129 Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul observes them.
130 The unfolding of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.
131 I opened my mouth wide and panted,
For I longed for Your commandments.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
After Your manner [bg]with those who love Your name.
133 Establish my footsteps in Your [bh]word,
And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.
135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.
136 My eyes [bi]shed streams of water,
Because they do not keep Your law.
We see throughout this passage a longing for God’s word and for God’s favor, which kind of go hand in hand. If you want God’s favor, then you should be seeking, and following, God’s word. We don’t always get it perfect, and I think that comes through a bit in this passage as well. The psalmist asks God not to let iniquity have dominion over him, to redeem him from oppression that he can keep God’s precepts, and for God to teach the him His statutes and precepts.
Why? Because someone isn’t keeping the law, and that someone seems to be the psalmist himself. He begins with the unfolding of God’s words, which gives light, and gives understanding to the simple. Often we think we’re pretty smart, but we still find ourselves acting pretty “simple” or foolish or ignorant. When we find ourselves in that boat, when we’ve let iniquity sway us into things we know we ought not to do, we need to respond like the psalmist.
He opened wide his mouth and panted, he was desperate for God’s direction in his life. He lost the path, and needed help finding it again. He was so distraught that his “eyes shed streams of water”. And so he goes to the Source, the Author, the Creator, the one who made a path for his feet. He sought the One who is light and life and hope and joy and peace. Because in the middle of oppression and sin, all those precious gifts had been squandered, much like the prodigal son who wasted his inheritance.
So what is God’s response? Well, if you go read the story of the prodigal (Luke 15), we know that He will answer the psalmist’s plea, and will make His face shine upon Him. Likewise, He will hear our cry, and will heal us, restore us, and make His face shine upon us, like a loving father embracing the child who was lost and has been found.
When you’ve failed, and you will–sorry, none of us is perfect yet–don’t stay in the pig pen of the prodigal. Pick yourself up, cry out to God, and let Him show you the road home. Seek His grace and understanding, that you may keep His precepts better than before. Learn from your sojourn, and let Him speak life into your heart once more with His word that gives truer directions than any human wisdom.