121 I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors.
122 Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.
123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.
124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.
125 I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.
126 It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.
127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.
Outnumbered and overwhelmed, the man who stands for God’s laws will seek God’s help to see these standards of righteousness defended and upheld in the earth.
When the powers of darkness have the upper hand, we feel overwhelmed. The enemy swarms into the camp of the righteous. There are imposters and traitors everywhere within, and powerful forces wreaking havoc without. If we take one step forward, it seems that we are always taking two steps backwards. All seems as if it is a loss, especially if it is our desire to see righteousness prevail in the earth.
Verses 121-123.
First, the Psalmist testifies to his own commitment to God’s law in the realm of the civil magistrate. He has defended the defenseless against the abortionist’s knife. He has stood against powerful businessmen who were trying to use government power to consolidate their own wealth. He has taken a stand against the most popular sexual sins of the day. Now, he is out on a limb, and all of his “conservative” coalitions have left him in the lurch. Year by year, it seems that he is abandoned by those he thought to be faithful in the battle. More than ever, he feels alone in his desire to seek righteousness. So he does the only thing he can think to do; he turns to God for help. The television media makes him out to be a buffoon and a narrow-minded bigot. The proud oppress him at every opportunity. At this point, it would take an act of God to salvage his reputation. Yet in verse 123, he virtually despairs of any possibility of God’s intervention, and has nearly lost hope for God’s salvaging the situation. What matters most to him though, is that God’s Word of righteousness will be vindicated. He hates to think that the wicked can run roughshod over the justice and holiness of God indefinitely.
Verses 124-125.
Here the Psalmist lifts up the true desires of his heart to God. Above all, he wants God’s mercy and God’s truth, for we are saved by His mercy, and we live by His truth. Without mercy, we cannot be saved from our sins; we would never be delivered from the guilt and power of sin over us. Without truth, we would never know Christ. We would never know what we should put our trust in or the way in which we ought to walk.
The Hebrew word for “testimony” refers to God’s statements of truths, whether they are the indicatives or the imperatives. There is no priority placed in Scripture on indicatives over imperatives. God tells us what is important through stories and doctrinal statements. He also tells us what to do by His commandments or laws; both are essential for our spiritual life. As we read His stories in redemptive history and as we remind ourselves of His promises on a daily basis, these truths frame our understanding of all of reality. God impresses these truths on our minds, so that by faith we may begin to form a grip on these “truth handles.”
Verses 126-128.
Outgunned by deceptive and wicked forces, the Psalmist finally turns to God and says, “It is time for you to act.” After a hundred years of almost constant and steady decline of Christian influence and the rejection of God’s laws to the highest echelons of the land, the tiny remnant of godly men turn back to God and say, “Please act now, God. Please do something!” The world around is not even interested in giving any lip service to God’s law at this point. They have stripped back all laws concerning abortion, adultery, and homosexuality. The entire mass media is opposed to a Christian world and life view. It is time for God to act.
Instead of getting too worked up about the destructive and immoral agenda of the left, the Psalmist turns to God’s commandments as his highest good. He doesn’t care about riches, entertainment, and prosperity. What he really wants to do is take care of the poor and the needy, and walk according to the will of God, living the life of Christ on earth. This is his highest fulfillment.
While men debate issues like slavery, divorce, and debt, and usually end up on the opposite side of God’s laws, this man assumes that God has it right. He is not ashamed to take the biblical position on these matters even though it may be politically incorrect to do so. In the end, God’s law always proves itself to be the best and highest standard of morality. Thus, godly men must and will stand opposed to the deceit of all those governments and churches that pretend to take a high moral stance but at the heart of it reject God’s laws (verse 128).
Do we spend more time whining about the ungodly and perusing ungodly stories, schemes and ideas than we do focusing on the commandments of God? While we should be somewhat distraught by the prevalence of evil in the world, it must not overcome us. Evil is not sovereign. God is sovereign and good, and His law must prevail. This is the heart perspective of the true believer.
There ought to be something attractive about the preaching and teaching of the laws of God in the worship services of the church. Although Christians do not keep the laws of God perfectly, their hearts still should be drawn to the hearing of them. When the worship service becomes a conscience-pacifying session, it is no longer a Christian service. There is the false preacher who pats the congregants on the heads and tells them, “Now, now, God loves you just the way you are. You really don’t need to change.” He presents no message of victory over sin. His message of grace is powerless. He trains his congregants to hate the very mention of the law of God. This is a godless, humanist church, and ought never to be attended by true believers.
1. Why does the Psalmist appear to be one who is involved as a leader in civil government?
2. What does the word “testimony” mean?
3. Why are both mercy and truth absolutely essential for us?
4. When is it time for God to act according to the Psalmist?
1. Provide several examples of God’s law standing against what men typically refer to as “moral” today.
2. What are the most important testimonies from God’s Word that have framed your life?