ו WAW [1]
“Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—Your salvation according to Your Word. So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in Your Word.” Psalm 119:41-42David’s faith was anchored to the promises of God. David prayed that salvation would come to him, “according to Your Word.” He fully expected God to fulfill His promises.
In Romans 10:14, Paul asked, “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” God reveals Himself to us in the Bible. His Word enlightens us. In Psalm 119:130, it is written, “The entrance of Your Word gives light, it gives understanding to the simple.” God’s Word reveals God to us. God saves us through His Word.
David’s faith was anchored to the mercy of God. David prayed, “Let Your mercies come...” God’s salvation comes to us entirely because He is merciful, not because of anything we have earned. In Luke 18:13, “The tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” In Luke 18:14, Jesus said of him, “I tell you this man went down to his house justified.”
What kind of mercy did David want from God? He wanted the mercy that strengthens faith for salvation. When writing about faith for salvation, Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” God’s Word boosts our faith in God’s ability to save us. In Galatians 1:15-16, Paul described his salvation as an act of God’s grace in which God revealed His Son to him.
“Let Your mercies come to me... so shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me.” God’s Word provides answers for us to give to people who criticize our faith in God. In the Gospels, highly educated people tested Jesus with difficult questions to answer about God. In each case, Jesus had an appropriate answer. Then, throughout the remainder of the New Testament, God’s Spirit gave answers to hard questions about Himself to His apostles.
“And take not the Word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in Your ordinances. So shall I keep Your Law continually, forever, and ever.” Psalm 119:43-44
David wanted the Word of truth to always be in his mouth. In Romans 10:8-9, Paul wrote, “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the Word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” We need to believe God’s Word in our hearts and confess it with our mouths. May the Lord graciously grant us the wisdom and courage to do so.
“And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.” Psalm 119:45
In John 8:32, Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Walking, speaking and delighting in God’s precepts (פִּקּוּד – mandates), testimonies and commandments is the key to freedom. Sin enslaves people to envy, strive, hate and think evil. God’s truth frees people to love, be gracious, forgiving and generous.
“I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings and will not be ashamed.” Psalm 119:46
Speaking the Word of God before kings is the work of prophets and apostles. David spoke to the king of Israel, Gath, Tyre, Hamath, and Amon. Abraham spoke to four different kings. Jacob, Joseph and Moses spoke to Pharoah. Elijah and Elisha spoke to kings. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel spoke to multiple kings. In Act 12, Peter spoke to King Herod Agrippa I. In Acts 26, Paul spoke to King Herod Agrippa II. In Revelation 10:11, an angel told John, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
In Matthew 10:18, Jesus told His disciples, “You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.” As followers of Jesus, we should remain ready to speak to kings and world leaders.
A Chinese pastor named Hong Sit advised me to prepare my sermon as though I were to speak it before a king. That way, I would prepare it well. I haven’t testified before a king yet, but the Lord did have me testify before government officials in China.
“And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love. My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes.” Psalm 119:47-48
David loved God’s Word. He believed meditating on it was the best investment of his time. Some use “free time” to watch TV, others to play games, and still others to enjoy indoor or outdoor hobbies. David used his hands to open and read the Bible.
Our love for God’s commandments is made known by what we do with them. Do we leave them behind after we close our Bible or do we take them with us everywhere we go? When we love someone deeply, we want to walk with him or her as much as possible.
“Dear Heavenly Father, please fill us with a deep love for You and for Your commandments. As David prayed in Psalm 19:14, so we pray, ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.’ In Jesus’ Name, we pray, amen.”
[1] From Googles sources and Bible Gateway: “Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem. It contains 176 verses divided into 22 sections, with each section named after one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Instead of just one line per letter, all eight verses in a given section begin with that specific letter. For example, verses 41–48 start with the ו WAW, and this exact pattern continues sequentially all the way through the final letter, Tau (ת).
וִֽיבֹאֻ֣נִי חֲסָדֶ֣ךָ יְהוָ֑ה תְּ֝שֽׁוּעָתְךָ֗ כְּאִמְרָתֶֽךָ׃
וְאֶֽעֱנֶ֣ה חֹרְפִ֣י דָבָ֑ר כִּֽי־בָ֝טַחְתִּי בִּדְבָרֶֽךָ׃
וְֽאַל־תַּצֵּ֬ל מִפִּ֣י דְבַר־אֱמֶ֣ת עַד־מְאֹ֑ד כִּ֖י לְמִשְׁפָּטֶ֣ךָ יִחָֽלְתִּי׃
וְאֶשְׁמְרָ֖ה תוֹרָתְךָ֥ תָמִ֗יד לְעוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃
וְאֶתְהַלְּכָ֥ה בָרְחָבָ֑ה כִּ֖י פִקֻּדֶ֣יךָ דָרָֽשְׁתִּי׃
וַאֲדַבְּרָ֣ה בְ֭עֵדֹתֶיךָ נֶ֥גֶד מְלָכִ֗ים וְלֹ֣א אֵבֽוֹשׁ׃
וְאֶשְׁתַּֽעֲשַׁ֥ע בְּמִצְוֺתֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָהָֽבְתִּי׃
וְאֶשָּֽׂא־כַפַּ֗י אֶֽל־מִ֭צְוֺתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָהָ֗בְתִּי וְאָשִׂ֥יחָה בְחֻקֶּֽיךָ׃
Historically, each letter name corresponds to a concrete object. Over time, these pictures evolved into the letters used today. For example, ו WAW was originally the symbol for hook.
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