Web Theologian

>65 You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.
68 You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.
69 The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
70 their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law.
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Just last night I was talking with some folks about how God teaches us. Sometimes it is through suffering, though none of us would wish suffering on ourselves or others. Through God’s word is the other place that God does serious work in our lives. That which we once rebelled against becomes our comfort. I like the way the Psalmist talks about the insolent..thier heart is unfeeling like fat. That is a funny picture to me.

>57 The Lord is my portion;I promise to keep your words.
58 I entreat your favor with all my heart;be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 When I think on my ways,I turn my feet to your testimonies;
60 I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.
61 Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,I do not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to praise you,because of your righteous rules.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you,of those who keep your precepts.
64 The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;teach me your statutes!

I wonder what the Psalmist ‘portion size’ would be, hehe. He is enough, he fits, and leads the Psalmist to make the vow to keep his word. All of htis is not just emotional, in the heart, or knowledge, in the head. Rather it also effects how the Psalmist lives and acts in the word, his actions turn toward the testimonies of the Lord.

None of this has to do with perfection, or walking an easy life. The cords of wicked still ensnare him. Sometimes it is easy to feel that way. You are doing ‘everything’ right, and yet there is still so much wrong around you. It keeps him up at night, not with worry though, but rather praise. His time and energy are committed to others who fear God and want to do what He says.

>41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
your salvation according to your promise;
42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
for my hope is in your rules.
44 I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever,
45 and I shall walk in a wide place,
for I have sought your precepts.
46 I will also speak of your testimonies before kings
and shall not be put to shame,
47 for I find my delight in your commandments,
which I love.
48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
and I will meditate on your statutes.

Again there is no confidence offer by the writer that his obedience to God word will save him. If that were the case why would he call upon God’s love and grace. Frankly there would be no need. What a wild idea that God would take his word from the lips of his follower? We need boundaries, everyone with any sense of how life works knows this. God’s way are the best. I am regularly surprised with how that plays off. Often it takes only a short time for people who are around the church to recognize that there are many benefits to the organization. Yet that is not enough, there must be a deep embrace of God in order to gain the full benefit.

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There is a ton of repetition in this Psalm. The heart of the Psalmist is to serve God through the law, even to the end. The line that strikes me in this passage is “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things…” So much of my life is spent looking at the worthless. Only recently have I begun to evaluate things in priority of their worth. For me that means though I own a copy of Halo 3 I don’t have the gaming system to play it on. The time I would spending doing that is not worth the time, playing Sorry or Uno with my daughter, or in bed with my wife. That is not to say that Halo 3 is worthless for everyone, it is just where I am at right now. There are still many things in my life that get my time that shouldn’t, so this work is continuous.

>25 My soul clings to the dust;
give me life according to your word!
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;
teach me your statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word!
29 Put false ways far from me
and graciously teach me your law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your rules before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart!

We do not have that much going on in this life. Looking at dust reminds us of how simple we are. Therefore the only thing we have to cling to in this life is God’s word. Our ways are not God’s ways, often they are opposed. We must look to God to direct us, cling to God’s word. My heart grows according to the amount that I seek his word.

>17 Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
19 I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times.
21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
who wander from your commandments.
22 Take away from me scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are my delight;
they are my counselors.

This Psalm is the longest of them all. And the central theme as I am understanding it is the love of the law of God. Not all law is bad, when law is good it is delightful. They help us understand the journey of life better. When the law is good you can become consumed with it. You are imagining new ways of goodness and walking in faithfulness. It is there that we find the best counsel.

>9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.

The heart of the matter is intention. That goes for marriage…you can blow it royally but if you intentions were good it is alright, that goes for Christianity. Here the Psalmist, probably David, is having trouble remaining pure. Now David had a thing for the ladies so most people assume this is talking about sexually pure. What does he do to wrestle with impurity? Rest, studies, memorizes, and learns God word; for him that was the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) for us it is the entire Bible.

I find it unusual to meet a Christian who has adequate knowledge of the Bible. Generally when I meet someone and they know the Bible really well it is because they have studied it while in jail. Rarely do I meet someone at church and think wow they really understand the scripture. Frankly it was not until I was in my third year of seminary and I studied under John Frame that I found out what it meant to think biblically. Suddenly my life was not my own and a desire burned within me to shape my entire being around God’s word, which is most clear when I look at Christ, and all of Scripture points to Christ, therefore my goal is not just to have head knowledge of it, but rather to incarnate it into my daily living.

>119:1 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!

There is a hyper-vigilance in many churches against legalism. Battling legalism on all levels is good, our faith is not a list of rules that we are to keep in order to gain favor from God. A life of faith though is marked by faithfulness, and for us because we have wounded hearts faithfulness means repentance and being forgiven. Our salvation is not dependent upon our right actions. This is why the Psalmist says, “I will keep your statutes, do not utterly forsake me!” He knows it is about more than simply doing the right thing.

With that in mind He loves to do the right thing! Blessed is he who walks in the way of the Lord, who follows his law. Who keep his testimonies. There is joy and blessing in lives that are defined by being a follower of Christ. That does not mean things will be simple and easy, yet it does mean we shall not be put to shame! It also means just as the Psalmist says here, “I will learn your righteous rules”. We should be desiring to be better and more in line with what God would have for us.

>14 The Lord is my strength and my song;he has become my salvation.
15 Glad songs of salvationare in the tents of the righteous:“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the Lord exalts,the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live,and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has disciplined me severely,but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,that I may enter through themand give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered meand have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!O Lord, we pray, give us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,and he has made his light to shine upon us.Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,up to the horns of the altar!
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;for his steadfast love endures forever!

Strength and song are a beautiful picture. Reminds me much of the personality of King David, the warrior artist. Both are rare, God is both for us. He is so good to us it leads us to sing. Remember “party over here…party over there.” His right hand is strong, it lifts us up, it does what is brave and good.

He will spare my life, so that I can sing this song he has given me. There is discipline, I screw up and know it, but that is far different then the suffering of death.

The kingdom of God that we enter is a great one. Gates of righteousness. Special stone that was unable to be used for any other purpose. Builders thought it was worthless but it is that stone in which the entire kingdom rests. I cannot help but here the Bob Marley song on the stone that the builder refused here. God has made it all and it is a sight to behold.

Take this song, take the name of the Lord with you and you shall be blessed. Light will shine on your path, and there will be food for the sacrifice. It is good to be on of the Lord’s.