Psalm 119:65-72 Teth
Teth – The Value of the Law of God; Picture of Goodness, God is all good. His gracious will is always good.
You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.
You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.
The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
Their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law.
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Charles Spurgeon had this to say about this ninth stanza of Psalm 119, “These verses are tributes of experience, testifying to the goodness of God, the graciousness of His dealings, and the preciousness of His Word. The psalmist especially proclaims the excellent purposes of adversity and the goodness of God in afflicting Him.”
Rabbin Deborah Brandt comments that the design of the Hebrew Letter “teth” is like a pot, a vessel with an inverted rim, being hidden or inverted good. She later comments that this letter corresponds to the nine months of pregnancy and that number nine is a true number. Teth “…is representative of the hidden good that exists with the womb (the vessel) of the mother. This hidden good is actualized through a person’s prayers to God, asking Him for a healthy child.”
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalm 23:6 ESV
These verses are full of “goodness” mixed with “affliction.” And it is good for us to walk into the tension of these two opposites (as defined by our culture today). Today, we do not often think of affliction as good. But these verses are pressing us in a different direction. These verses are calling us to recognize the goodness of God and embrace affliction when it comes our way.
The psalmist does appear to shift his writing from what previously felt like random comments bouncing back and forth, expressing different emotions. Now, there seems to be a slight shift to a more consistent pattern of thought focused on these two ideas of God goodness and our affliction. It may be that the psalmist is maturing over the past sixty-four verses in his dialogue with God where he is experiencing a more consistent time in his relationship with God and with God’s Word.
Our lives should follow a similar pattern. We should be growing in our understanding and finding a more consistent time walking with God. Listening, reading, seeing all that God is doing in our lives and through out relationship with Him, in Jesus. It is a subtle but important shift to sense the writer more focused and intentional in his conversation with God.
It would be my prayer for you as you read Scripture and dialogue with God, like the psalmist is doing in Psalm 119, you too will begin to sense a shift in your conversation. It is like it takes a while (64 verses perhaps) to clear our mind of all the things swirling in it and become focused on the reality of the Christian life. And what is that? Well, in our verses today, it is that “God is good, and my afflictions and suffering is real!”
It is important to note that in suffering, we learn God’s character. We learn that good fruit is produced as we abide in Him, grow closer to Him, and become more trusting of Him.
There will be more focused conversation to come as the psalmist continues in his dialogue with God in the remaining Psalm 119 verses. Let continue on the path with the psalmist as he guides our feet and directs our path.
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. – Psalm 84:10-11 ESV
If you want to talk more about God’s goodness amidst your suffering, I encourage you to reach out to Burke Care. Someone on the Burke Care team would love to walk alongside you as you ponder these new truths.
Father, make me content with today’s provision. If I am afflicted, comfort me. If I am prideful, humble me. If I am in despair, make Yourself known to me. If I am thirsty, give me living water. I need You. I need to be in constant need of You. Teach me to be Your child and to mature as Your child. Cause me to grow up in Christ. Amen.
Application Questions:
Is it hard for me to see God working for my good in my affliction? Why is that?
How can I sit in the discomfort of my temporary suffering and be content?
What lies am I believing about God’s goodness? What truth am I not believing?
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