Psalm 119:161-176
161Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.
162I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.
163I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.
164Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.
165Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
166LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.
167My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.
168I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.
169Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word.
170Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.
171My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
172My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.
173Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.
174I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and thy law is my delight.
175Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.
176I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
Chapter 119 verses 161-176
I'm not sure how I'd relate to verse 161 since I don't recall a prince or ruler or anyone in general who has persecuted me without cause, but in case I do, I can use His Word as a foundation to get me through, which I (also) see in verse 162. Not only do I hate to lie (v. 163), but I hate it when others lie to me. I'd imagine God is offened when people lie as He is offended by all sin. I try and express to Him that I love His law and I hate sin even though I have troubles with taming my tongue at times. I'm not totally sure how I'd relate to verse 164, but I do praise Him for His judgments (or laws) as an expression of thankfulness for the guidance and direction they provide. Without, I'd still be stuck in my darkest moment to this day. I like Matthew Henry's comment on verse 165, "Those that love the world have great vexation, for it does not answer what they expect; those that love God's word have great peace, for it outdoes what they expect." I've noticed that some people that love the world tend to have less patience and worry more than Christians do. I have a lot of patience and I don't worry about stuff in life that much, which I think results from having His Word as a foundation and trusting in Him. For clarity, here's Henry's insight on verse 166, "A good hope of salvation will engage the heart in doing the commandments." I do look forward to His return, which I think drives me to do things to love on others and have a heart for them as best as I can because it's never too late to make a difference in someone's life and the next day isn't promised, so I should take advantage of those opportunities when they present themselves. I try and keep (or obey) His testimones (v. 167) and I've talked about the basic ones that I continue to try to keep. That idea carries over into verse 168, which reminds me that I can't hide from God whether or not I choose to follow His precepts. I can't say I attempt to hide from Him, but maybe I should keep that mind in regards to my own issues in life in fear of a brother in Christ finding out about something.
I would relate verses 169-170 to my darkest moment because during that time I cried out to Him and He helped me out by saving me from it and He saves people from their problems, which is described in His Word. Perhaps verse 171 is a verse I should start putting into practice in regards to thanking for what He has taught from His Word so far and what He has yet to teach me. Speaking in verse 172 is referring to the act of signing or praising Him for the promises found in His Word. I do somewhat do that in church, but probably moreso on my own -- both in prayer and vocally. I like verse 173 because it means to me that since I have made the choice to follow Him and live His precepts, He'll honor that helping me out with whatever I'm dealing with. I did fall away from Him during my darkest moment, yes, but years before that I decided to follow Him, so my covenant with Him was still intact. I also like Hnery's insight on the verse, "His own hands are not sufficient, nor can any creature lend him help; therefore he looks up to God, that the hand that had made him may help him." Since verse 174 is a similar verse to verse 166, just look at my thoughts on that. I will praise Him as long as I live (v. 175) and will continue to do so when I'm with Him in eternity. I don't have much to say about the "let thy judgments help me" part, but I know whenever God helps me out, I am thankful for out and I think, it encourages me to continue to rely in Him so He can be glorified in my victories, such as passing algebra. In my darkest moment, I did stray fomr Him (v. 176), but I cried out to Him so He could seek me to bring me to bring me back to Him. I didn't forget that He would help me out and He honored that, which no man could've lived up to.
Source used:
Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 119". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=119>.
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