Jesus, hidden in the Word(s)
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and mainly shares the importance of God’s Word and the presence thereof in our lives. We can already see Jesus in the theme of the Psalm as the Word of God and the importance of His presence in our lives.
The Psalm is broken into segments according to the Hebrew Alphabet and it start with Aleph and ends with Tav. The name by which Jesus is also known, the Alev-Tav (Genesis 1:1), the Alpha and Omega (the first and last letter of the Greek Alphabet) (Revelation 1:8), the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrew 12:2). In this we further see the presence of Jesus carried through the entire Psalm. Many verses contain descriptions of Christ and a reflection of His words. There are so many nuggets of revelation of Jesus hidden in the Psalm and today we will touch on a few of the glimpses of Jesus Christ. Let’s unfold pieces of Christ’s picture in psalm 119.
Psalm 119:99: “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.” These words remind us of Jesus at the temple at the age of twelve. When His parents found out He was no longer with them and went looking for Him, they found Him at the temple and everyone was in awe of His knowledge of God’s Word.
Psalm 119:1-4: “How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the Lord . How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart. They also do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways. You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep them diligently.” (NASB) There is only one that was blameless from the start and who endured the test of time and that was Jesus Himself. Our ways in and of ourselves can never be blameless, but Jesus was blameless. He was blameless and took our place on the cross as He took our curse so that we could have His blamelessness. The perfect picture of Grace.
In Christ, we are made blameless before God and therefore we can be blessed. It was all part of God’s plan, Ephesians 1:4: “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”
Psalm 119:147 says: “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.” (NASB) These words are a picture of Christ as we see in Mark 1:35: “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” (NASB)
Psalm 119:136: “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” (ESV) is a shadow of Christ’s tears that He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41) and His sadness over Lazarus’ tomb, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (John 11:33, (ESV).
Psalm 119:139: “My zeal has consumed me, Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.” (ESV) reminds us of the picture of Jesus when He cleansed the temple by throwing out the money changers, “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:15-17, ESV)
Psalm 119:54-55: “Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning. I remember your name in the night O LORD, and keep your law.” Jesus sang on the night of the last Supper when he was betrayed. As they were approaching Gethsemane they sang hymns and brought fulfilment to the prophecies of the Old Testament (Matthew 26:30).
Psalm 119:28: “My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!” Here we see a picture of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was captured. We read it in Matthew 26:38: “He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (NLT)
The following verses provide a picture of the passion and trial of Jesus at the cross:
Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law (verse 61). The hidings and scorching that Jesus bore on our behalf before the finally hung Him on the cross.
The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts (verse 69). Jesus was accused of so many false accusations but He never failed to stay true to God and the instructions and purpose He was to fulfil.
The insolent have dug pitfalls for me. They do not live according to Your law.” Verse 85 speaks of the betrayal which Jesus suffered at the hands of His own.
The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies. Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies (verses 95, 157). The Pharisees could not wait to capture Jesus for the teachings He was spreading to all, but Jesus never had His eyes fixed on them or allowed them to stop Him from being obedient to God.
David shares in Psalm 119 that it is not only the Torah that is the way, the truth and the life but it also brings salvation. Now the Torah was a shadow of what True Salvation would look like one day. God’s instructions and law brings blessings but there was only One that could fulfil it and it was Jesus. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrew 13:8). The shadows we see of Him in the Old Testament are exposed in His Light and presence in the New Testament. He was, is and always will be the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).
As a fun exercise while spending time in God’s Word, do the following and let Jesus reveal Himself to you in an even deeper way: study Psalm 119 and in every instance of Law, insert “torah.” Replace every occurrence of “the LORD” with YHVH, which represents God’s name. Every instance where David refers to God’s, “way”, “truth” and “life”, “salvation” or “word” replace it with a bold lettered “Jesus”.
Jesus will never stop to amaze you with His wonderful presence, in every word, situation or person.
Maretha Retief
Illustration by Jeanne de Villiers