Psalm 119:146
Psalm 119:146
Psalm 119:146 “I call out to You; save me and I will keep Your statutes.”
David is making a new commitment to God because of oppression. In essence, he is saying, “If You save me I will keep Your statutes.” His call to be saved is not a call for salvation in the sense of being saved from sin, but rather a saving from evil men. Once again, he is being oppressed by evil men. However, oppression may not always be bad if it drives us to new commitments to God.
Proverbs 16:4 says, “The Lord works out everything for His own ends – even the wicked for a day of disaster.” “The wicked,” or the “day of disaster,” can be a part of God’s plan for our life. God works everything for His own ends. Everything God does is done to, ultimately, bring glory to Him. However, God is not seeking glory to quench His ego. It’s not that He has a need to be glorified; it’s for the good of us.
When Jesus is lifted up (glorified), all people will be drawn unto Him. Even the wicked have a role in this. If the wicked can be used as a catalyst to cause people to keep God’s statutes, then they play a vital role in the plan of God. (Just let that settle in.)
Proverbs 16:19 goes on to say, “Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share in plunder with the proud.” We are all in the process of taking on the mind of Christ. We don’t naturally think as Jesus thinks. Our thoughts are often limited to this life only. God wants us to see there is more than just this life to be concerned with. In this verse, He is telling us just that. In essence, he is saying, “If living among the oppressed will develop lowliness in you, if it will cause you to keep my commandments and statutes, that is better for you than to live the good life with those. Who don’t seek Me.”
Now let me encourage you to take some time to meditate on this verse, as you do; ask yourself which is eternally better for you: to live with those who love you, but who never cause you to seek God; or to live among those who oppress you and cause you to seek God?
Continued
