The last couple of stanzas of Psalm 119 have dealt with affliction. But where does this come from? That’s the topic of the tenth stanza, the one that begins with the Hebrew letter yodh. You can see the first half of this stanza in Psalm 119:73-76:

The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is yodh is the smallest of letters, and it takes just a simple stroke of the pen to form. This is probably the letter Jesus had in mind when he stated in Matthew 5:18, that “not the smallest letter, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law.” It is a small letter, and it is the letter that begins this tenth stanza of Psalm 119, but the import of this section of the psalm is by no means small. It may be one of the most significant, especially in this section that deals with affliction.

We will break this stanza into two sections in order to memorize it, but it flows together very tightly as a whole. The past few stanzas have dwelt on the topic of affliction, and have hinted at the source. But right here, the psalmist reveals the source of his affliction, and it is God himself. Look again at verse 75:

I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

God is the source of the affliction. But before we dig to deeply into that, we need to back up a bit. In the first verse of this stanza, the psalmist speaks of being made and formed. This brings to mind the passage from Jeremiah 1:5, where God states, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” Even more so, it brings to mind images from the creation narrative in Genesis 1 and 2, where God created the earth and everything in it.

The first half of this stanza, in verses 65-88, the psalmist began to examine the goodness of God in the midst of suffering. In this second half, we will see two more examples of God’s goodness. Take at look at this passage in Psalm 119:69-72:

While this theme of suffering and affliction will carry on through the next two stanzas, this ninth stanza centers the subject properly in the goodness of God. It is impossible to understand affliction properly without understanding, at least as much as possible, the goodness of God. Otherwise, we will fall into hopelessness and despair. Only with a proper perspective of the goodness of God can we see clearly to navigate the badness of a fallen world.

This knowledge of God’s goodness brings us to obey and understand the Word of God. The psalmist stressed obedience to God’s Word in verse 67, and here, in verse 71, he stresses an understanding of Scripture. Those might seem to be be reversed, but in actuality, they are not. What the psalmist is saying here is that his affliction caused him to turn to God’s Word, and to obey it. As he read and studied it, it led to a deeper and more full understanding of it, which in turn led to a more complete obedience. It’s an ever deepening cycle.

In the first half of this passage, the psalmist used the word “good” in three separate statements, revealing that God uses our sufferings to our own benefit because of his goodness. In this passage, we find two more of these statements in verses 71 and 72.

The next three stanzas of Psalm 119, found in verses 65-88, deal with suffering and affliction and persecution. And yet, this first section is perhaps one of the most comforting passages in all of Scripture. Take a look at these verses in Psalm 119:65-68:

In this world there is a lot of pain and suffering. It’s a consequence of the Fall, and we cannot escape it. That has led many to question why, and even further, to question why God would allow such suffering, and even questioning whether or not God exists. While those are legitimate questions, they fail to account for the totality of what Scripture teaches. There is a purpose to suffering, as difficult as it may be.

There are several reasons why suffering exists. This is a deep and probing questions, and not one that can be answered adequately in a few brief words here. First, as mentioned, it is a result of sin and the Fall. It simply happens. We live in a broken world, and it will not be fixed until that day when Jesus returns and it is created anew.

Second, suffering can be instructive. We can learn more about ourselves and how we are to grow in our character and Christlikeness. In Romans 5:3-4, Paul tells us that “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” We can rest assured that we can grow through such times.

Third, there is suffering where the only purpose may be to bring God glory through it. In John 9, the man born blind suffered in this way for the purpose of revealing the glory of God when he was healed. We long to attribute such suffering to sin, or something we have done wrong, but Jesus clearly denied that idea in this case.

In the previous verses, the psalmist has been seeking God’s presence in his life, so that he may understand and know God as fully as he can. He listed three ways to do this. In the remainder of this stanza, he lists three more ways. Take a look at these verses in Psalm 119:61-64:

In the four verses that began this stanza, the psalmist showed three ways that he had discovered to help him understand God better, and he found these, and God himself, by searching the Word of God. He committed to seek God face (verse 58), follow God’s statutes (verse 59), and obey God’s commands (verse 60).

These three things, and the additional three we will see in this passage, show us how we can get to know the author of Scripture in a very close and personal way. After all, this is what the psalmist is pursuing, and it is what we should be pursuing as well. I stated this before, and it is worth repeating: The main purpose for a careful study of God’s Word is to get to know God himself. One can know everything there is to know about God and about his Word, but if he does not know God himself, he has missed the point. Scripture was given to us so that we can know its author, the author of life itself, as intimately as we can.

As the psalmist is seeking his portion, his “share” of God, he has realized that nothing short of God himself will suffice. What he wants from God… is God. And the place to which he turns to find God is Scripture. In the remainder of this stanza, he shares three more ways that he seeks and pursues the Father. This is what we ought to do as well.

Everything that the psalmist has written in Psalm 119 to this point, and especially the last couple of stanzas, culminates in this passage. He has sought God’s love, God’s protection, even God’s comfort. And here, he finds God himself. You can see this passage in Psalm 119:57-60:

The main thrust of God’s Word, the reason we need to spend time reading and studying it, is not simply for comfort or the ability to see some aspect of God more clearly, as important as those things may be. The main purpose for a careful study of God’s Word is to get to know God himself. One can know everything there is to know about God and about his Word, but if he does not know God himself, he has missed the point. Scripture was given to us so that we can know its author, the author of life itself, as intimately as we can.

That’s why the psalmist identifies God here as his “portion.” We don’t really understand this concept in the 21st century as well as we should. To our minds, a portion is a serving, our fair share, the right amount needed, such as a portion of the food served at dinner, or an equal portion of candy for my kids, or even our fair share of an estate or some other possession.

But to the Israelites, this is a word with some depth to it. When the nation of Israel left the wilderness after wandering in it for forty years, having left Egypt behind, they came to the Promised Land and began its conquest. As they entered the land, and the previous inhabitants were driven out before them, each tribe was given their own section of the land, their inheritance, their portion. That’s where they settled, and it was a part of their heritage.

All the tribes received a portion. All but the tribe of Levi. Instead of an area of land, the people of Levi were given forty-eight cities around the land, scattered among the rest of the tribes, so that their services as priests could be easily available throughout the nation. They received no piece of the land, but received something far better. Joshua 13:33 states, “But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance (portion), as he promised them.”