Psalm 119.129-136 (6)

Pray Psalm 119.135, 136.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.
Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law.

Sing Psalm 119.134-136.
(No Other Plea: My Faith Has Found a Resting Place)
Redeem me from oppression, Lord, from those who hate Your way,
that I may keep Your holy Word and serve You day by day.
Shine on me with Your glorious face; Your servant, Lord, am I.
So teach me by Your holy Word; Your grace to me supply.

Lord, see the world in lawlessness, how love has grown so cold.
Look down, O Lord, to save and bless; let grace and peace take hold.
Though many look on You with awe, rejoicing in Your Word,
I weep for those who void Your Law and spurn Your grace, O Lord.

Read Psalm 119.129-136; meditate on verses 135, 136.

Preparation
1. What was it like for God to teach the psalmist His Word?

2. For what did he weep?

Meditation
Rain or shine, our psalmist longed for the statutes and Law of God. He experienced the sunshine of divine favor and strength as God taught him. Reading and learning the Law of God was like a warm day for our psalmist. He basked in the light of God’s Word, grew by its warmth and power, and bore the fruit of righteousness in his proper season.

On the other hand, waters of sadness poured down his cheeks knowing that many people did not keep the Law. Such people rejected the warmth of God’s love and preferred their own ways to His; thus, they robbed God of His glory and condemned themselves to wrath.

We show that we love God and His Word as we delight to learn and obey it and when we weep because of those who do not. We want everyone to know the Lord. We want all the people in our Personal Mission Field to know His love shining down on them, filling their souls and transforming them into the likeness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God’s love. We must not be indifferent to the indifference others show toward God and His Word. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and we should weep over those who do not or will not know the Lord.

Let tears rain down for the lost and hardened of heart, even as you stretch out in the Sonshine of God’s love and soak up the warmth of His Word.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
Solomon said, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…a time to weep” (Eccl. 3.1, 4). And Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5.4).

There are many things in this life that cause tears to flow from our eyes—unsaved children, parents who don’t know the Lord, friends outside of the Kingdom, governments that have turned their backs on God—all of which cause real sadness and pain. God knows we feel this and assures us that this is righteous mourning. It is a true reason to grieve.

Jesus Himself grieved: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matt. 23.37). That is an authentic word picture of righteous grieving for the lost.

We have this promise from Jesus: “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” (Lk. 6.21). Our grief for the lost, the tears we shed for them, the work we put into our Personal Mission Field to share Jesus Christ with those we find there, all these tears for those that do not keep God’s Law, will one day prove to bring joy to our hearts, and hopefully theirs.

“Thus says the LORD:
‘Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears;
for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and
they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
There is hope in your future, says the LORD,
that your children shall come back to their own border” (Jer. 31.16, 17).

And then the ultimate promise of tear-free living:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away…Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21.4, 5).

The season to weep is now. The reason to work is now. There is a purpose for all this under heaven.

For reflection
1. Why should we weep for those who do not obey God’s Law?

2. Why do we need God to shine His face on us if we are to learn and obey His Law?

3. How should you pray for the lost people in your Personal Mission Field? How about those who are saved?

Commonly, where there is a gracious heart, there is a weeping eye. Accept, O Lord, the tears our blessed Redeemer shed in the days of his flesh, for us who should weep for our brethren or ourselves. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Psalm 119.135, 136

Pray Psalm 119.132, 133.
Pray that God will light your path today by His Word and guard you against all temptation and sin.

Sing Psalm 119.132, 133.
(No Other Plea: My Faith Has Found a Resting Place)
Look on me, Lord, with mercy as on all who love Your Name.
Direct my steps to keep Your paths, and all Your Word proclaim.
Yes, let Your Word my shelter be; rule over all my soul,
and keep me from iniquity; my every way control.

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to a summary of last week’s Scriptorium study by going to our website, www.ailbe.org, and clicking the Scriptorium tab for last Sunday. You can download any or all the studies in this series on Psalm 119 by clicking here.

What does revival look like, and how can we realize revival in our day? Our book, Revived!, answers these questions and shows you how to contribute to revival in our day. Order your free copy by clicking here.

If you find Scriptorium helpful in your walk with the Lord, please seek the Lord, asking Him whether you should contribute to the support of this daily ministry with your financial gifts. As the Lord leads, you can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal or Anedot, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.