GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
PSALM 119:62-64
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62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous judgments.
Under the monasticism of the Medieval church, worship in monasteries and convents was held every three hours, according to a misapplication of various passages of the Scriptures. None of the passages were setting down any rules for the Christian church, but were probably cited in the beginning as examples only, to fill up a later verse in this Psalm: “Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous judgments” (119:164). As we will see, the “seven times” reference is simply an expression of holiness or a way of saying “many,” but it was taken literalistically by the monasteries. Often the founders of such places were scholarly men, but the men who took over after they died were not as learned or capable, and made rules out of what were merely good ideas.
The seven hours were:
1, Matins (midnight, based on Psalm 119:62)
2, Prime (6:00 am, Matthew 26:74 and the rooster of the passion)
3, Terce (9:00 am, the hour of the crucifixion, John 19:14, also the hour of the morning sacrifice in Exodus 29:39).
4, Sext (noon, when darkness appeared, Matthew 27:45)
5, Nonce (3:00 pm, when Christ died, Mark 15:33)
6, Vespers (6:00 pm, the evening sacrifice, Exodus 29:39)
7, Compline (9:00 pm, “the after supper hour,” perhaps see Matthew 26:30).
Perhaps we will discuss these a little more fully along with verse 164. To thank God for his righteous word is always a fine thing to do. We pondered a few of God’s judgments along with verse 52. But consider these others:
1, When the numbers of unbelievers was growing at an alarming rate and the number of believers was dwindling down to Noah and his family, the Lord judged the corruption and said that he would give the world another one hundred and twenty years to repent and for sinners to turn to him in faith, before he would destroy the world (Genesis 6:3).
2, God judged at that time that “every inclination of the thoughts of fallen man is only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5).
3, Although it gave the Almighty God himself great pain in his heart, he judged that he would have to destroy all that lived on the ground: “men and animals, creatures that move along the ground, and birds,” because he was grieved that he made them (Genesis 6:7).
4, Purely out of his grace, God also judged that Noah’s faith should be counted as righteousness, and he became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith (Genesis 6:8; Hebrews 11:7).
5, Purely out of his grace, God gave Noah (who was a worker of the soil, Genesis 9:20), the command and the design to build a boat that would float atop the flooding waters to rescue him and his family, along with many animals (Genesis 6:14-20).
6, God judged it to be right to give himself glory in the flood by commanding that there would be seven of every clean animal, so that at the end of the catastrophe his people could make sacrifices and worship him (Genesis 7:3; 8:20).
7, Through the judgment of the flood, God showed that if he could spare Noah and seven others when the rest of mankind was destroyed, that he also knows how to rescue godly people from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment (2 Peter 2:9).
63 I am a friend to all who fear you,
to all who keep your precepts.
To keep God’s precepts is to put our faith entirely on Christ alone, to follow and submit to all of the Holy Spirit’s doctrines, especially the proclamation of law and gospel and the administration of the sacraments. Therefore when we discover those who believe as we do, we call them friend and join with them in fellowship. We have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7). For as our Confession says: “The Church is not merely an association of outward ties and rites like other civic governments, but it is mainly an association of faith and of the Holy Spirit in men’s hearts. To make it recognizable, this association has outward marks, the pure teaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments in harmony with the Gospel of Christ. This church alone is called the body of Christ, which Christ renews, consecrates, and governs by his Spirit” (Apology of the Augsburg Confession VII-VIII:5).
64 The earth is filled with your mercy, O LORD,
teach me your decrees.
The Holy Spirit declares that the earth is full of the Lord’s creation and creatures (Psalm 104:24), full of the Lord’s unfailing love (Psalm 33:5), full of the Lord’s glory (Isaiah 6:1), and that in the end, the earth will be filled with the full knowledge of the Lord (Isaiah 11:9). Here we remember that the whole earth is filled with the Lord’s mercy as well. This is a reminder we need every day as we put down the Old Adam in regular daily repentance. How miserable and desperate we would be if we had only guilt and not any hope! But the Lord is merciful, and the world is full of his mercy, therefore we are eager to listen to God’s holy decrees along with the rest of his marvelous word. Eight times in all, the Great Psalm makes a request that God would teach his decrees. Sometimes this is so that we will praise him for specific things God has done (119:12, 171). Sometimes it is so we will confess our sins rightly and receive his forgiveness (119:26, 124, 135). Sometimes it is purely to display God’s goodness (119:68). Sometimes it is so that we will learn to use his law as a guide (the so-called third use of the law, 119:33). Here once again David looks to the Lord for his mercy, but also desires to keep God’s commands. All this is done out of thanks for God’s goodness, mercy and blessings. For where the gospel has proclaimed forgiveness, the forgiven sinner responds with his life.
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 119:62-64 At midnight I rise