Have you ever had your back to the wall? Ever wonder if you were going to make it? Ever wonder if the enemy would do you in? Ever wonder if you would live another day? The psalmist knows the experience, and the Resh section (119:153-160) reveals how the psalmist faced the future when his back was to the wall.
The theme of the Resh section is an old one: the psalmist is being opposed and persecuted and chased, and he appeals to God for deliverance and anchors his appeal in his own faithfulness to the Torah. Old themes sometimes reveal fresh light. I hope this one does this week for you.
The psalmist’s back is against the wall — opposed by those opposed to God — and simply faces God and petitions God and pleads his case:
“Look on my misery and rescue me,
for I do not forget your law” (119:153).
He asks God to look; he then asks God to rescue; he then argues his case on the basis of his obedience to the Torah.
Seek the face of God, seek deliverance through God, and keep your integrity. That’s how to face the future when our back is against the wall. He did not plot; he did not scheme; he did not appeal to powers. He faced God, asked for rescue, and kept on going on with what was right.