Look on my suffering and deliver me,
for I have not forgotten your law.
Defend my cause and redeem me;
preserve my life according to your promise.
Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek out your decrees.
Your compassion, LORD, is great;
preserve my life according to your laws.
Many are the foes who persecute me,
but I have not turned from your statutes.
I look on the faithless with loathing,
for they do not obey your word.
See how I love your precepts;
preserve my life, LORD, in accordance with your love.
All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal
This refrain of Psalm 119 whips back and forth like a mountain trail. David frames these eight verses within the context of contrast - his relationship with God vs. that of those who persecute him.
Three times (verses 154, 156, and 158) David asks God to "preserve my life." It's a phrase he uses 11 times in Psalm 119, always carrying the meaning of revitalizing or quickening life. David's asking for a jump start, a spark of God's energy and glory to infuse his daily life.
Four times in this stanza David uses the word "not." In verses 153 and 157 he describes unrighteous things he does not do. In verses 155 and 158 he describes a righteous act other people do not do. It's an obvious intentional contrast between himself and others.
Throughout the eight verses David speaks of compassion and love, intermixed with loathing and wickedness. His attitude toward unrighteous people bounces back and forth.
What is it that keeps David trusting in God's deliverance from suffering and persecution?
What is it that keeps salvation near to him?
What makes makes him steadfastly different from those he loathes?
What quickens and energizes his life each and every day?
What keeps him pointed in the proper direction during the his journey down the 1 road of life?
All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal
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