Christians are often torn between two godly desires when they think about the second coming of the Lord Jesus. First, we know that every day the Lord delays His coming is another day when people have an opportunity to repent and be saved. I have friends who, should the Lord return today, would perish. Since we know the Lord is patient and merciful, we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, but in Your mercy wait just one more day.”

On the other hand, Christians who love God and His laws and hate sin will be deeply grieved at the evil all around them. There is the personal evil they face from the abuse and attacks of people they know. Then there is the evil that confronts us every day when we see the news on our screens. Since we know the Lord is holy and just, we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, and it is time for You to act now!” This is the prayer of the psalmist in the next two sections.

In the first section (Psalm 119:121–128), the psalmist speaks again of the insults of those who are oppressing him. He longs for the suffering to end. He asks God to “ensure your servant’s well-being” (v. 122). It’s a bold request. The psalmist prays, “It is time for you to act” (v. 126). A Christian, thinking of Romans 8:28, might pray, “Father, You’ve said that You work all things together for good for those who love You, so show that in my life right now.” But the poet is not just thinking about himself. He knows that if he hates “every wrong path” (Psalm 119:128), how much more must God.

The psalmist’s sorrow at the sins of the oppressors continues in the next section (vv. 129–136). But while the final note of the section is tears (v. 136), the overall melody is one of wonder (vv. 129–132). Psalm 119 has already spoken of the light that God’s Word brings to our lives (v. 105), but here it’s like the opening of a door. The room is dark and there’s daylight outside, so once the door is opened, light floods the room. As God’s Word is opened and people allow it into their lives, “it
gives understanding to the simple” (v. 130).

The “simple” aren’t those with limited intelligence. In the wisdom books, the simple are those who are not yet formed in their thinking. They’re still deciding which path to take. For many people, the late teenage years are the time when they make significant life choices. Not just about their careers, marriages, and homes, but also the kind of person they’ll be and the kind of lives they’ll live. If by God’s grace (v. 132) they allow God’s Word into their hearts, they’ll learn understanding and wise living (v. 133).