119: Lamedh

The Lamedh [ל] is the twelfth letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the symbol of learning. It begins the second half of the alphabet and the second half of Psalm 119, thus putting learning at the heart of the human experience, and spiritual learning most central of all.

One of the most important lessons we can ever learn is to worship appropriately.

Appropriate worship is regular worship. A heart that will not center itself in occupation with God at least daily is far too occupied with the comparative trivia of this life. Appropriate worship is reflective worship. A heart that does not meditate on the works of God visible in creation and humanity has too small a vision of deity. Appropriate worship is biblical worship. It is only through the word of God that we come to understand the unique glory of our Creator and only the words scripture uses about him are adequate to describe him.

Four of the lamedh stanza’s eight verses directly glorify God, the most in any section of the psalm to date.

Psalm 119:89-91 — The Language of Certainty

“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants.”

Identifying Worship

How can we know worship when we see it? Well, worship’s subject is always God. The words “I”, “me” and “my” appear a combined 136 times in Psalm 119’s first 88 verses. We can be fairly confident the subject of those preceding verses is not primarily the glory of God but rather the needs of man, the failures of man and, at the best of times, the impacts of God’s dealings on man.

That’s not to knock the making of requests in prayer or the need for regular confession. The Lord encouraged his disciples to ask for more, not less. Nevertheless, pronouns tell the tale. To the extent my primary subject is me, I am not really meditating on the Lord. These first three verses do not contain a single first-personal pronoun. Instead, we have four “your”s and a “you”. The psalmist has the Lord squarely in his sights, and that’s a great way to start off the second half of the Bible’s longest psalm.

Firmly Fixed in the Heavens

I’ve tried very hard to think about the first verse apart from the glorified Christ, currently “firmly fixed” at God’s right hand, and it’s quite impossible. He is God’s word. When God speaks, what comes out on earth is Christ, whether we are thinking of his involvement in creation, his appearances as the angel of the Lord, his incarnation, his expression of himself through his people in the church he is building, or his second coming. At many times and in many ways God spoke by the prophets, but even they spoke about Christ constantly. In the Heir of All Things, God has spoken with finality. Until he brings us home forever, he has nothing further to say to the world.

Of course, this was probably not what the psalmist was thinking about when he spoke of “your word”. He probably meant little more than that God’s edicts are unbreakable, his promises sure and his pronouncements irrefutable truth. All these things are true, but the believer knows the seal of God’s promise is Christ. Whatever the age and whatever the subject, God’s word is settled in heaven, and Christ confirms it.

Enduring Faithfulness

The psalmist continues, “Your faithfulness endures to all generations.” The evidence? “You have established the earth, and it stands fast.” Something in the order of 72 generations have passed since the Lord Jesus walked this earth, and perhaps 100 generations since the completion of Psalm 119, but humanity is still here and God is still working in the world to undo the curse of the Fall. The earth stands fast. All things continue more or less as they have in times past until God accomplishes his purposes in Christ.

Meanwhile, what keeps the world operating as it does? Why, Christ of course. He “upholds the universe by the word of his power”. Paul says something similar in Colossians: “in him all things hold together”. Whether we see him or not, God expresses his faithfulness to all generations in the person of Jesus Christ.

By Your Appointment

When the psalmist says, “all things are your servants”, he is probably not thinking of human powers and authorities, but rather of the universe spoken into being by God and which stands this day by his appointment. The wise men, who were probably astrologers, followed a star that had an appointment at Bethlehem. That is one of the more obvious manifestations of the servitude of creation, but we could think of many others. Elsewhere in the Psalms, David writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” They speak of God’s glory because that’s what he designed them for. All nature testifies of him. As Jesus put it, “If these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Such is the glory of God. Nature serves him, and cannot keep silent about it.

The Language of Certainty

Finally, have a look at the confidence in these verses. They cry out their absolute certainty. The words “firmly fixed”, “faithfulness”, “established”, “appointment” and “stand” all remind us that God keeps his promises. His word is settled. He does what he says he will do and he never fails. He is the rock on which our existence and faith depend, and he seals the deal in Christ.

This is the language of worship, and we do well to pay attention to it and appropriate it for our own use. If there is any lesson worth learning in life, this is the one to learn.

Psalm 119:92-95 — A Cry for Help

“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts. The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies.”

After three verses of undiluted occupation with God, the first-person pronouns start up again: ten in four verses. We should not criticize the psalmist for this. Like you and me, he was a dependent and he knew it. “Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” There is nothing wrong or mercenary about looking to God for help and reward. Where else will you find it? Faith expresses itself by drawing near in need.

Nevertheless, I cannot read this portion of the psalm without thinking of the proportions of the Lord’s prayer. In the model prayer of our Lord, occupation with God’s glory (“Our Father in heaven”, “Hallowed be your name”, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, “Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever”) and personal concerns and daily needs (“Give us this day our daily bread”, “Forgive us our debts”, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”) exist side-by-side in perfect balance. Here, after three opening verses about God, we have four verses of personal concerns. Most of these are observations: my delight in your law has carried me through the tough times, your precepts revive my soul, your testimonies keep me going in spite of opposition.

Right in the middle is a singular request: “Save me.” The psalmist can ask a glorious God for deliverance from his enemies because he has sought God’s righteous precepts. A God who can uphold the universe can surely keep his promises to his servant.

Psalm 119:96 — The Limit of the Limits

“I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.”

The section closes with an observation about the commandments of the Lord that reflects on God personally. The Hebrew word translated “limit” in the ESV is associated with time. In a fallen world, given enough time, everything eventually fails, decays and dies. There is a pun going on here in that the word for perfection is yet another word for “end”. He is saying, in effect, “I have seen an end to everything that has reached its end, its maturity, its goal. I have seen the limit of the limits.” Everything that human beings attempt fails given enough time, no matter how useful, successful or grand it has been in its day. It was true of every empire in human history, and it will be true of the states in which we live today.

In contrast to what man builds, even when it is very good, there is the commandment of God, which is exceedingly broad. The Hebrew word translated “broad” is not a time-based expression but rather a territory-based expression. God is outside of time. He works in it, but is never bound by it. Properly understood and meditated upon, the word of God covers every need man will ever have and every difficult decision he will ever make. It fills the entire world.

If learning how to live well is the goal, there is no better place to turn than to the commandments of God.