1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!
One of the most beautifully poetic things about Psalm 119 is that it begins with the same word as Psalm 1: blessed. What a wonderful reminder that this is what God wants for His own people.
The theme or melodic line for Psalm 119 is introduced to us very quickly as the "Word of God." This emphasis is important because it tells us that God is a God who speaks to His people and our blessedness is tied to our response or attitude of His Word. Psalm 119 is also tied with Psalm 1 in that the first 3 verses of Psalm 119 show us the positive side of how to walk as a blessed person as described in that first Psalm.
The Psalmist uses 8 terms to creatively capture the Word of God. The first word we see is the Law. It seems odd in our world today to pair the word "law" with "blessed" does it not? Our world celebrates lawlessness and yet also smothers us with legislation, so we need to see this word "law" as God intended. It does mean legislation, but much more than that - it encompasses all of the first five books of the Bible (the history of how God revealed himself to His people), and really the entire Old Testament. So, it would be correct to look at the meaning as directions, a guidebook, or as Motyer wrote: "the instruction a careful father gives to a loved child."
The first three verses of this Psalm are really an introduction that set up the melodic line for the entire chapter. And a little tidbit for you, after those 3 verses, (excluding v. 115) every single one of the remaining 173 verses is addressed to Yahweh in prayer or in praise. That tidbit aside, verses 4-8 make a tonal shift to a sense of reality and longing of the Psalmist to do what he knows he should do but can't do and pleads to Yahweh for help. The Psalmist realizes that he cannot do/live/walk righteously without the Word of God.
We, like the Psalmist, cannot do/live/walk righteously on our own either. In fact, we are so bad that we needed someone else to come and do/live/walk for us. That someone is Jesus - the Sunday school answer. He is the right answer every time. Read back through the 8 verses again and look for Jesus. Here's what I see:
- I can't be blameless (duh!), but Jesus was
- I can't walk in the law of the LORD or keep His testimonies as I ought or want, BUT Jesus did ... perfectly
- I can't seek the Lord with my whole heart, BUT Jesus was fully committed to the Father's will even when it meant suffering and death
- "who also do no wrong" .... uhhhh .... in the words of my nieces and nephews "raise the fail flag." BUT we know that Jesus always did what was right.
- I cannot keep God's commands diligently or steadfastly, BUT Jesus did
- Because I cannot fulfill the law's demands and have my eyes fixed on the Word, I should be put to shame, BUT Christ came down to take the shame that I fully deserved.
Hebrews 12:2
" looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
*editor's note: just in case you hadn't noticed the Gospel yet, BOOM!, there it was.
- going to verse 8, the Psalmist pleas for God to not utterly forsake him because he knows he is deserving of that very thing. So am I ... BUT Jesus was utterly forsaken on the cross for my sin and the world began to fall apart because God turned His back on His Son.
Are you beginning to see the Gospel everywhere? It's almost overwhelming. It should be.
The Law is what leads us to Christ. He came to fulfill the Law, because He IS the WORD of God incarnate. The Law can feel like such a burden ... it is without Jesus. Let that burden lead you to the cross like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress. Only there will the burden be lifted and cast away. Only there will you be blessed ... because of what Christ has done.
I realize this may be a new way of reading this text - we are often used to looking at each word and defining it and trying to figure out how we can better obey and follow God - all helpful things - but let us be careful not to let our zeal for wanting to do right overshadow the Gospel itself.
Our approach to sanctification has to begin with the realization that, "I can't do this. I can't be as perfect as God demands." But a heart that realizes the depth of its own sin and can cling to grace as a means of rescue is a heart that can be a little more "blessed" and walk a little more in "the way" each day. As you fix your eyes on Jesus, the true Word, leave your burden at the cross and joyfully walk in His way.
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