Commentary - Psalm 119:49-56

Bird's-eye view

In this seventh stanza of the great psalm, designated by the Hebrew letter Zayin, the psalmist lays out the practical reality of living by the Word of God in a fallen world. This is not a theoretical exercise for him. He begins by pleading with God to remember His promise, the very promise that has sustained him in affliction. He then describes the external pressure he faces from arrogant mockers and the internal response this provokes, which is a steadfast refusal to abandon God's law. His comfort is found not in the opinions of men, but in the ancient judgments of God. This righteous orientation produces a holy indignation against the wicked, and transforms God's commands from a burden into a song for his earthly pilgrimage. The stanza concludes by showing the cycle of faithfulness: remembering God's name leads to obedience, and this obedience becomes his treasured possession.

This section is a masterful portrait of the believer's mindset. He is afflicted, but comforted. He is mocked, but resolute. He is a sojourner, but he has a song. He is surrounded by darkness, but remembers the name of Yahweh. All of this is anchored in the unchanging Word of God, which is his hope, his life, his comfort, and his guide.

Outline

The Word as a Promise

A central theme in this stanza is the nature of God's Word. It is not simply a collection of statutes and commands, though it is certainly that. For the believer, it is fundamentally a promise. When the psalmist says, "Remember the word to Your slave, in which You have made me wait," he is appealing to God on the basis of God's own covenant commitment. God has spoken, and in speaking, He has obligated Himself to His people. This is why the Christian can have hope, or "wait." Our hope is not a vague optimism; it is a confident expectation anchored in the pledged word of the sovereign God. This promise is what brings comfort and life (v. 50) because it is the promise of a Person, Yahweh Himself. The entire gospel is the culmination of this promise: God remembered His word and sent His Son.

Commentary

Verse 49

Remember the word to Your slave, In which You have made me wait.

The prayer begins with a bold appeal. "Remember." This is not, of course, because God is forgetful. This is covenant language. The psalmist is calling upon God to act consistently with His own revealed character and His specific promises. He identifies himself as God's "slave" or servant, which is a position of honor. He belongs to God, and therefore has a right to appeal to his Master. The foundation of this appeal is the "word" which God Himself used to instill hope in the psalmist. God does not give us hope and then abandon us to it. He initiates the hope through His promise, and the believer's part is to hold Him to it, to wait expectantly for its fulfillment. This is the essence of faith. Faith receives the promise and waits for God to act.

Verse 50

This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me.

Here is the practical effect of God's promise. In the midst of "affliction," which is the common lot of God's people in a fallen world, the believer has a unique source of "comfort." The world offers distractions, platitudes, or stoicism. God offers His Word. And notice the nature of this comfort. It is not a mere pat on the back. He says God's word has "revived me." The Hebrew word means to make alive, to quicken. This is resurrection power. When affliction presses in and threatens to crush the life out of us, the promise of God breathes life back in. It reminds us of our standing in Christ, of our future inheritance, and of the sovereign goodness of God who works all things for our good. The Word brings life where there was death.

Verse 51

The arrogant utterly scoff at me, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.

The affliction is now given a specific shape: the contempt of the proud. The "arrogant" are those who have set themselves up as the measure of all things. They live by their own autonomous reason and desires, and consequently, they "scoff" at the man who lives under the authority of God's Word. Their mockery is not mild; it is "utterly." This is the cultural pressure every believer faces. The world laughs at holiness. It sneers at submission to God's law. The faithful response is not to trim our sails or find a middle ground. The psalmist is resolute: "Yet I do not turn aside from Your law." This is the antithesis. There are two ways of life, the way of the proud scoffer and the way of the humble servant. They cannot be reconciled. A choice must be made, and faithfulness requires us to endure the scorn.

Verse 52

I have remembered Your judgments from of old, O Yahweh, And comfort myself.

