GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
PSALM 119:169-170
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These verses begin the final stanza of the Psalm, in which the initial words begin with the letter tav. Many of these are translated with “May…” because the letter tav is the mark of the third person imperfect or jussive verb form, which is “May it be this; let it be that.” But we will also see the marvelous confession of sins that the poet has been saving for the final verse, where “I have strayed, sinned” begins with the letter tav. This concluding section is a prayer for deliverance and forgiveness.
169 May my cry come before you, O LORD;
give me understanding according to your word.
170 May my prayer for mercy come before you;
deliver me just as you have promised.
Twice the prophetic poet asks to be heard: “May my cry come before you. May my prayer for mercy come before you.” His cry is for understanding, and his prayer for mercy is for deliverance.
Understanding here is not a noun, not a thing to be given or received in this case, but it appears instead as a verb: “Cause me to understand,” with the usual verb stem, the hifil, used to show something caused to take place, just as in Genesis 2:21 when the Lord “Caused the man to fall into a deep sleep.”
To be given understanding was part of David’s prayer for Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:12), and this is the fourth time in this Psalm that understanding has been the subject of a prayer (vs. 34, 73, 144 and 169). God’s promise to the church is that he will give leaders that will give us understanding of his word (Jeremiah 3:15), and he sent Gabriel to do the same for Daniel in Babylon (Daniel 9:22). Among the Jews it was considered a “great task” to find a husband for one’s daughter, but the man should be “a man of (godly) understanding” (Sirach 7:25).
True understanding in any matter begins with the word of God. Who has any true morality apart from the will of God? Who has any depth of insight into the natural world without truly understanding the Creator’s account of the creation? Who could ever presume to ascend into the pulpit of the church without understanding the distinction between Law and Gospel, without understanding the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the text of the holy Scriptures?
Our poet prays, and in so doing he teaches us to pray in the same way. “Give me understanding, O Lord, according to your word.” The greatest understanding is the knowledge of just what the word of God says and means. Teach this to us, O Lord! Give us enlightenment and memory, O Holy Spirit! Reveal the Father to us, Lord Jesus!
The prayer for mercy asks for deliverance, with similar words as in Psalm 6:9. As a child of God, I know my sins. “I know my transgression, and my sin is always before me” (Psalm 51:3). We pray, “Have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned” (Psalm 41:4). It doesn’t take much of a genius for an enemy to be able to say, “Look, he has sinned!” Or, “Look at how sinful she is!” No true conscience can do anything but shrug and admit one’s guilt. This is why we ask for mercy. This is why we yearn for deliverance. The comfort that the gospel brings is unlike any other medicine; it is like no other news. Oh, that the blood of Christ was shed for us! For me! This is the glory of God, the grace of God, and the mercy of God all in a single act of love– and our poet, God bless him, has taken the time to remind us and to teach us that this was just as God had promised. Praise the Lord who keeps all of his promises.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Psalm 119:169-170 my prayer for mercy