“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.” (Psalm 119:114)
This verse follows the statement, “I love your law,” thus it is reasonable this sentence offers a reason why: in the pages of scripture he finds shelter in it’s consistent, unchanging, dependable definition of right and wrong, and its testimonies of God’s actions in history on the behalf of his people, and the promises we inherit from our spiritual forefathers. Through this, and the hope/faith it builds in him, he finds protection and deliverance–from what?
Likely, the double-minded, wicked evil-doers he wants away from, double-minded indicating they waver between two opinions, so he’s talking about fellow believers who talk the talk, but don’t always walk the walk and are apparently hindering him somehow, perhaps tempting him to turn away from what he knows to be true and right. After all, they seem to be getting away with it. He reminds himself here that is not true, those who know the truth and deliberately forsake it to go after the deceptions of sin will be held to account by God.
Of course, under the new covenant, we know God ultimately doesn’t want us holding back from evil in trembling dread of God’s wrath, as the psalmist does. He wants us to go beyond the fear of the Lord, look to the cross, remember what Jesus paid to set us free from sin, and obey out of love and trust.