Praise and Rue – Psalm 119: 1-8

A text – Psalm 119:1-8

¹ Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.
² Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart,
³ who also do no wrong but walk in his ways.
⁴ You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
⁵ O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
⁶ Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
⁷ I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous ordinances.
⁸ I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me.

A reflection:

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm: 187 verses! It is in fact the longest chapter in the Bible. It is also quite a poem. It is written in 22 stanzas of 8 lines each. Each line of the first stanza begins with the first Hebrew letter, each line of the next begins with the next Hebrew letter, and so on, in the order of the Hebrew alphabet (in English every verse of stanza 1 would start with A, each verse of stanza 2 would start with B, and so on). We have only the first one as our text today. But imagine the art of it.

The psalmist is totally in love with God and so is thrilled with the gift of the Law, the commandments, as a set of precepts upon which we can rightly base all our action. The Law is praised as though it were a handy tool (the kind that offers a blade or an opener for every need), something to serve us well either in times of trouble or when we are contented.

This week this passage struck me (especially the first verses) as rueful. “Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. ² Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart.” Yes, those folks are happy, I thought, and I wish I were one of them. Instead, I messed up, and now I am ruing the day, ruing my lack of attention to the gift I was given.  I have all the nutrition books and still I ate three donuts this morning! I know I have to be careful when speaking with so-and-so, but I let my attitude get the better of me, and I said things that caused a fight. I am well aware that you cannot overload the washer, and yet I did, and the drum froze, and the sudsy water is everywhere! You get the picture. Happy are the rule followers, yes. But I’m not one of them.

There are plenty of people who prefer to do things their own way, without attending to better advice. But there are also plenty of people who are certain that following good laws makes life better and richer and fuller for everyone we share this planet and this time with. No wonder the psalmist loves the law and praises it. He or she really hopes not to mess things up, and prays for God to be merciful if it happens anyway.

So be it with us all. Love the gift of the Law, and love the promises of forgiveness.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for your law and your promises to us. Help us to remember both as we live our life in the company of others in this world you made. Amen.