Psalm 119 Stanza 6

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Psalm Stanza 6

Waw

41    Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,

your salvation according to your promise;

42    then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,

for I trust in your word.

43    And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,

for my hope is in your rules.

44    I will keep your law continually,

forever and ever,

45    and I shall walk in a wide place,

for I have sought your precepts.

46    I will also speak of your testimonies before kings

and shall not be put to shame,

47    for I find my delight in your commandments,

which I love.

48    I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,

and I will meditate on your statutes. [1]

 

Devotion

 

Verse 41: The psalmist asks God to grant his steadfast love (Hebrew chesed) and salvation to him. Also, that God would provide salvation to him as God had promised in his word.

 

Verse 42: A prayer for God to show favor upon the writer so that it would be obvious to even his enemies that God was with the writer. The author has full confidence in the word of God.

 

Verse 43: “The word of truth” here is the “well-grounded answer” that the psalmist looks to make to those who reproach him. If God does not grant him “mercy and salvation” (ver. 41), this answer will be “taken out of his mouth.” For I have hoped in thy judgments. I have trusted in thy vindication of my character, and in thy judgments upon my foes.[2]

 

Verse 44: God’s steadfast love will keep the psalmist seeking and obeying God’s commandments constantly and perpetually.

 

Verse 45: The meaning of the Hebrew here literally means wide, open, free space. In obeying God’s commandments, the psalmist will not feel himself under constraint, but a wholly free agent. “For I seek thy precepts. Inclination, not constraint, makes him obey God’s precepts—he “seeks” them, “loves” them (ver. 47), “delights in” them (vers. 16, 24, 47)”.[3]

Verse 46: The psalmist promises to bear witness to the greatness and truth of God’s word before kings and rulers not fearing to be put to shame.

Verse 47: The author will revel and celebrate the goodness of God’s word. Professing his love toward the commandments of the Lord.

Verse 48: Again, the psalmist praises God’s commandments and says he will think upon them constantly. He again confesses his love for God’s commandments.

            The verses in this stanza all seem to point to a deep experience of God’s love. The Hebrew word (chesed) at the beginning of the stanza points to a special kind of love that God has for his children. There really is no adequate English translation for this word. (steadfast love and mercy) This is about as close as we can come. The psalmist stresses how much he loves God’s commandments and laws. Such is the love that is generated by God’s chesed for his people.


[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 119:41–48.

[2] H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Psalms, vol. 3, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 105.

[3] H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Psalms, vol. 3, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 105.

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