Zain - If hope deferred makes the heart sick then imagine the tragedy of having no hope at all. The Psalmist reminds God (it’s always kind of funny to say that) of his promise, a promise foundational to his faith. Christians have a “blessed hope” i.e. the glorious appearing of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. We also have the day to day hope as children of God which anchors our relationship to God. By day to day I mean the promise promises like: I will be with you always even to the end of the age which would explain why we have 365 “fear nots” in the Bible, one for every day of the year.
Earlier we talked about justice and here too we have hope because God has a set time when the wicked will be called into judgment. The perpetrators of violence and chaos will themselves be objects of confusion. These will get a taste of their own medicine and will run to the deep places of the earth in an effort to hide from the face of God. Christians who as the apostle Paul puts it, are counted the off scouring of the earth, today branded intolerant, bigoted, narrow, and just plain crazy, will be vindicated. The proud and arrogant will be humbled as every knee bows and every tongue confess Jesus as Lord. We are not there yet, obviously. But we can like the Psalmist remember the justice of the Lord in time past and known because he is immutable – unchanging – he will once again openly triumph over his enemies.
When children are first exposed to education every possible means is employed to help them learn the concept of numbers and words. There are counting songs, and songs to teach how one should help. There are rhymes about respect and sharing, and songs about getting ready for bed and going to sleep, and songs for waking up. As we look at verse 54 of our study the writer has his songs too. He sings of God’s decrees “in the house of his pilgrimage.” As he goes along, as he lives his life, he fills his heart with God-songs. What an excellent defense against weariness and discouragement!
Allow me to use a very literal understanding of the last verse as I pose a question. What if people would remember the law of God in the nighttime? Think of all the evil that masquerades under cover of darkness. What if instead of using darkness as a cloak people would remember the day and the night are equally bright to God? Tonight I wish you pleasant rest but if you find yourself wakeful, remember the LORD. Let him be the subject of your thoughts and let him fill your night with song.© 8/2010
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