Psalm 119: How to Be a Pilgrim

JOSHUA ALEXANDER

The world in which we live is full of darkness, sin, immorality, and hopelessness. On the contrary, Christians are called to be light, holy, moral, and full of hope. How is that possible in such a world as this? The truth is, the world has been full of sin since that first bite into the forbidden fruit in the garden (Gen. 3:6). Noah had to be righteous in the antediluvian world when men’s hearts were on evil continually (Gen. 6:5, Heb. 11:7, 1 Pet. 3:20, 2 Pet. 2:5). It can get very difficult for the child of God to remain pure and unspotted from the world when temptation is ever present. In Psalm 119:49-56, the psalmist examines this problem and provides words of hope and comfort for the child of God in a world of sin.

“This Is My Comfort In My Affliction”

The “this” is in reference to verse 49 “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.” The word of God is said to do three different things in these two verses. The word of God gives the psalmist hope, comfort, and quickens him, or gives him life. Hope is the combination of desire plus expectation. We may think about the promises we are given by God through His word. We desire what we read to be so, but also we can have a kind of expectation. Not in an arrogant or self righteous way of course, but understanding the nature of God in that He is going to do what He says He will do. We may think of what the Apostle Paul told His son in the faith Titus concerning hope of eternal life, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2). If God promises it, it has to be so! That is His nature. During our affliction, we can find comfort in the fact that God is going to do what He said He is going to do through His word.

“The Proud Have Had Me Greatly In Derision”

“In derision” has to do with a “mocking”. The proud or the arrogant mock the child of God. They see a difference between themselves and righteousness, and it puts them to shame, so they go on the attack. One may think of the example of Noah, how his righteousness

“Condemned the World” (Heb. 11:7). 

Noah condemned the world? How can that be? Well Noah did not cause the flood, but the world indeed was condemned by His faithfulness. The contrast that was evident between Noah and the rest of the world is what condemned the world. The same is true for the psalmist, and the child of God in the 21st century. When the world sees your good works, they will feel condemned by it. Do not let that discourage you from living the Christian life! Notice what the psalmist said right after this statement, “yet have I not declined from thy law”. Even in the face of social persecution, he has kept his morals and has not declined the law of God. Oh how we wish that could always be said about us!

“Horror Hath Taken Hold Upon Me Because Of The Wicked That Forsake Thy Law”

What is this horror? The ASV gives us a better understanding of what is being described here, “Hot indignation hath taken hold upon me”. The sinfulness of the world has caused anger to come into the heart of the psalmist. It hurts him to see what is going on in the world. How we could easily echo his words. The sinfulness of the world and the immorality on display can be quite disturbing to the child of God, as it should be! However, we cannot allow that to keep us from following His word to the best of our ability.

The world in which we live is sin sick. Unfortunately, it always has been and always will be. Oh how we long for the land of peace and rest, away for the stain of sin (Rev. 21:8, 27). Thankfully, the great physician has the cure, being the gospel of Jesus Christ. He also has servants called to deliver that cure to the world. Will we answer the call? While we are here on earth, we should strive to remember and live by the words of the long cherished hymn, “This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world anymore”.