Psalm 119 God's Word on Display. Pt. 2


Let's look at verses Psalm 119:1-2. 

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Psalm 119:1-8  1  
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

There are several noteworthy things in the beginning of this great Psalm. The word “blessed” is used twice in relation to man’s interaction with the scriptures. The word “blessed” means that a marvelous satisfying happiness is potentially available to each person who will trust and obey the LORD of heaven.

Psalms 119 references the word of God 168 times in 176 verses. It is reasonable to conclude that our potential to experience the blessing of God is closely correlated to the amount of delight in our souls for the Word of God.

Note the references to the scriptures in verses 1-8 of this Psalm. The introduction immediately elevates the holy scriptures of God into prominence. We can benefit by keeping the absolute authority of God’s word foremost in our minds and recognizing our need to understand and apply its truth to all of our activities.

Notice the use of many action words to convey God’s will for us concerning His revealed truth. He uses simple verbs like walk, keep, seek, do no, respect, praise and learned when speaking about the scripture.

Walking in the law leads to a pure life

 Psalms 119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

It is plainly evident that our own individual purity and happiness as a believer, is a result of choosing to walk in the law of the Lord.
This verse unmistakably indicates that blessing comes to us from walking in the law of the Lord. 

Walking in His holy law leads us toward living a life that is clean before God and man. The Psalmist describes this clean walk as someone who is living an undefiled life. The word “undefiled” means to be whole, without spot or blemish or innocent.

We should give thought to this each day because a corrosive, corrupt culture constantly presses down upon our souls. We will not receive edifying input from the godless culture that we live in. If we fail to persistently pursue the things of God then the things of this world will assume prominence over us and influence over decision making.

Walking in the law of the Lord not only brings happiness to us, it helps us to live “right” before God and man. We can learn the beauty of loving God and loving our neighbor. Walking in His holy law leads our minds to a preoccupation with this Holy God who desires communion with us. No wonder the Psalmist has such unabated exuberance for the scriptures.

Pay attention to the "way" that we live

The word “way” is used reminding us that we are merely pilgrims journeying through this life while awaiting a future home in heaven. The “way” that we travel through this life leaves behind a path marked out by our life patterns. Other people can see the direction of the “way” we travel with sobering clarity. 

It is sobering because we are living in a manner that either encourages or discourages other people with regard to their seeking the Lord.

Our daily choices mark out a way that shows the value we place upon God’s word. One clear goal we ought to diligently maintain is to walk in the law of the Lord each day so that as others observe  our lives, the “way” marked out by our daily decisions demonstrates our willingness to follow God in humble obedience.

Conformity to scripture yields peace of 
mind

A believer who chooses to act in conformity to Holy Scripture can experience peace of mind and spiritual happiness. It flows from choosing to walk in the law of the Lord. This hints at the magnitude of how God uses His holy word in order to transform our lives.

Our whole mind, heart and soul must be engaged

Psalms 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

Keeping His testimonies and seeking Him with the whole heart.
Two actions are set before us in this verse, the act of keeping and the act of seeking. Both actions can lead the person whose soul is fully engaged in keeping and seeking, into the gracious condition of receiving blessing from God.

"Keep" as a verb

The word translated “keep” is a familiar verb that means to watch over something that we consider extremely valuable in such a way that we are willing to commit the resources needed to ensure its protection. It means to guard something from danger. It also means the act of preserving something with the intent to obey.

"Keep" as a noun

The Oxford English Dictionary notes that the word “keep” has a special meaning as a noun in our language. As an English noun a “keep” refers to the strongest, central tower of a fortress that represents the primary place of refuge, security and safety from the enemy’s advance.

Both definitions of the word “keep” inform us how we ought to keep the word of God. We should view the scriptures as a most precious object to be carefully guarded in the depths of the “keep” within our hearts and souls. 

The spiritual soil within the “keep” of our soul is where the enemy seeks to undermine, weaken, attack and defeat us. This is precisely where we need to “keep” God’s word.

Seeking God is necessary

The second related action in this verse is “seeking” the Lord with our whole heart. Slacking or being a spiritual sluggard brings dishonor to our Gracious God and Savior. The word “seeking” means to conduct an intense investigation into a matter. 

Jehovah is the blessed object of our seeking and we must make a full and complete examination with our whole heart. Seeking with our whole heart leads to a passionate, persistent pursuit of God.

Points to Ponder....


  • We must walk in God's law to enjoy a pure life.
  • All of our choices make a life pattern or "Way" that others can see. Does it point people to Christ or does is show that we live for self?
  • Conforming to scripture leads to a blessed life.
  • Our whole heart must be engaged in seeking to understand and apply God's word.
Bob

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