Psa 119:52 | KingComments | STEP | The letter zayin is the seventh letter and is shaped like a scepter or a sword. The Word is the sword of the Spirit ( ). It is the sixth letter, vav , with a crown on it. The zayin stanza begins with “remember” by the LORD ( ) and ends with “remember” by the psalmist ( ). When the LORD remembers His Word, it means that He is going to fulfill the Word concerning His promise of the future, when Christ will reign. Then He will be crowned with many diadems ( ) and no longer with a crown of thorns. The hope that we will be glorified with Christ gives us strength to suffer with Him in the world ( ). That is the theme of this verse. We have a living hope ( ). The joy presented to us in it helps us to run the race of suffering with perseverance ( ). It is impossible for the LORD to forget the word He spoke to His servant. The fact that the servant asks Him to remember means that he is in affliction and it seems that the LORD has forgotten what He has said ( ). He has made him hope in His Word. Surely that hope will not be in vain. The Hebrew word for remember, zakar , is an active remembrance, that is, it is an action. We see the meaning of the Hebrew words and names, for example, in Luke 1 with Zechariah, which is “the LORD remembers”, with Elizabeth, which is “[what] God swore”, and with their son John, which is “[fulfilled in] the grace of the LORD. Therefore, his name was to be John and no other name ( ). When God remembers His Word, it means that He saves His own in accordance with His faithfulness to His covenant ( ). For the psalmist, the Word is to him personally, the LORD has spoken to him through that Word. In the next verse he gives the answer himself ( ). His comfort in his affliction is that the LORD has “revived” him by His word. That is, he has appropriated God’s promise. Believers know that God’s word revives. Do we dare to appropriate what God has said? The word implies that Christ will be glorified and crowned and will sit on His own throne. Then the psalmist will experience the blessing: he may sit with Christ on His throne ( ). He has experienced the vivifying power of God’s Word. People can speak words to comfort. Sometimes they are meaningless words, usually they are well-intentioned, but often they do not provide real relief. With the words of God, it is different. The words of God are living words; they have life in themselves. The righteous must reckon with the biting, hurtful derision of the arrogant wicked ( ; cf. ). This is a powerful weapon of unbelief. We see these expressed, among other things, in objectionable cartoons. It should not surprise us. Rejection is normal. The Lord Jesus also experienced this, and particularly at His condemnation to die on the cross. Just as He did not deviate from God’s Word, neither does the suffering remnant (cf. ). The believer comforts himself when he remembers the ordinances of the LORD from ancient times ( ). He then sees that the LORD has intervened at times when the wicked have particularly cornered His people. For example, we see how the LORD intervened for Moses and Aaron against the wicked band of Korah ( ). We forget quickly and easily, as the cupbearer forgot Joseph ( ). That is why the Lord gave us His meal of remembrance to remember Him and His sufferings. When He instituted the Supper, He said: “Do this in remembrance of Me” ( ). The God-fearing is seized by burning indignation when he sees the law of the LORD being forsaken and trampled on by wicked people ( ). He feels this is an affront to the LORD and shares His feelings in it (cf. ). Forsaking the law of the LORD is equivalent to forsaking Him. This will be done in full by the antichrist, who will openly forsake the law. We become accustomed, sometimes without realizing it ourselves, to sinful situations. Are we still seized by burning indignation about sinful practices such as abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, or have we become accustomed to it? Are we also still moved by the fate of people in the world, who are on their way to perish forever because they live without God and without hope? The faithful remnant hates forsaking God’s law. In contrast, God’s statutes are his songs ( ). This is what the remnant will do during the great tribulation, when are in the house of their pilgrimage, i.e. when they wander the earth as strangers (cf. ). They have been driven out and fled from their land to the mountains ( ). In their hearts they have carried God’s statutes. These have been their songs. Singing means that the Word was comforting to the psalmist, that it sounded like music to his ears in the midst of bigoted, hostile people who surrounded him. We can also sing of God’s Word when we are in need. It is a characteristic of redeemed sinners that they sing. Of angels we do not read anywhere in God’s Word that they sing. Also when we are with the Lord, we will sing. If we are engaged with the Lord and His Word on earth, a song of praise will rise up in our hearts in the practice of every day, no matter what situation we are in. Then we will sing a song like “Amazing grace”. In the night of the great tribulation, they are determined by God’s Name by the statutes about which they have sung ( ). Thus a night of affliction becomes a night of praise and thus a testimony to the glory of the Name of God (cf. ). People of the world advise to count sheep when you can’t sleep. The psalmist says it is better to talk to the Shepherd. God’s law is inseparable from God’s Name. Whoever thinks of His Name, thinks of His Word, in which so much is written about that Name. In , the God-fearing says why he was able to sing in the foreign land ( ) and think about God’s Name in the night ( ): it is because he observed God’s precepts. His thinking is not pondering, but doing. The path of obedience results in a song in which the Name of God is praised.

