It Is Good

Psalms 119

[64] The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy: teach me Your statutes.
[65] You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.
[66] Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed Your commandments.
[67] Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Your word.
[68] You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes.
[69] The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.[70] Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in Your law.
[71] It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
[72] The law of Your mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
[73] Your hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
[74] They that fear You will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in Your word.
[75] I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, and that You in faithfulness have afflicted me.

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Hebrew word and definition for "afflicted":
afflicted = anah
1. to humble
2. to be bowed down
3. to weaken

David is the writer of Psalms 119. He is in a time in his life where he has been through some things. He has walked with God. talked with God, and taught by God. David reflects back after maturing in faith. There are things that he can now understand that he was not able to before. God has brought David to a place where David can see just a little clearer concerning God and how He operates. David, like us, tried things the way he wanted to. He found that to be a big error in judgment.

We are no different than David in the sense that we have all gone astray. We have all been like that sheep that left the pack and had to have our Shepherd come, set us right side up, and deliver us back into the fold. We all sought what we believed to be the "best thing for us", according to our fleshly desires. To be honest, we really did not, and do not appreciate it, at the time it happens, when God shows up and wrecks our agenda. We even get arrogant in our thoughts, words, actions. We get to the point where we think we know how to run our lives better than God does.

God is smarter than us. He often will step aside and say, "Ok. You think you can do better than Me with your life. Go ahead. Have at it."...Then, there we go. Off to destroy ourselves.

The great thing about God is that He knows how far out to let us go before He says, "Enough is enough". He knows what stumbling blocks to put in our lives to cause us more problems than we bargained for. He knows how low to let us get. But, the more amazing thing is that by the time God shows up, we are more than ready for Him. In fact, we have by then fallen on our face before His throne and pretty much begged Him to take over our lives again. We cry out for His mercy and grace. And through the time that we turned our back on God, He still loves us. He still watches over us. Amazing!!! Let someone do to us what we do to God, and we will cut them off and not look back.

David talked about the fact that his affliction caused him to keep God's word. It caused him to learn God's laws. David, when he uses the word "affliction", is talking about being "humbled" by God. Have you ever been humbled before others because you thought you knew something or could do something, only to find out your did not know or could not do. In certain circumstances it can be quite embarrassing. Well, God is so awesome! He knows how to bow us down. He knows how to humble us. But, the humbling and the bowing down is for our own present world, and eternal good.

It is through the humbling experience that we learn that we are NOTHING without God. Our own strength is lacking. Our own knowledge is not enough. Our own physical ability is less than needed. Our own understanding is dumbfounded. There is no life in us outside of God. Hell awaits without His mercy.

God picks us up, restored in mind, soul, and body. Ready, willing, and able to do His will. And happy to do it. God teaches us how to love Him back.

Then we can all say with David, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted".

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Are you learning God's Statutes?