November 13, 2019 -- Psalm 119:52 -- Remember and Act

When I think of your rules from of old,

I take comfort, O LORD.

Psalm 119:52 English Standard Version

This stanza of Psalm 119 has each verse beginning with the Hebrew letter “zayin”. In the Hebrew the first word of our verse today is “zakar” which means to remember, to call to mind. It likely best known in its use in the Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment is: “Remember the Sabbath Day”. I mention this because in the Hebrew culture to remember is to act upon that which is remembered. So King David is calling to mind the judgments of the LORD and as he remembers them he is acting on them. He would have been putting into practice the things remembered from of old.

The word “rules” can be rendered “judgments”. The LORD has decreed how His people should live. His people are those who have been rescued by His love, brought from slavery to sin and freed so that they can walk in the wide places of obedience to Him Who Keeps Covenant Forever.

In contrast those are under the curse of God the Judge, show by their words and actions that they hate the LORD of Heaven and Earth. There is no neutral ground. People either serve the Holy One or they are in rebellion against Him. The judgment of the God of Glory is upon them who rebel and they will be cast into the fires of hell. For Christians the Ten Commandments are rules of holy living. For those who hate God their Maker, the Ten Commandments are standard by which He will show them how much they hated Him.

These rules are “from of old”. It is interesting that this word “old” has the sense of looking backwards as well as forwards. These ancient rules still stand because the God Who made covenant promises does not change. His laws and judgments, His rules and His standards have not changed, nor will they change. What a comfort that is for the children of the Heavenly Father who are living in a world of upheaval and chaos. What is considered “okay” yesterday is vilified today. We live in a world where evil is called good and good is called evil. David experienced it then; we experience it now. Rather than trying to pour ourselves into the latest “thing” or the newest standard which even as it is being decreed will morph into something else, Christians conform to the image and likeness of Jesus Christ—in Whom we have our lasting consolation.

Beloved in the LORD remember the love of God, poured out to us in Jesus Christ. Remember that Jesus paid it all and we are freed from slavery to sin and our feet are set on the path of life. Remember and keep the commandments of God by the power of the Spirit of God who lives within you. You will see your sins and confess them and even as you are confessing them you will know they have been punished upon the body of Jesus at the cross. Therefore Jesus becomes for you, all the more precious, all the greater in worth and glory, He is the King Who has conquered sin and Who has conquered our hearts.

Now blessed be Your Glorious Name, LORD of Eternity. Your works from of old stand the test of time. Your rules and judgments are right and true now and always. In our lives, LORD, be glorified. Let the words of our lips and the actions of our hands bring You honour and praise. Spirit of all Comfort, as we yield our thoughts and words, hearts and hands to You, may our lives bring praise and renown to Jesus Christ—our Redeemer and our King. Amen.