Blessings Of Obedience Series

PSALM 119: 1-8 [The Ministry of The Word Series]

BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE

[Psalm 1]

Heart-fellowship with God is enjoyed by a love for God's Word through which God communes with the soul by His Holy Spirit (CIT). So our psalmist delights in the fact that those who walk in wholehearted obedience to the Law, or the Word of God, are blessed (vv. 1-3). This prompted him to become more obedient to God's commands so that he might follow His ways (vv. 4-6). Then this man of integrity gave thanks that he could learned more about God's statutes (vv. 7-8).

Lovers of God's holy words are blessed, because they are preserved from defilement (verse 1), because they are becoming holy in their actions (verses 2 and 3), and are led to follow after God in integrity (verse 2). This holy walk is to be desired because God commands it (verse 4); therefore the devout soul prays for it (verse 5), knowing that his or her assistance and encouragement depend upon obtaining it (verse 6). In hope and expectation of these prayers being answered, the prayer's heart is full of thankfulness (verse 7), and is fixed in solemn resolve not to miss the blessing if the Lord will give enabling grace (verse 8). [Spurgeon, Charles. Treasury of David. Vol. 2. McLean, VA: Macdonald Publishing. p. 138.]

I. THE BLAMELESS OF GOD ARE BLESSED, 1: 1-3.

II. THE BLAMELESS BECOME BLESSED IN HIS WAYS, 1: 4-6.

III. THE BLAMELESS RESOLVE TO OBTAIN THE BLESSING, 1:7-8.

Aleph.

The Psalmist is enraptured with the Word of God because the highest ideal of blessedness comes from being transformed by it. He has gazed on the beauties of the perfect law and exclaims what we find in verse 1. "How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the Lord."

Verse 1 begins, as does Psalm 1, with the pronouncement of a blessing upon the undefiled [blameless or "upright"] who are then defined as those who "walk in the law of the Lord!" Blessedness comes because of the grace of God that comes upon one who lives according to God's Word. Blessed are those who walk through life submitted to God's revelation (Deut. 28:4). [Notice that the holy life is a walk, or a steady progress, a maintained advance, a determined endurance.]

The word, "blessed," is the plural of fullness mean overflowing with fullness which signifies "happy" [or better "happy, happy" or overflowing happiness] to some. It is a high degree of blessedness. Blameless literally is "complete, or having integrity." This is what will happen to those who make the Word of God the center of their life.

If you want to be blessed or happy walk in [according to, or keep] the Word of God. Let it be a delight to you. Unlike the television shows or movies you watch that often leave you so empty, time spent in the Word of God will bring sustained satisfaction to your soul. [Courson, Jon: Jon Courson's Application Commentary : Vol 2: Psalms-Malachi. Nashville, TN : Thomas Nelson, 2006, S. 148.] "In that day" you will realize just how eternally blessed you have become.

This blessing does not come upon us because of grim duty or because of legalistic, external performance. Therefore verse 2 immediately adds, "How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart!"

The word testimonies is derived from a legal term meaning "witness." It refers to God's precepts which bear witness against sin and on behalf of holiness. We are to observe ["keep, preserve, protect"] God's testimonies with all our heart. God's blessings comes from a combination of external obedience and internal affection. We are not only to seek God's will, but we seek God Himself with all that we are, or with our "whole heart" (2 Kgs 23:8; Ps 111:1). Thus the Great Commandment states, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deut. 6:5). Such seeking after God is to be the habit or practice of our life.

A benefit of seeking God is found in verse 3. "They also do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways."

Men of integrity are here described both by what they don't practice and what they do practice. They do not practice wrong but instead live as God's Word requires.

If we walk in God's ways, sin will be banished from our lives. Notice it says God's ways, not man's or our own ways. Now, our ways may not yet be God's ways, but if we press on by faith in God's Word the Spirit of God will enable us to walk in God's ways. Remember, sin will keep us from the Bible or the Bible will keep us from sin.