Psalms 119:1-20

It is not easy to see the special subjects that are spoken of by David in each of the short portions of eight verses, yet I do not doubt that if each portion were very carefully examined, we should see that there is some thread running through. We have not here simply a number of pious sentences about the excellency of God's Word, but we have choice gems set, each of them in a golden ring of spiritual intent and purpose. I think the first eight verses, all of which begin with that letter Aleph, or A, set forth the excellence of abiding in holiness, and walking continually in the way of the Lord. Not so much the restoring and comforting power of the word, as the blessedness of that word in leading us to conduct ourselves in consistency of character at all times.

Psalms 119:1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

There is another blessing which comes before this. «Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven,.and whose sin is covered.» And we can never know the blessing of this 119 th Psalm unless we have felt in our own souls that first blessing the blessedness of forgiven sin. But when, through the forgiveness of sin, we are put upon gospel ground, and are saved, then, not according to the law, but according be the gospel does this blessing come upon us. «Blessed are the undefiled in the way.» The men who have kept their garments unspotted from the world who from the time of their conversion even until now have been under the influence, of the divine Spirit, and so have been enabled to walk in holiness without once defiling their garments with any great and public sin who walk in the law of the Lord, not occasionally, but always whose daily walk is in conformity with the divine mind these are blessed.

Psalms 119:2. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

For he that has most of God, yet needs to seek more. We keep the testimonies those we know, for we are taught of the Lord according to the promise, «All thy children shall be taught of the Lord.» Yet do we still seek more. With our whole heart are we pressing on still to something higher and better. Even the undefiled in the way are so, comparatively: they are not absolutely undefiled, so as to be absolutely perfect in the sight of God. Hence they feel their imperfection, and they press after something better. They seek him with the whole heart.

Psalms 119:3. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

So that if we do so, we are unprofitable servants. We have done no more than was our duty to do. When his divine grace has renewed us, and has enabled us to walk in all sobriety, and truthfulness, and holiness, even then we have nothing to boast of. «Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.»

Psalms 119:5. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

«Oh! that I may never defile my garments!» And he who has not defiled his garments still prays the same prayer that he may be kept still and directed still. «Oh! that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!»

Psalms 119:6. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

It gives a man boldness. Integrity of heart before God breeds sacred courage. He has nothing to be ashamed of, and he is not ashamed when he has respect unto all God's commandments.

Psalms 119:7. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

Not «I will praise myself.» Not «I will take credit to myself for my clean walking;» but «When thou hast taught me, and I learn thy ways, then all the praise shall be rendered unto thee.» This is the fruit of evangelical obedience. Legal obedience, even could it be rendered, would be sure to claim the servant's wage, and take to itself the praise; but the obedience of a child of God leads to the laying of honour at Jehovah's feet.

Psalms 119:8. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

Strong resolution, but a deep consciousness of weakness and unworthiness. «I will,» but oh'.. how can I do it?

«Oh! for this no strength have I

My strength is at thy feet to lie.

Oh! forsake me not utterly.»

Now, in the next eight verses it seems to me that the subject is some what different. We have seen the excellence of an undefiled way. Now we have before us one who wants to prove the power of the Word to keep him in that undefiled way; and so he begins with this question.

Psalms 119:9. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?

His passions are strong: his experience little. His tempers are many: his friends cannot always be at his side. «Wherewithal shall he cleanse his way?» It is very apt to become miry. The answer is: -

Psalms 119:9. By taking heed thereto according to thy word.

The word will keep him in the cleanly path will warn him of all the mire into which he would have fallen; and if he take heed to his steps, he shall not trip.

Psalms 119:10. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

There is the young man's fear; and it may be the old man's fear, too. «I have sought thee sincerely and earnestly, but do not permit my weaker passions to get the mastery over me do not suffer me in some unguarded hour to be carried captive by my lusts. Oh! let me not wander from thy commandments. It were better to die than to wander from thy way.» The true convert dreads sin. He loathes the very thought of the most pleasurable folly. «Oh! let me not wander from thy commandments.»

