SUNDAY PSALMS PART 27 OF 48 - PSALM 119:1-8

Castleton United Methodist Church, Indianapolis

1     Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
      Who walk in the law of the Lord!
2    Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
      Who seek Him with the whole heart!
3    They also do no iniquity;
      They walk in His ways.
4    You have commanded us
      To keep Your precepts diligently.
5    Oh, that my ways were directed
      To keep Your statutes!
6    Then I would not be ashamed,
      When I look into all Your commandments.
7    I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
     When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8   I will keep Your statutes;
    Oh, do not forsake me utterly!
                    Psalm 119:1-8, New King James Version
 

Yes, we've made it to Psalm 119! You're probably aware that it consists of 176 verses and is divided into 22 sections of 8 verses each. I wouldn't be surprised if you also know that in the Hebrew, each verse of each section starts with the same Hebrew letter. For example, this is the first segment, and the verses all start with aleph, the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Finally, you are likely to be aware that almost every verse is talking about the Word of God, the Scripture, what would be called The Holy Bible.

I find this introductory stanza interesting. The first three verses are talking about the righteous and their relationship with God and His word. Verse four focuses on God and His expectation from us. From verse 5, the Psalmist then moves into the first person and deals with his experiences and his interaction with Scripture and their Originator.

The beginning of this Psalm sounds like it's talking about not merely the righteous but the perfect, that they commit no iniquity. Again, the fourth verse mentions God commands us to keep His precepts diligently. 

Does that sound like your experience? What? You mean I'm not the only one who would answer "Nowhere close?" That it, you're saying we relate more to verse 5, where the Psalmist says, "Oh, that my ways were directed to keep your statutes?"

By the way, did you notice how often the word "keep" is used in this stanza? If you didn't, the answer is four: in verses 2, 4, 5, and 8. 

Final two things to remember. One is that if we do keep God's word, we'll be unashamed (verse 6). The other is that there will be joy in keeping His Word (verse 7).