PSALM 119:81-88 CAPH

The psalmist is in deep distress. He has been crying unto the Lord, but the
problems he has been facing continue to be so real and so difficult, - they
are not going away. He has had all types of opposition and it is eating at
him and he feels so exhausted. As a consequence, his spiritual state is
under threat, My soul fainteth for thy salvation Lord, it seems I am
wearing out, - Adam Clarke commented, - that even my very spirits
are exhausted. My relationship with you is the most precious possession
I own, but Lord Im afraid of losing its joy and confidence.

He cannot help but question the Lord, - he doesnt question the Lords
will, but he questions the Lord just as a little child would his father,
v.82 When wilt thou comfort me?
v.84 How many are the days of thy servant?
v.84 when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?
Lord, how long has this to go on for? Lord, when will you step in? Yes,
like a little child, he comes to the Lord and he is full of questions.

Lets start at the beginning of this section and see the way the psalmist
copes with the problems and opposition he is faced with.

FAINTING, BUT HOPING vv.81-83
The first thing we notice is that he hasnt given up and he is not
for giving up! This faith he has in God is far too precious to consider
defeat, - that is what the enemy would have him do, but the faith he has in
God has seen him through many battles in the past, and God would see
him through this battle also! He is fainting, but he is also hoping.
He is not even asking for a way out, - a way of escape, - he simply
asks the Lord for greater faith to contend with the opposition around him.
Many commentators believe it was J eremiah who wrote this psalm
and they point you to his words in Lam. 2:11 to enlarge on his
circumstances, Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is
poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because
the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.
He describes himself in Ps. 119, I am become like a bottle in the smoke
In the eastern countries the bottles were made of skins; they were hung
over the smoke of the burning fire on the hearth and they would soon
become parched and shrivelled up. That was how he felt, - he was so
exhausted and parched physically and spiritually. He felt like a dried-up
wineskin that had been thrown out because it was no longer any use.
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And yes, of course, it is difficult, of course it is hard; he is
exhausted trying to remain faithful to God but he is determined not to
give in.
Consider the example of the Lord J esus Phil. 2:6 Who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Consider J esus on the cross Lk. 23:46 [He] cried with a loud voice, he
said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave
up the ghost.
He was like a bottle in the smoke, He was so exhausted both physically
and spiritually, and He knew the constant power of the enemy at work
Yes, the enemy is real and he is in the business of opposing the
Christian every step along the way and the psalmist cries out, - When
wilt thou comfort me?
It is not stubbornness that drove him, it was his hope and confidence
in the Word and in the promises of God. He knew God will come and
he knew too God would give him the grace to carry on until He did come.
Another man in the Old Testament who was in similar circumstances
was Habakkuk, and when the Lord had explained to him what was in His
plan Habakkuk quietly and peacefully replied to the Lord, 2:1 I will stand
upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see 3 For the
vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie:
though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
J obs wife said to him, 2:9 curse God, and die, - get it all over with, get
it finished! But J ob wasnt for quitting, v.10 he said unto her, Thou speakest
as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand
of God, and shall we not receive evil?
Paul told the Philippians, 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of his good pleasure. Sometimes the Lord allows His people
to travel along the difficult road and Paul had been teaching them that the
Word of God, prayer and suffering were the three tools God uses to
shape us into the kind of believers He requires us to be.
No matter what circumstances you are faced with, - believer, - God
places the desire within you to persevere with the promise that He will
preserve you, he giveth more grace (James 4:6); II Cor. 12:9 My grace is
sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest
upon me.
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Indeed, the plan of God will not take you where the grace of God
cannot sustain you. And even, - in another setting, - when Peter was
walking on the Sea of Galilee the only reason he began to sink into the
waters was that He took his eyes of the Lord.
The psalmist was careful yes, while outwardly he was fainting,
inwardly he was hoping and his eyes were by faith continually fixed on
the God of His salvation. Fainting, but hoping

