Psalm 119.1-8

Psalm 119.1-8

Aleph 

There is a double blessing for us out of God’s Word.  Walking in the law of the Lord means that first our way is blameless and second we are seeking God with all our hearts.  Seeking God is the end, the ultimate goal, and not the means to some other purpose.  Study of the Word of God is not so we can know some trivial bit of information, but rather so that we can know God.  Part of this blessed life is that the disciple does not do unrighteousness.  Like Job, who was described by God as blameless, the disciple is habitual in his right living.  This is not teaching that we can obtain personal, moral perfection, but rather, we can have a consistent life of obedience.  Like a clearly marked road is easy to follow, the disciple who keeps God’s Word will find that moral choices are clear.

One of the great blessings of faithfulness to God’s Word is that we are protected from embarrassment as we learn, at a deeper level, God’s commandments or expectations (v. 6).  This is more than the shame of being caught in overt sin.  It also includes the shame of not knowing what should have been known.  An example might be a student who doesn’t know their lesson even though the lesson is simple and he has been taught repeatedly. In fact, the disciple can give wholehearted thanks to God for His righteous judgments or laws.  The word translated “judgments” or “laws” is not so much God’s judicial judgments or the written law.  This carries the idea of “right” or perhaps “the ways.” There is an order to the universe that can be hard to understand.  But the disciple, because of his study of the Word of God, is able to see God’s way more clearly.  This section ends with a promise and a plea.  The disciple promises or is committed to living up to what he finds is the word, and in so doing, pleads that he will be in God’s company. 

“I praise You Lord for the double blessing of Your word. AMEN”