Psalm 119 - Love for God's Law

Jesus did not separate himself and what he spoke and taught from the scriptures we have as the Bible. And he never spoke about any of the law that is from God in the Bible coming to any end, as long as heaven and earth last. I do not know how real repentant believers who have Jesus as their Lord would think the commandments from God are even not for them. It is certain truth that Paul is being misunderstood by a good number of those reading the epistles from him. I believe what I read from his epistles, but those who say Paul states something that would have us go contrary to what we see Jesus said I must disagree with, and say they are among the ones who misunderstand what Paul wrote. The law from God is good, in Christ we are not condemned for any failing, but God's grace through Christ's atonement for us at great cost should have our repentance bringing us to greater obedience, none of that does away with commandments. The Psalms do uphold faithfulness to God's commandments.

Thank you for your thoughts on this subject, Frank, and there's a lively discussion related to your observations at the forum listed below.

The gospel of ….. - Christian Chat Rooms & Forums

I think a lot of the confusion and debate centers around which "laws" from the Old Covenant are still applicable for us today under the New Covenant. We certainly are not required to make animal sacrifices anymore (Christ is our Passover Lamb), and the Holy Days (e.g. Passover & Feast of Tabernacles) are not obligatory either because they foreshadowed New Testament events.

When I look at the 10 commandments, those are still valid and in effect today from my point of view. They are not only spiritual laws, many of them like "you shall not murder" are civil laws as well. The first four commandments center around love towards God, and the last six focus on our love towards our fellow man. The only variation I see is the Sabbath--Jesus is our sabbath rest as Christians, so we do not need to observe the "Sabbath" from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. Those Christians who still feel a need for this is fine with me.

The key from my point of view is obeying Christ and the "law" or better yet "Word" from His teachings. The Old Testament needs to be put in the proper perspective from the New Testament.

I am intrigued at the moment to consider what is the spirit of the Sabbath, God's character and will displayed in it, which finds its fulfillment in Jesus and us. My starting ideas is that there are a range of things, such as delight, trust, equality, quietness, liberation. I would welcome the Spirit's wisdom to understand more, please don't hold back.

I am also loving the deep swim in Psalm 119 and do not want to discourage the OP from going on and on with that. In fact I'm wondering if that's the very intention of the psalm - to feel we're swimming (in this love for God's word) and can't see either shore - why else make it so long?

Yes, Psalm 119 is completely beautiful and a wonderful part of God's inspiring Word. I have more work to do on this psalm but am in no rush. I want to drink it in and allow for meditation and reflection in the weeks and perhaps months ahead.

I observed the Sabbath as a Christian for several years back in my 20's (a long time ago...). It was a time to put aside worldly concerns like my normal tasks and work and spend some in-depth time studying the Bible, meditating, praying, fasting occasionally, and attending worship services with some great fired-up like-minded Christians.

Today, I look at the Sabbath as an everyday occurrence basking in the rest my Lord and Savior provides in His grace and love.

This took me to Matthew 11.28, a well-known verse. Looking at it in context I found that immediately after that prayer is one of the stories of Jesus and the Sabbath. Have you ever meditated on this in Matthew 11-12? I would be glad to hear what you have to say, dear.

Christ us everything for the sacrificial system for us, the sacrifices, the priesthood, and the ways to be made clean to be acceptable before God, these things in the old covenant were types for what Christ makes available. Animals do not need to still be killed for us, believers understood this at the beginning. Commandments still are not types but show how we are obedient to God, if we would be. Obeying Christ includes this. It is meaningful to know Christ is Lord. Sabbath is not bad to observe, the way to observe it actually needs us to include Christ in it with us, with actual rest in Christ, that others missed. Christ is needed for this.

This is not me telling others what to do about it. I see good in doing this still.

There are a select few during the Old Testament era who were given the gift of the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of the New Covenant and the Law of Christ. The psalmist who composed this masterpiece is one of those individuals who sees God's law as an eternal covenant and way of life that are based upon the teachings of Jesus:

Psalm 119:123-127

New King James Version

123 My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation
And Your righteous word.

124 Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy,
And teach me Your statutes.

125 I am Your servant;
Give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.

126 It is time for You to act, O Lord,
For they have [a]regarded Your law as void.

127 Therefore I love Your commandments
More than gold, yes, than fine gold!

My eyes fail to see God's saving power and the riches available through His "righteous word" if I don't say that "I am Your servant; Give me understanding." True knowledge, understanding, and wisdom come from God, and they lead us to mercy and salvation. The wisdom of this world is vanity and a chasing after the wind as Solomon discovered first hand from his life of excess.

