Zeal Induced Sorrow
Psalm 119:137-144
Verses 139-140 My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore Your words. Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and Your servant loves them.
Having dealt with the sorrow of seeing his own sins, the psalmist now can look at those around him that are also living lives of sin.
Many claim that we must ignore the sins of others and let them live how they please because we also have sin in our lives. While it is very true that we each have sins of our own that we must be repenting of and turning away from, this doesn’t mean that we should be ok with sin. The psalmist says that he is wearing out because of the love of sin around him.
While our own sin should bring us sorrow the sins of those around us should spur us to action spreading the Word of the Lord. Only the truth of the law and the truth of the resurrection can bring the needed sorrow over our sin. That is one reason we need to be so in tune to God and His law, if we aren’t understanding the law we will not be finding sorrow in the sins that plague our lives.
Notice that the psalmist says that his enemies ignore the words of the Lord. This is the life of sin that should bring us the greatest sorrow, not just in others but in ourselves as well. Even as Christians we can find ourselves in situations where we struggle to be attentive to the law we say we love. It is so easy to allow ourselves to get distracted or worse yet, want to enjoy the sin. But we need to understand that when we choose the sin over the law we are choosing to ignore His words, and our zeal for Him and His teachings dies.
God’s promises have been fully tested and that should lead us to the sorrow that the psalmist has for his enemies. The man of song understood that because of their ignoring the law, they were lost. They were not just enemies of his, they were enemies of God. Their actions revealed the truth of their heart, they loved themselves and their sins more than anything else. This should break our heart. Just as the psalmist could see these people headed for a Godless eternity, we should be seeing people that need to know the truth of Christ. And more than just see them, we need to shine the light of His law on their path. Sure they may choose to continue on their way, but we are responsible for sowing the seed of truth.
Making It Personal
How sorrowful are you over your sins? Does the lawlessness of society break your heart? Whose life do you need to shine the light of the law on?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you get sad when you disobey Jesus? Does it bother you that other people don’t obey Jesus? How can you help a friend know how to obey Jesus?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for being unchanging. Give us such a zeal for You and Your law that we are grieved that there are those that don’t long to obey You and give us the wisdom in how to share Your truth with them. Give us a heart for the lost. In Jesus’ name, amen.