Psalm 119: Focus On God's Word Pt. 28 God Is Blessed In Himself. He Will Teach us His Ways.

Psalm 119:9  BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 

The second section of eight verses begins by asking a very important question: "How shall a young man (or a person of any age) cleanse his way?"

The Psalmist gave us the answer by telling us that we must take heed to God's word. We studied what it means to read and heed the Bible in previous posts. 

Psalm 119:10  With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 

Next, we have a declaration of the Psalmist's past action regarding scripture, and his prayer for present help as he studied the Word. We learned what it means to seek God with all of our being and for our need to pray for the help He promised to supply. 

Psalm 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 

The Psalmist then teaches us about hiding God's truth in our heart and he tells us why this is so vital to our spiritual wellbeing. We also studied this truth carefully in previous posts. 

God is blessed in Himself. He is the Self Existent One.

Psalm 119:12  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. 

Now we reach the midpoint of this eight verse section, as we continue to learn from the Psalmist about the beauty, majesty, power and benefits derived from studying scripture. 

Here, the Psalmist turned his focus back to the God of heaven. God is the objective and subjective source of our blessing.

Believers in Christ are blessed in Him.

Psalm 144:15  Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD. 

The same word translated "blessed" is also translated "happy" in about half of the places this word is found. Happiness and blessedness go hand in hand and are complementary ways of thinking about being blessed by God. 

The idea is that all who are in a covenant relationship with God by faith, are a genuinely happy and blessed people. The covenant is usually referred to as the Abrahamic covenant of promise by faith in Jehovah. 

A word about covenant relationships in the Bible. 

First, there are five main covenants in the Bible, and they form the framework for God's redemptive plan.  

Second, each covenant is a chosen relationship between God and man. Each party voluntarily unites in a covenant and make binding promises to each other. 

Third, most covenants have conditional and unconditional elements. 

Fourth, the Abrahamic covenant is primary in that it offered Abraham the blessing of numerous offspring, the promised land for his descendants and a universal blessing for all humanity. 

Fifth, elements of all covenants are fulfilled and upheld by the word, words and person of Jesus Christ. 

Last, although man often fails to uphold his part of the covenant agreement, God always upholds His part of the covenant. 

This is why God pledged to uphold the covenant of faith by Himself. He always keeps His word and fulfills each promise that He made (See Galatians 3; 4:21-31; Hebrews 6:13; 8:6-13).   

Below are links to two very good articles about covenants. We would can benefit by periodically refreshing our memory with regard to covenants. 

https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-biblical-covenants/

https://bibleproject.com/blog/covenants-the-backbone-bible/

God says "I am your God" because of the covenant. 

Ezekiel 34:30,31  Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. 31)  And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD. 

Believers who by faith are joined to God in a covenant relationship, are richly blessed. He says to us that "I am your God." This is blessing and happiness for all who place their full trust in Jehovah. 

Because we are rightly related to God through the covenant of faith, we have a right to God because He is our exceeding great portion. 

He is our preeminent good, the object of our blessing and the source of our blessing.  Through faith in Christ, we can enjoy God which is our highest blessing of all.   

Therefore, our chief concern is learning how to truly enjoy God, even though our "old man" is still present with us and we live in a sin cursed world. 

True blessing is knowing the Father and Jesus Christ. 

John 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 

Christ's prayer to His Father is recorded in John 17 and is often referred to as His high priestly prayer, because Jesus is interceding for us. 

What is life eternal and the greatest source of blessing, happiness and joy for believers? 

It is when we know God more deeply and His Son, Jesus Christ. Not a mere head knowledge, but truly knowing God in our heart. 

God is blessed and so are we when we are taught of Him. 

Psalm 119:12  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. 

Thus, we want to study what our eternal happiness consists of and how God wants us to obtain it. 

The Psalmist tells us that God is blessed in and of Himself, and that he declared that God is blessed in his worship of Jehovah. 

1 Timothy 1:11  According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. 

God is blessed in and of Himself. This is a state of blessing that is an attribute of God, an essential part of His own being. He is free from all misery and enjoys all that is good. God is sufficient to Himself, content with Himself and needs nothing from man.

God's state of blessedness is His delight in Himself. He is light and there is no darkness in Him. 

He is all together infinite love, joy, peace, blessing, holiness, righteousness, truth and justice. None can add to His blessedness nor can any diminish it. God has made all things for Himself (Proverbs 16:4). 

The Psalmist extolls the blessed nature of God. God that is blessed has enough for Himself and surely then, has more than enough for believers to enjoy. 

God is the fountain of all blessing. 

Genesis 17:1  And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 

The Divine name Almighty God is El Shaddai. This name means the all sufficient God who pours out abundant blessings and make manifold  provision for the sheep of His pasture. 

If God is satisfied and blessed in Himself, in His very nature and being, then surely, our soul will find great blessing and satisfaction in Him. 

The Psalmist is helping us see that God is blessed in and of Himself. Thus, we need to inquire after His statutes for they teach us the path to enjoying the blessing of God. If we can learn how to be conformed to His nature then we will find abundant blessing. 

We must partake of the divine nature.

2 Peter 1:3,4  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4)  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

This is what Peter taught. It is God's mighty power that gave us all necessary things to live a life filled with godliness, glory and virtue. 

God gave us great and precious promises (through the Abrahamic covenant of faith) so that we might be a partaker of the divine nature. His provision helps us escape the corruption and lust that surrounds us on the culture. 

In other words, God promises to make us into His image, as we pursue being more like Christ, which is the culmination of the divine nature of the Godhead. 

Understanding the nature of God's state of blessedness is connected with having our minds renewed, our hearts regenerated and our spirit revived (Romans 12:1-2; Isaiah 57:15; Titus 3:4-6). 

This state of blessedness is what God will impart to us now, and He will fully put it in us when we stand in His presence. 

Psalm 119:12  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. 

What the Psalmist is getting at is that ignorance of God's statutes hinders the life of God in us (See Ephesians 4:18). We do not have to remain ignorant of these things, nor are believers estranged from God's promises. 

We have been positionally given all spiritual blessings in Christ but practically, we need to work them out each day, until the Lord calls us home.

Our old man fights against the good and blessed purposes of God for us, and we often do not pursue holiness with vigor or persistence. When the Holy Word of God breaks in on our hearts, then we become engaged in the same things that God is doing. 

When we learn God's statutes, we become more conformed to the nature and will of God, and we love what He loves, hate what He hates and begin to live the life of God. We become partakers of the Divine nature. 

Our chief good in life is to love God, enjoy Him and seek His glory in all that we do. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Psalm 119:130  The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. 

This is what the Word of God will do when we actively hide it in our hearts. 

It shines heaven's light and God's glory into our soul. It shows us the way forward so that we can live for God's glory. 

It brings us a right worldview so that we can begin to see and understand things around from God's perspective. It gives us understanding. It makes the naïve soul wise unto salvation through faith in Christ. 

We learned that God is fully and completely blessed in and of Himself. A state of perpetual blessedness is part of His nature and character. 

We enter into His blessing by exercising repentant faith in Jesus Christ, for we stand in the Abrahamic covenant of faith. 

We can enjoy His blessing when we pursue Christ-likeness for our own lives. We are blessed when we are taught by God and He promises to make us partakers of the Divine nature.

God is blessed and He alone is the fountain of all blessing.

May these truths sink deep into our hearts. May the Spirit of God lead us into a deeper relationship with the Father through a growing vibrant faith in Jesus Christ. May we honor our God by our response to His Word.

Bob