Psalm 119 and Life
King David, the poet and man after God’s own heart, explains God’s giving us, man the created creature, the understanding of “Life”. I find it interesting that it is the largest chapter of the whole Bible.
David starts this chapter deciphering the difference between the broken, defiled man, and the undefiled, living as God desired man. The undefiled man, is one that walks in the “law of the Lord”, vs. 1. This man keeps God’s testimonies, and seeks God “with his whole heart”, vs. 2. This man does not sin, because he “walks in his ways”, as opposed to the ways of men, vs. 3
David says men would choose to live this way, because God commands that we do so, keeping His precepts, vs. 4, and that his desire was to please God by keeping His statues, and living according to God’s ways, vs. 5. In doing so, David would have respect to God’s commandments, vs. 6. He would be upright/righteous, having learned God’s righteous judgments, vs. 7, and David’s fear was to be an outcast of God, forsaken by God, for not keeping the statutes, vs. 8.
You see David understood the purpose of life was to live according to God’s ways, pleasing God. He knew that one must obey God or be forsaken by God. He knew that all men would be held accountable before God’s judgment.
Verses 9-16, David relates his concern, the sin he had commited. He needed to be cleansed and to do so, required his dependence on God’s teachings, those statutes and commandments. But note, his statement, “how can a ‘young man’ cleanse his ways?”David was concerned about as a young man getting off course with life, by departing from God’s paths of righteousness. So he stressed the importance of knowing God’s ways, knowing God knew our ways, and would hold us accountable to keeping His ways over our ways. He knew not to forget God’s Word, check out 1 John 3:9 also, with the seed being the word of God, Luke 8:11. David understood this long before Jesus came to this world of sin, and before John lived and wrote his letter in 1 John. As a young man, David committed his sin with Bathsheba, likely forgetting God at the moment, along with His Word.
Please check out the rest of this chapter in Psalms, because the lessons of life, doesn’t come from some man, psychiatrist, doctor, politician, or even a preacher’s opinion or thoughts. It comes only from God, and any man that delivers God’s message of life, not only serves God, but assists in directing men to serve God and please God. More understanding of this chapter will be on our website: www.histruth.net in the articles section. For those who don’t have the option of the internet, just let us know by mail: Steven Saunders, 4677 Hwy. 151, Clarence, Mo. 63437. This is true for all the articles in the paper here. Let us learn to serve God by His Ways. Shall we?
Shall we continue here :
If you look at each section of this chapter, (Ps. 119) there are words that seems to be in each section, meditate, revive. David speaks of his soul seeking, yearning , searching for God’s ways/law. His requests are always for God to teach him of his ways, vs. 26, 33, 64. He trusts in His word, vs. 42. He repented of his pathway of the past and turned to God’s paths, vs. 59. He chose to walk in God’s ways, vs. 35, to keep His commandments/law, vs. 32, 44. God’s word gave him hope, vs. 49, along with LIFE, vs. 50, 144. He mentions God’s judgment, vs. 39, 52,62, 66,75,84,160, etc. He speaks of inclining his heart to God’s word, vs. 36, 112. He sought understanding from God, not men, vs. 27, 100, 144. God’s word brought a revival, vs. 26, 37, 88, 107, 149. He learned to love God’s words, vs. 140. He declared that God’s word was “a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path”, vs. 105.
In vs. 113-120, David speaks of God’s care for those who obey him, but God’s rejection of those who don’t obey. He fears the judgment of God, due to His sin, and knowledge of the law of God. Thus, he cried for God’s loving-kindness and mercy, for his forgiveness. He pressed on with his life in obedience to God, as a servant of God, not forgetting God’s word. Vs. 168 states that God knows our ways.
To sum up David’s concern of God’s laws, look at the last section; vs. 169-176.
He examined his life, and knew his condition and need for God in his life. He sought LIFE according to God’s direction/will.
We should do likewise. Fortunately, we are under a law that grants forgiveness through Christ’s blood sacrifice. We should seek that way of life today. Continue studying with us here and learn His Truth. Learn to love God’s law as David did.
Next week, we will consider God’s new law, the law of Christ on this subject.
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