Category Archives: Psalm 119

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November 4, 2015

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Obedience, Psalm 119

Psalm 119:2-4~Running Full Speed After Obedience

Christians know that God’s Word is to be the center of their lives. We know that obedience is part of the call to follow Christ. We are not his disciples if we are not obeying his Word. But obedience is often stale for us. It is like a plate of vegetables we do not like. We know we are supposed to eat it, but we are not excited about it. What is striking about the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, is not that all one-hundred and seventy-six verses are about Scripture. The most striking thing is how much David loves Scripture. David loves God’s Word, delights in God’s Word, rejoices in God’s Word more than heaps of gold, and longs for God’s Word. For David knowledge of and obedience to God’s Word is the greatest pursuit. 

The first few verses, Psalm 119:1-4, are not a call to reluctant obedience or a casual part-time pursuit of the Word. But it is a call to have our entire lives, thoughts, emotions, interpretation of events, fears, and desires shaped by the judgments, statutes, precepts, commandments, and laws found in the Word. 

First, we are told to seek God with our whole heart (vs. 2).  There is parallelism between the two lines in verse 2.  Parallelism is where two lines of Hebrew poetry compare, expand, or contrast with each other. Here parallelism is used to compare two ideas and show that they are similar, if not exactly the same. 

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies

who seek him with their whole heart

“Those who keep his testimonies” and “who seek Him with the whole heart” are the same people. These two lines are saying the same basic message. We cannot seek God with our whole heart if we are not keeping His testimonies.  The one who keeps His testimonies is the one who is seeking him with their whole heart. Obedience to God and loving him with our whole heart are synonyms.  

Later in verse 4 the psalmist says that God has commanded us to “keep Your precepts diligently.” The word “diligently” means to keep with abundance or with much force. The word is used in Genesis 1:31 where God says all that he made was very good. It is used in Genesis 15:1 where God is Abram’s exceedingly great reward. In II Samuel 2:17 it is translated by the ESV as “fierce” in describing a battle.  One might paraphrase Psalm 119:4 as “You have commanded us to try with all our might and with full intensity to keep your commandments.” 



These two verses tell us that knowing God’s Word is not sufficient. Even trying at times, occasionally to obey is not enough. Ours should not be the obedience of a casual religious observer or Sunday only believer nor an obedience that reluctantly listens and after much persuasion obeys nor the obedience of a dog being drug on a leash or a child whipped into submission. We are to obey with our whole heart.  We are to search the horizon for ways to obey. Obedience is a treasure. Obedience is glory. We are to run after it full speed. 


We sell ourselves short in our sanctification. Maybe we do not want to look like legalists.  Maybe we don’t think we can see victory over the sins which besiege us. Maybe we just love our sin too much.Whatever the reason, it is wrong. God has not called us to sluggishly obey his commands when we feel like. But rather he has called us to obey all his commands with a heart fully devoted to him. This was David’s desire in Psalm 119 and should be the desire of all who follow after the One who is greater than David. 

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January 30, 2014

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Psalm 119, Scripture

God’s Word Should Not Stay in Our Hearts~Psalm 119:13

            

The psalmist has memorized God’s Word (vs. 11) and he prays to God to teach him the word (vs. 12). But he is not content with memorization and understanding. He must declare the law of God to those around him (Psalm 119:13). The Word of God does not remain in his heart, but overflows into his speech.  Our words and speech are keys to understanding what is in our hearts. God’s Word has filled up the psalmist’s heart. So God’s Word is what comes out of the psalmist’s mouth.

            The psalmist does not declare his opinion or his ideas, but all the judgments of God’s mouth.  Our own thoughts are of little consequence. The question at the bottom of all questions is what does God think? That is why the declaration of God’s Word to those around us is essential.  Our words are to reflect God’s statutes. His interpretation of events, actions, emotions, and thoughts is to be our interpretation of them. 
           Too often we see things through our eyes instead of through God’s Word. Or our speech is shaped more by the world than it is by God’s Word. The movies we watch and the songs we listen to mold our hearts so that we think and feel like the world does. If we find ourselves unable to converse easily about things like sin, salvation, redemption, Christ, the Church, grace, etc. then we should go back to verses 11-12 and begin internalizing God’s Word.
            But often we know God’s Word and still refuse to declare it. We might refuse to declare God’s Word because we are cowards. We keep God’s Word in our hearts so no one will think the less of us or make fun of us. We might refuse to declare God’s Word because we do not want to look “holier than thou.” This is a legitimate problem. But God does not give us the option of being silent. We must learn to declare God’s Word without being pompous or proud. There are probably other reasons we do not talk about God’s Word as we ought to.

