Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Jesus Creed

Home
Evangelical
The Bible is Central 16

The Bible is Central 16

Last updated on: June 22, 2017 at 12:08 am by Scot McKnight

The Bible is Central 16 2017-06-19T10:47:48-05:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In the next paragraph of Psalm 119 (vv. 121-128, each beginning with the Hebrew letter Ayin), the psalmist considers his own integrity before God from a variety of angles. He appeals to God on the basis of his own integrity, he yearns for God on that same basis, he opens himself up to God, he requests God to act, and he identifies himself on the basis of his integrity. It strikes many today as inappropriate — especially if we are nurtured in Reformation theology. But, the psalmist doesn’t back down and we can learn something from him.

Are you uncomfortable with the psalmist’s disposition here?

Let me back up: what I mean by being nurtured in Reformation theology, as I was myself, is that we think of ourselves as sinners who have no claim on God. Not so the biblical characters who pray. Think of Job, think of the many psalms. It’s noticeable how convinced they are at times of their own integrity. Perhaps we can lay blame on them for thinking this. I think that would be a mistake. There is more to learn beyond the claim of integrity, but true humility is to know who we are before God. It is not pretending to be worse than we are. False humility tempts; true humility knows the truth. I think of this psalmist in the latter category.

And he appeals to God not to abandon him and not to let the arrogant oppress him because “I have done what is just and right” (119:121-122).

Notice he asserts his integrity — that he does what is right before God — and makes three petitions on that basis:

1. Do not leave me to my oppressors.
2. Ensure your servant’s well-being.
3. Do not let the arrogant oppress me.

Something should be observed: The TNIV’s “well-being” is the goal unto which the psalmist asks this protection: “for the good.” It could mean health and survival, but it is probably more comprehensive and means “so that I might do that which is good for more days.”

Still, moral integrity can be a comfort for the follower of Jesus and it can be used as a fulcrum on which we base an appeal to God to deal justly in this world.

Psalm 119:123 is a little tricky: “My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.” Is the psalmist despairing and at the end of his hope or is he yearning intensively? The Hebrew word here (qalah) can mean either “completed” and could connote “totally focused on” or, which is how most translations proceed, “exhausted, come to the end.” I think the latter sense is probably right.

The psalmist yearns in hope and he is coming to the end of his strength. He isn’t sure how much longer he can go on.

His focus and yearning, in the midst of his oppression, is on the just word of God — God’s promise to bless those who observe his Torah. How much longer can he go on? He’s pressed on to the end to see the “just word” — the promise of victory.

I like this: in vv. 121-122, we see a confident appeal on the basis of his integrity; in v. 123 he comes to the bottom of himself, he recognizes that he can’t go on without God’s help. Not in the sense that he finds his disposition in 121-122 wrong, but in the sense that he is wearing down, admitting that it is hard at times to press on in a forward direction.

The psalmist’s integrity comes from God because his disposition before God is that of a “servant” (ebed; see vv. 122, 124, 125):

124 Deal with your servant according to your love
and teach me your decrees.
125 I am your servant; give me discernment
that I may understand your statutes.

It is his to walk; it is the Lord’s to tell him where to walk. He is a servant. I doubt one should toss the barbs of synergism at the psalmist, but recognize that he knows he is responsible to obey but his obedience springs from God’s gracious teaching.

It’s not our kind of syntax but it is a Hebrew kind of syntax: “Do unto your servant according to love.” That is, to turn it into colloquial English: “Love me, treat me in a loving manner.” How about “Give me some love!”

This psalmist kind of love is one that leads to his being instructed and to discernment.
The vulnerability of the psalmist is palpable: he’s open to God, he has faced God, he wants to hear from God, and he simply requests that God teach him. He’s listening to God. He is before God as a servant.

In Psalm 119:126, the psalmist informs God that “It is time for you to act, YHWH.” Why? “Your law is being broken.” We are back to the integrity of vv. 121-122 and the appeal he made there: now his appeal widens.

Get up and do something, he tells God. People all around me are violating the covenant by disobedience; the just (like him) are doing God’s will and it is not getting them anywhere. It would not be inappropriate to see the psalmist making a demand on God.

I doubt there is a more common theme to the Psalms than this one: God is summoned to act in accordance with his promise and, in so doing, to save the faithful from oppression.

It takes some chutzpah to make demands on God, but as I said on Monday, this psalmist is convinced of his own integrity because he knows he has obeyed God. Like Abraham or Moses or Job, he knows he has done God’s will. He knows God’s promises. He stands up and asks God to act. It will, I assume he thinks, glorify God to act out his promises and his justice to make his ways known and his judgments clear.

Christian conversion is the transformation of one’s own identity in relationship to Jesus Christ. One “self-identifies” in relationship to Jesus Christ. The psalmist self-identifies as:
One who loves God’s commands (119:127) and who considers all God’s precepts as right, or smooth and straight (v. 128).

He loves God’s mitzvot and piqudim, commands and precepts, “more than gold, more than pure gold.” He self-identifies as a lover of all of God’s ways: which of course means he not only likes them but follows them.

Again, we are back to the integrity claim of vv. 121-122.

It is possible, as Samuel Hirsch points out, that v. 128 indicates some thought parts of the Torah were wrong or of no use for Israel. The psalmist, a radical if there ever was one, was committed to every word and every command.

Because he loves God’s commands and precepts, he hates “every deceptive path.” He’s clear in his thinking: he knows what is right and he knows what is wrong. He has chosen the former; he’s turned his back on the latter.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 21, 2017

The Christian Story of Sunday

Next Post

June 22, 2017 St. Augustine and Natural Theology (RJS)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who brought to Jesus the woman taken in adultery?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The Publicans The Pharisees The Disciples The Apostles