THE BENEFITS OF THOSE WHO KEEP GOD'S WORD

Psalm 119:161–168 NKJV
161 Princes persecute me without a cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your word.
162 I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.
163 I hate and abhor lying, But I love Your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.
166 Lord, I hope for Your salvation, And I do Your commandments.
167 My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly.
168 I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, For all my ways are before You.

David has lived a life of many trials, some of them self-initiated, yet through them all, David has been “a man after God´s own heart.”  As he writes this stanza, troubles persist.  I cannot help but wonder if one of the “princes” that persecute David is his own son Absalom who rebelled against his father and tried to kill him and take the kingdom.

Whoever they are, they are in the background of this portion of Psalm 119.  We do not hear desperate, painful pleas but confident assurance from the shepherd-king who trusts and loves the Lord and believes and keeps His Word.

In eight verses, David shares nine benefits for those who obey the Word of the Lord.

       1.  They stand in awe of God and His Word.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray beginning, “Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”  Hallowed means “reverenced” or “held in awe.”  This is the attitude of heart that is right for prayer and right for life!

     2.  They know they have found great treasure in the Lord Himself and in His Word.
Remember Jesus´ parables of the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price?  He was telling us that living in relationship with God is worth anything and everything.

        3.   The ways of God become “natural” to them.
I don´t mean that they will no longer have the old sin nature to deal with, but that the new nature believers are given is dominating the battle in the soul.  It is not that they have never told a lie, but now telling the truth is a long established practice.

  4. They become people of praise, offering praise to the Almighty continuously.Their reverent attitude, grateful hearts for having the greatest treasure in the universe, walking in God´s ways all produce an overwhelming desire to exalt the One who makes this possible.

      5.   They have great peace.
People say they want peace today.  Most really don´t.  They want a lack of conflict with their opinions and desires.  Genuine peace comes from yielding to God´s ways.  When we do that, our mind, will, and emotions will be at peace with each other and with the Lord.

      6.   Nothing is a stumbling block to them.
Most stumbling blocks we encounter in life are things that come because we are not living in close fellowship to God and walking in His ways.  Consequently, those who keep God´s Word, give little opportunity for stumbling blocks to get in their way.

      7.   They have hope!
Their confidence in the Almighty comes from knowing Him and knowing His Word so well.

     8.   Their love for God´s Word is ever growing.Folks, the more we read and know the Holy Scriptures, the more we love them.  The more we study them and learn from them, the more we recognize there is to learn.  The more we obey them, the more we want to continue to obey and to grow in our obedience, so great is the result!

     9.   They abide in the Presence of the Lord.
Their experience with God is not a few times a month when they go to church.  They read the Word, pray, and walk with the Lord daily.  They live in His presence and have sweet fellowship with Him.

All of this comes to those who not only believe the words of God, but who read them, believe them, and practice them faithfully.

This is the Psalm 1 person:

Psalm 1 NKJV   1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.