The first eight verses of this Psalm, in the Hebrew, begin with the letter A, and the second eight begin with the letter B. The whole Psalm is the good man's alphabet; the Holy Spirit condescended to use these expedients to help the memory of the readers of Holy Scripture. We should be thankful for this. I have sometimes heard preachers blamed for dividing their discourses in such a way as to help the memory of their hearers. The preacher may well bear that blame without any regret, since the Spirit of God here condescends to alliteration, and to alphabetical arrangement, in order to help the memories of readers. Thus the Psalm begins
Psalms 119:1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
If there are any people in the world who are blessed, surely it must be those who are in God's way, and who take care to keep their garments unspotted from the world. Oh, if one can feel, at the end of every day, «I am undefiled in God's way, and I have walked in his law,» how sweet it is in such a case to fall asleep, not self-righteous and boastful, but yet thankful to have been kept from the iniquity that abounds in the world! Truly, «blessed are the undefiled in the way.» Perhaps some of you cannot claim this particular blessing; then, remember that there is another Psalm (the thirty-second) which begins, «Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered,» and that blessing is of the same force and of the same sweetness as this one.
Psalms 119:2-19. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
And if we walk in God's ways, he will never require us to do anything which is inequitable or unrighteous. No, that life which is made up of walking in God's ways, will be full of equity, and free from iniquity.
Psalms 119:4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
We are to be as industrious in holiness as grasping men are in business. «Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently,» watchfully, carefully, industriously, with all our might.
Psalms 119:5. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
The psalmist is driven to prayer. His admiration of the godly man makes him aspire to be like him, and then he feels that he cannot attain to that height without divine help; so he cries, «O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!»
Psalms 119:6. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
That is a wide expression, «respect unto all thy commandments.» There are many men who are willing to keep a part of God's commandments; but they must pick and choose for themselves which these shall be. Such are arrant traitors; there lurks in their heart a distinct rebellion against the Lord, for they do really presume to be the judge of God, by taking exception to this or that command in his law. In their great condescension, they are willing to be obedient in certain points, but not in all. Such men have need to be ashamed; but the psalmist could say, «Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.»
Psalms 119:7. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
«I will not praise myself; if I am enabled to be holy, that holiness is thy work, and I will praise thee for it.»
Psalms 119:8. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
Whenever you make a resolve, accompany it with a prayer. Let this be your declaration, «I will keep thy statutes:» but pray, «O forsake me not utterly,» for, otherwise, your resolution will come to nought. Now begins the second octave of the Psalm
Psalms 119:9. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?
The psalmist has spoken about the holy way; now he would speak about young men running in it. One of the most intense desires of every godly man is that there may be a succession of godly men. Oh, that our young men might be good men, so that, when the old men pass away, the generation following them may be as good as their fathers, nay more, that they may be far better! «Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?» Within him are strong passions, around him are fierce temptations; wherewithal shall he cleanse his way? There are plenty who would defile him; the youth is compassed about with the temptations of gaiety and the allurements of folly:
«Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?» Here is the answer
Psalms 119:9. By taking heed thereto according to thy word.
There is no keeping a clean way if you walk with your eyes shut; you must pick your path in such a foul road as this: «By taking heed thereto according to thy word.» Yes, the greatest heed we can take will not keep us out of the mire unless God's Word is a continual lamp unto our feet and a constant light unto our path. Oh, that every young man here might cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to God's Word!
Psalms 119:10. With my whole heart have I sought thee:
Can you each one say that, «With my whole heart have I sought thee»?
Psalms 119:10. O let me not wander from thy commandments.
«For, though I have sought thee with my whole heart, yet my heart may in the future go astray. Do not permit it, Lord; do not permit it.» It is a very sorrowful thought to me, that there are many, who once sat in these seats, and resolved to maintain a holy life, who, nevertheless, are, at this moment, in the seat of the scornful, some perhaps in prison, and many of them where they ought not to be. They determined to be right; but, destitute of divine grace, they have gone astray; therefore, let each of us pray, «O let me not wander from thy commandments.» You know what John Bradford used to say when he saw a man taken out to be hanged, «There goes John Bradford, but for the grace of God.» And when you see others wander, you may say the same about yourself, and then breathe the prayer, «O let me not wander from thy commandments.»
Psalms 119:11. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
An old preacher, in a sermon on this text, divided it thus: «The best thing: ‘thy word.' In the best place: ‘have I hid in my heart.' For the best of purposes: ‘that I might not sin against thee.'» He thus gave in a few words the very gist of the text.
Psalms 119:12. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
There is a mixture, you see, of prayer and praise. That is the best devotion, which contains a happy combination of these two things, prayer and praise.
Psalms 119:13. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
I must take leave to claim a special property in this text, and there are some among us here, following that same holy craft of preaching the divine Word, who can, each one, lay his hand upon his heart, and say to God, «With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.» This is a happy occupation. If you cannot spend all your lives in it, because of other duties, yet, at least in your own family, and as often as you have opportunities, use your lips in God's service.
Psalms 119:14. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
Not only as much as in riches, but as in all riches. David had gathered together a vast sum of money for the building of the house of the Lord; but whatever joy he had in those accumulations (and I daresay he had great gladness when he thought of the purpose to which all would be put) yet, nevertheless, he says, «I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.»
Psalms 119:15. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
Blessed meditation! The lack of meditation is one of the faults of the days in which we live, we are so very busy that we have not time to study God's Word; but the psalmist said, «I will meditate in thy precepts:» that is the secret strength; «and have respect unto thy ways:» that is the public result.
If we meditated more, we should live better. God help us so to do!
Psalms 119:16. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
So may each one of us resolve. Amen.