Psalm 119.1-8 (6)

Pray Psalm 119.1-4.
Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.
You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.

Sing Psalm 119.1-4.
(Ode to Joy: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee)
Blessed are they whose way is blameless, all who walk within God’s Law,
who, His testimonies keeping, seek Him, filled with joy and awe.
These are they who, no wrong doing, ever walk within God’s ways.
Lord, Your precepts You command us; we would keep them all our days.

Read Psalm 119.1-8; meditate on verses 7, 8.

Preparation
1. When will the psalmist praise the Lord?

2. When will he keep His statutes?

Meditation
If your times of worship are feeling a little shallow or dry, here’s a quick way to improve: Spend more time learning the righteous judgments of God.

If you feel like you’re not as close to God as you might like, and even that He might have forsaken you, the same remedy applies.

When did the psalmist say that he would praise God with an upright heart? When he had learned the righteous judgments of God. When would he keep the Lord’s statutes? When he had truly learned them.

Learning takes effort. We need to make sure our heart is “upright” – focused on God like Adam before the fall (cf. Eccl. 7.29). And we need to apply ourselves diligently in seeking the Lord in His Word (vv. 2, 8). If, as we turn to His Word, we will call on the Lord to be with us and not forsake us, He will gladly help us grow in understanding, wisdom, and obedience.

We can never plumb the depths of the riches of wisdom and knowledge God has stored up in His Word. And the more we plunge ourselves into His Law, statutes, precepts, judgments, testimonies and all His Word, the more we will learn Jesus and be transformed into His likeness (2 Cor. 3.12-18; Col. 2.2, 3).

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
To learn something takes a conscious effort on our part.

As students in school, we do not learn simply because we are there; we must intentionally listen and study the textbook. And we certainly didn’t sashay into graduation expecting to nail a summa cum laude simply for good attendance.

The prophet Isaiah said that we should “learn to do good” (Is. 1.17).

Jesus taught that by taking His yoke upon ourselves we could “learn from” Him (Matt. 11.29).

As we learn about God from His Word and from His works, we will learn to praise Him more. As we dwell with Him, we learn from Him, and that leads us to properly praise Him. “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You” (Ps. 84.4).

The King James Version of the Bible translates 2 Timothy 2.15 like this: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Study. Make an intentional effort to learn the righteous judgments of God. Then we will properly praise Him with our mouth and with our life.

When? Then.

For reflection
1. Why do you suppose some people find studying God’s Word so difficult?

2. What are the most important disciplines you practice in seeking to learn God’s Word?

3. How can we as believers encourage one another in the study of God’s Word?

The psalmist coveted to learn the laws of God, to give God the glory. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Psalm 119.1-8

Pray Psalm 119.5-8.
Call on the Lord to help you learn more of His Law and all His Word. Ask Him to give you something new for today that you might live out in your walk with and work for Him.

Sing Psalm 119.5-8.
(Ode to Joy: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee)
Let my ways steadfastly keep to all the statutes of Your Word.
Then shall I, no shame enduring, fix my eyes on You, O Lord!
With an upright heart I praise You, in Your rules will I abide.
I will keep Your statutes wholly; keep me ever by Your side!

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to a summary of last week’s Scriptorium study by going to our website, www.ailbe.org, and clicking the Scriptorium tab for last Sunday. You can download any or all the studies in this series on Psalm 119 by clicking here.

What is the Law of God and how should we learn and obey it? Two books can help. The Law of God arranges the statutes and precepts of God’s Law under their appropriate number of the Ten Commandments. This book is an excellent tool for meditating on God’s Law and thinking about its application in our time. The Foundation for Christian Ethics, on the other hand, explains why the Law matters and how we are to use it. You can order free copes of each of these here and here.

If you find Scriptorium helpful in your walk with the Lord, please seek the Lord, asking Him whether you should contribute to the support of this daily ministry with your financial gifts. As the Lord leads, you can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal or Anedot, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.