QUESTIONING, BUT WAITING vv.84-85
Is it wrong to question the Lord? I dont think it is, as long as we
do not doubt His power and His sovereignty, - J esus asked the question,
My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
J ob asked, 3:11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the
ghost when I came out of the belly?
The psalmists asked many questions, Ps. 42:9 I will say unto God my
rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression
of the enemy? 88:14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou
thy face from me?
The power of God is immense, it is beyond human comprehension.
Nothing can defeat His might; on another occasion the psalmist wrote,
59:9 Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.
Christ faced the entire population of Hell on the cross and He
defeated every last one of His enemies once and for all! Christ defeated
Hell for me!! I could never have done what J esus did and that is why
J esus took my place and did it for me!
How long? Moses asked the Lord, Num. 14:27 How long shall I bear
with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the
murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
King David asked the Lord, Ps. 6:3 My soul is also sore vexed: but thou,
O LORD, how long? 13:1 How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever?
how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? 79:5 How long, LORD? wilt thou
be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?
Time and time again, - down through the centuries, - Gods servants
have cried, O Lord, how long? and accompanying their cry how
long is also the equally desperate question, when? v.82 When wilt thou
comfort me? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?
These questions have often been asked by Gods saints, e.g. Rev. 6:9
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them
that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10
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And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true,
dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And the question is often asked by many believers whose families are
not yet saved, or who are going through terrible illnesses or uncertainties.
Lord, how long? when? It is the natural response of people
who are suffering.
We cannot always see Him working out His will; we cannot always
understand what He is doing and why it seems to be taking Him so long.
The writer to the Hebrews encouraged his readers, 6:10 For God is not
unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed
toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11
And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full
assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them
who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Yes, the enemy is digging the pits for us to fall into; sometimes it
seems so unfair that he seems to be having it all his own way but the
days of the enemy are in the hands of Almighty God and He will cast
them all into the pit that He has formed for all eternity.
Yes, it is natural to question just as long as you never forget you
are a child of the King of kings, a child of the Everlasting Father Who
made heaven and earth and the Bible promises, Ps. 84:11 [He] will give
grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Fainting but hoping, Questioning but waiting and finally

TRUSTING, AND RECEIVING vv.86-88
Why does the enemy bother you? Read through every example of the
passages in Scripture, - without exception, - and you will find the enemy
bothering the people of God because of the threat they are to him.
The devil never bothers you if you are not bothering him. You try
your best to follow Christ as faithfully as you can and you will find you
will have the enemy very close at hand also.
I do not like opposition but I would be worried if I didnt have it; it
would mean I would not be doing my job right.
The devil hates to hear the Gospel of Sovereign and Free Grace, - he
would rather hear some false gospel that attributes to man a part to play
in his salvation in addition to all that God has done. Such a gospel is
not Gods Gospel!


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A man-pleasing sermon is often bereft of the splendour and holiness
of God and here is the psalmist, - he fainteth for the salvation of God,
his eyes are failing, he feels he is not being comforted (strengthened), he
is like a dried-out wine container along his path are the holes his
enemies have dug for him to fall into, they are making false accusations
against him in fact, 87 They had almost consumed me upon earth.
But all along the way he found Gods Word is dependable, and all
along the way the psalmist was trusting in Gods Word,
v.81 I hope in thy word,
v.83 yet do I not forget thy statutes,
v.85 All thy commandments are faithful,
v.87 I forsook not thy precepts.
Do you feel sometimes as if everything seems to be getting the better
of you? Do you feel you are almost unable to cope? Then rest on
Gods promises and trust in the love He has shown you.
Read about it in His Word; look at the examples of faithful men and
women who He shone into and made trophies of grace.
Warren Weirsbe wrote, When the Father allows His children to go
into the furnace of affliction, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand
on the thermostat. He knows how long and how much.
Another writer has written (Robert T. Ketcham), Your Father in
Heaven loves you too much to harm you, and He is too wise to make a
mistake.
But you need not run away off on your own path, keep to His.
Theres no guarantee when you travel along the by-path meadows
Again I remind you of J obs words, 23:10 he knoweth the way that I
take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11 My foot hath held his
steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. 12 Neither have I gone back from
the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than
my necessary food. 13 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what
his soul desireth, even that he doeth. 14 For he performeth the thing that is
appointed for me: and many such things are with him.
Lord, for the sake of Your honour and Your glory, v.88 Quicken me
after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.
May we prove to be trophies of His grace, true testimonies of His
saving power until one day we enter in, - with every other blood-bought
saint of God, - into the glorious home He has prepared for us in Heaven.