Expect Victory

"Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." ~Psalm 119:165

I remember when I was young, I would often hear this verse flung at one's opponent in an argument. One would say, "I'm offended that you _______," and the other would retort by quoting this verse. I even did it myself a few times.

However, when I did a word study on this verse recently, I discovered a completely different meaning—one rich with encouragement for me in my faltering walk with the Lord!

Ellen G. White says in the third volume of Bible Commentaries that this "peace" referred to in Ps. 119:165 is "harmony with heaven"! Wow! And of course, Strong's Concordance (as well as EGW's comments) reveals that "offend" simply means "to falter, stumble".

So check this out: "Great harmony with Heaven have they which love thy law, and nothing shall cause them to stumble (or fall into sin)."

But it doesn't end here. The next verse says, "Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments."

Again, Strong's helps to elucidate the meaning. "Hope" in the Hebrew means "to expect", and "salvation" means "deliverance; hence aid, victory, prosperity".

So check this out: I can expect victory if I love God's law, because I am in harmony with Heaven, which means that nothing will cause me to fall into sin. And David testifies that this was his experience: "I have. . .done Thy commandments" (verse 166).

As Christians, we claim to love God, and by extension, His Law (which is a transcript of His character). Do we expect victory?

"According to your faith be it unto you." ~Matthew 9:29