Psalms 119:11. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

There is the dread, you see the dread of sinning the dread of defiling his way; so he says that he has adopted this divine remedy. A good division of this text, if anyone would preach from it, is the best thing, «Thy word;» in the best place «have I hid in my heart«; for the best of purposes « that I might not sin against thee.»

Psalms 119:12. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

As if he said, «Teach me thy statutes that I may be blessed, too. Thou art a happy God. Teach me thy way that I may be happy, too. Blessed are the undefiled. Teach me to be so, that as thou art blessed, so I may be.»

Psalms 119:13. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

A man's walking will be right when his delight is of this kind, for where the heart goes, the life will go. To some people religion is a task. It will never have much power over them. But when it becomes a delight, then will their walk be affected by it. A well-known and renowned infidel of the last generation, traveling in Wales, said to a little girl whom he saw reading her Bible, «Well, my dear,» he said, «I see you are getting through your task.» «Task sir?» she said, «What do you mean? I am reading the Bible.» He said, «I thought your mother had set you a chapter to read.» «Oh! no, sir. If my mother wanted to punish me, she would not make me read the Bible. It is the most delightful book in all the world, and it is a great joy to me when I can get a little time alone to read my Bible.» It touched his heart. As he confessed afterwards, he was delighted to find something like genuine religion. And where you find delight in religion, there it is genuine. True, genuine religion is like some of the German waters. They come up all fresh and sparkling. I like to see the sparkling in it a little sparking religion a little flash of joy and of delight. But very much that we get now-a-days is flat, stale, dull, unprofitable. They keep it corked, but badly corked usually, and when we see it there is nothing in it that we should desire it. It is a poor article. God give us delight in himself, for that is tame religion. «I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches.»

Psalms 119:15. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

An excellent way of keeping the life clean is to keep the thoughts clean. Our boys.are brought to prison by reading the abominable trash that is poured forth for juveniles; and many and many a crime has been the result of the fiction of the present day. It is often not only light reading, but filthy reading, too. If we would read God's Word more, and meditate in it better, our hearts would be kept sweet and so would our lives be.

Psalms 119:16. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

God grant that we never may.

Psalms 119:17. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.

Does it want much grace, then, to keep a child of God alive even to keep him alive? Yes, it does. Little grace will be of no use to us. We must have great grace, for our needs are great. Sometimes our troubles are great: at other times our temptations are great. We are always in great necessity; and thou, Lord, must have a large exchequer, and thou must give it liberally to us, or else we, poor, penniless beggars, must utterly die of want. Merely to live, then, needs the bounty of God. «Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live and keep thy Word» for there is no living in truth, except as we keep the Word of God. Those who live in the neglect of God's Word are not living at all, but they are dead while they live. God deliver us from such life.

Psalms 119:18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

They are there, but I cannot see them unless thou open my eyes. It is not that thy Word is dark, but that my eyes are dim. Yea, by nature they are blinded altogether. Oh! thou, who art the great Physician of the blind, open thou my eyes.

Psalms 119:19. I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.

Do you see the drift of that? He says, «I.am a stranger here. Then, Lord, if thou do not become, and continue to be, my acquaintance, I am altogether alone.» It is true of the Christian that he cannot find anything here that can satisfy his soul. He must, therefore, have the Lord, or else he is in a very sorry case. Oh! beloved, the more you find yourselves strangers in this world, the more are you becoming like your God. The Psalmist says elsewhere, «For I am a stranger with thee,» not «to thee,» but «with thee, like thee,» for God is a stranger in this world. Men do not recognize him or delight themselves in him. «So, since, Lord, I have no other friend, and can find no other satisfying portion, hide not thy commandments from me. On the contrary, let me see the more of thee, because I have nothing else.»

Psalms 119:20. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.

We cannot always say that, for we sometimes wish that our hearts would break. Sometimes we sing:

«My heart rejoice or ache: Resolve this doubt for me;

And if it be not broken, break And heal it if it be.»