Accursed Ones - Psalm 119:21

“You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.” Psalm 119:21

Here is a severe contrast between one whose heart breaks and soul faints over the word of the Lord which is his vehement desire, and one who is arrogant, proud, and shows contempt toward the commandments of God. 

Our day - as it was with Israel - is full of those who chafe under the commands of God; those who scorn his word, and rebel at every turn from heeding his instruction. These are those who embrace stupidity, and laugh at truth; they wear the marks of perversity and disgrace in their body as badges of honor, and willfully worship things the Lord has made. In their minds, they say “there is no God”[1] and in so doing their minds become dark, embracing ignorance (Ephesians 4:18). They scream for peace and justice all while scorning the very law that would bring them both because they want peace without surrender, and justice without law. It is these that David calls cursed, and we understand why: it is because God has spoken a curse against those who disobey his word (Deuteronomy 27:26; cf. Galatians 3:10; James 2:10). 

Lest we become proud and arrogant ourselves, we must recognize at once that we are not better than these cursed ones. We must remember that we “were at [one] time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). We “once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds”[2] just as all the others, but because of Christ’s obedience to the Father, his death and resurrection, we who are in the Lord, and long for his commands are now reconciled and at peace! However, we have no reason for boasting because we have received this as a gift, apart from any work of our own! 

Let us, therefore, praise the Lord all the more that he alone has removed the curse that we rightly deserve far from us by placing it squarely upon the head of his beloved Son!

[1] Psalm 14:1

[2] Colossians 1:21