Once again I am challenged by the words of the psalmist. My own iniquity is exposed as I see how much I don’t relate to this passage! We see this stanza start out with an often referenced verse:
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
It’s easier to say that God’s Word can be this than to honestly claim that it is that for me. Now, before I beat myself up too much, I can say that God’s precepts have certainly formed and guided me. It shows us the way to live, but I can’t say that I have always lived perfectly according to God’s Word! I still stumble, I still act unjustly, I still fail. So, how do we get to this level? How can we live righteously and keep all of God’s ordinances? Moreso, how do we even know if we are or not? Have any of you (myself included) memorized everything the bible teaches us? I know I certainly haven’t, but that is why we are on this path! In Matthew 22, Jesus makes the concept simple for us:
36 “Teacher, which commandment is greatest in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
However, the question then becomes: how do we love God and our neighbor like that? Well, refer to the law and the prophets! It’s simple, but not easy. Verse 108 offers us a glimpse into what this looks like and for those of us who aren’t accustomed to the offering and sacrifice system of ancient Jewish tradition, we are apt to miss it.
When the psalmist writes in Psalm 119:108, “accept the freewill offering of my mouth,” we can easily consider this as simply nice things he says to God. The second half of the verse, “teach me Your ordinances,” puts the idea into context. The psalmist is essentially saying, “I want to know more and I am surrendering to you willingly and out loud, please teach me!” To help us visualize this better, let’s look at a few New Testament examples. In Mark 9, a man brings his son to Jesus for deliverance from a demon:
23 But Jesus said to him, “If you are able! All things are possible for the one who believes!” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe! Help my unbelief!
Later, in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, specifically in chapter 7, we see the passage where he explains the conflict between his spirit and the flesh:
22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God in my inner person, 23 but I observe another law in my members, at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that exists in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself with my mind am enslaved to the law of God, but with my flesh I am enslaved to the law of sin.
These are examples of how God’s written Word and the Holy Spirit work together. Knowledge itself is useless if it isn’t acted upon. However, our constant battle between desires of the flesh and wisdom through the Spirit can cause us to freeze up and not do anything at all! As Paul thanks God through Jesus who has saved us from this spiritual death (more on that in a moment), he echoes the psalmists’ sentiment in Psalm 119:111
For I have inherited Your testimonies forever, they are the joy of my heart.
It is with God’s power and presence alone we are able to resist our spiritual enemy. Maybe, upon reading that we are tempted to say, “well, I am only human…” So was Jesus! While He was God incarnate, it wasn’t until He received the Holy Spirit that He began to reveal the power of the Spirit. If we read through the scriptures about Jesus’ presence on earth, the point wasn’t to prove that He was God, rather to prove what we are capable of when we receive the Spirit! In fact, Jesus told the disciples in John 14:12
Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in me, the works that I am doing he will do also, and he will do greater works than these because I am going to the Father.
Typically, we consider Him to mean healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead back to life. But something far greater than that is removing sin from our lives. Jesus has overcome the battle against sin and death and then gifted us the victory! Why then, don’t we feel victorious? This is the work of our spiritual enemy: to convince us this isn’t true. In verse 110, the psalmist recognizes this, but he commits to sticking to God’s Word instead. Can we do the same? Can we commit together to continuing to work to learn how to love God with all of our being and to loving others?
It takes work! It takes surrender to God and admitting that we need help with our unbelief. It requires dedication to learn how to love God and others well. It demands of us to be humble. Yet, there is joy on the other side.
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This is so good. I have been searching and praying for God to remove distractions in my life, for God to help me grow closer to Him so so can hear from Him better. You are so right when you said we need to act on the word we read, not just gain knowledge. Acting on Gods word helps us to change what God wants changed in us, which also opens the door for communication both ways. It’s where Heaven and Earth are open to each other. Over the last few months I have heard God speak, felt Gods touch, and seen Him work things out in very incredible ways. Thanks for sharing.