Psalm 119:4-6

"You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways would be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments."

Psalm 119:4-6 (ESV)

When I look at this passage a two words jump out at me right away: diligently an steadfast. Lets start with the first part of this verse. 

"You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently." The Lord has commanded us to keep His commandments. We are to inscribe them on our hearts and live them out in our lives. And very simply they are the ten commandments the Lord gave Moses. But I want to look at the word diligently, when I think of that word I think of perseverance and determination. According to the dictionary to be diligent about something means that we "quietly and steadily persevere, especially in detail or exactness." The Lord wants us to be exact, and persevere in how we follow the commands of the Lord. However, let us be careful in this as well, the Pharisees were diligent in following the law of the Lord looking for eternal life, yet they refused to accept the Savior and did their best to earn salvation by their works. (Take a look at John 5:38-40.)

Secondly we see the word steadfast. The Psalmist asks "Oh that my ways would be steadfast." But what does it mean to be steadfast. Since I've become fond of using the dictionary in these cases lets look and see what it says. Steadfast - marked by firm determination and resolution. 

The Psalmist was looking to be determined in his walk. I think this is something that I myself need to work on some days (most days) is a sheer determination to follow the Lord and walk upright in the ways of the Lord. It's a difficult way to walk, especially in this day and age. That is why we need to cry out to the Lord and ask for him to help us to this. 

And finally we can't forget about verse 6. If any of you have ever been exposed to the "scientific method" you should be familiar with an "If...then..." statement. "If I do such and such then I will have such and such an outcome." Do you see the "If...then..." statement here. It's evident in verse 6. "Then I will not be put to shame having my eyes fixed on all your commandments." The if part comes before that, if we are diligent to keep the commands of the Lord and steadfast in our ways then we won't be put to shame. Have you ever been put to shame by following the Lord. You may have been embarrassed or felt out of place but I certainly hope you weren't put to shame by living your life for the Lord. I think another key here is keeping our eyes fixed on the commands or on Christ. Remember Peter, when he kept his eyes fixed on Christ and not on his surroundings, he was able to walk on water. 

Lord, help me to be like the Pslamist who was diligent at keeping your commands. Not forgetting where my salvation comes from but living according to your Word and determining that my ways will be steadfast. I also ask that you help me keep not only my eyes, but my heart, my mind, and my soul fixed on your commands and on You instead of the waves crashing around me. Then I will not be put to shame. In Your Name, Amen.

Psalm 119:1-3

"Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong but walk in his ways." Psalm 119:1-3

I believe that these three verses are foundational to this whole chapter. they are key to what we as Christians need to do with our lives regarding the Word of God. The psalmist gives us three actions that we need to take to be blessed by the Lord.

The first is to WALK, we are to walk in the way of the Lord. In Deuteronomy 10:12 the Israelites were commanded to walk in the ways of the Lord. "And now Israel what does the Lord require of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul," Walking in the law of the Lord is one of the first actions that we need to take to draw closwer to the Lord. Though it isn't an easy task. It means following the Lords commands, reading the Word and living our lives according to it. We need to follow the footsteps of Christ.

The second is to KEEP, we are to "keep his testimonies". Keeping means to hold onto or possess. We need to hold onto the Word of the Lord, hold it close to our hearts. Memorizing scripture, carrying it with us. In verse 13 of Deuteronomy 10 it says "and to keep the statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?" It is a good thing to keep the statutes of the Lord. And did you notice that these two verses in Deuteronomy are phrased as a question. Moses says "What does the Lord require of you but that you...?" The Lord wants us to WALK IN and KEEP His commands, and not only that but love Him with all our heart and soul.
The third thing is that we SEEK HIM, we need to seek after him with all our heart. Seek after him like you would something that you treasure has been lost. He is the Lord and we need to seek Him with our WHOLE heart. Not just half heartedly. When you go after something with your whole heart, you put everything you have into it, all your energy and time. Going through nursing school was a prime example to me. It seemed like my life revolved around school and studying, It took concentration and effort to stay focused and seek after my dreams. But to be honest it was at the expense of my relationship with the Lord. It takes balance to seek after our dreams here on earth and to seek after the Lord as well. But something I've learned is that when we seek the Lord with all our heart, everything else will generally fall into place.

So remember as we study this Psalm to WALK, KEEP and SEEK! 

Introduction

I love the book of Psalms, and in particular my favorite Psalm is 119. It is an incredible Psalm that is focused on the Word of God and how awesome it is. The psalmist who penned the words is fully enamored with God's word. This Psalm is a heart felt prayer to draw closer to the Lord and to gain a better understanding of the precepts and promises of God.

The psalmist who penned the words of Psalm 119 was truly devoted to the Word of the Lord, he knew in depth the promises that God had made and the decrees in which he set forth in the law. And at the time all the psalmist had was the Pentateuch, yes, just the books of the law. Not the prophets, not the gospels, not the epistles of Paul, just the books of the law. The very books of the Bible that we find very hard to get through, this man was in love with, you can tell from the writing that he loved them, he studied them, he followed them, and he sought after the God from whose lips they came from.

There is much to be learned from this man, much to be attained from the longest chapter of the Bible. I believe that it is this way for a reason, and that reason is so that we pay attention to it. It isn’t merely just another chapter in another book of the Bible. From it we can gain a new perspective, from it we can learn to love the Word of the Lord and reignite our flame and passion for the love letter that God has written to us. And the best part is that unlike the psalmist who penned these words, we have the whole Bible, we know the whole story. The hope and longing that the psalmist had for his Savior we know and can believe and see that the Savior has come, and like him we can hope and long for his return.

My hope is that through this study you and I can also gain a better understanding of the Word of God and gain a new love and appreciation of it. I hope you enjoy this blog.