Category Archives: Happiness

A Plea for Spiritual Fellowship (Psa 119.79)

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Let those that fear thee turn unto me,
And those that have known thy testimonies (Psa 119.79).

In the desolate wilderness of this unbelieving world where most call evil good and good evil and are wise in their own eyes, where hypocrisy and heresy prevail even within the visible church, and outside only utter godlessness and gross immorality, true Christians yearn for the comforts of spiritual fellowship. The psalmist describes those who would qualify as his like-minded companions, and from love to them and his own soul, not to mention the glory of God, prays that they may draw near to him.
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Gospel Consolation (Psa 119.76)

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Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to thy word unto thy servant (Psa 119.76).

Moved by the Holy Spirit, the psalmist here prays earnestly for comfort. “I pray thee” is emphatic expression, like, “Please! I beg you!” with a focus on the desire of the speaker, used to heighten a sense of urgency.1 If we generally despise such pleas, we exhibit the ungodly trait of pride2 and influence of Stoicism.3 The more our true humanity is restored, the more we will be sensitive to the importance of right feeling and of our need to look above for deepest consolation.
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The Joy of Christian Fellowship (Psa 119.74)

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They that fear thee will be glad when they see me;
Because I have hoped in thy word (Psa 119.74).

As a human being, you were made for gladness. It does not matter if you are not “the emotional type,” or if your soul is now so numbed by sin and suffering that you wonder whether you could ever feel anything again.

You were made in God’s image and he is an emotive Being. Yes, as God he is above merely human passions,1 but our feelings at their best have a divine counterpart in his glorious nature. He truly rejoices in his beloved people. “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Psa 147.11). “They that are of a froward [crooked, perverse] heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight” (Prov 11.20). When the Lord completely finishes redeeming his elect, he will even sing over them with joy (Zeph 3.17)! Calvin’s comments on this text are valuable. He guards our sense of God’s transcendence while at the same time forcefully proclaiming the truth that God is toward his people like a husband burning with love toward his wife and celebrating their love.
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My Creator’s Wisdom (Psa 119.73)

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Thy hands have made me and fashioned me:
Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments (Psa 119.73).

Wisdom is our greatest need, and wise is the man who knows the spring of wisdom and how to tap into it. Wise men like the psalmist know this. “Wisdom must be from God, because it can be found only in relation to Him” (Edmund P. Clowney). “Wisdom and the will of God are intimately related . . . Nothing is more vital for practical knowledge of the purpose of God than wisdom” (Sinclair Ferguson). “If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees! Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge” (Vance Havner)1. Even as James wrote by the infallible Spirit, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (Jas 1.5).
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Kissing the Rod (Psa 119.71)

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It is good for me that I have been afflicted;
That I might learn thy statutes (Psa 119.71).

“All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” is the attention-grabbing title of a book by Robert Fulghum from the eighties. What did he have in mind? Simple duties like this: share everything, play fair, don’t hit people, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, don’t take things that aren’t yours, say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody, etc. He wrote,

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm.1

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The Heart of the Matter (Psa 119.70)

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Their heart is as fat as grease;
But I delight in thy law (Psa 119.70).

Sincerity is not everything, but everything else without sincerity is nothing. Sincere adherents to false religions are abominable to God, and their earnestness in opposition to Him and His truth only increases their guilt. Conversely, one may say and do all the right things externally—profess Christ, be baptized, adhere strongly to the most orthodox confession of faith, serve as a church officer and volunteer for scads of worthy causes—and yet fail of God’s approval.
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Aspiring to Goodness, (Psa 119:68)

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Thou art good, and doest good;
Teach me thy statutes (Psa 119.68).

From our youngest days, we were exhorted to “be good,” and if we wanted to please our parents, we were motivated at least to try. We discovered by experience that being good wasn’t easy, and some of us became frustrated. Then we rationalized that being good is for little kids. Teenagers typically want to be cool, independent, or rebellious—anything but good! And too many adults never return to their earlier aspirations for goodness.
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Owning and Obeying the Lord

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Thou art my portion, O LORD:
I have said that I would keep thy words (Psa 119.57).

Living the Christian life should never be thought of as merely keeping a set of righteous rules. Rather, it is a loving communion with God through Jesus Christ expressed in loyalty to Him and His revealed will. In John’s gospel Jesus said,

If ye love me, keep my commandments (14.15).

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me (14.21).

If a man love me, he will keep my words (14.23).

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Blessing and Obedience

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This I had,
Because I kept thy precepts (Psa 119.56).

When God’s law in Scripture is the standard, obedience is intimately bound together with blessing and blessedness. This may be one of the most important spiritual lessons we can ever learn. To believe this is the kind of faith that leads to ultimate salvation; to doubt it opens the door to sin and judgment.

Recall our original test in the Garden of Eden. The primeval liar and murderer (John 8.44) spread a net for the feet of our first parents by denying that misery would follow from transgressing God’s law, and by insisting that greater blessing could be enjoyed through disobedience than obedience.
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A Song Away From Home

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Thy statutes have been my songs
In the house of my pilgrimage (Psa 119.54).

This psalm-writing saint, as one devoted to the true and living God, has written this verse as a testimony in prayer, addressed to Him. It is personal without being private, for the Psalms were given for all believers to sing, especially in public worship. The sentiments of this godly heart are shared by all true saints, even if such a great degree of clarity and conviction is not enjoyed by all. We all know something of this ideal and we all must keep striving to excel spiritually.

This text is a saint’s testimony that he has a song away from home. It implies three simple truths.
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