The Psalms were written so that we might get to know God better, love Him more, and live our lives according to His Word. And Psalm 119 exemplifies the main goal of each of the Psalms in our “Old Testament Hymnal.” Although the author is not identified in the Hebrew Bible, in my mind, it exemplifies the “Song of the Joyful Sojourner.” As we work our way through this Psalm for the next 22 weeks, I pray that “Joy” will exude from the text, and that “Joy” will fill each of our hearts as we read the text. So, let’s begin our excursion by looking at the first 8 verses, one or two verses at a time:
(Aleph) – The First letter of the Hebrew alphabet begins this 8-verse section
“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless … (vs. 1a)
The psalmist wants us to know that the one who lives a “blameless” life is richly blessed. Notice that this quality of conduct does not mean “perfect,” but a life that others can see as having no fault or area to be criticized. The Hebrew word for “blameless” (tam) is the same word used to describe the character and conduct of Job (see Job 1:1). Job wasn’t perfect, but he was a model of integrity. So friends, if your way is “blameless,” your life will be blessed. The psalmist wants us to take a closer look at how our way can be seen as “blameless.”
“…who walk according to the Law of the Lord” (vs. 1b).
The “blameless” life is a life that is lived within the parameters of the Law of the Lord. In this verse, the word for “Law” is torah, and we understand this to encompass the entire Pentateuch, or the five books of Moses. For the Old Testament sojourner, this meant keeping not only the moral law of God, but also the civil and ceremonial laws that God gave to Moses, and this included keeping the festivals on the Jewish calendar, as well as the laws that govern human relationships. Now that we are in the New Covenant, it means living our lives according to the two great commandments: Loving God and Loving Others. Remember, if we keep these, we will keep the entire law (Romans 13:8-10). If we are to “keep” or “live according to” the Law of the Lord, our thoughts should be focused upon to the words of Jesus in John 14 who said,
“If you love me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15, 21, 23).
Yes, Jesus gave us commandments during His ministry (remember the Sermon on the Mount?), but also remember that “love,” in all of its varied contexts, will fulfill all of Jesus’ commands. So, if you want to live a “blameless” life, then let’s live it according to God’s Word, with Jesus’ commands (reinforced by all of the other New Testament writers) being the focal point of our walk. And such a walk will result in being blessed by God Himself.
“Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart – they do no wrong, but follow His ways (vss. 2-3).
Once again, we see that the one who keeps His statutes will be blessed (His statutes referring to specific commandments within the Law, or in the New Covenant, those who remember and keep each of Jesus’ commands, which show us what it means to love God as well as others). But the psalmist adds more, in that the “blessed” person is the one who also “seeks the Lord with their whole heart.” This is the person who daily seeks to know God more intimately and to build a solid personal relationship with Him. By doing this, we will not only be blessed, but we will do not wrong as we following in His ways. Remember, Jesus told us to “follow Him,” and that means denying ourselves and taking up His cross (Mark 8:34).
You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees (vss. 4-5)
Let’s remember that God gave us His precepts (commands, principles) to bless us, not restrict us. Those precepts keep us from stepping on the “land mines” of life. Walking through a mine field with mines laid down by the enemy, there is still plenty of room for us to move freely, but only if we know where the land mines are located. God’s Word tells us where they are so that we can avoid them and walk in freedom according to His Word.
Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all of your commands (vs. 6).
Metaphorically, stepping on one of those land mines would cause us to come up lame, and people would recognize that we had disobeyed one of His commands, and that we had strayed from them. On the contrary, there would be no shame for those who safely make it through the mine field by obeying the Lord’s commands.
I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws (vs. 7).
Negotiating the minefields of life by avoiding those things that will damage our lives and reputations will result in praise to the One who tells us where the mines have been placed (think of the Ten Commandments in the Old Covenant which are fulfilled by Loving God and Others in the New Covenant). We can simply say: “Thank you Lord” for showing me where those mines are located, as I want to avoid shame so that I can honor you with my whole life.
I will obey your decrees. Do not leave me (vs. 8).
As this first section comes to an end, the psalmist affirms that he will obey God’s decrees, and as a result, he asks Him to not forsake or leave him as he walks through the minefields of life. This final verse is special because it moves the psalmist from obedience to a set of decrees to a personal relationship with the One who gave them. As a result, he asks God to never leave him nor forsake him as he negotiates the mine fields of life.
This is why we must never remove the Giver of the Laws from the Laws themselves. As we learn to obey God’s decrees (the Top 10 reduced to the Big 2), let each of us remember to develop a vital relationship with the One who cares so deeply for us that He gave us the map to identify the location of the land mines. May we never be ashamed to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The essence of this first segment is for us to know that if we obey God’s Word and develop a personal relationship with the One who provided it, we will be blessed beyond measure. And that’s why this is “The Song of the Joyful Sojourner.”
Hope to see you next week for the second segment of Psalm 119.
