Psalm 119:67,68,71,72,75 – “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. 68 You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes…71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. 72 The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver…75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”
I’m sure that if I polled most of you concerning affliction the response would be that it is not one of our favorite experiences in life. In today’s reading in Psalm 119 I would encourage you to focus on the effects of affliction and not on the experience itself. The word affliction in these verses does not mean sickness. It means to depress or humble. The Psalmist gives several reasons why affliction is beneficial.
1. To Bring One Back To God. Verse 67 says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray…” Affliction that causes humility can be a great equalizer. We are able to see more clearly and our perspective changes. We see this principle throughout scripture in the lives of individuals as well as in Israel as a nation. When Israel was prosperous they strayed from God. When they were oppressed they cried out to Him and drew closer to Him. Today’s Old Testament reading begins the book of Daniel. At one point in the book king Nebuchadnezzar becomes proud and boasts of himself in his accomplishments. Through his affliction he comes to realize that the God of heaven rules in the earth.
2. To Tutor Us In The Scriptures. Verse 71 says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” A knowledge of the word of God is vital to spiritual health and growth, as well as how to live in this earth and treat others. Pride fosters a “know it all” way about us.
Affliction will dismantle that attitude and ignite a quest for answers within us. That searching will be quenched in the word of God. The value of God’s word is emphasized in verse 72, “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.”
The Psalmist does not become bitter through his affliction. Rather he extols God’s faithfulness and goodness. While the process may be painful, the outcome couldn’t be better. Let the instruments of humility in this life drive us to God and His word. We will be enriched as we draw close to Him.
Consider this reading in today’s New Testament One Year Bible as a companion to our text in Psalms: 1Peter 4:1,2 – “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God”