Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the undefiled
(the upright, truly sincere, and blameless) in the way [of the revealed will of God],
who walk (order their conduct and conversation) in the law of the Lord
(the whole of God’s revealed will).
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are they who keep His testimonies,
and who seek, inquire for and of Him and crave Him with the whole heart.
Yes, they do no unrighteousness [no willful wandering from His precepts];
they walk in His ways.
You have commanded us to keep Your precepts, that we should observe them diligently.
Oh, that my ways were directed and established to observe Your statutes
[hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]!
Psalms 119:1-5 (AMP)
These five verses speak of God’s Holy Word. Every verse mentions “His way,” “the revealed Word of God,” “the law of the Lord,” “His testimonies,” “His precepts,” “Your statutes” and they tell us a lot about ourselves. Look at the first and last verses…notice the contrast? Verse one speaks of being blameless and undefiled. The last verse is a plea from a desperate heart. We try to keep “His statutes” but, being human, sometimes we fail.
Take a closer look at verses 1 and 3. Verse 1 states that “the undefiled (the upright, truly sincere, and blameless)” are blessed. These people “do no unrighteousness [no willful wandering from His precepts]” according to verse 3. These verses are hard to put into practice. They set the bar high. They convict us.
However, verses 2 and 4 offer a glimmer of hope. If we “seek, inquire for and of Him and crave Him with the whole heart”, if we “keep Your precepts, that we should observe them diligently,” if we strive toward doing and not just hearing, then we honor Him. And, with His help, we succeed.
Ahhhhh…but verse 5. Verse 5 shows us right where we need to be.
“Oh, that my ways were directed and established to observe Your statutes [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]!”
This is a heartfelt prayer from the depths of our soul. It is a yearning for all we desire to be—for all God created us to be.
Do you feel shame when you read verses 1 and 3? I do. It pricks my conscience when I reflect on my failures and His ultimate act of grace. I have a past strewn with sin, littered with mistakes, and filled with bad choices. Since we are not blameless and undefiled, does that mean we are not blessed? No.
1 John 4:17 tells us “as He is, so also are we in this world.” Jesus is blameless, undefiled, and perfect and that is how God sees us. God looks past our mistakes and sees our heart. He sees the desires of an honest heart; and our desire for a right relationship with Him.
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Father God, we lift our hearts up to You, knowing we are not blameless or undefiled. We are so thankful that through Your mercy and grace You see past our imperfection and into our hearts. Thank You for the gift of Jesus that makes us perfect in Your sight. May we always desire to hear, receive, love, and obey Your revealed will for us. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen – so be it.
