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Psalm 119
Koph
145 I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O
LORD: I will keep thy statutes.
146 I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall
keep thy testimonies.
147 I prevented the dawning of the morning,
and cried: I hoped in thy word.
148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches,
that I might meditate in thy word.
149 Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according
to thy judgment.
150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.
151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.
152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have
known of old that thou hast founded them
for ever.
This is the nineteenth section of Psalm 119. Having
covered a more detailed overview of the Psalm,
it is my intention to go more thoroughly through
each section. Briefly, each section is according
to the letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each letter
contains 8 verses that begin with that specific letter. Koph is the nineteenth letter,
so each verse, in
the Hebrew, begins with a word starting with the
letter Koph.
In Hebrew, unlike English, each letter was originally also a word.
We do not know the meaning of
every letter today, but we do know most. Koph
means, 'The hole of an axe; monkey, ape'. Since
the Psalmist built the Psalm based on the letters,
it is likely the meaning of each letter played in his
thoughts as he composed each section. In this section, I would suggest the hole of the axe is the line of
thought. Look at it this way, an axe head is no good
unless the hole is joined to the source of power, the
axe handle. The axe head is good for work, but not
without the hand to wield it. It is useless without
that handle, but there has to be a way to affix the
handle. We are the axe head God wants to use. We
must have a hole bored, or pierced, through us for
the handle to have its lodging place. Indeed, such
is the place of the cross we must daily bear. This
section presents the creation of that hole that makes
the man a worthy tool in the hands of the wielder.
As you shall see, Jacob's limping stride was necessary to become the Prince with God.
This Psalm is also based upon the usage of a host
of words that are 'legal' terms in the Hebrew. I
have gone into a more thorough definition of each
word, as it has been encountered, in the previous
sections. I would recommend going there to find
those expansions. I will cover additional words as
we come across them.
Wrestling With Yahweh In
His Word
145 I cried with my whole heart; hear me,
O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.
Of all the sections, this one is unique in actually
using the name of 'Yahweh' the most. We find it
three times. I have broken the sections according
to that usage. Each seems to mark a distinct point
of development for Koph.
The word for 'hear me' also means 'answer me,
respond to me'. With the needy cry of his heart, he
is earnest for more than hearing. He is critically
seeking a favorable response.
We meet the Psalmist in the depths of a spiritual battle. We are given a glimpse of its grip upon
him. We see his whole heart being involved in this
struggle. It is not just an inconvenience he is going
through. We all face inconveniences, or irritants,
that we simply learn to endure. There are some
things in life that are too large to endure. We do
not know what to do, but the heart that is entirely
committed to God, knows there is no place to turn
but to cry to Him. Such a heart has grown enough
to have learned that God is faithful. He will hear
the cry of those wholeheartedly come to Him for
deliverance.
146 I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall
keep thy testimonies.
This verse is a Hebrew parallelism of the previous. He is continuing to cry to Yahweh. In the
parallelism, we see 'keep' in both, but the Hebrew
word used is different. Though there doesn't seem
to be a notable difference in their meaning, they
both carry the meaning of guarding. Generally,
if we are committed to guarding something, it is
because it holds great value.
He is pleading for God to hear his cry and brings
up something too many seem to miss. He appeals
to God with the direct response that he is aware of
his need to listen to what God has said to him. We
may seek God's face in time of need, but do we have
the heart that shows God we want to hear Him?
Why should He hear us, if we could really care less
about hearing Him? This Psalmist is no fool, he has
clearly thought about that reasonable consideration
and addresses it. He does this so much so, that the
following two verses are consumed with hearing
God's words.
147 I prevented the dawning of the morning,
and cried: I hoped in thy word.
'Prevented' is a word meaning 'to go before'.
The word translated 'dawning of the morning'
means 'twilight; evening or morning'. Through
the following verses, we see he is referring to the
morning. We find this word 'cried' once more. Only
this time, the Hebrew word is different. It means 'to
cry out, as to shout'. We see a desperate wrestling
with God taking place.
