The author of Psalm 119 is unknown, and as well as being the longest chapter in the bible, it is a poem of delight in God’s law. It shows that the writer fully recognises the need to depend on God’s word for spiritual growth.
In verse 33, the writer acknowledges that God is the giver of spiritual instruction. “Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end.” The writer wants to know and understand the difference between right and wrong and live this out. He values the truth set out in God’s word above everything else.
Sin causes spiritual blindness, but by asking for understanding, God gives spiritual discernment and enables us to understand His truths. This image of blindness continues as he asks God to direct him in the path of God’s commands (v35). We have the image of a pilgrim on a journey, reaching a junction with a choice of paths to take and desperately wants to choose the right one. We learn that the writer recognises that by following God’s commands, ‘there I find delight’ (v35). When we love God, understand what Jesus has done for us on the cross, recognise that His ways are perfect, and stand the test of time for eternity, it is a delight to walk with Him.
The writer then examines his motives for asking for spiritual discernment and seeks to avoid spiritual discernment for selfish gain. He is suggesting that when people know that you are biblically knowledgeable, it is easy to fall into the trap of seeking biblical wisdom for praise of others. Equally, there is also the constant battle that all Christians face when they live in the world, of coveting ‘worthless things’ (v37). This reminds us of Judas coveting silver in exchange for Jesus’s own life. As much as it’s easy to unintentionally assume that we would never do that, we do live in 2019 where we are bombarded by idols that fight for our constant attention. A general example of this is how doing a simple internet search for a product then produces ‘helpful’ suggestions of the same product on Facebook as a reminder and encouragement to buy. With ‘Black Friday’ and Christmas around the corner, it is impossible to get away from the bombardment of consumerism, and that’s just the coveting of things that cost money…
The psalm ends with a reminder that God is to be feared. (v38). We know from living in this world that there is mess when we turn against Him and live as we choose and, in any case, as His children, we long to walk with Him. In turn, we want to be living examples of Jesus so that we can point others to Him, and therefore, we need God’s help to model Him.
How can we summarise this psalm and what questions does it throw up for us today?
· We need God to give us spiritual instruction through His word and we need the Holy Spirit to help us to understand it. Do we ask for this before we open our bibles?
· We recognise that sin makes us spiritually blind and we need God to direct us to follow His path and His ways. We know that when we do, we will find delight. During the week, when it is often harder to lift our eyes up to God as we rush around carrying out our day-to-day business, could we spend some of our prayer time thanking God and delighting in Him, recognising that God gives us everything that we need?
· We recognise that we are prone to coveting and turning away from Him and that spiritual discernment is vital in the fight to recognise the difference between right and wrong, but also is key in helping us to live for Him in the world. Is asking for spiritual discernment a priority in our prayer life?
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