"(Aleph) Joyful are people of integrity,
who follow the instructions of the LORD.
Joyful are those who obey His laws
and search for Him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil,
and they walk only in His paths.
You have charged us
to keep Your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions
would consistently reflect Your decrees!
Then I will not be ashamed
when I compare my life with Your commands.
As I learn Your righteous regulations,
I will thank You by living as I should!
I will obey Your decrees.
Please don't give up on me!"
(Psalm 119: 1-8)
who follow the instructions of the LORD.
Joyful are those who obey His laws
and search for Him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil,
and they walk only in His paths.
You have charged us
to keep Your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions
would consistently reflect Your decrees!
Then I will not be ashamed
when I compare my life with Your commands.
As I learn Your righteous regulations,
I will thank You by living as I should!
I will obey Your decrees.
Please don't give up on me!"
(Psalm 119: 1-8)
Hi, Mrs. Kurtz.
You mentioned that true happiness comes only from obeying God's rules, not independence/ rebellion. Verses 1-3 call people "blessed," but does that really mean they are joyful? Verse 6 says that heeding the commandments prevents being "put to shame," but again I question the earthly (note: I said earthly, not eternal) happiness of anyone who abides by God's rules. Obeying God may benefit people in their relationship with Him and their life in heaven, but I still think that their lives right now may suffer. My problem in life is that I want everything now; I can't wait for anything. I want "independence" right now in every aspect of life, but I can't do things my own way and follow God's will.
Can you explain verse 8? Does it imply that if a person does not "obey God's decrees" that they will be "forsaken"?
This passage has been deeply frustrating. I know this is very juvenile of me, but I HATE rules/guidelines. There will be times in school where I will PURPOSELY ignore rubrics because I want to do the project my own way. Sometimes I will take a lower grade if it means that the work was done the way I wanted to do it. I don't like the dress code, or the restrictions on where you can eat lunch, or hall passes. Recently rules at home have become more of a discussion than a set limit...if I have a good point/reason to do something or be out late, my parents will let me (it wasn't always that way). I like the independence and flexibility of doing what I want, and I dislike that the Bible tells me otherwise. I am also really conflicted about the legalism in this passage. It makes me think of the question of having a relationship with God vs. simply following rules. What are your thoughts? Am I taking this out of context?
Dear friend,
What a pleasure to read your questions and comments! I think that you have identified many of the concerns that people have but often do not voice. You have also put your finger on one of the most difficult aspects of a walk of faith: surrendering "independence". Often we feel that we are too restricted by the confines of Scripture; we don't want to lose our "freedom" to "legalism".
What is God's law? Why do we have it? God's law shows us who He is, what is right, what is wrong. Inwardly we know right and wrong (Romans 2:14-15); yet we love to test the limits, reach for the wrong; there is pleasure in feeling like we're being "naughty," getting away with things. We want "more" and we don't like feeling like we're being left out of something (Genesis 3:1-7).
Is there a difference between obeying God's laws and following "rules"? Is obedience/following rules always "legalism"? This may be oversimplification, but I think that the difference is in the motivation: why are we doing what we are doing?
In earthly relationships, there are often rules to follow. These rules may be designed to protect us, to shape our behavior, or to enforce conformity to a certain "code". Often these are "negotiable" as we grow and develop the ability to make decisions. Thus, parents' rules become more flexible as their children approach adulthood.
Are there any "non-negotiable" rules in a home or a school? Would you want a parent or a school administrator to say that ANYTHING is okay? Murder? Theft? Rape? Lying? Certainly not! There are some lines that we do not want people to cross; though, those lines are becoming more obscured all the time; when people reject God, they reject His definition of right and wrong. Words are redefined, and actions are justified. "In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25)
As this blog is getting long, I am going to end here with some Scriptures and some contemplation questions. However, I know that I haven't fully answered all your questions yet; I will address them.
Parable of the two sons: Matthew 21: 28-32
Parable of the three servants (parable of the talents): Matthew 25: 14-30
A note about verse 8: this theme will come up again in Psalm 119, and throughout Scripture. This is not an assignation of condemnation for disobeying a particular command one time. On the contrary, this is a lifestyle choice: consistently rejecting God's decrees is to reject God Himself. It is to spurn the relationship, to make "me" more important than God.