I think it good to take a look at Jacob here. Looking back at Peniel, we see a parallel:
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled
a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25
And when he saw that he prevailed not against
him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the
hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he
wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go,
for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let
thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto
him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more
Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power
with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29
And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray
thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that
thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him
there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place
Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my
life is preserved. 31 And as he passed over Penuel
the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his
thigh.
Genesis 32:24-31
At that time, many years had passed in the life
of Jacob. Most of his children had already been
born. He had learned some serious lessons and
was being brought closer in his walk with God. At
Peniel, he stood at the brink of a major transformation in his life. It was there he wrestled with
God. He had undergone many struggles in life,
but he had not stood at the brink of his death. At
Peniel, he had good grounds for expecting total
destruction, as he was about to meet his brother
Esau. Though he connived to protect his own life,
he knew he needed more. He wrestled with God
and most literally 'prevented the dawning of the
morning'. It was at that twilight of the morning,
that the angel touched the thigh of Jacob and his
natural walk was forever changed. It was also at
Peniel that Jacob's name was changed to Israel.
Israel meaning 'Prince with God'. He had finally
been broken of his natural strength in his life and
death wrestling with God. God now declared his
name was no long 'Jacob', meaning 'Supplanter'.
He had cried, he had wrestled, he had shouted, he
had grieved till the dawning of the day in battle
with God, and he was changed. Glory to God in
the Highest!
Just as everything was at stake in seeking the
word of the angel, so this Psalmist struggled with
God in that same desperate hope. All he needed
was that precious word, and he knew all would be
well. Now such a desperate hope goes beyond just
reading some verse. When our very life is at stake,
there has to be knowledge that word includes us.
At a primary level, we may read and understand
God saves by grace, but unless we enter into the
truth of that word, it will not save us. Head knowledge is not enough. We must battle with God and
be transformed. It is not something we can do.
The touch of the angel must do that work. We may
try to walk with a limp and fool some people and
ourselves, but that is not the same as having our
hip actually damaged.
148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches,
that I might meditate in thy word.
This verse is the second parallelism set in this
section. It is a match to 147. We are told a critical
part of his battle was spent in that night battle in
meditating upon the Word of God. Again 'word'
here is different to the previous 'word' he had
hoped upon, in the Hebrew terms used. This one
being more indicative of spoken words, and this
one is also in the plural. He was wisely considering all the Words of God. He simply had to know
what God had to say to him. He did not dare take a
solitary verse and stand upon that. For all he knew,
it might be taken out of context. If he was trusting
for his very life, such an error would be fatal.
It is important to notice it is 'night watches',
not in the singular. In the singular, we could perceive a short time in looking at God's Word. The
plural tells us this battle saw him still in God's
Word, and meditative prayer upon it, as each
watch came about. They didn't have time pieces
like the watches we now use. The nights were
somehow divided into sections. These sections
were 'watches'. He could be found in God's Word
as each watch rolled around.
Jumping ahead a little, I wanted us to note
something of the remaining structure to be found
in this section. 145 and 146 both began with the
same word for 'cried', 147 and 148 are parallels
beginning with the same word for 'prevented'
or 'came before'. The following verse breaks the
pattern, then 150 and 151 begin their lines both
using the same word for 'draw near'. Finally, verse
152, being the last, begins with the same word of
147 and 148.
Presenting The Danger to Yahweh
149 Hear my voice according unto thy
lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.
Though this verse doesn't start with the match
word to any of the other verses, it does start with
the match theme of the first three. The crying of his
heart, in the vocalized cries of agony, draws us back
to those first three verses. The word for 'lovingkindness' is also the word for 'mercy'. He continues to
make his desperate appeal for God's mercy.
It is here we find the next marker of his use
of God's name of Yahweh. The battle tone is the
same, but the focus changes from clinging to God's
Words, to looking at the danger, or threat.
