Aleph
October 12, 2011
Oak Park Baptist Church – Wednesday Bible Study Series
Psalm 119:1-8 (ESV) – 1 of 22
1Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! 2Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart,
“Blessed” what does blessed mean here in this passage. Well the context is fairly clear, in that those who seek after God’s law are those who will be blessed, but the detailed meaning of ‘blessed’ here in this passage is…
Those who are blessed are divinely favored and they experience a supernatural bliss and joy within their hearts and lives. We find this word, ‘blessed’ mentioned in both v.1-2
So if they are blessed… HOW is it they become blessed? Is that blessing something they have to earn OR does it have to do with something that they DO?
Well my answer to that is YES and NO… Here is what I mean… these people are ‘blessed’ because of something that they are obedient to do BUT this blessing is not something that they can ‘earn’ NOR can they ever say that because they are being obedient that they ‘deserve’ the blessing… it is bestowed at the favor of God and nothing we can DO will earn it for us… but we are BLESSED to receive it!
So to clarify… we are called to be obedient and it DOES take effort and submission on our part, but our obedience and submission do NOT guarantee the blessing… we receive the blessing because of God’s gracious love for us… not because of our actions… although our actions reflect our obedient heart! Does that make sense to you?
A question I forgot to put on our sheet tonight is… WHO can be blessed? Well these and the following verses reveal to us just WHO can be blessed, let’s look at these verses…
1Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! 2Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart,
‘blameless’ does NOT mean sinless, but refers to one who is FREE from blame, free from the guilt of sin. This refers to those who seek after the Lord.
In Christ, we are BLAMELESS before God because of the blood of Christ on the Cross of Calvary… this does not mean we are without sin, but it means we are not held to blame for our sin, but our sin has been covered and purged and we are free from the guilt and punishment of that sin!
These who’s way is blameless did not have Christ to pardon their sin, but they were judged by their faithfulness to living according to God’s law… their ‘way’ refers to their way of life…
The psalmist goes onto those who walk in the law of the Lord… these are those who are considered blameless… those who walk in the law of the Lord!
The psalmist says those who ‘walk’ in the Law of the Lord… means that they have made a willful choice in their hearts and minds to submit their lives in obedience to the Law of God. Their life path or way of life… their ‘walk’ is a voluntary submission to the Law of God… these are called blessed!
The psalmist also speaks of those ‘who keep His testimonies’ Once again we must focus on the verb here… keep… this verb denotes a lifestyle of claiming God’s law as their own… of maintaining God’s law in all they say and do… these people make God’s law a personal profession of faith in their lives… the seek to serve God by obedience to His law.
The psalmist also said… ‘those who seek Him with all their heart…’ The active verb here is the word ‘seek’ which is an active, continual, focused and determined action on the part of the believer to search after and learn the commandments of God. This verb implies a focused and determined action on the part of the believer.
The question for all of us here tonight is do WE seek God’s law/voice out like these people did…We are blameless because of Jesus Christ BUT are we walking with a focused determination to learn God’s law, are we living our lives in such a way that we are beyond reproach when it comes to righteous living… not because of our efforts, but because of what God is doing thru us in His plan!
3who also do no wrong, but walk in His ways!
Scripture goes to speak of others who will be blessed as well… those who do NO wrong… does this mean sinless people? Absolutely not, we know that humanity is incapable of living without sin ever since the curse in Genesis 3… but again the psalmist is speaking to those who are walking in His ways… when we seek to please Him.
We may stumble and fall along the way, but when our heart and mind are focused on His way… when we seek His law actively… we are going to be blessed!
4You have commanded Your precepts to be kept diligently.
The ‘You’ here is a reference to God himself… it was God who gave the Law, not Moses. It was God on the mountain with Moses… it was God the creator and sustainer of the universe! YOU have commanded… spoke into condition… YOU have issued a desire to YOUR people…and when God speaks… people are called to obey!
Precept here in this passage is a form of template the believer must have… they are a template on how God desires His people to live and prosper as children of the King!
These precepts are to be kept… kept here is a word meaning ‘held onto’ or ‘taken into possession’… the form of the verb is that these precepts are CONTINUALLY being kept… an ongoing action on behalf of those keeping them!
The word diligently refers to the tenacity of the one keeping the precepts… in other words, an active and focused action on the part of the one keeping the precepts!
5Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping Your statutes!
