Psalm 119

Psalms 119:1-3, 175-176 (ESV)

Aleph

[1] Blessed are those whose way is blameless,

who walk in the law of the LORD!

[2] Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,

who seek him with their whole heart,

[3] who also do no wrong,

but walk in his ways!

 

[175] Let my soul live and praise you,

and let your rules help me.

[176] I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,

for I do not forget your commandments.

 

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It starts “Blessed are those whose way is blameless.” Interestingly, after 175 verses, the psalm concludes with verse 176, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant for I do not forget your commandments.” It is the law of the LORD that is blameless. Blessing comes to those “who keep his testimonies.” Yet despite the psalmist’s love for God’s law, his grief over those who ignore God’s law, and his passion for God’s word, he concludes, “I have gone astray.”

 

Reading through this psalm is convicting. It causes me to wonder if I love God’s law as much as the Psalmist does. It leads me to confess that I do not weep over the sin of the world like the Psalmist. It makes me wonder why reading the Bible sometimes feels more like a chore than like reading a letter from someone who loves me greatly. Yet even the Psalmist concludes, “I have gone astray.”

 

Psalms 119:9-11 reads,

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.

With my whole heart I seek you;

let me not wander from your commandments!

I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

 

It is the word of God that keeps us pure, and yet we stray. The word of God leads us to holiness. It also leads us to humility. Perhaps that is the lesson from this psalm. God’s word reveals God, it guides us, and it keeps us humble. When we come face to face with the person of God through the word of God we begin to see ourselves as we really are.

 

A young boy whose muscles are starting to develop may look in the mirror, flex his muscles and think that he is pretty impressive, until he stands next to a weight lifter or a professional football player. Suddenly he realizes how far he has yet to go. So it is with us. We like to think of ourselves as pretty good people. We pray. We go to church. We’re honest. We help those in need. We’re pretty good. And then we open God’s word. We see even just a glimpse of God through his word and we realize how much we have yet to learn. We meditate on God’s word and we realize how far we have yet to go to live true holiness. God’s word encourages us, equips us, and reveals God to us. It also humbles us, which is a good place to be for God “opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas 4:6).

 

Through God’s word we learn two amazing truths. First, his word keeps us from sin. Second, his word reveals that we have a long way yet to go. It is in the tension of those two truths that we live. “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments” (Ps 119:10)!