
Verse 134Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts.
Verse 135Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.
Verse 136My eyes shed streams of tears because your law is not kept.
Devotion
Psalm 119 is the longest of all the Psalms. This alphabetical poem contains 22 stanzas consisting of 8 lines, each of which begins with the same Hebrew letter. As a whole, Psalm 119 praises the Torah—God’s instruction.
In this particular section, the Psalm writer ends in tears because God’s law is not being kept by the community of faith. For the Psalm-writer, God’s guidance through the Torah is so beautiful that he can’t help but to desire it. The Torah provides a means for righteous living and freedom from the oppression that comes as a result of sin.
Because we proclaim that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, sometimes we see the word “law” as being a bad or ugly word. The Psalm writer reminds us of the beauty and gift that God’s commandments can be—because they provide the path towards living together in harmony.
Prayer
Creator God, help us to live according to your will for the world, caring for our neighbors, reaching out to help the poor and oppressed, and celebrating the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus. Amen.