Passage
Remove from me reproach and contempt: because I have sought after thy testimonies.
Remove from me reproach and contempt: because I have sought after thy testimonies.
Psalms 118:20 My soul hath coveted to long for thy justifications, at all times.
Psalms 118:21 Thou hast rebuked the proud: they are cursed who decline from thy commandments.
Psalms 118:22 Remove from me reproach and contempt: because I have sought after thy testimonies.
Psalms 118:23 For princes sat, and spoke against me: but thy servant was employed in thy justifications.
Psalms 118:24 For thy testimonies are my meditation: and thy justifications my counsel.
The verse centers on "remove", "reproach", "contempt", "sought", "after", and "testimonies". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "remove" and "reproach", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Thou hast rebuked the proud they are..." into verse 23's "For princes sat and spoke against me...", so "remove" and "reproach" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "remove" and "reproach" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.