How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.They also do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.You have ordained Your precepts,
That we should keep them diligently.Oh that my ways may be established
To keep Your statutes!Then I shall not be ashamed
When I look upon all Your commandments.I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not forsake me utterly!(Psalm 119:1-8)
David began this psalm by introducing the idea that God’s word is a blessing to us. Why should we recognize the word of God as a blessing, and what should we do as a result?
Blessings Come Because God is with Us
“How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1).
“Do not forsake me utterly!” (Psalm 119:8).
This passage begins with an acknowledgement of being blessed. The reason we are blessed is because God does not forsake us.
James wrote, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17). After the flood, the Lord made the promise to Noah, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). These continued blessings serve a “witness” to Him (Acts 14:17).
Many blessings are given to man, regardless of his response to them. Jesus said that the Father “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Paul, in speaking of the power of Christ, said, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). This world continues because of the goodness of God. Without Him, man could not exist.
We Are Blessed as We Observe His Testimonies
“How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies…” (Psalm 119:1-2)
“Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psalm 119:5)
“I shall keep Your statutes; Do not forsake me utterly!” (Psalm 119:8).
However, while it is true that all men are blessed by God, those who follow His word enjoy extra blessings.
Many do not see God’s expectation for us to obey as a blessing. They see God’s authority as a prison from which they wish to be free (cf. Psalm 2:3). Yet this “freedom” that comes by rebelling against God is not as good as many believe. The wise man said, “The way of transgressors is hard” (Proverbs 13:15, KJV). He went on to say, “Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity” (Proverbs 13:21). Following God’s word allows us to avoid the pitfalls of sin. Therefore, God’s expectation for us to follow His word is not a burden, but a blessing.
In order to be blessed in this way, we must “observe His testimonies” (Psalm 119:2). As we obey, we are to strive to be “blameless” (Psalm 119:1). To be blameless means we cannot be accused. This requires consistent obedience. Peter wrote, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). Some people, when they know we are Christians, will look for a way to accuse us of some sin. Do not make it easy on them! Live your life in such a way that their scrutiny of you causes them to glorify God rather than label you as a hypocrite.
Furthermore, the psalmist indicated that our ways “may be established” as we “keep [God’s] statutes” (Psalm 119:5). The blessing here is a life of stability. Many people long for this but do not have it in their lives. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasted the houses built by a wise man and a foolish man (Matthew 7:24-27). Both built houses that were subjected to severe storms and floods, but only one house stood – the house of the wise man. The only difference between the two houses was the foundation – the wise man built his house on the rock. That solid foundation was his hearing and obedience to the word of the Lord (Matthew 7:24). This was the psalmist’s point. All of us will face trouble in life. But those who have their lives built upon a solid foundation – the word of God – are blessed with a stability that transcends the temporal troubles of this life.
We also see in this passage that we must resolve to obey the word of the Lord. “I shall keep Your statutes” (Psalm 119:8). Faithfulness will not happen by accident. Jesus said, “The gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). We will not stumble onto the right path and stagger to its end. We must seek out the truth that is found in God’s word and intentionally follow it.
We Must Seek God Wholeheartedly
“How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:2).
“You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently” (Psalm 119:4).
As we have seen already, observing the Lord’s testimonies leads to being blessed. But we must do so wholeheartedly. This requires complete and total effort on our part. The wise man wrote, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). This means that seeking God wholeheartedly will affect our entire being.
Seeking God wholeheartedly means that God must be our highest priority. Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Paul wrote, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). The Lord must be first in our lives.
Seeking God wholeheartedly also means that our lives must be completely given over to Him. Paul told the saints in Rome, “Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). Jesus said that anyone who wished to be His disciple “must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). We cannot follow the Lord part of the time and keep the rest of our lives for ourselves and our desires. We must offer our lives completely to Him.
If we seek God wholeheartedly, we will follow His word. David wrote, “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently” (Psalm 119:4). We must put forth diligent effort to serve the Lord faithfully. Peter said we must apply “all diligence” and add to our faith (2 Peter 1:5-7). He then said, “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10). We need to be diligent – put forth a wholehearted effort – to practice God’s word.
We Must Avoid Sin and Keep a Clear Conscience
“They also do no unrighteousness; they walk in His ways” (Psalm 119:3).
“Then I shall not be ashamed when I look upon all Your commandments” (Psalm 119:6).
Many believe that Christians can “continue in sin” (Romans 6:1) without concern. Paul refuted this error and asked the question: “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2). Jude indicated that those who teach this error have perverted the word of God by turning it into a “license for immorality” (Jude 4, NIV).
Our goal must be to “do no unrighteousness” (Psalm 119:3). John said that his first epistle – and by principle, all of the Bible – was written “so that you may not sin” (1 John 2:1). God’s “commandments are righteousness” (Psalm 119:172). Paul wrote, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). In order to “do no unrighteousness” (Psalm 119:3) and “not sin” (1 John 2:1), we must follow the righteous instructions found in God’s word.
David also indicated that God’s people should keep a clear conscience (Psalm 119:6). However, this does not mean that we keep ourselves free from guilt by ignoring God’s word and adopting a human standard. Paul persecuted Christians in good conscience (Acts 23:1). Our conscience must be trained by the word of God (Hebrews 5:13-14). Once our conscience is properly trained and we observe the commandments of God, we will not need to be ashamed as we examine our lives by God’s perfect standard.
We Must Give Thanks with an Upright Heart
“I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments” (Psalm 119:7).
We began by considering God’s blessings. The fact that we have been blessed should cause us to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). We must not take God’s blessings for granted, but be grateful for them.
But David said one must “give thanks…with uprightness of heart” (Psalm 119:7). Why is uprightness (being morally right)necessary? Generally, we express thanks to God through prayer (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2). Peter, in quoting the psalmist, said, “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12; cf. Psalm 34:15). The wise man said, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29).
We must be thankful to God. We must also be obedient to His word. The psalmist said, “I shall give thanks…when I learn Your righteous judgments” (Psalm 119:7). The more we know of God’s will in His word, the more thankful we ought to be.
Conclusion
Why should we pay attention to God’s word and follow it? It is the way to receive God’s greatest blessings. Therefore, like the psalmist, let us resolve to obey: “I shall keep Your statutes” (Psalm 119:8).
This entire series is available in paperback. Click on the link for more information – The Psalm of the Word: A Study of Psalm 119.
