Embrace the Word for Friday, October 2, 2026

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Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s Word. Psalm 119:41-48 continues the exploration of the “blessed” life. Each verse in this sixth stanza begins with the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (which is waw). The coupling relationship between the fifth and sixth stanzas is seen in the shared terms such as “taunt”/“reproach” (119:34,44), “promises” (119:38,41), synonymous terms for “keep” (119:34,44), as well as “delight” (119:35,47). At the end of the fifth stanza, the Psalmist asks for the LORD to fulfill His promise to him (119:38), while at the opening of the sixth stanza, the Psalmist asks to experience God’s love through fulfillment of that promise (119:41). Thus, stanza six pertains to the effect that the LORD fulfilling His promise will have on how the Psalmist lives. The first sub-stanza of this sixth stanza focuses on the Psalmist’s resolution toward God’s Word as the LORD fulfills His promise (119:41-44), while the second sub-stanza concentrates on the way the Psalmist honors the Word of God as the LORD fulfills His promise (119:45-48).

Psalm 119:41-48 opens with a request to the LORD: “Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise” (119:41). What the Psalmist does through this request is what God desires His people to do as they craft their requests. The Psalmist prays that what will unfold in his life is what the LORD has promised to do. In the previous stanza, the Psalmist asked: “Confirm to your servant your promise…Turn away the reproach that I dread” (119:38-39). The Psalmist asked for the LORD to take away his reproach. The Psalmist, relying on what the LORD had promised, asked the LORD to deliver him from the reproach that he was facing. Such reproach was most likely forms of scorn, contempt, and/or taunting. The Psalmist was unable to escape such reproach on his own; he needed the LORD’s intervening rescue. Only the LORD could deliver and vindicate the Psalmist, and the LORD had promised that He would. Not only does the Psalmist appeal to what the LORD had promised him, he also appealed to the surety of the LORD’s “steadfast love” for him. The steadfast love of the LORD is the devoted and durable love that He has for those in whom He is in a covenant relationship. This is the first time in Psalm 119 that the term “steadfast love” is used, and it will be a reoccurring theme (119:64,76,88,124,149,159). Because of the assurance of God’s love for him, coupled with the promises the LORD made to him, the Psalmist asks the LORD to deliver him.

The remaining verses from this first sub-stanza reflect the sense that when the LORD delivers him, the Psalmist anticipates what the outcome will be: “then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word” (119:42). As the LORD rescues the Psalmist from the taunts of his taunters, he will have a reply—perhaps more like a rebuke—for them. The Psalmist is confident that he will have an answer for his taunters because he is confident that God’s Word is trustworthy—God is able and willing to fulfill all that He promises. Even though he affirms that the Word of God is true, the Psalmist continues expressing his utter dependence on the LORD as he adds: “And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules” (119:43). Underscoring his trust, the Psalmist labels God’s Word as “the word of truth.” The Psalmist believes that the the Word of God is faithful and reliable. However, when he asks the LORD not to take His Word “utterly out of my mouth,” he is most likely expressing the notion that he does not want what he has been saying to be shown to be mistaken. Or perhaps the Psalmist is stating that he does not want to be deprived of the opportunity of praising the LORD for His faithfulness. Either way, the Psalmist pleads with the LORD to not withhold the fulfillment of his promised deliverance. The Psalmist prays for the fruition of the LORD’s promises, for such promises are the grounds of his hope. With his confidence for the future anchored in the Word of God, the Psalmist is determined: “I will keep your law continually, forever and ever” (119:44). The Psalmist has prayed for rescue and he is resolute while he awaits his rescue. While waiting, he will recall and practice God’s Word ceaselessly and endlessly.

The Psalmist transitions from declaring what he will do with God’s Word in the aftermath of the LORD’s loving salvation (119:41-44), to honoring the LORD and His Word because of what has come to pass (119:45-48). Built upon his determination to keep the Word of God, the Psalmist adds: “and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts” (119:45). To “walk in a wide place” implies that the Psalmist sees how his regard for the Word of God would translate in living a life free of the hindrances of obstacles, dangers, and other misfortunes. The Psalmist is proclaiming a freedom from the opposition that he was currently facing—a freedom in which he would realize all that the LORD has for him. The Psalmist is confident concerning this experience of freedom as he sought to obey and trust the Word of God. In his freedom, the Psalmist will openly make known God’s Word: “I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame” (119:46). The Psalmist’s confidence in the Word of God stirs a boldness to speak God’s Word. Such boldness is displayed even before those with great power and authority. Nevertheless, he is not intimidated from speaking up, for as one endowed with the power and authority from the Word of God, the Psalmist is persuaded that he will be vindicated and not face shame.

The Psalmist’s confidence in his future as well as boldness to speak to others about his future is simply an expression of his regard for God’s Word. The Psalmist has a delight and love for God’s Word that is flowing out of him: “for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love” (119:47). In spite of whatever taunts he is experiencing, the Psalmist confesses his enjoyment in what God has said in His Word. This enjoyment is not merely found in knowing what God has said, but in doing what God has said. Such delight has already been established as a reoccurring theme in Psalm 119, but what is a first is the Psalmist disclosing his love for the Word of God. In fact, the Psalmist restates that love: “I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (119:48). The combination of delight and love should come as no surprise, for what one delights in is typically something loved and what one loves is usually an object of desired delight. The love and delight that he possesses toward God’s Word is seen through the two actions that the Psalmist describes. The Psalmist lifts up his hands towards the Word of God. This outward action of lifted hands reveals the yearning for as well as the surrender to all that the LORD has revealed in His Word. Not only does the Psalmist explicitly allude to his lifted hands, he also reaffirms his devotion to meditate, or deeply give thought to all that the LORD has said. Love and delight for God and His Word flows into the heart producing a yearning, surrendering, and meditating; but love and delight for God and His Word flow from the LORD’s steadfast love for His people. The more God’s love is truly known, the more God will be truly loved.

As we reflect on Psalm 119:41-48, we can consider the surety with which followers of the Lord Jesus Christ will come to see all of God’s Word come to fruition. The Prophet Isaiah announced: “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (See Isaiah 55:11). Jesus Himself announced: “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (See Matthew 5:18). Not only did Jesus announce that all that God has promised will come to pass, His life, death, and resurrection ensured it: “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (See 2 Corinthians 1:20). The surety of God’s promises coming to fruition should have the same effect on us today as it did the writer of Psalm 119. We are to love God’s Word to the point of obedience: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (See John 14:15). For the Psalmist, such a love to the point of obedience was intertwined with the hope or confidence that the Word of God established within him. The same kind of hope comes through the Word of God today for those who believe on Christ: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (See Romans 15:4). A believer’s ultimate hope is that we will be changed into the likeness of Christ. And such hope energizes us: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (See 1 John 3:2-3).

That’s all for Embrace the Word for Friday, October 2, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Monday, October 5, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 119:49-56.