Your hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn your commandments. They that fear you will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in your word. I know, O LORD, that your judgments are right, and that you in faithfulness have afflicted me. Let, I pray you, your merciful kindness [’emuwnah = truth] be for my comfort, according to your word unto your servant. Let your tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for your law is my delight. Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in your precepts. Let those that fear you turn unto me, and those that have known your testimonies. Let my heart be sound in your statutes; that I be not ashamed. (Psalms 119:73-80)
This section begins by affirming God’s creation of this particular individual. This stanza progresses from the last in that it more clearly shows God’s purpose for disciplining his sons. It reveals that God intends by and through his discipline of specific individuals to reproduce himself after his own kind. This is really what the entire history of mankind is all about. History itself seems to go on so long because God has to have time to work with the few people in each generation who actually come into agreement with him, who willingly submit to the discipline it takes to become like him.
Only few people come to this place in each generation, just as only a few select fruits become the firstfruits of any given season. We see this theme of “firstfruits” throughout Scripture. It is another word picture, or parable, God gives us to understand the idea of the overcomer or remnant chosen by faith. When the psalmist writes, “They that fear you will be glad when they see me,” he speaks of something much greater than two friends simply meeting on the street. In that case they could already “see” him. He alludes here to his glorified body, the immortal, spiritual body which God’s firstfruits receive before anyone else.
A group of people will exist on earth who do fear God when he glorifies his overcomers, yet they themselves will not be glorified. They will not be part of the first resurrection because they were among those who once ridiculed and excommunicated the overcomers from their churches. Most of these today believe that they will be scooped up by Christ in the “rapture.” They will be disappointed that they did not qualify for this, but they will be blessed and heartened when they “see” those who did.
This stanza once again reveals the defining characteristics of those whom God does choose. These know that God’s judgments are right and they take delight in his Law. His truth comforts them, indeed they can only stand in this world by his truth. Men may proclaim that God is dead; others may obscure the sun (Son) with chemtrails (deception), but these remain firm in their conviction that God is alive, true, and merciful.
When the glorification comes, and it is near at hand, others who yet fear God and have known his testimonies will turn to them. They will teach those who once scoffed and show them how they too may one day enter into New Jerusalem, the home and dwelling of God’s overcomers.
