“Following The Right Path”
Falling in Love With God’s Word #1.
Read Psalm 119:1-3
We’ve just begun our study of this wonderful chapter, and more than likely,
you’re already a bit overwhelmed! In fact, no wonder many find the Bible so
intimidating – we are encouraged here to live a “blameless” life, to “keep his
statutes,” seek him with “all our heart,” and “do nothing wrong.” This may explain
why many choose not to study the Bible in the first place, or why many who begin to
live their lives according the Bible too often live in guilt or fall prey to despair. I get
it. The problem is, that is not what the author is saying.
The word for blameless is best translated “undefiled,” that is to say, those who
follow God’s word can rest assured that by committing their lives to him, and
following his commands, they can ultimately stand before God with confidence,
knowing that Jesus’ blood covers their life. We are not ultimately defiled (filthy or
polluted), but are clean, not because of our awesome deeds, but because of God’s
grace. The word blameless here is the same word God used when he spoke to
Abraham, telling him to “walk before me and be blameless.” (Gen. 17:1) Study the
life of Abraham – he was a great guy, but sinned plenty! He accepted God’s call, but
had his share of ups and downs, just like us. In the end, he was given righteousness
and salvation because of his deep faith in God, not because of his perfection (Rom.
4:1-3). He did his best, but in the end, because of his unwavering commitment to
God’s ways, he was called the “Father of faith,” for both Jew and Gentile then, and
everyone to come after!
Another helpful thing is to understand our Christian life as a “walk.” The author
here tells us to walk in God’s “ways.” We have a choice. We can walk in the ways of
the world, following our own desires and rationale, OR we can walk in God’s ways,
using his word as a filter for everything we do, letting the Bible act as boundary lines
for all that we do. The way of God is not a series of great decisions. It is not making
sure our good deeds outweigh our bad ones. It is not perfection (at least not how
we define it!), it is not ritual. Rather, it is a choice to follow His path (the right one),
and do our best to be devoted to the things he cares about. One commentator
translates our passage this way: “Blessed are they who in this religious journey are
pure, sincere and uncontaminated.”
I have decided to walk the right path.
As I travel this journey, I will experience many things. Some I will be proud of, some not.
Some will make sense, other will leave me scratching my head. Some I will consider
fair and just, some I’ll complain about loudly. My only prayer is that I see this
Christian life as a journey, a long walk in God’s ways. If I stay committed to that, God
promises that I can stand before his throne undefiled and free from accusation. I say
let’s go!
Reflections
1. Think about how you view this Christian life. Do you see it as a test? Is it
intimidating to you? Are you easily overwhelmed? Pray this week that God will
help you define your life as a journey, a devoted walk with him through life.