THE WORD AND AFFLICTIONS

Seven times in this psalm the writer speaks of affliction that had come to him, and he sees (i) a link between his affliction and straying from the Word, and (ii) a close link between the Word and recovery. Before considering what he says about affliction, look at verse 65, “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant”, and then at verse 67 where he speaks of affliction. This was part of God’s goodness to him. The reason why affliction was with him seems to have been that he had gone astray, and the second half of verse 67 suggests that he had gone astray because of failure to keep God’s Word. God sent the affliction in the spirit of verse 65, and the writer has now regained fellowship with his God.

In verse 71, he is looking back, pondering over God’s dealings with him, and his testimony is, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted”, and he sees why God has been dealing with him in that way, “that I might learn thy statutes”. In verse 11, this man had written, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee”. Clearly, something had gone wrong, and it was necessary for God to bring him back again. How many times have travellers set out on a journey, being confident that they know the way so that they have not consulted a guide book, only to find themselves lost and compelled to say, “If only I had consulted the book”. Our psalmist was like that; he had started well, but apparently he neglected the Book, and had gone astray.

In verse 75, he admits that the affliction was a testimony to God’s faithfulness (note, not God’s harshness), and in verse 107 he asks that he may know in the experience the quickening of God through the Word. Affliction covers a wide variety of experiences, illness, accident, domestic problems, financial difficulties. And while it is true that these things come upon us, yet it is not necessarily on account of some particular sin in our lives. Yet it is well to consider this possibility, and go to the Lord about it. Has there been a departure from the Word; do we need to get back to it?

A comforting word to close with: in Revelation 3. 19, the loving Lord is speaking, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten”.