Psalm 119:1,2
Such a fitting declaration for the beginning of such a glorious psalm. One that is not only unrivaled in its length, but for many, also in the level of devotion of its writer. Indeed, we would be hard pressed to find one that surpasses such sustained devotion for God’s word and his longing to keep it in the whole of Scripture.
From the very beginning, “ Oh that my ways may be established To keep Thy statutes! – Then I shall not be ashamed when I look upon all Thy commandments”(5,6); “with all my heart I have sought Thee; do not let me wander from Thy commandments. – Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee”(10,11). “I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. – I will meditate on Thy precepts, and regard Thy ways. – I shall delight in Thy statutes; I shall not forget Thy word”(14-16). “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Thy law’(18). “My soul is crushed with longing after Thine ordinances at all times”(20). “I cleave to Thy testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame!”(20). “O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day”(97).
To be honest, I’ve been a Christian for over 40 years and have read this psalm dozens of times, and have often found it difficult to relate to this Psalmists experience. His sentiments seem almost unearthly, supernatural if you will (and indeed they are, as we shall see later on). How should I understand this? Relate to it? Such lofty expressions seem so far beyond my own experience, that they seem almost unbelievable. Nothing more than sustained hyperbole? My experience unfortunately, has all too often been more in keeping with…
“My eyes are dry, my faith is old. My heart is hard, my prayers are cold.”1
Thus my struggle in part with this psalmist. Almost unobtainable levels of piety. Yet I know that judging Scripture by my own experience is dangerous, and can certainly lead me to adopt many wrong conclusions about God, as did the psalmist in 73 & 77.
To be fair, all is not rosy for this psalmist. He has his own struggles…”Turn my eyes away from looking at vanity”(37). “Oh that my ways may be established To keep Thy statutes! – then I shall not be ashamed when I look upon all Thy commandments”(5,6). He has his own afflictions….“I am exceedingly afflicted”(107). “Trouble and anguish have come upon me”(143). “My soul weeps because of grief”(28). He has his enemies to deal with…“The arrogant utterly deride me”(51). “The cords of the wicked have encircled me”(61). “They have persecuted me with a lie”(86). “They have almost destroyed me on earth”(87). “My life is continually in my hand”(109). “Many are my persecutors and my adversaries”(157), and “princes persecute me without cause”(161). The combined result is…“I have become like wineskin in smoke”(83).
Over and over again this psalmist repeatedly cries out to God… “Revive me”(25), “revive me”(40), “revive me”(88), “revive me”(107), “strengthen me”(28), “uphold me”(117). He knows that he can’t sustain or deliver himself, so he pleads with God to do so. “Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I do not forget Thy law. – Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Thy word” (153,154). Don’t miss that, “according to Thy word,” for here is the the ground for all his hope for deliverance and redemption.
“Great are Thy mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Thine ordinances”(156). “Revive me, O LORD, according to Thy lovingkindness”(159). “Let my supplication come before Thee; deliver me according to Thy word”(170).2 Apart from general revelation in creation, everything he knows about God comes from the special revelation of the Scriptures that he limitedly had available to him at that time.3
Yet what is it that God has revealed about Himself in those portions of Scripture? Who He is, and that He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything. That He is the ruler and judge of all mankind. That He has laws that reflect His character. That although He will judge man for His sin, and requires sacrifice for sin, He is also merciful and kind to those who seek Him with all their heart and endeavor to obey His commandments.
What’s striking about this is that, for the psalmist, that was enough to engender this level of devotion. A sobering thought indeed when we consider our own day, and how much more revelation we have been given in the Scriptures than him. His posture, intentional focus, and practices he employs to endeavor to keep Gods commandments (particularly in light of all of the trials and adversaries that he has), certainly can have a humbling effect on us, and rightly so. “To who much is given, much is required” comes to mind. It engenders my prayer of “Lord God forgive my sin of murmuring and complaining, my sin of indolence and laziness, my sin of not loving you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Help me Oh Lord; revive me, sustain me, strengthen me according to Thy word, to not lose heart, to not doubt you, but to trust You for what You have declared, and to move forward in faith in Your good word and faithful promises. “Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num 23:19).
Perhaps this is why I have had so much difficulty relating to this particular psalm? By comparison, I am ashamed of my weak faith, dry eyes and cold prayers. Why can’t I be more like this psalmist, who’s level of devotion seems almost supernatural? As I said earlier, “indeed they are.”
As I poured over this psalm again and again, marveling at his earnest desire and purposeful intent to keep God’s law, I was reminded by the Lord that this is not the desires and efforts of an unregenerate man, but a regenerate one. He also, though an Old Testament saint with limited revelation, has also been saved “not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). What I was marveling at in this psalm was simply the fruit of the Holy Spirit, in both his faith to believe and in his desire to obey.
Salvation and sanctification has always been, both in the Old Testament and New Testament by grace through faith (Eph 2:8,9). Just as “Abraham believed in the LORD; and He (that is God) reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Gen 15:6); so also every saint before and after him, was and would be be saved and sanctified the same way. This is the whole point that the writer of Hebrews is making in chapter 11.
