Embrace the Word for Wednesday, November 4, 2026

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Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s Word. Psalm 119:153-160 continues the exploration of the “blessed” life. Each verse in this twentieth stanza begins with the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (which is resh). The mood of the twentieth stanza is dark as the context is affliction. The Psalmist’s difficulty is dire as evidenced by the fact that he pleads for his life three times (119:154,156,159). The twentieth stanza is quite similar to the nineteenth stanza, but the intensity expressed in this twentieth stanza is greatly elevated. The nineteenth and twentieth stanzas share common links such as the cry for “life” (119:149,154,156,159), the need to be “saved” or “delivered” or “redeemed” (119:146,153,154), the wicked being “far” from the “law” and “salvation” (119:150,155), the “persecutors” who “persecute” (119:150,157), and the Word being “true” or “truth” (119:151,160). Both stanzas end with the term “forever” (119:152,160). The Psalmist, in the first sub-stanza of the twentieth stanza, requests the LORD to enact justice upon the wicked, while asking for mercy for himself (119:153-156), while in the second sub-stanza he is resolute about his dependence upon God’s Word and his disgust toward those who reject the Word of God (119:157-160). In the first sub-stanza the Psalmist wants the LORD to “look” or see his affliction (119:153), while in the second sub-stanza, he wants the LORD to “consider” or see his love for the Word (119:159).

The Psalmist opens Psalm 119:153-160 with an urgent plea: “Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise!” (119:153-154). The Psalmist’s affliction has not subsided, in fact, his experience of it has only worsened. The intensity of his situation is revealed through the use of five imperatives identifying what the Psalmist is asking the LORD to do: “look,” “deliver,” “plead my cause,” “redeem,” and “give me life.” To ask the LORD who already sees all things (See Proverbs 15:3) to “look” is essentially to request that He take notice and act in accordance with His covenant promises. Such action would result in deliverance. The connection between “look” and “deliver” is prominent in the LORD’s rescue of Israel from Egyptian captivity (See Exodus 3:7-8). To ask the LORD to “plead” his cause is legal language as the Psalmist calls upon the LORD to come to his defense and vindicate him. The results of the LORD advocating for the Psalmist would be his redemption. Such redemption would certainly entail his release from his situation of bondage as it would involve the LORD paying the price of such freedom. The Psalmist has noted his bondage in terms of the affliction stemming from some form of oppression. It is this oppressive affliction that the Psalmist is looking to the LORD for release. The Psalmist is also asking that such release would occur in the context of the LORD giving him “life.” The “life” that the Psalmist speaks of, could simply mean the preservation of his life literally, but it is possible that he is more likely asking for the LORD to revive him with new inclinations—to reinvigorate his service to the LORD. In the midst of the Psalmist’s five-fold request, he adds, “for I do not forget your law.” The Psalmist is not grounding his requests in any notion of personal merit or individual deservedness, but the Psalmist is simply demonstrating that he knows he can pray like he does because God’s Word has taught him thus. The Psalmist is simply convinced—through his intake of the Word of God—that the LORD will do what He says He will do.

In contrast to how the Psalmist knows and keeps God’s Word, the Psalmist addresses the situation that the wicked face: “Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes” (119:155). The LORD intervenes on behalf of His people. Such intervention is “far” from the wicked, for any genuine interest in knowing and keeping the Word of God is “far” from them (119:150). The salvation that the LORD graciously provides is not in response to any human initiative of obedience, yet the LORD’s gracious work on behalf of his people—apart from any human cause—always involves or results in measures of obedience. The faith that clings to the promises of God, leads to obedience (See Romans 1:5,16:26). The Psalmist knows that his salvation is rooted, not in human merit, but in God’s mercy: “Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to your rules” (119:156). On the basis of the great mercy of God, as God’s Word has revealed, the Psalmist is confident that salvation is near to him.

As the Psalmist transitions he goes from an emphasis of pleading for the LORD to intervene (119:153-156), to an emphasis professing his loyalty to the LORD (119:157-160). This second sub-stanza begins with a further word by the Psalmist about his affliction: “Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies” (119:157). The Psalmist is pounced on by many persecutors and assailed by many adversaries. There is an important play on words in verse 156 and verse 157. In verse 156 the Psalmist spoke of God’s mercy being “great.” Now in verse 157, the term for “many” is the same word as translated “great.” In the face of a great many persecutors as well as adversaries teaming up to inflict a great affliction (perhaps great in terms of both amount and severity), only a great mercy can sustain the LORD’s people. Of course it is important to recall that any notion of human greatness will always be temporal and limited, while talk of divine greatness is always infinite and eternal: “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (See 1 John 4:4b). As a result of such great mercy, nothing that his enemies can do will cause him to turn away from the LORD and His Word.

In light of the abundance of mercy that the Psalmist has experienced, he offers a contrast and a reaction: “I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands. Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love” (119:158-159). To the description of his persecutors and adversaries being wicked, the Psalmist adds that they are faithless. The Psalmist’s enemies have a genuine disregard for the LORD and His Word. The Psalmist is sickened by such disregard. That his enemies would make light of and turn aside from something that the Psalmist deems so precious, not only grieves him, it appalls him. That they could be so disloyal to the One True God that the Psalmist has found to be so loyal, invokes a great hatred. This hatred is the appropriate counterpart to the depth of the Psalmist’s love for God’s Word. In the face of great enemies, but in light of the LORD’s great mercy, the Psalmist perseveres through his affliction with a great love. While the term great is not explicitly used in conjunction with his love for God’s Word, it is implied as the Psalmist asks the LORD to see “how” he loves. Such great love is a responsive love based upon the great or steadfast love that the LORD has shown to him. This great steadfast love of the LORD has been revealed to the Psalmist through the Word of God. The Psalmist knows that he can count on what the LORD reveals through His Word because of its character and nature: “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (119:160). The totality of the Word from the LORD as well as each detail is always and forever true and reliable. In lasting forever, its righteous promises and commands are relevant each and every day.

As we reflect on Psalm 119:153-160 we can consider the Apostle Paul’s disgust toward those who proclaimed a false Gospel: “For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough” (See 2 Corinthians 11:4). The Apostle Paul felt a great burden concerning the notion of people being swayed from the true gospel message consisting of who Christ is and what He has accomplished. The Apostle was greatly alarmed at how easily such deception could take root: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (See Galatians 1:6-7). The letter to the churches in the area of Galatia expressly show how appalled he was to false gospels and how abhorrent they were to him. Paul declares that a false gospel and those who preach such a gospel are condemned: “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (See Galatians 1:9). Speaking to the matter concerning the false teachers attempting to distort the gospel by requiring circumcision, the Apostle shows his disgust when he wrote: “I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!” (See Galatians 5:12). Such strong language toward the false teachers (whom he calls “dogs” and “evildoers” in Philippians 3:2) is prompted by the Apostle’s deep affection for the love of Christ displayed in the true gospel message: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (See Galatians 2:20).

That’s all for Embrace the Word for Wednesday, November 4, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Friday, November 6, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 119:161-168.