Psalms 119:69 - Meaning and Application

David here tells us how he felt about the proud and wicked people around him. He was not afraid of their malice, and he did not let it turn him away from his duty. He says, "They have forged a lie against me." They tried to destroy his good name. In fact, everything we have in this world, even life itself, can be put in danger by people who see no wrong in telling lies.

The proud envied David’s reputation because it made them look worse by comparison. So they did all they could to damage him. They took pleasure in putting him down. They acted as if it was no sin to tell a deliberate lie if it would make him look shameful. Their wicked imagination invented stories with no real basis at all, all to serve their evil plans.

What did David do when people spoke falsely about him? He chose patience. He would not return insult for insult. He would sit quietly under it, and he would keep doing what was right with steady courage. In effect, he says, "Let them say what they want, I will keep your commands, and I will not be afraid of their mockery."

David was also not drawn away by the success of the wicked. "Their heart is as fat as grease" means they were full of this world, and full of wealth and pleasure. That made them dull and hard, as in Isaiah 6:10, where a fat heart pictures a person who cannot feel God's word or God's discipline. It also made them sensual and pleasure-loving. Psalm 73:7 says, "their eyes stand out with fatness," meaning they are carried away by what their senses enjoy.

David says, in effect, "Let them enjoy their worldly pleasures. I would not trade places with them." He found his delight in God's law. He built his safety on God's promises, and he had more than enough joy in fellowship with God. Those who know spiritual pleasures do not need to envy the carnal pleasures of this world.