God's commandments should be loved, and they are worth much more than "fine gold." Christ counseled the materialistic church of the Laodiceans "...to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Rev. 3: 18-19).

The eye salve Christ provides to the humble will open our eyes to seek out salvation and His righteous Word as the psalmist proclaims. This will lead to mercy and understanding that the true gold we should buy comes from our Lord and Savior: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field" (Matt. 13: 44). This psalmist who lived well before Jesus understood this principle through revelation and God's Spirit living within him, the true gold Jesus offers to us if we are wise enough to accept the gift.

Yes, Word of God stresses truth including the NT, whereas Law risks getting stuck in legalism.

Let's take a step back from Psalm 119 and look at some of the many Thanksgiving verses contained within the book of Psalms. How about Psalm 118 for starters - the first and last verses exclaim:

Oh, give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

In verse 28, the psalmist beautifully expresses,

You are My God, and I will
praise You;
You are My God, I will exalt
You.

Psalm 105 begins with,

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among
the peoples!

David, a man after God's own heart, has many thanksgiving praises he shares:

O Lord my God, in You I put
my trust;
Save me from all those who
persecute me;
And deliver me.

I will praise the Lord
according to His
righteousness,
And will sing praise to the
name of the Lord Most
High. (Psalm 7: 1, 17)

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is your name in
all the earth! (Psalm 8: 9)

I will praise You, O Lord, with
my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous
works
I will be glad and rejoice in
You;
I will sing praise to Your name,
O Most High. (Psalm 9: 2)

A praise-filled Thanksgiving to all of you!

SF

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

King David is credited with having penned most of the Psalms, howeer , tranlating David we understand it is Beloved, and King Beloved is credited with all of the Psalms, I believe.

I like to keep a close eye on world news, and we have done a poor job on the whole managing the resources and relationships God has given us. The mistrust and hatred between the nations are so deeply entrenched that only our Lord has the power to bring forgiveness, healing, and unity when He returns.

Rivers of water run down
_____from my eyes
because men do not keep
_____Your law.____________________(Psalm 119: 136)

Christ talks about "rivers of living water" flowing out of our hearts (John 7: 38), and the New Jerusalem will have a "...pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22: 1). The tree of life will be nourished by this river, and the leaves of the tree will be "...for the healing of the nations" (v. 2). In the meantime, "rivers of water run down from [our] eyes" because we see the fruits of a fallen world living apart from and in rebellion against our Creator.

My zeal has consumed me
Because my enemies have
_____forgotten Your words.________(Psalm 119: 139)

This brings to mind Christ making a whip, overturning the tables, and driving the business people out of the temple: "...Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise! Then His disciples remembered that it was written, 'Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up'" (John 2: 17; ref. Psalm 69: 9). Zeal should be a driving force in our lives as we seek to uphold the standards of Christ. We should be tearful when we witness lawlessness, but those tears should translate into a greater zeal to promote God's kingdom and way of life!

One of my pastors said he enjoys getting up early, refreshing himself to get awake, and then spend some quality time in prayer. He thought it was important to put God first and give Him the freshness of his morning praise, petitions, and worship (Matt. 6:33):

I rise before the dawning of
the morning,
and cry for help;
I hope in Your word. (Psalm 119: 147)

God has always promised and followed through on taking care of His people. We should cry out for help when needed and have hope in His Word that our lives are safe-and-sound within the big picture of eternity.

My eyes are awake through
the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your
word. (v. 148)

Listening to and studying God's Word go hand-in-hand with meditation and prayer. When I study the Bible, I approach it as my opportunity to listen to God and carefully consider what He has to say. Then, I like to meditate and absorb His Word before I express my thoughts and concerns back to Him. Sometimes, when I'm struggling in what to say to God, I just step back and spend more time "listening" to Him through Bible study, Christian reading, fellowship, and sermons.

You are near, O Lord,
And all Your commandments
are truth.

Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You
have founded them
forever. (v. 151-152)

God is with us always, yet we tend think He is absent at times because He is not physically in front of us. However, we are consumed in the Spirit, Son, and loving Father, and we can draw upon the truth of His testimonies that are firmly founded forever. Rest assured, no matter what pain and suffering we are personally enduring along with the uncertainties of life in this war-torn world, God's grace, truth, and Word will always be with us to strengthen us to persevere and endure unto the end.

Wonderful teaching and advising. Solid is our Rock, and solid seems the faith. God bless you..

