Comments on: Day 11: Psalm 119:81-88

By: David Downs

David Downs — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:51:55 +0000

Be bold! Be strong! We have a STRONG God, and we’re getting stronger the more we’re with Him. They may try to make an end of me on earth, but I’ll just get stronger! They may dig pits for me, but that was not God’s plan – I’ll just get stronger! More, Lord!

By: Randy

Randy — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:26:30 +0000

So the verse that caught my attention was Vs. 83: “Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke I do not forget your decrees [NIV]“.
The verse intrigued me. What does it mean? What is writer trying to say?
So, I Google’ed and here is what I found:
“Wineskins that were used in the home were hung up when not in use. Oftentimes, a fire would be burning in the tent or room where the wineskin hung. The smoke from the fire would over time, effect the wineskin until it became polluted, hard and in need of repair. It had to be soaked in oil until it was restored to its new and usable condition.
The section of Psalm 119 in which this verse appears is one where the psalmist laments the wickedness surrounding him and the persecution that he is experiencing without cause. He sees himself like one of those wineskins in the smoke. Becoming tainted by the grime and spiritual pollution all around him and realizing his need for repentance to become a renewed wineskin, usable to the Lord and a pure witness in an evil day. Yet for all his discouragement he does not forget the LORD’S decrees.
What a great analogy by the writer of how God’s People often fare in the world. We are to be renewed by the oil (the Spirit) so we are useable by the Lord for His purposes.
Randy

By: Becky

Becky — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:36:14 +0000

Well, I’ve missed a couple of days. But I’m back on track. The accountability of this website helps me get back! And today’s verses really hit home with my situation. “My eyes fail with longing for Thy word…” I think about the times that I’ve read a novel so late into the night that my eyes can hardly focus, but I want to finish a chapter, or just can’t put it down. But how often have I done that with God’s word? “But as for me, I did not forsake Thy precepts…” Can I honestly say that when things are tough for me, when I’m being attacked by whatever..can I say I did not forsake Thy precepts? Or do I become whiney, or selfish, or complaining? Probably the latter. This verse has lots to say to me about how I live my life.