• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About Us
    • Statement of Faith
    • How We Worship
    • Our Staff
    • History of URC
    • Contact
  • New to URC
  • Connect

University Reformed Church

  • Ministries
    • Children
    • Middle School / High School (DIG)
    • College
    • International
    • Growth Groups
    • Women
    • Men
    • Biblical Counseling
    • Grace and Truth
    • Missions
    • Internship Program
    • Fellowship Program
  • Teaching
    • Sermons
    • Sunday Classes
    • The Gospel Story
  • Members
    • Member Portal
    • “About URC” and Church Membership
    • Giving
    • Calendar
    • URC Weekly Newsletter
    • Facilities Request
    • Prayer Chain
    • Child Baptism
    • Truth and Hope
    • Diaconate
    • Volunteer
  • About Us
    • Statement of Faith
    • How We Worship
    • Our Staff
    • History of URC
    • Contact
  • New to URC
  • Connect
  • Ministries
    • Children
    • Middle School / High School (DIG)
    • College
    • International
    • Growth Groups
    • Women
    • Men
    • Biblical Counseling
    • Missions
    • Internship Program
  • Teaching
    • Sermons
    • Sunday Classes
    • Books by URC Staff
    • The Gospel Story
  • Members
    • “About URC” and Church Membership
    • Calendar
    • URC Weekly Newsletter
    • Volunteer
    • Diaconate
    • Prayer Chain
    • Giving
    • Facilities Request

Our Only Certainty…

May 18, 2020 by Webmaster 1 Comment

by Brad Beals

Does the ground under you feel like it’s shifting? Does the air around you make it seem like things are out of focus? Do you find yourself today longing for certainty and clarity? 

King David speaks to this. 

Smack dab in the middle of the Bible we find its longest chapter – Psalm 119. It is longer than any other both in number of verses (176) and in number of words (2,445). But the theme of the chapter is singular and simple, and in it we find the only source in all of creation for certainty and clarity: that God’s law is sufficient for God’s people.  

So why such a long chapter for such a simple teaching? There are a few answers. 

First, the psalm is an acrostic. The first letter of each set of eight verses begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This would have been, at least in part, to aid in memorization. But, unless you know your Hebrew, that’s kind of lost on us today. 

Second, this structure allows for 22 different expressions of the theme. Calvin says, “To procure greater respect for the law, the prophet [David] adorns it with a variety of titles…” And so we read of God’s testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, rules, ways, words, and word, though each of these can be a synonym for law. 

Third, David fills the psalm with human troubles and needful conditions, each of which finds its remedy in God’s law. We read of the desire to keep pure, to be taught the things of God, and to have scorn and contempt removed. We read of souls clinging to the dust and melting away for sorrow. We read of being ensnared by the cords of the wicked and of the temptation of looking at worthless things. We read of the desires for comfort, hope, favor, knowledge, and good judgment. We read of calls to God to protect us from enemies and pitfalls, and to remove from us our afflictions and our sins. 

In short, David has included in these 22 “mini psalms” the whole range of the needs of God’s people in a sinful world, and the answer for each need is found in the same place: God’s word. Moving from the moral confusion of our fallen world to the certainty of God’s word is, as CS Lewis noted, like stepping from a swamp onto a high, dry road. 

Maybe you’ve noticed recently that the sources for confusion seem to be growing louder and more numerous each day. If you find it hard to tune out that noise (as has been the case for me), then you may be in need of the wisdom of Psalm 119. Listen to David and let God’s word lift you out of that swamp and set your feet squarely onto solid ground. It is our only certainty, our only clarity. And for those in Christ, it is all good news and the answer to our every need.

Related

ShareTweetEmail this

Filed Under: Connecting Points

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Little Brains and the Word of God… - University Reformed Church says:
    June 8, 2020 at 7:00 am

    […] few weeks ago I wrote a devotional on Psalm 119 and how it provides stability and clarity in a world that seems to be shifting and out of focus. […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Recent Updates / News

  • Easter Choir/Music Rehearsals March 15, 2023
  • URC Golf League March 10, 2023
  • New Sunday Class – “Let Us Hold Fast” March 1, 2023
View all News

URC Weekly Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly
e-newsletter, featuring important URC announcements and events.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

News Archives

Footer

urc
A congregation of the
Presbyterian Church in America
841 Timberlane St.
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Map & Directions

517.351.6810
[email protected]


Worship Services

8:45 & 10:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.
Livestream at 10:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.

Get to Know URC

  • Statement of Faith
  • “About URC” and Church Membership
  • Our Staff
  • Contact

Resources

  • Sermons
  • Internship Program
  • Giving
  • Campus Van Schedule

URC Weekly Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly e-newsletter, featuring important URC announcements and events.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Download the URC Mobile App

urc-android-appurc-iphone-app

© 1966-2023 University Reformed Church. All Rights Reserved. - [email protected] - Sitemap
Website by LimeCuda - Admin