Psalm 119: Focus On God's Word Pt. 140 Liberty To Love And Serve God

Psalm 119:41-44  VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word. 42)  So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word. 43)  And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments. 44)  So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever. 

The "VAU" section of Psalm 119 makes much of God's word and so should all believers. We learn of God's infinite mercy for us from His Word. We learn about His great salvation from His Word. 

The scriptures are our resource to answer all who say that God does not exist, or who say that He offers no help. We trust His Word and derive hope from what He says to us. 

His promises are sure and certain and we can rejoice in them. Our desire is to live according to the righteous standard that God established in His law. The indwelling Spirit of God puts this desire in us and He will help us obey. 

Liberty and knowing the scriptures. 

Psalm 119:45  And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. 

In the previous verses (43-44) the Psalmist asked for an opportunity to know the ways of God and for a heart to walk in all the ways of God. 

Then, he sought for perseverance to be consistent in his walk with Jehovah. The world may say that if you truly want to obey God, then you are subject to bondage. 

Yet, the Psalmist is showing us that we as believers chose to obey God, this leads to the glorious liberty that we can enjoy. 

The word "liberty" means to not be pressed into an overly tight or confined space. It means having room and space to move around. 

God's truth, when obeyed, frees us to walk with Him. 

John 8:31,32  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32)  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

Here is the mark of a true believer in Jesus Christ. All who believe on Jesus Christ with repentant faith are those who continue in His word. 

To "continue" means to abide in Christ's words, hearing and heeding all that He says. It has the idea of believers staying put in one spot, with Christ's words, with no plan to move on. 

It is enduring in the Word with anticipation that God is going to speak to us through His Word. This connects with the Psalmist heartfelt desire to keep God's law "continually." 

Continual reading, meditating and studying of scripture will help us accumulate truth that will transform our minds. It will shape what we talk about and where our affections are directed. This is very good for us.

Thus, Jesus said the truth shall make you free. Learning truth from God and taking time to really understand it, and to obey it, is not constraining. It is liberating to our inner man. 

God tells us what we should do because this will bless us. He tells us what we should not do so that we are not harmed by sin. What a wonderful God we serve!

The Psalmist learned to walk with liberty from Jehovah.  He was able to perform his duties toward God with grace. Keeping God's law continually helped him walk with liberty, freed from evil, unhindered by earthly distractions. 

He was free to do that which is good and holy, without someone forcing him to, for his mind was willing.

A precept is binding moral law from God. 

Psalm 119:45  And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. 

Now, what is a "precept?" A precept is a command from God that is intended as an authoritative rule regarding our moral conduct. 

We could say that a precept of God represents a moral absolute that must be obeyed, and is to be the guide for our lives. 

The Psalmist chose to carefully search out and understand God's moral absolutes. Obeying them always leads to a life of blessing. No better freedom exists than when a believer has freedom to serve God after seeking and obeying His precepts. 

God's moral absolutes lead us to liberty. 

James 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 

Here is the New Testament equivalent of what the Psalmist is teaching us. A believer making a careful investigation into the moral law of God, will find liberty to love and serve God, just as the Psalmist did. 

In fact, the apostle James calls it the law of liberty. Notice that he also emphasized our need to stick with it, to keep seeking His precepts. Consistent study of God's moral standard causes us to remember and retain the content of His moral code. 

This is how a man becomes a doer of the word and not just one who hears it and walks away unchanged. 

Rejection of God's precepts leads to being slaves of sin. 

2 Peter 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

What happens if we do not seek God's precepts? The world promises liberty and freedom if we would throw off God's moral law. However, anyone who ignores God's holy standard and chooses to sin, will be in bondage to sin, and live a life full of depravity and corruption.

This is not liberty. Satan always tempts us by offering that which sounds good and seems logical. He twisted the truth into a lie as he led Eve to doubt and sin. He accused God of holding back something that was good for them. 

What was the reality? The close communion Adam and Eve had with God, was broken. Their lives were marred forever by sin. Death became part of the human experience and the process of mankind's universal depravity was set in motion.

Our world generally views a close walk with God in the light of His word, as like being in prison, with a guard outside your jail cell. They cry "Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us" when speaking of God's moral law (Psalm 2:3). 

If you reject God's precepts, He may give you over to your lusts. 

Psalm 81:12  So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. 

Mark it down, God will give people up to their own evil desires. If they fully resist His truth, He will give them up to their own ways. Those who insisted upon pursuing idolatry, God gave them up to practice uncleanness and vile affections (Romans 1:24; 26). 

The world is full of people who care only for things that satisfy the flesh even though being carnally minded leads to death. Those who walk according to the lust of the flesh cannot please God for they reject His moral absolutes (Romans 8:6-8). 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Matthew 7:13,14  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14)  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 

The straight gate will allow only one person at a time to pass through. This pictures entering into the kingdom of God through faith in Christ, because He is the door (John 10:7). 

The straight gate leads to a narrow way, because the commands and precepts put up a protective barrier on each side, showing us the clear path forward in our walk with God. This way leads to eternal life. 

On contrast, the way of sin seems broad and easy to our flesh, but it keeps our spirit away from God, and it leads us relentlessly to destruction. 

Psalm 119:32  I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. 

The Psalmist tells us about the liberty salvation brings and the new life of living in accord with God's moral law. 

This liberty means running in the way marked out by God's moral absolutes, because we see how good it is for us. 

His precepts protect us from falling into grievous sin. Keeping His precepts fills us with joy and draws us closer to God. 

Bob