When faced with the scoffing of the modern and the current, the psalmist finds his comfort in the ancient. He remembers God's "judgments from of old." This refers to God's righteous rulings and interventions throughout history. He remembers how God dealt with Pharaoh, with the Canaanites, with the arrogant empires of the past. He remembers God's faithfulness to Abraham, His deliverance of Israel. This history is not dead and gone; it is a testimony to the unchanging character of Yahweh. The same God who judged the wicked and saved His people then is the same God today. Remembering this brings profound comfort, for it assures the believer that the present scoffers will not have the last word. God's justice will prevail.

Verse 53

Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked, Who forsake Your law.

A man who loves God's law will inevitably hate lawlessness. This is not a personal vendetta. It is a "burning indignation," a holy zeal, that takes hold of him when he sees the wicked flagrantly abandoning God's standard. In our effeminate age, such passion is often mistaken for intolerance or hatred. But it is nothing of the sort. It is the necessary corollary to loving righteousness. If you love what is good, you must hate what is evil. Apathy in the face of rampant wickedness is not a Christian virtue; it is a sign of a compromised heart. The psalmist is jealous for the honor of God's law, and it grieves and angers him to see it trampled underfoot.

Verse 54

Your statutes have become my songs In the house of my sojourning.

This is a glorious transformation. The very statutes and laws that the wicked forsake (v. 53) become the believer's "songs." The law of God is not a grim list of prohibitions; for the redeemed, it is the melody of life. It is the harmony of living in accord with our Creator's design. This singing takes place in "the house of my sojourning," which is our life on this earth. We are pilgrims, passing through. We are not yet home. And what does a pilgrim do to keep his spirits up on a long journey? He sings. The Christian sings the law of God, finding joy and rhythm in obedience, as he makes his way to the celestial city.

Verse 55

I remember in the night Your name, O Yahweh, So I keep Your law.

The psalmist's devotion is not a daytime-only affair. "In the night," a time of quiet, of vulnerability, of introspection, his thoughts turn to God. He remembers God's "name." The name of God in Scripture represents His character, His reputation, His power, and His covenant love. To remember His name is to meditate on who He is. And notice the direct result: "So I keep Your law." Right theology fuels right living. Contemplation of God's character naturally leads to a desire to please and obey Him. Obedience is not a grim duty performed to earn favor; it is the joyful response of a heart that has been captivated by the glory of God's name.

Verse 56

This has become mine, That I observe Your precepts.

The stanza concludes with a profound statement of blessing. "This has become mine." What is "this"? It is the very life of obedience he has been describing. The ability to keep God's precepts, the joy of singing His statutes, the comfort of His Word, the steadfastness in the face of mockery, this entire state of being is his possession. It is his inheritance. The blessing is not simply a future reward for obedience; the obedience itself is a central part of the blessing. God gives us His law, and then He gives us the grace to keep it, and in the keeping of it we find life and peace. This is the portion that God gives to His children.

Application

This passage is a manual for Christian endurance. First, we must ground our hope in the specific, blood-bought promises of God in the gospel. When affliction comes, do not run to the world's empty comforts. Run to the Word that gives life. Open your Bible and plead with God to "remember" His promises to you in Christ.

Second, expect mockery. The world has not gotten kinder since the psalmist's day. The arrogant will always scoff at a life submitted to God's law. Do not be surprised by it, and do not bend to it. Your task is not to be popular, but to be faithful. Stand your ground, and do not turn aside from His law.

Third, cultivate a holy hatred for sin. We must recover a righteous indignation at the lawlessness that surrounds us. This is not about being perpetually grumpy, but about loving God's honor enough to be angered when it is blasphemed. Let the wickedness of the world drive you to your knees in prayer and to a greater love for God's perfect law.

Finally, learn to sing the law. See God's commands not as a burden, but as a gift. They are the path to human flourishing. Make them the songs you sing on your pilgrimage through this life. Let the character of God, His holy name, be your meditation day and night. When you do this, you will find that the life of obedience is not something you give to God, but rather something He gives to you. It is your blessed possession, now and forever.