The three choice words of the second half of
this verse are packed. The first being 'LORD',
or 'Yahweh', being that closer name of God who
chose to reveal Himself to His servants. The second being, 'according to thy judgment', which is
God's active involvement in His decree regarding a specific case. At this point, the issue of the
Psalmist's immediate need. The final word being,
'quicken me' or 'give me life'. This, like Jacob,
was in the face of the risk of destruction. Except
God act, all is lost.
150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.
It is this verse that shows us a little of the threat
that looms before him. He lays out the simplest of
descriptions, but it tells us everything. His threat
is the wicked who want nothing to do with God's
revealed directions, the 'law' or 'torath'.
Essentially, the Psalmist is clinging on to the
Bible, much like a man who can't swim would be
holding a lifesaver in the ocean. Those who want
to destroy him are swimming towards him. They
heap scorn upon him for being so weak he has to
use the lifesaver or sink. They might be thinking,
'lets pull the lifesaver out from under him'. They
are so self confident, they want nothing to do with
that lifesaver. What 'they' don't seem to realize,
they can't swim for more than a short space of
time, while that lifesaver will keep that 'lifesaver
dependent man' afloat long after they have sunk
to the bottom. None the less, the danger is presently upon him of these others who would love to
see him sink.
At the moment of these words, 'they' are simply shouting their scorn from a number of yards
away. They are steadily swimming towards him,
closing the gap, much like the shark fin slicing
through the water.
Abiding In God's Provision
151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy
commandments are truth.
Though 151 couples with 150, I have chosen to
subcategorize it here, according to the use of the
name Yahweh.
In joint use with 150, we see the counter balance
to his dangerous situation. The enemies are closing in, but the Psalmist knows Yahweh is also near.
He is not without hope. At this moment of seeing
his life in great danger, he knows those words of
God, he has been meditating upon, are 'faithful,
truthful and reliable'. He is truly standing by faith.
He has nothing else upon which to lean.
He also knows that God is more than some
distant, unrelated creator. By the very use of His
name, he is relating to Him as the one who brought
Israel out of bondage in Egypt. He knows how
Yahweh saved those who called upon him from
the hands of their oppressors.
152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have
known of old that thou hast founded them
for ever.
The word for 'of old' is actually the first Hebrew
word in this verse. Being that same as the'prevent' of 147 and 148, with slight modification, it
means 'that which is before; antiquity'.
We find 'testimonies' once more. In this section,
we found it in the second part of verse 146. There,
it was distinctly related to the line on salvation.
God's 'testimonies' telling of the character of
God. Christ Jesus being the living testimony of
the Father. This Psalmist notes two things about
God's testimonies. As he looks back through time,
he sees there is not a time when they weren't
present. As he looks forward into the future, they
will always continue. As for the living testimony,
in the Lord Jesus Christ, He is eternal. He has
always been and will always be. It is that living
testimony of Christ, who is our answer of salvation, from the Father.
As we conclude this section, we see the Psalmist,
on his lifesaver, beholding his enemies closing in. He
has been looking to God, and he knows his salvation
is sure. He may not know how Yahweh will accomplish his deliverance, but he knows that deliverance
is a sure thing. Such was the situation Jacob faced
after Peniel. His natural walk was injured, but he
was the Prince with God. Though Israel didn't know
what was to befall him when he met his brother, and
he was still afraid, he had undergone a change. He
would never be the same. Esau did close the gap and
reached Jacob's side, but God had done a work. Esau
had forgotten the old hatred of his youth.
When those taunting swimmers finally reached the
man on the lifesaver, we might likewise perceive their
changed attitude. Before, they were hostile, even life
threatening. Much like Esau towards Jacob. Even with
the wicked, God can bring about a miraculous change in
direction, according to His own purposes. These taunting swimmers finally reached the side of the lifesaver.
Who knows, maybe they began to be enlightened and
said, 'Hey, you know I'm feeling a little tired, maybe
your lifesaver isn't such a bad idea. Mind if I hang on
with you?' Just so you don't worry, God's lifesaver is
special, it will always enlarge to meet the demands
placed upon it. It is impossible for it to sink.
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