In the second century, a Christian wrote a letter to a man named Diognetus. Speaking of Christians, he said:

Every foreign land is their home.
And every home a foreign land.

These two short sentences express the identity of Christians in a hostile world. We are “resident foreigners”. The apostle Peter addressed the Christians in Turkey as “exiles, scattered throughout the provinces” (1 Peter 1:1). Even after hundreds of years living in their promised land, King Solomon in his prayer could say, “We are foreigners and strangers in your sight” (1 Chronicles 29:15). This is how the writer of Psalm 119 feels. He says, “I am a stranger on earth” (v. 19). For the first time in this psalm, external opposition emerges. This theme binds the next two sections together.

The psalmist introduces us to the “arrogant” (v. 21), a group who will reappear throughout the psalm (see vv. 51, 69, 78, 85, 122). They are full of self-importance and are scornful of the godly, and this is expressed in their contempt for God’s Word. As a
consequence, they’re under the curse of God (vv. 20–22).

In contrast, the psalmist longs for and delights in God’s Law, a wonderful and right attitude to have. We always need to keep ourselves from becoming bored or indifferent to God’s Word. It’s full of life, joy, and hope. For us who are foreigners and exiles, it opens up the wonderful glimpse of our true, eternal home. This is the place that the Lord is preparing for us. This is the true promised land where we’ll be free from all who mock and slander us for our love of the Lord.

In the next section (vv. 25–32), the psalmist expresses the enormous toll these attacks have taken on him personally. He writes: “I am laid low in the dust” (v. 25). Literally translated, it reads: “the dust holds me”. He’s saying that he feels like a living corpse—breathing but dead inside. Then he confesses, “My soul is weary with sorrow” (v. 28).

What is the solution to his despair? He writes in verse 31: “I hold fast to your statutes.” Meditating on God’s Law has an immense impact on his life. He goes from being bound by the dust of death to running freely in a life of obedience (v. 32). This is the great paradox of the Christian life. People think that God’s ways and commands are like chains that will bind them and rob them of joy. But the reality is that the more we commit ourselves to lives of obedience, the freer we are. This is the testimony of every Christian. Sin enslaves and brings misery and death. Obedience liberates us to enjoy the abundant life.