Learning the Hard Way is Still Learning

The ninth section of Psalm 119 is entitles teth, the ninth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. This section of prayer, 119:65 – 72, teaches the important lesson of praying the experiences of what you are learning, even when you learn the hard way.

The first line confesses the truth of the goodness of God, and for that reason is an expression of praise, “You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, according to your word.” The phrase, “dealt well,” is made up of two Hebrew words, asah, which means to make or to accomplish, and tob, which means good. Both of these words are very common, used hundreds of times in the Old Testament. Both of these words are used in almost every verse in Genesis 1 – 2, the two chapters on creation, describing God’s creative activity of making and forming everything and seeing the goodness of Himself in His creation.

Following the expression of praise comes a request for learning. These two are always found following each other. “Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.” The word “judgment,” is the Hebrew word taham, which is from a root word for taste. It developed into the meaning of discernment from the understanding of distinguishing different flavors by tasting. It means learning by experience.

The second word, “knowledge,” echoes this word. It is the Hebrew word dahath, from a family of words based upon the Hebrew word yadah, used of the knowledge of God. Like taham, dahath is knowledge that can only come from a personal and intimate relationship with God. Together, these words taham and dahath point to a learning experience with God, of God, according to the word of God.

The next five lines describe how God uses painful situations in life to teach eternal truth. “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word…It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” The word “afflicted,” is the Hebrew word, naham, which means to be humbled by a painful and distressing experience. Trauma is one of the teachers of God. No one welcomes difficulties and distress, and no one is immune to them, but very few recognize the blessings that result from them if a person is willing to turn to God’s word and be taught by God in the midst of them. The main lesson God teaches through difficulty is a total dependency upon Him and the nourishing strength from His word.

Also notice the present tense of “It is good for me…,” and the past tense of “…that I was afflicted…” For believers, suffering is temporary and blessings are now and eternal. For unbelievers, it is the opposite; blessings are temporary and suffering is eternal. The other thing to notice is the option, even for the believer, of learning, “…that I might learn your statutes.” Learning is not automatic. It is chosen. It is not easy, but it is simple, if you will turn to the Lord and ask for it.

The last line is a beautiful confession of the value of God’s word to a believer, “The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” One afternoon, the author was riding in his truck with his nine-year-old granddaughter. He reviewed this verse, Psalm 119:72 with her and said, “Emma, do you know what this verse means?” Emma turned and said, “I think I do. But tell me.” I said, “It means that if a pile of gold was before me, along side of a Bible, I would choose the Bible rather than the gold. What about you?” Emma kept looking straight ahead and said, “I would choose the gold, and then go out and buy Bibles for the people who do not have one!” AMEN!!! Thank you, Emma!

You can learn from the Bible, you can learn from your mistakes, you can learn from others, even from a nine-year-old, if you believe that God is good, all the time, and that all the time, His desire is for you to know Him more and more, through good things, as well as through difficult things; “God is at work in all things, working them together for good, for those who love Him, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.