Whole the Heart Who Seek

If there is ever a book in the Bible that truly speaks to the statement “inspired word of God” it would be the book of Psalms. This is because Psalms is not a book in the traditional sense of a sole author. Psalms is a collection of writings from multiple authors. Some known, some anonymous. What makes Psalms unique, that directly speaks to being the inspired word of God, is that the collective work of all its authors spans 900+ years of Israel’s history. All individual works that survived time to finally be collected into the one book we read today.

Within this collection of works, we find poetry, songs, meditations, and prayers. Each Psalm beautifully constructed to guide us into proper worship. To worship in awe of God’s complete sovereignty. To give Him praise for his unending grace and mercy. To gives us a means to truly love Him because He loved us first.

Today, we will be looking at the first part of Psalm 119. The author of this Psalm is not recorded in the Bible. Theories range from Ezra, King David, Daniel, and Jeremiah but in reality, no one on this earth knows for sure. I find the anonymity somewhat appealing. The message this Psalm brings forth apparently does not need to be influenced by our knowledge of its author. Inspired by God is simply all we need to embrace the richness and beauty of this Psalm. God willing, in future messages, we can journey through the entirety of this amazing poetic work.

The longest psalm in the collection, Psalm 119 is written as an acrostic poem. Comprised of 176 verses, this poem is divided into 22 sections of 8 verses each. Each section represents one letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each verse in a section begins with the corresponding letter.

For example, the first 8 verses all begin with the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph. The next 8 verses all begin with the second letter in the Hebrew alphabet, Beth. This pattern continues in order until all 22 letters are used 8 times each. Many have theorized as to why this Psalm was constructed in this manner, but all thoughts are just mere speculation. Regardless of the reason, this psalm took time and careful consideration to properly construct. Amazing as it is, this psalm flows beautifully with each section complementing the one before it, while supporting the one afterwards. Calling Psalm 119 a masterpiece would be a significant understatement.

With so much that can be discussed in this psalm, today we will focus on the need to seek God with the whole heart. This theme is repeated multiple times throughout the entire psalm, making it one that I find worthwhile to explore.

Let’s pray… The first 8 verses really do justice to setting the overall tone of the entire psalm.

Psalm 119:1–3 NKJV

Meditations on the Excellencies of the Word of God 1Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord! 2Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! 3They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.

The psalmist opens up with a simple statement of truth. Those who walk in the way of the Lord are blessed and seen by God as undefiled. Blameless. This is true for every believer. God didn’t promise we would walk perfectly, but when we walk in His perfect ways, the blood of Jesus, on the final day of judgement, does and will render us blameless.

Verse 3 restates this very truth stating when we walk in His ways, we do no iniquity. Verses 1 and 3 describe just how precious God’s grace and mercy are. When we walk in His way, we are rendered blameless and can do no iniquity that the blood of Jesus will not cover.

But between these truths are two separate and distinct required responses on our part that will be the main focus of today’s message.

Verse 2 says we are blessed if we keep His testimonies and seek Him with the whole heart. The first part, to keep his testimonies is about as straightforward of a statement as you can get. We are blessed if we hold dear the words of God and do everything to hold them secure in our hearts and minds. The psalmist clearly understands the overwhelming superiority of God’s word, that any other word or thought pails in comparison. This simple statement is wrought with love and respect for the word of God and the blessing that it is to be called to follow their direction. When we keep His testimonies, we are blessed. Oh, if that were only enough, then comes the latter half of verse 2.

The only means of keeping His testimonies, is to seek after Him with a whole heart. Reading this verse in the Hebrew parallel says

“Blessed those who keep His testimonies with whole the heart who seek”

So what does it mean to be whole hearted as we seek after God.

Moses, in the book of Deuteronomy clearly spells out what it means to be whole hearted. Addressing the nation prior to their entry into the promised land, he says:

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 NKJV

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Moses qualifies that whole hearted love and devotion is demonstrated through action. Seeing the word of God as so precious, they become words we teach to our children. Words that are spoken in every aspect of our daily life: when we sit at home; walk by the way; when we lie down and rise up.

Wholehearted devotion means that we bind His word as a sign on your hand and let them be as frontlets between your eyes. Being guided by His word and seeing Him in all we do.

Whole the heart who seek is an all the time endeavor. It is more than coming to church on Sunday or saying a sinners prayer. His word should penetrate every aspect of our life, every moment of every day.