            Our speech reflects our hearts. If God’s Word is not on our tongue then it might not be in our hearts. Or it might be in there, but instead of glorying in it we are ashamed of it.
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November 8, 2013

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Psalm 119

Outline of Psalm 119:9-16

Here is a brief outline of Psalm 119:9-16, which contains two of the more memorized verses in Psalm 119, verse 9 and 11. 
         
Vs. 9 a general statement about God’s Word keeping a man clean.
Vs. 10 The psalmist declares that he has taken heed to the Word by seeking God with his whole heart.
Vs. 11-16 The psalmist mentions seven things he does that show he has sought God with his whole heart.
1.      He memorizes God’s Word.
2.      He declares God’s Word.
3.      He rejoices in God’s Word..
4.      He meditates on God’s Word.
5.      He contemplates (ESV fixes eyes upon) God’s Word.
6.      He delights in God’s Word.
7.      He does not forget God’s Word.
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December 7, 2012

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Psalm 119

No Chasm Between Obeying the Word & Jesus

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! (Psa 119:1-3)

“All men naturally aspire after happiness, but instead of searching for it in the right path, they prefer wandering up and down through endless by-paths, to their ruin and destruction.” John Calvin
            Like Psalm 1, Psalm 119 begins with how a man might be blessed. And like Psalm 1, this blessing comes from walking in God’s law, keeping his testimonies, and seeking him with our whole heart. Every man, woman, and child on this spinning planet wants to be blessed. Every one of us wants to be happy and enjoy this life and, if we believe in it, the life to come.  No one wakes up on Monday and says, “My aim this week is to be as miserable as possible.” No one comes to their wedding day and says, “I hope my marriage fails and my life is filled with grief and despair.” Yet many spend and end their life this way. Our culture is an empty, sad, ugly culture, filled with angry, bitter, unhappy people. There are exceptions of course. But still the point stands. And it stands because of Psalm 119:1-2. Blessing comes only through a love of and obedience to God’s Word. There is no other path of happiness. There is no other door to the promised land. There is no other medicine for what ails us. A society that has rejected God’s Word has rejected happiness. Obedience to God’s Word is the singular path to God’s blessing.  Those who seek blessing outside of obedience to God’s Word are blind men looking for water in the desert. Our lives will not be easy if we obey. But they will be blessed by God. And that should be more important to us than ease or comfort.

            But what about Jesus, some welling meaning gospel-centered Christian will say? Isn’t he the path to blessing? Isn’t the gospel all about how I don’t have to obey, indeed how I cannot obey? Jesus did it all, all to him I owe? How can obedience be the path to blessing? To which I reply: Jesus and the Word are so intertwined that you cannot separate them. To love the Word, to obey the Word, to trust in the Word is to love, obey, and trust in Jesus. So the psalmist here is not talking about some legalistic, self-righteous attempt to earn his way into God’s favor. He is saying, “God in your grace grant me the desire and ability to obey your commandments and in your grace forgive me where I don’t.” And the difference between us and him is that the psalmist expects God to answer his prayer. There is no wedge between obedience to God’s Word and trust in Christ.

            O Lord, keep us from digging a chasm between obedience to your Word and belief in your Son. Help to remember that blessing only comes through keeping your Word. Amen!
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October 5, 2012

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Bible, Psalm 119

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The Word with Prayer: Meditation I on Psalm 119


            Psalm 119 is a prayer. The greatest theological discourse on the source, character, and effect of God’s Word is a prayer. We would not have done it this way. We would have written some massive theological work that would explore with scholarly objectivity the nature of God’s Word. But not the psalmist. For him God’s Word comes alive by the power of the living God. He knows that to study God’s Word he must pray. He does not seek to understand it by sheer force of will or by his reasoning alone. The Spirit must guide him, rebuke him, exhort him, and teach him as he studies God’s Word.  God’s Word must never be divorced from prayer. To seek understanding of and obedience to God’s Word apart from communion with God is to function as an atheist.  It is to believe that God’s Word is like an animal I can dissect and figure out apart from grace. It is to assume that God is not personal or living or present.

            But if we drench our study of God’s Word in prayer then we are confessing that we need God to understand his word. We are trusting that God will give us that understanding and a heart that longs to obey.  Psalm 119 is telling us that the Christian life is not the Word and prayer, but the Word with prayer.
            Lord, keep us from thinking that we can believe, understand, or obey your word apart from prayer. Amen!