Psalm 119: Focus On God's Word Pt. 63 Suffering Reproach For The Cause of Christ

I am struck by how practical this eight verse section is, in terms of our prayer life. The Psalmist has given us very good guidance for praying. These are practical petitions that we can pray about, knowing that God will honor those requests.

Pray to live as a humble servant.

Psalm 119:17  GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. 

Begin with a prayer to live out this life as one who follows Christ with humble obedience.

Pray for help in understanding and applying the scriptures. 

Psalm 119:18  Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 

Pray for Divine help to understand, learn and apply the truth of God's Word in our lives.

Pray for the will to live as a pilgrim. 

Psalm 119:19  I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me. 

Pray for strength to live this life for the glory of God, living as a stranger or pilgrim, awaiting our heavenly home. 

Pray for God's holiness to be glorified by His judgment.

Psalm 119:20  My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. 

Pray for an increased desire for the scriptures and a greater longing for Jesus Christ to return as Judge. Nothing will ever be right in this world until Christ governs the nations with His rod of iron.

Pray for courage to share the truth of God with those who reject it. 

Psalm 119:21  Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. 

Pray for Jehovah to soundly and openly rebuke those who err concerning His commandments. 

All those who rebel and say "God will not rule over me", will one day fall to the ground before the King of kings and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Then the Judge and King will condemn them for eternity. 

Pray for Jehovah to deflect the enemies reproaches against us.

Psalm 119:22  Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 

People may mock believers for keeping close to the Word and seeking to obey it. Rebels will openly reject truth and religious leaders like the Pharisees will not enter the kingdom and will hinder others from entering.

Yet, we must pray for God's wondrous grace to be poured into our lives so that we might live with our lights shining brightly into the sin darkened world we live in.  

We must live a pure life before God and man so that the salt of our testimony is effective as a reproof of a corrupt culture. 

Therefore, the Psalmist has two parts in his prayer. First, his request is that Jehovah would remove all reproach and contempt from himself. 

His request to have reproach and contempt removed  contains the idea of God rolling it off from the Psalmist to such a degree that it cannot reach him. 

Second, his reason for requesting removal of all reproach and contempt from our enemy is because the Psalmist has been faithful to his LORD in keeping or living by His testimonies.  

His reason is that he was innocent of whatever false charges his enemies raised against him. Rather, it was precisely because he kept God's testimonies that his enemies wrongly reproached and attacked his spiritual integrity. 

Unbelievers will always hate the born again of God's family. 

Galatians 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 

Paul laid down the spiritual principle that began as soon as sin entered the world. 

Cain was a rebel who refused to bring the blood sacrifice God required and therefore, he became angry when God accepted Abel's sacrifice. 

Anger to such an intense degree that he slaughtered his own brother (See Genesis 4). 

The word "persecuted" means to cause someone to run or flee, to put them to flight and drive them away. It means to constantly harass and cause  trouble for believers in Christ. 

Those who persecute believers, are those who are in the flesh. They have carnal minds and care only about getting ahead in this present evil world. 

Persecutors of Christians are at war with God.

Romans 8:7,8  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8)  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Persecutors of Christians are actually at war against God. They may inflict temporary harm or hurt us in this life, but they cannot dislodge the believer from the Father's almighty hand (See John 10:28-29).

They will never prevail against God no matter how hard they seek to persecute the sheep of Jehovah's pasture. Their carnal minds refuse to obey God's law, therefore, they cannot please God.

Believers rejoice for all condemnation is gone!

Romans 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Believers in Christ walk in newness of life. The grace of God has brought them full pardon and full forgiveness for all their sins. Unlike the carnal minded persecutors, the believers in Christ are no longer under the wrath and condemnation of God. 

Thus, we can be spiritually minded people who seek those things of God which are above, longing for that city made by God for us. We walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. 

Believers must seek to be spiritually minded people for there we find vigor and strength for our inner man and abiding peace from God sustains us each day (See Romans 8:5-6). 

Psalm 119:22  Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 

What are reproaches? What impact have they upon believers? As a noun, the word "reproach" means to be an object of contempt, scorn or derision. It means being the cause of shame and disgrace. 

The word "contempt" means to be treated with shameful disrespect and malicious despising. Haman had that kind of hatred toward Mordecai (See Esther 3).

The Psalmist sought to live righteously before God, and if any of his words or actions made the precious name of Jehovah an object of contempt, then he cried out that God would remove it from him. 

He did not personally ever want to be the cause of reproach upon the name of God. Since he was faithful in obeying God's testimonies, he was faced with reproach and contempt from his enemies. 

This is why he prayed for God to roll away vile reproach from those who hate God and those who trust Him. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

There are two aspects of reproach we must consider. 

First, is the possibility that our own words or actions might be the cause of reproach  or contempt for the name of Jesus Christ. Our remedy is confessing and forsaking that sin and allowing Christ to forgive us. 

Second, is the more common occurrence when those who do not know Christ, heap up reproaches and pour contempt on the gospel and on those who believe it.

Our resource and help is found in God. His Spirit indwells us to bring comfort and cheer. Our Father eternally secures us in His mighty hand and Christ is sympathetic to our sufferings for His sake. 

Let us all pray that God will have so much of us that we will live like the Psalmist, with humble obedience. 

Let us pray that the Spirit of God will convict us if we are doing anything that brings shame upon the name of Christ. 

Let us pray to our Jesus, our high priest, for His strength and help during our times of need. 

Let us determine to live a holy life that brings glory and not shame to the blessed name of Jesus Christ.

Bob