Let thine hand help me;
For I have chosen thy precepts (Psa 119.173).
A proper interpretation of even the simplest words of Scripture often requires an appreciation of its grand message of the law and the gospel. At every point the sinner devoid of the Spirit would wrest the sacred words from their biblical context and their divinely-intended sense to make use of them for the gratification of human pride. Such is the case with the verse before us now.
Continue reading
I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies:
For all my ways are before thee (Psa 119.168).
The doctrine of God’s omniscience is a fundamental element of our orthodox Christian faith with the most practical implications for our godly Christian conduct. In the simplest way, David confesses his faith and shows its outworking in his life. This illustrates the truth that doctrine matters.
Speaking to the Lord, David says, “All my ways are before thee.” Here he uses anthropomorphic language, speaking of God as if he were a man. The original language has a literal sense like this, “All my ways are in your plain view, right in front of you.” Of course a human being has eyes in the front of his head, not the back, so that to say something is right in front of us amounts to saying we behold it and therefore have knowledge of it. If we say of someone, “She has eyes in the back of her head,” we mean that she has an uncanny awareness of what is happening around her even when she is not looking.
Continue reading
My soul hath kept thy testimonies;
And I love them exceedingly (Psa 119.167).
A defiant little four year old girl was only barely subdued by her father who ordered her to sit, threatening a spanking if she didn’t. “I may be sitting down on the outside,” she said, “but I am standing up on the inside!” Now that was not true obedience at all, though attended with outward conformity to the letter of the law. A wise parent would most likely spank her anyway for this plain violation of the Fifth Commandment, and tenderly urge her to contrition and repentance from her grievous sin.1
Continue reading
LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation,
And done thy commandments (Psa 119.166).
This is excellent summary of the godly life provides us rich matter for meditation.
First, we should rid ourselves of any notion that the godly life is a pinnacle reserved for the most mature Christians. Yes, some real Christians are far more godly than others, but they all live godly lives as a whole, and have turned definitively from their ungodly lives before conversion. Paul used the phrase, “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus,” as an apt label for true believers who are subject to persecution for that very reason, and contrasted these godly ones with “evil men and seducers” who “shall wax worse and worse” (2 Tim 3.12-13). Scripture always regards “the ungodly” as unbelievers under God’s wrath and doomed to perish except they repent (e.g., 2 Chron 19.2; Job 16.11; Psa 1.1, 4-6; 1 Tim 1.9; 1 Pet 4.18; 2 Pet 2.5), and “the godly” as those who are justified (2 Pet 2.9). The popular “life on the highest plane”1 theology is unscriptural and positively discouraging to sincere believers who remain painfully aware of their remaining sin, because this imaginary pinnacle always proves so elusive in their experience, and they are honest enough to admit it.
Continue reading
I cried with my whole heart;
Hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.
I cried unto thee;
Save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies (Psa 119.145-146).
Communion is communication. A silent marriage is in trouble. Better stressful conversations than the smoldering mutual contempt that lets the ticking clock become the loudest thing in the house.
Continue reading
Order my steps in thy word:
And let not any iniquity have dominion over me (Psa 119.133).
The slogan for a certain luxury car is “the relentless pursuit of perfection.” This company is tacitly admitting their cars are not perfect, yet their serious and constant aim is to make them so. If that is their genuine commitment, it is no wonder that their product actually attains a high degree of excellence, and are considered very desirable by consumers.
Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right;
And I hate every false way (Psa 119.128).
The psalmist is praising God in prayer, and testifying of his fellowship with God, to the glory of God. Redemption is on display in this, for although the psalmist was a sinner by nature, he is beginning more and more to fulfill the end for which he was created in the first place—to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Continue reading
Depart from me, ye evildoers:
For I will keep the commandments of my God (Psa 119.115).
We all influence others and are influenced by them. God made us not only for solitude but for society. We need his grace to set a godly example and exercise a sanctifying influence upon those around us. We have a great vulnerability to being dragged down, morally and spiritually, to the level of the worst people with whom we keep company. Our fallen nature is no better than theirs. If even the most mature Christian suffers from remaining sin, so that except heaven sustains his integrity, backsliding proves inevitable, what then of us?
These soul-humbling admissions to ourselves will go far toward fostering a healthy self-doubt, an all-important reliance on the Lord, and a sensible caution about ungodly companions—all perspectives which help preserve us in this corrupt world.
Continue reading
Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever:
For they are the rejoicing of my heart (Psa 119.111).
Many people are involved with the Bible, but few are committed to it. The difference between involvement and commitment is illustrated by a plate of bacon and eggs. The chicken was involved; the pig was committed.
Even before testings and temptations come, we must be settled in our commitment to believe and obey Scripture or we will waver in the hour of decision. We must have our minds made up beforehand—once and for all—that we are determined to follow God’s Word no matter what.
Continue reading
My soul is continually in my hand:
Yet do I not forget thy law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me:
Yet I erred not from thy precepts (Psa 119.109-110).
Since the beginning of the world, some of the greatest saints have been soldiers. The popular assumption that following Jesus requires pacifism is, in general, greatly mistaken. The military is an honorable calling, and there is such a thing as a just war. Greatly influencing Christian thought ever since, Augustine taught that “war should be fought to secure justice and to reestablish peace.”1 Military commanders are sometimes portrayed in Scripture as men of commendable religion and principle. John the Baptist counseled soldiers to do their jobs well with justice and integrity, and to be content with their wages—not to abandon their military service (Luke 3.14). The soldier is an extension of the state’s authority; like other government officials, he bears the sword for the good of the nation (Rom 13.4). Indeed, the Lord God himself is “a man of war” (Exod 15.3).
Continue reading