The Devotional - 1496 - Persecution and Perseverance

The Devotional – 1496 – Persecution and Perseverance

Psalm 119:161-168 – Princes persecute me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your word. I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure. I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your law. Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments. Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Lord, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commandments. My soul keeps Your testimonies, and I love them exceedingly. I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You. 

Comments and Challenges:

If you ever served in the military you might remember those positions of authority where the person who filled that billet was a “prince or princess”; somehow these “in charge people” gain the title and then run things by ruining everything in their path. “Princes persecute me without cause”. Most of us fight back, do we not? And normally we fail the fight, we become a back biter or become bitter, withdrawn and hard to work with. I have been there many times and no doubt so have you. Notice what the psalmist has to say about this. “But my heart stands in awe of Your Word”.

He continues to say in prayer to the LORD “I rejoice in Your Word as one who has found great treasure” I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your LAW. Notice how the psalmist surrounds the leadership of the lying and persecuting prince with the treasury of God’s Word which He loves. In times when authority becomes like the “flies of death” Ecclesiastes 10:1 and spoil the ointment we must surround ourselves with the Living Word of God and with those who love him. God’s Word is a sure comfort and in times of persecution there will be seven or more opportunities praise the judgments of God. God is always righteous in the face of all unrighteousness.

Persecution is just one of many doors to go through on the way to the eternal door of victory in Jesus. We who trust the Gospel of God; believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ already have VICTORY over sin and death; and I know by experience as well that there is GREAT peace and full assurance for anyone who loves and studies the laws, the commandments, the testimonies, the judgments, the precepts, the words and the statutes of God and His Son. Notice if you will Isaiah 28:9-15, we are but babes in the hands of the enemy; but God’s wonderful Word can quickly change that.

Here now is an interesting comment in verse in Psalm 119:165 – “and nothing causes them to stumble” for the NKJV it sort of misses the point, the wording can be rendered this way; “they have no stumbling block” meaning that the psalmists hope in salvation is to be “full” not burnt up as wood, hay or stubble by some lingering stumbling block of the past (1 Corinthians 3:12-17); that is of course for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. His purpose for all of His children is to grow in Grace and in Knowledge of God; we can only do this when we are steadfast with our eyes on the LORD. 2 Peter 3:14-18.

Ephesians 1:1-14 – Is comforting assurance that we have the victory with words like “according to” are found 6 times in Ephesians 1 all of which is the work of God for every saint. We are equipped with “salvation in Jesus” empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit” and God Himself has provided His Written Word for each of us to grow thereby. What a joy; what a joy… words cannot describe the full extent of this moment, I pray that this is your moment too – 1 Peter 1:8.