Just because God revealed the details of His redemptive plan progressively (gradually that is), doesn’t mean that the accomplished work of Christ was applied progressively through the Holy Spirit to His saints. Justification (“being reckoned as righteous”), happens the moment an individual believes by the power of the Holy Spirit. Saving faith has never been generated by “the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption”(1 Cor 1:30).
Every individual listed in Hebrews 11 was saved the same way as we are today, “by grace…through faith,” which is “the gift of God” (Eph 2:8), applied to us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said…“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63). Regeneration (Tit 3:5), the new birth (John 3:5), faith (Eph 2:8), repentance (Acts 11:18), perseverance (Rom 15:5), indeed “everything”, as Peter said…“His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). We could just as well read in Hebrews 11…“by the Holy Spirit”, Able.., and Enoch.., Noah and Abraham, Sarah and Issac.., Jacob and Joseph.., Moses.., and so on.
The redemptive plan of the Trinity was so sure, so absolutely certain that it would come to pass, that all of the Old Testament saints were saved, and sanctified by faith in it, even before it was accomplished. Certainly what they knew about Christ was limited, but they believed God for what He had revealed to them. Even back then we can see the results of their faith…“Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). “By faith Moses… considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt (Heb 11:24,26). Even Job declared…”and as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25,26).
And what of the Psalmist? How much of the work of God in his heart do we think he understood? Well he certainly understood that he couldn’t do any of the things he desired without divine help; for he continually beseeches the Lord for help. “Open my eyes that I may behold…”(18). “Make me understand…”(27). “Teach me, Oh Lord…”(33). “Make me walk…”(35). “Incline my heart…”(36). “Turn away my eyes…”(37). He knows he is utterly dependent on God to enable him to obey His law, to love Him with all his heart, soul and might (Deut 6:5), and thus he cries out for it repeatedly.
Of course if David is the writer of this Psalm, we would expect him to display the same understanding and posture in his prayers to God, and indeed we do…”Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Thy presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit” (Ps 51:10-12)
Do we find other passages in the scriptures that support this concept? Indeed we do. Paul tells the saints in Philippi to “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling,”(Phil 2:12). You might say… “Well, right there.., obedience is based on their own effort!” Hold on, let’s let him finish that sentence… “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). God is the one who is actually doing the acts of obedience He has prepared beforehand for us to do. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). These “good works” that Paul speaks of here are simple the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5, 1 Cor 13), which display the redeeming power of God in our lives for His glory and praise. Remember what Jesus said…”You are the light of the world; Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:14,16).
And is this not what He promised? “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. – “And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances” (Ezek 36:26,27).
Augustine of Hippo years ago declared this same understanding in one of his prayers to God… “”Give me the grace [O Lord] to do as you command, and command me to do what you will! . . . O holy God . . . when your commands are obeyed, it is from you that we receive the power to obey them.”4
Interestingly the writer of Hebrews prays for the same thing in his benediction…”Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb 13:20,21).
He gives His saints a new heart, with new desires and inclinations to walk in His statues and observe His ordinances, by His power “which mightily works within us”(Col 1:29). What we see in Psalm 119 through all of these glorious desires is simply the work of the Spirit of God on display for all to see.
Yet the enemy of our soul has been forever whispering quietly in our ears like the Wizard of OZ…”Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” Oh how readily are we overwhelmed when we believe that we are left to ourselves to obey the commandments of Gods law, “a yoke which neither our fathers, nor we have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10).
Well, the One behind the veil of this world is all the members of the Trinity, perfectly, harmoniously “gathering into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52). The Father has appointed who will be saved, the Son was sent to accomplish the work of redemption, and the Spirit was sent to apply that finished work to His saints. Every name that was written down in the Lamb’s book of life before the foundation of the world will be redeemed. None will be lost. None will be forsaken.
Jesus said…”All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. – “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. – “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. – “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:37-40).
May we all remember the words of Paul as well…“He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6). “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thes 5:24). He is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb 12:2).
“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes” (Ps 118:22,23). Indeed, “salvation is of the Lord” (Jon 2:9), and it is solely “by His doing” (1Cor 1:30). We see the work of His hands in the new birth of His saints (2 Cor 5:17), and as they display the fruit of His Spirit in their lives (Gal 5 & 1 Cor 13). This is all the work of God, and again… “by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD” (1 Cor 1:30,31).
Thank you Lord for your marvelous grace to us in Christ, and for a fresh perspective of our Old Testament brothers and sisters in Christ who went before us. “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” (Heb 13:7,8).
Amen, and amen!
Footnotes:
1. Taken from “My eyes are dry” by Keith Green – 1978
2. Throughout Psalm 119 the Psalmist uses a variety of terms to refer to various aspects or dimensions of God word, such as His law, His commandments, His judgments, His statutes, His testimonies, His ordinances, His word, His ways and righteousness.
3. If the Psalmist here is David (as many believe that it is), that would be around 1000 BC. At best, the Pentateuch (5 books of Moses), Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Job, Psalm 90, and perhaps 1 Samuel.
4. From “The Confessions of St. Augustine” – Book Ten (354–430 AD).