Speaking of God’s Righteous Judgments – Psalm 119:105-112

נ NUN [1]

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

God gives us His Word to light the path before us. His Word reveals things about God and us that we could not otherwise know. It shows us what is wrong, what is dangerous, and what needs to be corrected. Without it this world would be filled with utter darkness. [2] God’s Word continues to burn brightly among us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In a sense, God’s Word is our Rabbi or teacher. Just as Jesus taught His disciples in the Gospels, so He teaches us now through the words of the Bible. His Spirit enlightens our understanding so that we can comprehend its correct meaning and application.

“I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.” Psalm 119:106

God’s judgments are always right because they are based on His Word. David bound himself to them and verbally affirmed them. [3] Just as it is good and right for a man and woman to make commitments to one another when they marry, so it is good for every individual to make a solemn commitment to honor God’s judgments.

Blessings flow from God as we faithfully do for Him what we promised to do.

“I am afflicted very much. Revive me, O Lord, according to Your Word.” Psalm 119:107

David describes an experience that is common to God’s servants, namely, a type of dying and resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15:31, Paul wrote, “I die daily.” In Galatians 2:20, he wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” How did David respond to afflictions? He asked God for resurrection power, saying, “Revive me!”

In Proverbs 24:16, David’s son Solomon wrote, “A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.” Solomon had witnessed God bring his dad back from the brink of destruction multiple times.

In Romans 8:11, Paul wrote, “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” In Christ we have resurrection power!

“Revive me, O Lord!” meaning, “Resuscitate me, I am on the verge of dying.” “Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation!”

“Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your judgments.” Psalm 119:108

David prayed that God would accept the freewill offerings of his mouth—not offerings of money, but his prayers and praises. These are the spiritual sacrifices that believers, as God’s spiritual priests, offer to Him. As Hosea 14:2 says, they are “the calves of our lips,” and as Hebrews 13:15 says, they are “the fruit of our lips.” These offerings must come willingly and gladly from the heart. The more love, sincerity, and willingness we have in serving God, the more pleasing our service is to Him. [4]

David asked God to teach him about divine judgment. A large portion of the Bible has to do with God’s judgment. Prophets and apostles warned people to turn from idols to the living God lest they perish in their sins. All God’s people should learn from Him how speak of His judgments.

In John 16:8-11, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “When He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” A sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us is an inner conviction of our need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because only He saves us from sin and its consequences.

“My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your Law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.” Psalm 119:109-110

David’s life was at risk. His enemies hid traps to catch him. He was type of Christ in this way. In Mark 12:13, the Bible says of Jesus, “Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.”

As a soldier, David often risked his life in battle. But especially as a faithful servant of God—a man after God’s own heart—he suffered hatred and persecution. [5] As 2 Corinthians 4:11 says, God’s servants may be “always delivered unto death” for His sake.

Though in danger of losing his life, David was not in danger of losing his faith. God, in His mercy, kept David believing. Peter wrote about being kept by the power of God in 1 Peter 1:3-5. He blessed God who births us into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God gives us an inheritance that does not fade away. He reserves it in heaven for us. He keeps us by His power through faith. Why? For salvation that will be revealed in the last time. [6]

“Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end.” Psalm 119:111-112

David made a firm decision to live and die by the Word of God. He valued the testimonies of the Lord. He found great joy in them. [7]

In Revelation 2-3, Jesus made promises to those who overcome the various trials which the world sends their way. For example in Revelation 2:25-26, Jesus said to the Church in Thyatira, “Hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.”

In James 1:12, the Lord has promised “the crown of life to those who love Him.”

Do we love the Lord? To love God is the first and great commandment. Do we love every aspect of His nature, including His holiness, His Law, His judgments, His mercy, His grace and His love?

There is so much to know about God! In Romans 11:33, Paul wrote, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” We will never learn all there is to know about God on this side of eternity, but we should be His disciples who constantly seek to understand Him better than the day before.


[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 105–112 start with the נ NUN, and this exact pattern continues sequentially all the way through the final letter, Tau (ת).

נֵר־לְרַגְלִ֥י דְבָרֶ֑ךָ וְ֝א֗וֹר לִנְתִיבָתִֽי׃
נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי וָאֲקַיֵּ֑מָה לִ֝שְׁמֹ֗ר מִשְׁפְּטֵ֥י צִדְקֶֽךָ׃
נַעֲנֵ֥יתִי עַד־מְאֹ֑ד יְ֝הוָ֗ה חַיֵּ֥נִי כִדְבָרֶֽךָ׃
נִדְב֣וֹת פִּ֭י רְצֵה־נָ֣א יְהוָ֑ה וּֽמִשְׁפָּטֶ֥יךָ לַמְּדֵֽנִי׃
נַפְשִׁ֣י בְכַפִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד וְ֝תֽוֹרָתְךָ֗ לֹ֣א שָׁכָֽחְתִּי׃
נָתְנ֬וּ רְשָׁעִ֣ים פַּ֣ח לִ֑י וּ֝מִפִּקּוּדֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א תָעִֽיתִי׃
נָחַ֣לְתִּי עֵדְוֺתֶ֣יךָ לְעוֹלָ֑ם כִּֽי־שְׂשׂ֖וֹן לִבִּ֣י הֵֽמָּה׃
נָטִ֣יתִי לִ֭בִּי לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת חֻקֶּ֗יךָ לְעוֹלָ֥ם עֵֽקֶב׃

Historically, each letter name corresponds to a concrete object. Over time, these pictures evolved into the letters used today. For example, נ NUN was originally the symbol for fish.

[2-7] Material developed, added to and edited from Matthew Henry’s Commentary