Heth

Introduction

Dt. 6:4 established the principle that Israel needed to love God above all for obedience and commitment to follow consistently over time.

Jesus also emphasized that point in response to the question “What is the greatest commandment.”

Psalm 119 has built upon Dt. 6 which serves as the foundation for the core thoughts of the Psalm.

He has expressed his total commitment to Yahweh.

He acknowledges the inherent authority of the Word of God and thus his need to live humbly in submission to it.

He does not see God’s word as oppressive or abusive (this point was made most recently).

This level of dedication and love for the Lord is rare.

We want to share in it.

We want to be committed to Him too.

What are the traits of an individual who has a biblical view of God’s importance and place?

Consistent, confident, unchaotic.

We’ve prided ourselves on “authentic” church, but our world also needs to be reintroduced to genuine spirituality.

Not the superficiality of modern people.

Humility to listen

God’s weight on the person. It is not a superficial relationship.

Yahweh is My Portion:

This section of the Psalm begins with the most important of all inheritances: Jehovah/Yahweh.

Portion: a term that usually refers to a land inheritance/apportionment.

It came to have spiritual significance as well.

There are a range of meanings worthy of consideration:

And the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.” (Num. 18:20).

Dt. 10:9: reiterates this point.

Dt. 32:9: The Lord’s portion is his people.

Jer. 10:16.

With the priestly terminology helping to frame the thoughts here, it seems the writer sees God as his highest priority. Like the priests had the responsibility to worship God and live holily before Yahweh, so the writer sees himself sharing this responsibility.

The holiness of God, and its priority, then leads to keeping the words of Jehovah as logical step to then follow.

Subsequent/Natural Behaviors:

A commitment to obey the word of God (Ps. 119:57).

Seeking his favor and longing for his grace.

Repentance (Self-Examination in Light of Scripture):

The background to this statement appears to be that this individual examines his own life and behaviors. He “returns” his feet to the testimonies of God when he finds himself not as obedient as he otherwise should be.

Here, we might see an irony, namely, that instead of plotting or planning ways to avoid obeying the word of God, this man, does the opposite.

It also gives us reason to think that we should give thought to how we intend to live.

Our lifestyles should not be “figured out as we go.” Instead, we should give some thought, in advance, and make plans about our the way we will live.

Eager Obedience:

The writer of the Psalm writes of making haste and not lingering to keep the commandments of the Lord.

All kinds of importance obstacles have created a situation where we might expect him to be tired or reticent to obey.

This, however, has not been the case in reality.

Endurance despite suffering.

He presents a scenario of those who are evil using ropes to bind him.

Some understand this to be a metaphor referring to wicked ones using cords or ropes to restrain him from/prevent him from following God’s law. He says he will not forget it even in that situation.

It might make more sense that he means that the threat of physical restraint for following God’s law will not become an excuse for forgetting it.

Forgetting means to devalue.

Remember Dt. 6.

Consistent gratitude.

Ps. 119:62 corresponds to Ps. 119:55 from the previous section.

Praise = to show gratitude or thanksgiving especially in recognition of the virtues of someone. The term assumes the individual knows the characteristics of another so that he may expresses gratitude for them and extol him for them.

Commonality with others:

Godliness is not an individual activity.

We understand ourselves to be part of a distinct group.

We want to be with others who share our fear of the Lord and the obedience it produces.

Recognition of the Lord’s faithfulness and the desire to know more about him.

It is easy to see the negative especially when things are difficult and struggle to recognize God’s trustworthy nature infused in creation.

Sin often blinds us to the obvious goodness of God.

Spiritually healthy believers do not struggle with this.