‏ Psalms 119:52

/zayin/ Remember

The letter zayin is the seventh letter and is shaped like a scepter or a sword. The Word is the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17). It is the sixth letter, vav, with a crown on it. The zayin stanza begins with “remember” by the LORD (Psa 119:49) and ends with “remember” by the psalmist (Psa 119:55). When the LORD remembers His Word, it means that He is going to fulfill the Word concerning His promise of the future, when Christ will reign. Then He will be crowned with many diadems (Rev 19:12) and no longer with a crown of thorns.

The hope that we will be glorified with Christ gives us strength to suffer with Him in the world (Rom 8:17). That is the theme of this verse. We have a living hope (1Pet 1:3). The joy presented to us in it helps us to run the race of suffering with perseverance (Heb 12:1-3).

It is impossible for the LORD to forget the word He spoke to His servant. The fact that the servant asks Him to remember means that he is in affliction and it seems that the LORD has forgotten what He has said (Psa 119:49). He has made him hope in His Word. Surely that hope will not be in vain.

The Hebrew word for remember, zakar, is an active remembrance, that is, it is an action. We see the meaning of the Hebrew words and names, for example, in Luke 1 with Zechariah, which is “the LORD remembers”, with Elizabeth, which is “[what] God swore”, and with their son John, which is “[fulfilled in] the grace of the LORD. Therefore, his name was to be John and no other name (Lk 1:5 ; 13 ; 59-63).

When God remembers His Word, it means that He saves His own in accordance with His faithfulness to His covenant (Heb 6:17-18). For the psalmist, the Word is to him personally, the LORD has spoken to him through that Word.

In the next verse he gives the answer himself (Psa 119:50). His comfort in his affliction is that the LORD has “revived” him by His word. That is, he has appropriated God’s promise. Believers know that God’s word revives. Do we dare to appropriate what God has said?

The word implies that Christ will be glorified and crowned and will sit on His own throne. Then the psalmist will experience the blessing: he may sit with Christ on His throne (Rev 3:21). He has experienced the vivifying power of God’s Word. People can speak words to comfort. Sometimes they are meaningless words, usually they are well-intentioned, but often they do not provide real relief. With the words of God, it is different. The words of God are living words; they have life in themselves.

The righteous must reckon with the biting, hurtful derision of the arrogant wicked (Psa 119:51; cf. Psa 119:21). This is a powerful weapon of unbelief. We see these expressed, among other things, in objectionable cartoons. It should not surprise us. Rejection is normal. The Lord Jesus also experienced this, and particularly at His condemnation to die on the cross. Just as He did not deviate from God’s Word, neither does the suffering remnant (cf. Heb 12:2).

The believer comforts himself when he remembers the ordinances of the LORD from ancient times (Psa 119:52). He then sees that the LORD has intervened at times when the wicked have particularly cornered His people. For example, we see how the LORD intervened for Moses and Aaron against the wicked band of Korah (Num 16:1-3 ; 28-35).

We forget quickly and easily, as the cupbearer forgot Joseph (Gen 40:14 ; 23). That is why the Lord gave us His meal of remembrance to remember Him and His sufferings. When He instituted the Supper, He said: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (1Cor 11:23-26).

The God-fearing is seized by burning indignation when he sees the law of the LORD being forsaken and trampled on by wicked people (Psa 119:53). He feels this is an affront to the LORD and shares His feelings in it (cf. Rom 15:3). Forsaking the law of the LORD is equivalent to forsaking Him. This will be done in full by the antichrist, who will openly forsake the law.

We become accustomed, sometimes without realizing it ourselves, to sinful situations. Are we still seized by burning indignation about sinful practices such as abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, or have we become accustomed to it? Are we also still moved by the fate of people in the world, who are on their way to perish forever because they live without God and without hope?

The faithful remnant hates forsaking God’s law. In contrast, God’s statutes are his songs (Psa 119:54). This is what the remnant will do during the great tribulation, when are in the house of their pilgrimage, i.e. when they wander the earth as strangers (cf. Heb 11:13). They have been driven out and fled from their land to the mountains (Mt 24:16). In their hearts they have carried God’s statutes. These have been their songs.

Singing means that the Word was comforting to the psalmist, that it sounded like music to his ears in the midst of bigoted, hostile people who surrounded him. We can also sing of God’s Word when we are in need. It is a characteristic of redeemed sinners that they sing. Of angels we do not read anywhere in God’s Word that they sing. Also when we are with the Lord, we will sing. If we are engaged with the Lord and His Word on earth, a song of praise will rise up in our hearts in the practice of every day, no matter what situation we are in. Then we will sing a song like “Amazing grace”.

In the night of the great tribulation, they are determined by God’s Name by the statutes about which they have sung (Psa 119:55). Thus a night of affliction becomes a night of praise and thus a testimony to the glory of the Name of God (cf. Acts 16:25). People of the world advise to count sheep when you can’t sleep. The psalmist says it is better to talk to the Shepherd. God’s law is inseparable from God’s Name. Whoever thinks of His Name, thinks of His Word, in which so much is written about that Name.

In Psa 119:56, the God-fearing says why he was able to sing in the foreign land (Psa 119:54) and think about God’s Name in the night (Psa 119:55): it is because he observed God’s precepts. His thinking is not pondering, but doing. The path of obedience results in a song in which the Name of God is praised.