Here the psalmist issues a challenge to himself in the statement “Oh that…” This expression depicts his great desire toward this particular challenge…
When the psalmists says, ‘my ways’ he is speaking about his walk… his life… his actions… his choices, thoughts and desires… everything about who he is… he is speaking about his entire LIFE!
His challenge is that the ways of his life… his actions, words, thoughts and desires would remain steadfast to God’s ways… what does he mean by ‘steadfast?’
To be steadfast is to be fixed in direction, firm in purpose, faithful in calling, unwavering, unshakable and resolved to remain focused on the task at hand! So what the psalmist is saying… what he is challenging himself to is this… Let ALL of my life, all I say, do and think be resolutely focused and directed in the keeping of God’s laws and precepts.
6Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all Your commandments.
His challenge to himself is one he knows will benefit him and if he is up to the challenge he knows that God will be pleased and he will not be ashamed… ‘put to shame’… put to shame here is a spiritual disgrace that shames him before God, but also before man.
He knows that if he is faithful in keeping God’s law that he will not be a reproach, he will not be humiliated, he will not be held in contempt and he will not be guilty in the eyes of God…whom he is seeking to serve!
But not only will he not be put to shame… the reason for this is found in his willing fixation on the law of God… He says ‘having my eyes fixed on Your commandments…’
‘eyes fixed’ a phrase that is a metaphor for his entire life… the very eyes of his soul… his entire desire and focus would be fixed on God’s plan/ purpose… A determined, stayed, sense of resoluteness fixed within his soul so that he will NOT be distracted or dissuaded to disobey God’s law.
7I will praise You with an upright heart, when I learn Your righteous rules.
In this verse we find the psalmist making a declaration of will… he states, “I will…” which is a voluntary, free will choice to offer praise to the God he desires to serve. I will is also a focused and determined state of mind that denotes a willingness to NOT be distracted.
He says, “I will…” a determined challenge to himself to do something… to do what? give praise! He says, “I will PRAISE…” Praise is an act of adoration or approval… it is an act of homage or worship… it is a grateful recognition of a greater power or of someone who has done something wonderful for you…
We can give praise to those in our life who love us and help us… but the psalmists wants the world to know of his praise for God… His praise comes forth from a heart that God has changed! This upright heart that has come to him as a result of his obedient followship of God’s law… has brought him joy and he is giving praise for his changed and renewed heart!
The description of an upright heart is describing a heart that is righteous in its actions, and is in ONE accord with its Master… a focus of the very core of his being… who he truly is, is giving praise and glory to God!!
Another, “I” challenge from the psalmist to himself is found in the 2nd part of this verse where he says, “I will learn”… this is yet another willing and voluntary action on his part to draw closer to God. His desire is to learn what He can about God to be more like Him.
8I will keep Your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!
Finally we find this man offering to God a promise… another ‘I will keep…’ statement that makes a covenant with God that he will honor God by keeping His laws… a voluntary submission to God’s plan and a resolute recognition of God’s glory and truth.
With that being promised… the psalmist then places his entire trust and hope in God! We find him cry out in to God, but this is not a cry of desperation as it may be interpreted… but this is a cry of recognition! A cry that recognizes that he is totally dependent upon God… and thus totally helpless without God… so he cries out to God, “Don’t abandon me”
This is a heartfelt plea on his behalf… a cry out of the realization that God is in total control… a exclamation of his assurance that God was his only hope…
In this study we saw how the psalmist places a great importance on the study and intake of God’s word… but it is far more than just a head knowledge, but it is a heart knowledge that knows God’s word must be put into practice in his life!
That God’s word is transformational and life altering… and that it doesn’t happen on its own but it will take a voluntary and willing submission by anyone to the laws of God!
We see how he is blessed because of his actions, but his actions are NOT what blesses… God is! God does not bless him because of his righteous actions, but God blesses out of His sovereign mercy and grace… his actions merely reflect the blessing God is pouring out in his life!
We can also see how even under the law there is grace… many do NOT see grace within the law of the OT… but we find where there is obedience and submission to God’s law… God accounts it for righteousness, which imparts grace upon that individual. Abraham obeyed and it was counted to him as righteousness…
We are under the new covenant of grace thru the Cross of Calvary, but the principle is still the same… service and obedience is what God desires and He is going to honor and bless those who honor and submit to His calling. Where are you tonight? Is God’s law the central focal point of your life? If not, why isn’t it? I challenge us ALL to be like this psalmist… PRAY!!
