Psalm 119 begins by describing the life of faith at two levels. I believe the writer, David, is describing the normal “Christian” life from both God’s perspective and his own. These two perspectives are not contradictory but reveal a tension in our growth in Christ. He begins by describing this rich life of faith from God’s perspective in vs. 1-3. I am going to reverse the order to show how he gets to being truly blessed in God.
- A believing life – this is a life of faith taught and shaped by the Word of God. David firsts explains this in Psalm 1 where we understand that our lives are thoroughly influenced by the Bible or by everything else around us. Whichever we listen to most-our friends, music, what we watch and read—that is what influences us and shapes us most. David chooses to have his whole life (thoughts, motives, desires, attitudes, dreams, and will) shaped by God’s Word.
- A blameless life – this is the result of a life that is being changed by God’s Word. Blameless means whole-hearted devotion to the Lord (vs. 2, 4). Our steady commitment to fellowship with Him in His Word will reveal areas in our lives that are not fully committed to Him. It is a life of steady growth in each area of our lives that needs to mature. It doesn’t mean sinless but it does mean we grow so we sin less in each area. Total sinlessness will never happen in this life.
- A blessed life – this life God offers to His people isn’t just a life filled with the good things God gives to us, although that could be included. In the Bible the word “blessed” describes a life deeply satisfied in God. It is knowing at this moment you are right with God because of Jesus. He does bless us with health and material things-1 Timothy 6:17, but these are meant to be ways to enjoy Him. It is a life that knows even without these things Jesus is enough. He is enough in the face of inconvenience. He is enough in the face of need. He is enough in the face of sickness and pain. He is enough in the face of persecution, even death. It is a life deeply satisfied in Him that comes from being changed by His Word.
David isn’t describing something impossible in this present life. Reading through the Psalms that he wrote we see a man walking in rich fellowship with his Lord even though he didn’t always get it right. But “blessed” living is the way it is meant to be – vs. 4.
The second level or perspective (vs. 5-8) reveals that it wasn’t always this way for David. It is similar to Paul’s confession in Romans 7:14-25. He knows he doesn’t always choose to obey the Lord. The realities of being a sinner (although a redeemed sinner) living in a fallen world that sometimes falls on us can seem more real to us than a blessed life of commitment to the Lord. David is describing a life of “three steps forward, two steps back.” We weave and stumble, yet unevenly in the right direction. We don’t always get it right. Sometimes we pursue our own selfishness rather than Jesus.
We also see in spite of our spiritual failures that can overshadow our successes in Christ, we still yearn for ultimate deliverance. We do not want to give up. We do not want God to stop working in our lives or give up on us. And God keeps urging us onward shaped by His Word to be far more satisfied in Him than we can be any other way.
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