Psalm 119:22 – Reproach and Contempt

Remove from me reproach and contempt
for I have guarded your testimonies.

Meditating on a single verse each day means I often get somewhat out of context. But while context is important, literature can easily suggest other lines of thinking. Folks in various classes I’ve taught have called me the king of the rabbit trail because I’m so quick to jump on ideas that are suggested by the text and not necessarily taught.”Meditating on a single verse each day means I often get somewhat out of context. But while context is important, literature can easily suggest other lines of thinking. Folks in various classes I’ve taught have called me the king of the rabbit trail because I’m so quick to jump on ideas that are suggested by the text and not necessarily taught.

Psalm 119 certainly presents God’s commands as instructive, and keeping them as a good idea. So the connection of keeping and some sort of blessing is appropriate.

But this passage reminded me of a frequent form of prayer, one that combines a reminder to God of all the good things we have done, and based on those things there’s a risk. “Because I’m good, bless me!” It’s a bargain with God.

The problem, of course, is that it’s very difficult, indeed impossible, to make God owe us something. Why? Because as our creator, and the creator of all that is around us, we both exist, and live inside, gifts of God.

I’m amused by suggestions that God is or has been inactive for various periods of time. If God was actually inactive, existence would end.

Still, I think this is a natural, and even honest sort of prayer. It’s where we’d like to be. We want to approach someone for help who has some reason to help us. And I think that God honors such prayers, while hoping will come to understand God’s love and grace better.

Spoiler alert: The Psalmist gets this completely, as indicated in the final verse. He asks that God seek him, even though he’s gone astray. He doesn’t really have a claim, except to ask God for what God does. God seeks.

Of course, he still reminds God that he hasn’t forgotten, but in many ways I think that’s the thought of a lost sheep who wants to let God know he hasn’t forgotten the home pastures, the sheepfold, and the Shepherd.

Do you remember your spiritual home?

(Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)