What is the meaning of Psalm 119:155? Salvation is far • The verse opens by stressing distance: deliverance and rescue are not merely delayed but removed to a great span when hearts resist God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Proverbs 15:29). • Scripture presents salvation as near to all who call on the LORD (Romans 10:13), so the statement underscores that any remoteness is self-imposed, not a failure on God’s part (Psalm 34:18). from the wicked • “Wicked” describes those whose lives are bent away from God’s righteous standard (Psalm 1:4-6). • They may appear prosperous (Psalm 73:3-12), yet their moral rebellion places them outside the sphere of God’s saving help (Nahum 1:3). • The contrast with “the righteous” in the surrounding verses (Psalm 119:153-154, 157) highlights that personal character and conduct matter to God. because they do not seek • The cause is not intellectual ignorance but a willful refusal to pursue God’s ways (Romans 1:21-25). • Throughout Scripture “seeking” God implies eager, obedient pursuit (Deuteronomy 4:29; Hebrews 11:6). • Neglect leads inevitably to hardening of the heart (Zechariah 7:11-12) and, therefore, continued distance from salvation. Your statutes • Statutes are God’s fixed, authoritative declarations for life (Psalm 19:7-9). • Psalm 119 repeatedly links love for these statutes with life, freedom, and hope (vv. 45, 93, 111). • Rejecting them is tantamount to rejecting God Himself (1 Samuel 15:23), so the wicked forfeit the blessing attached to obedience (James 1:25). summary Psalm 119:155 teaches that the experience of salvation is inseparable from a heart that actively seeks and submits to God’s revealed Word. Distance from deliverance is not arbitrary; it is the inevitable outcome of choosing rebellion over obedience. To draw near to God’s saving help, one must draw near to His statutes with humble, earnest faith. |
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