“Now is the time for the Lord to act”
[Psalm 119:121-128]
What time is it now? This is the time to keep grace, and with the strength of the grace we’ve received, to practice God’s commandments. It is one thing to receive grace, but it is far more important to preserve that grace and use its strength to carry out God’s commandments more and more.
In Psalm 119:126, the psalmist says: “It is time for the Lord to act, for they have made void your law.” Based on this verse, I would like to reflect on two things today: (1) What time is it now? (2) What should we do in this time?
First, what time is it now?
The passage teaches us two things:
(1) Now is the time when “they have made void your law” (v. 126).
This is the time when God’s commandments are being violated. This is also the time when those who do good and seek righteousness are oppressed (v. 121). In other words, it is the time when the proud oppress the servants of the Lord (v. 122).
(2) Now is the time for the Lord to act (v. 126).
The “work of the Lord” here can be understood in two ways:
(a) First, “the work of the Lord” refers to God’s judgment (as noted by Park Yun-seon). God will judge those who break His commandments. He will judge those who live in persistent and intentional violation of His commandments. He will also judge those who oppress the righteous and those who seek justice. God will surely judge the proud.
(b) Secondly, “the work of the Lord” refers to God’s salvation. Look at Psalm 119:123: “My eyes fail from seeking your salvation and your righteous word.” The time when the proud oppressors break the Lord’s commandments is a time of “fatigue” for those who believe in Jesus. While the oppression itself is tiring, what truly exhausts us is our longing for the salvation of the Lord and His righteous word. Therefore, this is a time to pray, longing for the Lord’s salvation and His word, while living in a world where His commandments are being violated.
Second, what should we do in such a time?
In this time when God’s law is being made void, and His commandments are being broken, what should we do? In this time when the proud are oppressing the righteous and the servants of the Lord, what should we do?
(1) We must love the Lord’s commandments even more.
Look at Psalm 119:127: “Therefore I love your commandments more than gold, more than pure gold.” The psalmist, at that time, loved the Lord’s commandments more than pure gold. We must do the same. In these times when the Lord’s commandments are being broken, and when we are persecuted for keeping them, we must love His commandments even more. The persecution and suffering that come from keeping the Lord's commandments should not cause us to stray from them. On the contrary, in the midst of affliction and persecution, we must not compromise, but instead, we must devote ourselves to loving and keeping the Lord’s commandments even more.
(2) We must consider the Lord’s law (commandments) as right in all things.
Look at Psalm 119:128: “Therefore I consider all your precepts right, and I hate every false way.” Just like the psalmist, in this time when the Lord’s commandments are being broken, we must consider them as right. And we must hate every false way that deviates from those right commandments.
Now is the time when God’s commandments are being broken. Now is the time when God is at work. Now is the time when God's judgment and salvation are coming. God will judge those who break His commandments, and He will save those who keep them. In this time, we must love the Lord’s commandments even more. And in this time, we must consider the Lord’s commandments as right in all things. My prayer is that, by considering God’s commandments as right, you and I may hate all false ways.
Experiencing the work of God,
Pastor James Kim
(Considering God's commandments as right)