Oh if it were only that easy…

The psalmist knew what it meant to seek after God with a whole heart, but immediately walks into our very own human condition

Psalm 119:4–6 NKJV

4You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently. 5Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! 6Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments.

The harsh reality is, and has always been, that though we have all the best of intentions to seek after God, left to our own abilities, we will always fall short. And when we do, shame is re-introduced into our walk just as it was in the Garden of Eden. I so get verse 5. Would it not just be a whole lot easier and better if God just took over and directed all my steps? But we know He doesn’t and He won’t. So to reconcile this dichotomy, the psalmist resorts to praise.

Psalm 119:7–8 NKJV

7I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. 8I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

Praising God leads us into a space of learning from Him. To commune with, led by, and taught by the most Holy of Holies, our creator is seen as a reason for great and meaningful praise. To aim to keep His word, even though we know we won’t be perfect in our aim, gives us joy when we learn His ways from Him directly.

The next 8 verses all begin with second letter of the Hebrew alphabet Beth, but notice how careful the psalmist is to maintain the focus of the previous verses.

Psalm 119:9–10 NKJV

9How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 10With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

Here praise and worship shifts our focus to reliance. The only means of being cleansed and made to be blameless is by heeding the word of God. Realizing that He is our only source of true hope, we come to plea to Him “let me not wander from your commandments.” This is the same thing Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer…lead me not into temptation….the very same plea; the only means we have to stay true to God’s word is by being guided by God himself.

Oh, let me not wander is not a wish, but a plea of complete surrender to the one true living God. A conscious decision to be guided by Him, for Him.

And when we seek Him with all our hearts, God promises that we will find Him. When Israel was to be released from Babylonian captivity, God promised

Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

David speaking to Solomon

1 Chronicles 28:9 NKJV

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

And again in Proverbs

Proverbs 8:17 NKJV

I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.

Seeking God with are whole heart is not a game of hide and seek. It is not a treasure hunt that we run the risk of coming up empty handed. Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness comes with a promise to have all these things added unto you. We serve a God who is hiding in plain sight. But to find Him, we must with whole the heart seek Him. We must surrender to His words and His ways. We must remain diligent in seeking Him in all the situations we face in life and surrender to His will and to His ways. Through that surrender, we can rejoice:

Psalm 119:11–16 NKJV

11Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. 12Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. 13With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth. 14I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. 15I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. 16I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.

These are the words of a psalmist that understood what it ment to be whole the heart who seek Him.

Understanding that hiding His word in our hearts is our best means of defense against sin. Giving all glory to God, the psalmist requests nothing more than to just be taught by God Himself. For there is where we rejoice in His way more than all the riches.

As a result, a desire stronger than ever to meditate on, delight in, and contemplate all the ways of God. The psalmist ends with acknowledging that the delight we have in the Lord makes it imperative that we never forget His word.

Finishing today with the Hebrew letter Gimel, let us just receive what it means to be completely surrendered to God.

Psalm 119:17–24 NKJV

17Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. 18Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. 19I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me. 20My soul breaks with longing For Your judgments at all times. 21You rebuke the proud—the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments. 22Remove from me reproach and contempt, For I have kept Your testimonies. 23Princes also sit and speak against me, But Your servant meditates on Your statutes. 24Your testimonies also are my delight And my counselors.

What a prayer. A request to be blessed for the purpose of living for God. To have our eyes opened to see all the wondrous things from His word. To praise God for being worthy to delight in His testimonies and to see them as our true counselor, our one true guide. To desire to meditate on His words rather than anything the world has to say.

Please remember that these words were written from the other side of the cross. Before the gift of the indwelling nature of the Holy Spirit. Where adherence to the law was their main form of worship. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The law, the word of God was their way of seeking God with a whole heart.

Today on our side of the cross, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God Himself. A Spirit that Jesus promised would guide us into all truth. To bring to our remembrance all that Jesus, the word that became flesh and dwelt among us, all that He said and did. The Holy Spirit is our guide. Our means of having our eyes opened to the wondrous things of God. Walking in the Spirit daily is our way to maintain our worship. To stay focused on seeking out relationship with the one we love because He he first loved us. Because of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, Psalm 119 is just as relevant and achievable today as the day it was written.

My prayer for me and you, my church family, is that on the final day of judgement, we to will be counted with those that are whole the heart who seek.

Let’s pray…