Psalm 119:49-56

ZAIN – The seventh letter in the Hebrew alphabet.

These eight verses are really neat… the talk about how the Psalmist HAS relied upon God’s word in the PAST, and currently all he knows to be true is being assaulted by his enemies. In light of this, the Psalmist declares:

Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
(Psalms 119:54)

What a cool concept! Let’s break it apart, take a close look at it, and then put it back together so we can see how it applies to us.

YOUR STATUTES HAVE BEEN MY SONGS – Statutes are literally MANDATES or DECREES… they truths God has declared that have immediate implications for our lives. Not simple statements, but declarations that require a response. The psalmist writes here that those things that God had decreed and mandated had become SONGS HE WOULD SING. A song is often an expression of what is going on in the heart of a person. When I write songs, I attempt to give voice to the work God is doing in my heart. I believe that is what the psalmist is talking about here… the things God decreed had become the “songs of His heart”. No longer cut and dry “regulations”, these Statutes of God had become the very breath of life to the psalmist.

IN THE HOUSE OF MY PILGRIMAGE – This is an AWESOME statement! It is somewhat paradoxical in nature, but gives us a picture of the life of a real believer. This person KNEW that they were on a PILGRIMAGE. Pilgrimage is in essence an attitude of SOJOURNING, a recognition that this world is not our home, that we are merely passing through. In this life of pilgrimage, the Psalmist found that IN GOD AND HIS WORD He found a PERMANENT DWELLING PLACE! So, we are just passing through, but we have a permanent resting place in the Lord!

If we put this together, it tells us this:

We may experience difficulty, and at times we may see circumstances that make believing the promises of God difficult. At these times, we need to let the song of our heart be the statutes of God, and remember that though we have a permanent place in Him, we are merely passing through this world! My friends, it can be a lonely road… We need to know the Word of God, and be in constant communion with the God of the Word if we are to sing pilgrim songs as we rest in Him!