Day 818: Strangers in this world - Psalm 119 vs 17 – 24

17-18 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. 19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! 20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules (your just decrees) at all times.

21-23 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments. Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies. Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. 24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counsellors. Psalm 119:17-24 English Standard Version

How does the Psalm writer describe himself in vs 19?

The word 'sojourner' describes a person who resides temporarily in a place. They are like strangers in the land. And they often have different customs to the people in whose land they are living. That's very much the case of people who love the God of the Bible and seek to live by His laws. The apostle Peter said that of Christians. He wrote: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

He goes on to say: “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honourable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:11-12) Can you see then why the Psalm writer prays as he does in vs 17-18?

He knows he is living in a world where he will encounter people who may wish to harm him because his ways are so different to theirs. He describes that in vs 21-23 and mentions how even princes plot against him. Christians today often face similar opposition from those in power. So he asks God to deal bountifully with him. He is praying that God's grace will abound and enable him to faithfully keep God's word.

This is a prayer that I suspect Christians in the West will need to pray more earnestly than we have in the past. In countries where the gospel once had a strong influence Christians have not always felt like strangers. But those days are gone and the 'princes' in many nations are becoming increasingly more hostile to those who are passionate about God's laws. (vs 20)

What two words in vs 21-23 describe the sort of attitude that those who seek to keep God's ways are likely to face?

He speaks of scorn and contempt. Peter said that Christians have been called by God “to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called them out of darkness into His marvellous light” - and that, as sojourners in this world, they must “abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against their soul.” And that's the reason for the scorn and contempt. The world is full of people who love the darkness and hate the light. They would far rather indulge in the passions of the flesh than take delight in God's word and let God be their counsellor. Christians seem like strange and unwelcome foreigners to them.

So the prayer in vs 17-18 is worth repeating. “Deal bountifully with your servant, O Lord, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” May that be our request and longing each time we open our Bible to read His precious word. An old Christian song said: “This world is not my home, I'm just a'passing through, my treasure is laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The Saviour beckons me from heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.” Some old fashioned truth in that. But may God help us to keep our conduct honourable in this world while we are here, and may we live for Jesus with all our heart.