Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 119

How To Find Happiness

The world seeks happiness. It turns to sex, drugs, alcohol, and a wealth of other things, in an attempt to find that missing element that will finally bring them true happiness. Even religion is man’s attempt at finding a happy state through his own efforts. So, man makes up his own standards for life and for eternity. Psalm 119 provides the answer to this quest. The answer is God and the way to real happiness is through knowing Him. The way to know God is through His Holy Word. Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible. If we read it, if we pray through it, and if we apply it to our lives, we will be blessed. We will know happiness.

Psalm 119:1-5

How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD.  How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart.  They also do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways.  You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep them diligently.  Oh that my ways may be established To keep Your statutes!

Think about this; the early church did not have the New Testament writings, they only had the Old Testament. They led people to Christ through the Old Testament. They used the law. You see God hasn’t changed, that’s not even possible. His precepts did not become obsolete. They are still the right way to live. They are still the mirror by we can see how little we resemble the Holiness of Christ. If we cannot preach the Gospel using only the Old Testament, then we have not studied it in the right way.

No, we are not saved by the law. But we are saved unto it. Jesus did not abolish the law. He actually raised it up to a new level, the level of it now being a spiritual law. Jesus told us that even if we don’t stoop to a place of literal debauchery, if we even entertain sin in our hearts, then we have committed that sin. God’s Word is God’s law. Psalm 119 finds the psalmist in love with God’s Word, with His precepts, and His commandments. Psalm 119 is for each and every Christian.

Psalm 119:6-8
Then I shall not be ashamed When I look upon all Your commandments.  I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments.  I shall keep Your statutes; Do not forsake me utterly!

We should be thankful God loves us so much that He wants us to be safe. The only safe way to live is by following God’s statutes.

How can we live a pure life in the midst of this evil and perverted world?

Psalm 119:9

 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.

Listen to how we must live.

Psalm 119:10-11
 With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.  Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

Can we say this? With ALL our heart do we treasure His Word? Or do we just like those nice Psalms and the other scriptures that comfort us? We are supposed to treasure His Word and that is so we will not wander from His commandments and so we will not sin against Him. How can we know what is sin and what’s not, unless we read His law that tells us?

Psalm 119 is long. But so is eternity. Is God not worth the time to read, study, and pray through this psalm? Read the whole psalm. It is full of treasure. It explains what the Word of God is to us. If you struggle to read your Bible, you need this reminder. If you are faithful to God’s Word, you will be encouraged in seeing the blessings you are receiving and it will make you more thankful.

God’s Word is the most important thing we have in our lives and we need to give it more attention than we give our TVs, our phones, our books, and anything else that we give our time to.

I leave you with the final eight verses. I hope they wake up a desire in you to read the rest of this psalm today. I pray they awaken in your very soul, a desire and a love for God’s Word that changes your life.

Psalm 119:169-176

 Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word.  Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word.  Let my lips utter praise, For You teach me Your statutes.  Let my tongue sing of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.  Let Your hand be ready to help me, For I have chosen Your precepts.  I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.  Let my soul live that it may praise You, And let Your ordinances help me.  I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.

I’m with the psalmist on this one. How about you?

Studies in Psalms - How To Prosper

Psalm 1

The first Psalm recorded in the Bible sets up the rest of them and is a preface to the Christian life. In it we see a contrast between how the disciples of Christ live versus how the wicked of the world do.  We see in verse 1 who is the blessed one.

Psalm 1:1

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

Then we see simply why.

Psalm 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

The blessed ones are those who delight in the words of scripture and who not only read it, but they chew on it all day. They think about what it says and they consider it deeply as they go deep into its meaning and its value in instruction.

Verse 3 explains that those who delight in God’s Word will prosper as they are like a tree planted near streams of water which means it gets plenty of nourishment, thus it grows and gives good fruit. Far too often we look for what God will do for us, but the truth is God wants us to be fruitful and a tree’s fruit is not for itself, it’s to fill the earth with more trees. That is our mission. To bless us others with our fruit.

There is a great promise in verse 3. The one who delights in the law of the Lord? Whatever he does prospers. That is what this says.

But the psalm goes on to explain who the wicked are and what happens to those who do not delight in His law.  

They are like chaff which the wind drives away. The wicked will not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

And why? Verse 6 explains, For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.

The lesson is clear. Those who are led and directed by the Bible and find delight in it will prosper and one day stand in the assembly of the righteous. But those who choose the way of the world? They shall not prosper. They shall perish.

Do not fall into the trap of the Devil, who leads you to think that because many who reject God are this very day seeming to prosper, and that they are the ones to follow. 2 Peter 3:9 explains that, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

We have a choice. Which man will you be? Read Psalm 1. Meditate on it. Today. Repent and do not perish. Then you will prosper.

Why We Still Need The Law

Far too many Christians fail to understand that God's law still matters. Paul explains the proper use of the law in 1 Timothy 1:8-11 - "But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted."

So who is the law not for? A righteous person. And who are the righteous? Well guess what? None of us. All of us are sinners

Romans 3:10

As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one.

There was one was. Jesus. Until we look like Him in every way we need the law. And its purpose? To reveal our sinfulness. Far too many Christians are saved and they have no idea what they are even saved from.

This is why we must not only preach the Gospel by using the law to reveal the need for Christ to the unsaved, we must read God's Word constantly so they we understand our daily need for God's grace and through it we are humbled as we see that we are not of ourselves righteous. We must be covered by the Blood of Christ to even be able to approach our Holy God.

Even Paul, the great Apostle Paul, used by God to write much of the New Testament, was a sinner. read his own description of himself.

1 Timothy 1:15

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.

Paul uses the language here that declares He is STILL a sinner and needs Jesus.

The good news? Jesus came into the world to save sinners. But we must know we need Him to save us. That is what the law is for.