I'm praying that you will find your answers and find peace; seek the Lord.
Heavenly Father, We thank You for Your Word, and for teaching us that joy comes from obedience, not from having our own way. Will You guide us as we study this Psalm? We want to know You, to love you, and to walk in Your ways.
You mentioned that true happiness comes only from obeying God's rules, not independence/ rebellion. Verses 1-3 call people "blessed," but does that really mean they are joyful? Verse 6 says that heeding the commandments prevents being "put to shame," but again I question the earthly (note: I said earthly, not eternal) happiness of anyone who abides by God's rules. Obeying God may benefit people in their relationship with Him and their life in heaven, but I still think that their lives right now may suffer. My problem in life is that I want everything now; I can't wait for anything. I want "independence" right now in every aspect of life, but I can't do things my own way and follow God's will.
Can you explain verse 8? Does it imply that if a person does not "obey God's decrees" that they will be "forsaken"?
This passage has been deeply frustrating. I know this is very juvenile of me, but I HATE rules/guidelines. There will be times in school where I will PURPOSELY ignore rubrics because I want to do the project my own way. Sometimes I will take a lower grade if it means that the work was done the way I wanted to do it. I don't like the dress code, or the restrictions on where you can eat lunch, or hall passes. Recently rules at home have become more of a discussion than a set limit...if I have a good point/reason to do something or be out late, my parents will let me (it wasn't always that way). I like the independence and flexibility of doing what I want, and I dislike that the Bible tells me otherwise. I am also really conflicted about the legalism in this passage. It makes me think of the question of having a relationship with God vs. simply following rules. What are your thoughts? Am I taking this out of context?
Dear friend,
What a pleasure to read your questions and comments! I think that you have identified many of the concerns that people have but often do not voice. You have also put your finger on one of the most difficult aspects of a walk of faith: surrendering "independence". Often we feel that we are too restricted by the confines of Scripture; we don't want to lose our "freedom" to "legalism".
What is God's law? Why do we have it? God's law shows us who He is, what is right, what is wrong. Inwardly we know right and wrong (Romans 2:14-15); yet we love to test the limits, reach for the wrong; there is pleasure in feeling like we're being "naughty," getting away with things. We want "more" and we don't like feeling like we're being left out of something (Genesis 3:1-7).
Is there a difference between obeying God's laws and following "rules"? Is obedience/following rules always "legalism"? This may be oversimplification, but I think that the difference is in the motivation: why are we doing what we are doing?
In earthly relationships, there are often rules to follow. These rules may be designed to protect us, to shape our behavior, or to enforce conformity to a certain "code". Often these are "negotiable" as we grow and develop the ability to make decisions. Thus, parents' rules become more flexible as their children approach adulthood.
Are there any "non-negotiable" rules in a home or a school? Would you want a parent or a school administrator to say that ANYTHING is okay? Murder? Theft? Rape? Lying? Certainly not! There are some lines that we do not want people to cross; though, those lines are becoming more obscured all the time; when people reject God, they reject His definition of right and wrong. Words are redefined, and actions are justified. "In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25)
As this blog is getting long, I am going to end here with some Scriptures and some contemplation questions. However, I know that I haven't fully answered all your questions yet; I will address them.
Parable of the two sons: Matthew 21: 28-32
Parable of the three servants (parable of the talents): Matthew 25: 14-30
- What drives your obedience to your parents? your school authorities? Are they different? Why?
- What is the "motivation" that makes the difference between obedience and legalism?
- At graduation this year, the speaker told the graduates that they should follow their own "moral compass," and that their "moral compass" would change over time (until they became old and "inflexible"). Do you see any problems with her ideas?
A note about verse 8: this theme will come up again in Psalm 119, and throughout Scripture. This is not an assignation of condemnation for disobeying a particular command one time. On the contrary, this is a lifestyle choice: consistently rejecting God's decrees is to reject God Himself. It is to spurn the relationship, to make "me" more important than God.
"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His children, too. We know we love God's children if we love God and obey His commandments. Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those that believe that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5: 1-5)
Heavenly Father, We thank You for Your Word, and for teaching us that joy comes from obedience, not from having our own way. Will You guide us as we study this Psalm? We want to know You, to love you, and to walk in Your ways.
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