Holy Living 10: Affliction
Psalm 119 is an instruction how, in the midst of cultural upheaval, to stand firm as does God and His Word in the Heavens.
Psalm 119:75: “I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me”
- Grammatical Usage: “laws” or in Hebrew, “mishpat” means, “judgments” encompassing sovereignty; “righteous” or “tsedeq” meaning, “correct” in the sense of natural, moral and legal; “faithfulness” or “’emuwnah” meaning, “steadfastness”; “afflicted” or “`anah” meaning, “imposed; occupied; busied; disciplined.”
- Literal Interpretation: I know, O Lord, that your judgments reflect Your very essence and sovereignty and therefore right in every sense; in Your steadfastness You have imposed discipline upon me.
- Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word. The subject of affliction is not an easy one for the believer to understand, but it is dealt with very fully in God’s Word. Individuals can be afflicted for a number of reasons:
- Affliction can be a direct consequence of sin (Galatians 6:8; Proverbs 11:18).
- Affliction can be a judgment from God (Ezekiel 36:18–19; 39:24; Romans 1:18–32; 2:6; 6:23).
- Affliction can purify us and help us develop endurance (Daniel 12:10; James 1:3; 1 Peter 4:12–13).
- Affliction can occur for God’s divine purposes (Job 2:7; Isaiah 53:7; Psalm 119:75).
- Affliction is part of living in a fallen world (Psalm 25:16; 1 Peter 1:6; John 16:33).
- Affliction can be the result of persecution for Jesus’ sake (2 Timothy 3:11–12; Psalm 69:6–7; 1 John 3:13).
- Affliction can be the result of a direct attack from Satan (Luke 22:31; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8).
The psalmist has much to say about it, and in our key verse he tells of something which he had experienced himself; he knew that God was working out His glorious and gracious purpose in his life, and that is something really worth knowing! Looking at this verse carefully: you may feel that the word “afflicted” is a hard one, but this is not so, because it speaks of God’s loving and merciful dealings with His own people (Deut.8:5-6):
- Psalm 119:75 – “Yes, that is true of me: I am afflicted!” Notice the little word “me” in the verse. It refers to you, to me, and to every Christian. God is dealing with His own people, fashioning them, disciplining them, sanctifying them, afflicting them (to use the Psalmists’ word). If this is not true of us we are not Christians at all (Hebrews 12:5-8; Psalm 34:19). It may be that you are experiencing affliction now – some sorrow, or some loss or disappointment has come into your life. You recognize that you are “afflicted”.
- Psalm 119:75 – “I am afflicted, and God has done it!” Notice how the Psalmist is careful to say, “in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” God is sovereign in His dealings with His people. Our affliction may be due to the work of the Devil, or to the failure of friends, or to the wickedness of enemies; but nothing happens in the life of the child of God without God’s loving permission. So, whatever your affliction, just now or on some future occasion, God is over it, working out His will and perfecting His work in you (Philippians 1:6).
- Psalm 119:75 – “The Lord has afflicted me in faithfulness!” This is what the Psalmist says, and it means that the Lord has been at work in our lives with the sincere intention of doing us good; He is just and righteous in all His dealings with us. He is faithful to us and therefore deals with us as He sees best, and because we are all different He deals with us in different ways.
- Psalm 119:75 – “What the Lord does is right!” When affliction comes upon us, because the Lord is our Lord and we are His children, we should be able to say, “It’s all right, Lord!” God can only do what is right. He cannot do wrong. So, the psalmist says, “Whatever there be: losses, tears, bereavements, disappointments, pain, sickness, blindness, deafness …if God permits them, they are right. They are for His glory and they are for our good.”
- Psalm 119:75 – “I know that all this is true!” Notice that the Psalmist does not say, “I think so!”, or “I suppose so!”, or “I want to believe it!”, or “I hope so!” Nor does he say, “I can see it to be so!” because the fact is that usually we cannot see what God is doing (John 13:7). What the psalmist says is, “I know it!!” This is the language of faith, faith that is operative in personal experience; not questioning, fretting, resentfulness and rebelliousness.
- Psalm 119:75 – “I know, O Lord….” The Psalmist, in saying that, is praising the Lord, submitting to Him and recognizing His sovereignty in his life. This is real victory. This is Isaiah 26:3.
- Conclusion: In the midst of affliction? Do you need victory? Recognize Who is our Creator, Sustainer and Sovereign in midst of your circumstance… and be at peace.
