Psalm 119:1
Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
~ Psalm 119:1
Blessed are—This majestic Psalm opens by showing the way of the blessed. “Blessed” describes a condition or state of being. It signifies happiness or prosperity, but does not promise the absence of sorrow or loss. It does not indicate levity, joviality, nor mirth. It is a state of favor, particularly Divine favor.
The blessed condition ought to be desired by all Christians. Though there are many directions to it in Scripture, many are either ignorant of how to attain unto it or they are reckless of heeding the way to it. This particular Psalm gives ample instruction in being blessed. Are we wise enough to hear and heed it?
This verse begins, “Blessed are.” They are, and then their condition is described. In this Psalm, we find the blessed are in favor with God. This means they enjoy communication with Him and sensitive to impediments of the same.
The undefiled in the way—To be undefiled is to be upright and truthful. The underlying thought is truth and integrity. It is the absence of hypocrisy in their walk. This at least says that being blessed is not in external appearance. Often, the external appearance seems contradictory to being blessed.
Link for Psalm 119 Sermon Series
“Way” here is one of the related words used in this Psalm to speak of the Word of God. The root of this word in the Hebrew means to tread with the foot. So the root denotes the act of walking. “Way” here speaks of a path, road, a going, or journeying. This word occurs 13 times in the entire Psalm.
The way indicates a marked out way. For the blessed, it is God’s way. To walk any other way is to be out of favor with God, incurring His wrath in the case of the wicked and His chastisement in the case of His children. It might be said that the order of first importance to be blessed is to be in God’s way.
Who walk in the law of the LORD—”Law” is another synonym for God’s Word. Here it is torah, a precept or statute. The root means to project or to issue, hence to point out or to show. It includes teaching or instruction. God’s law contains His instructions and points out His will. This word occurs about 25 times in the entire Psalm.
To speak of law is to speak of power and authority. It is the law of the Lord and none other the blessed walk in. They have abandoned the path of tradition, opinion, and all other laws of men to walk singly in His law.
Emphasis is put on walk. This word often stands for conversation, or the way of life. It is comprehensive. The blessed have their entire conversation, way of life, regulated by God. While some may wish to have God’s Word for some things and not for others, the blessed want all of God’s Word for all of life.
“Walk” also conveys the idea of constancy, consistency, perseverance. The blessed are continuing in the things they have learned. They are of those who go on unto perfection. Starting out pointed in the right direction is good, but diverting from the path in the middle or stopping before we reach the destination is not. We must press on and walk.
Psalm 119
Psalm 119 is not only a remarkable Psalm, it is one of the most remarkable chapters in the entire Bible. Though none of Scripture ought to be neglected, this chapter deserves special attention. In this series, we want to study this chapter; pray and meditate over this chapter. I pray that God will use this to work in us a deeper love and appreciation for His Word and a stronger commitment to live it.
Author
The authorship of this Psalm is not certain. Many authors have been suggested through the years, but it seems most likely to belong to David. In this Psalm are commandments, enemies, and dire circumstances—all answerable to David’s life. Regardless of the human author, it is the inspired Word of God and profitable for us.
Time
The time of the writing of this Psalm is also uncertain. Taken as a whole it seems that it was written in parts over a long period of time. A progression can be observed linearly from beginning to end. The early parts hint of youth and the latter parts evidence a maturing wisdom.
Theme
The theme of this Psalm is the Divine Revelation—the Word of God. It is remarkable that almost every verse has a reference to the Word of God. Ten different words are used to refer to Scripture: way, testimonies, precepts, commandments, word, law, judgment, righteousnesses, statute, and words. Each word brings its own nuance and serves a purpose.
Notables
Psalm 119 is by far the longest Psalm, and it is also the longest chapter in all Scripture. Its 176 verses are divided into 22 stanzas with 8 verses in each stanza. In the Hebrew text, each stanza begins with a different Hebrew letter. It starts at the first one and progresses sequentially through all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This form is very remarkable and poetic. Various attempts have been made to find some numerical or encoded significance to this form, but none of these to date are truly worthy of serious consideration.
In this entire Psalm there is not a single mention of Israel. There is no reference to the Jews, the tabernacle, the temple, sacrifices, rites, ceremonies, or anything of the Mosaic economy. What are we to make of this? They may well be some significance that escapes me, but it seems this Psalm is intended to applicable to the whole Word of God. Though the entire revelation was not yet given at the time this Psalm was written, it is not unbelievable to think of the Holy Spirit moving the penman with the perfect Word in mind. The theme remains fixed on the transcendent Word that was forever settled in heaven.
Attitude
Simply put, the writer loves the Word of God. Verse 97 could well serve as a summary verse of the whole: “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” A number of things could have been said to describe the Psalmist’s attitude toward God’s law, but “love” is how it was described. Only love could elevate its worth above silver and gold. He declared, “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver” (Psalm 119:72).
This Psalm as a whole exalts the Word of God. It is a high prize and treasure of incomparable worth. However, it is not some pretty thing to be set up on a high shelf and gazed at. Neither is it to be buried away out of sight as a miser might do. The Word is to be treasured and hidden away in the heart. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). But, it is there for a purpose and buried in the heart is not the same as buried in the ground. “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: they are the rejoicing of my heart” (Psalm 119:111). What is concealed in the heart will also come out at the mouth. “My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness” (Psalm 119:172).
Psalm 119:2
Posted by Jeff Short on March 2, 2008 · 1 Comment
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies,
and that seek him with the whole heart.
~ Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they—Verse 2 begins as verse 1, continuing the theme of the blessed. The writer of this Psalm will go on to acknowledge his failures. We need not think the “blessed” are without any error this side of heaven. Their character is described and we may safely assume they are directives to us to come to this condition.
That keep his testimonies—”To keep” here signifies to watch or to guard. The thought is of one guarding something of great value, such as a treasure. To guard something means to at least have some notion of the value of what is being guarded. It also indicates a desire to retain what is being guarded. The Psalmist finds such treasure in the testimonies of God. He will go on later to say they are more valuable than hordes of earthly treasure.
The blessed are keeping “His testimonies.” The word here means to turn back again or go over again. The thought is of giving an account of some event or truth. It is similar to the idea we have of someone giving a testimony in court. They are recounting the event, the character of someone, some scientific fact, etc. These are God’s testimonies concerning Himself. It occurs 23 times in this Psalm and refers to God’s self-revelation to man.
God’s testimonies are worth guarding and keeping. Another to say that is to say they are worth treasuring. The Psalmist treasure the testimonies of God in his heart and mind.
That seek him with the whole heart—Two great keys are given here. The first might be easily missed. The blessed “seek him.” In all the keeping of the Word, exulting in promises, rejoicing in blessings, the truly blessed are seeking Him. This theme is worthy of greater development, but suffice it to say there is a difference in seeking God’s benefits and seeking God.
The second key is that the seeking is “with the whole heart.” It is no half-hearted effort. Men of the world will give their whole heart to pursuing earthly riches, pleasure, and power. The blessed give their whole heart to seeking God. I have never seen a list of great accomplishments in history through half-hearted effort. I suspect it would be a short list.
God requires that we seek Him with our whole heart. “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Deuteronomy 10:12). God will suffer our hearts to be broken, but not divided. Whole-heartedness is a sub-theme that will continue throughout this long Psalm.
Link for Psalm 119 Sermon Series
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