Thank you, brother, and I appreciate your contributions and insights as well. Red flags are flown whenever OT teachings are raised, especially related to the law, because Christians are concerned about falling back into regulations and ceremonies that are obsolete in the NT thanks to Jesus. Rightly so in some instances because we certainly don't want to get snared in the burdens of legalism. But, as the psalmist expresses,

The entirety of Your word is
truth,
And every one of Your
righteous judgments
endures forever. (Psalm 119:160)

Paul encourages his young apprentice Timothy to realize that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We just need to understand as Christ's disciples how the OT fits into our lives today through that "Sermon on the Mount" vantage point.

Jesus said, "Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (Matt. 5: 17-18). Heaven and earth have not passed away yet, and that won't happen from my perspective until the New Heavens and New Earth are initiated after Christ returns and the 1000 years of His reign over humanity and the earth are complete.

Obviously, we don't need to observe the OT sacrificial and ceremonial system any longer due to Jesus' sacrifice, and we don't have to follow the letter of the law regarding dietary laws unless that is a personal choice. But, the law of Christ is still in effect through the 10 commandments, which are best summarized through loving God (the first four) and loving our fellow man (the last six).

Christ gives us an expanded view of His law by no longer requiring strict observance to the Sabbath (Christ is our Sabbath rest now), and He shows us the spiritual intent of each law by noting, for example, that having anger towards our brother without a cause violates the intent of the "Thou shalt not kill" commandment.

What is the end result of observing and honoring the law of God from the psalmist's point of view?

Great peace have those who
love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble. (Psalm 119: 165)

We no longer have the law engraved on stone, it has been engraved on the flesh tablets of our hearts.
Any law that does not contain love may be overlooked. Yes, Jesus Yeshua did not come to abolich any of the truth of the law, rather to fulfill it.
If we examine the Ten Commandments we will find that all truly important conduct and understanding and love are therein with no need to dwell upon how they are to be obeyed. the Messiah has come to clear up all of that having been foretold in the OT.
Elohanu even says in the OT, I am your Redeemer. Elsewhere He declares, I am your Husband. And even further, He declared to the prophet, I am your King. Maybe this sounds sto conflict with some, but Yahweh did say to Moses, I will be What I will be. I take this to be absolute truth, ergo by fiath I understand, no, I believe that God is One, yet He is sthe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, for this fulfills His declaration to Moses, that He will be What He will be. Faith alone maintains the belief to this holding true, and the mysteryu of it will be truly and fully understood come His day.. Paise our most belove and holy God, amen.

Yes reading David praose God for his law inspires me as well and is certainly a fantastic one to meditate on. Many argue that the old ways are gone but a fun challenge for anyone who truly wants to find out why david said such things try to follow his law whole heartly for a month and see how it affects you

I have tried this myself even sticking to the foods to eat and not eat and wow was I surprised

Good thread and documentation. I absolutely agree.

I know what you're talking about, Blain, and I attended a church in my 20s where we observed the OT laws from a NT perspective, the Sabbath from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, all of the festivals from Passover to the Feast of Tabernacles, and all the dietary regulations.

My experience was like you described at first - a lot of joy through trying to obey God to the best of my ability. After a few years, though, I lost that joy, and it became more of a burden trying to continually do more-and-more to "please" God. I ended up burning out and leaving the Church for awhile.

Then, God stirred my heart at a baptism I attended. I thought to myself, "why are you still with me God? I have failed as a Christian." Well, that's where I was introduced to grace, and that's where I have been ever since. For me, the key is having a balance of law and grace, and more importantly relying on God's strength versus my own to do His will.

yes grace and law that is the key if we try to do it to perfection by our own means we will fall under the curse of the law but understanding that we will not be able to perfectly keep it and to do it with a joyful heart that is where it becomes a blessing.
if it ever becomes a burden read what david said about it and ask why did he love his law so much?
the joy of the lord keeps us strong never forget that.

I love this statement, and it's a great way to summarize this beautiful Psalm:

Psalm 119:174-176

New King James Version

174 I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And Your law is my delight.

175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;
And let Your judgments help me.

176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.

I was just responding to @Blain about a time where I went astray from God and tried to find my own way in this weary world. I was "successful" at school, in business, and I met the love of my life. However, I had an emptiness in my heart as well because I was sick and tired of always striving to be a "good Christian."

The Shepard never stopped "looking" for me, though. After fighting off the sharks I faced in the business world and longing for something more, my Lord and Savior called out to me again. I answered a resounding yes to coming back under His yoke, but realizing that Jesus' yoke is not a burdensome one. Instead, I've found that rest for my soul that was much needed from a humble and meek Lord who loves His servants (Matt. 11: 29-30).

Christ's law is my delight, and I will never forget His commandments. I long for His salvation.