Psalm 119 Vs 153-160

Resh

A Bible Devotion from Psalm 119 Vs 153-160

Rules!

153 Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law.

154 Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise!

155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.

156 Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your rules.

157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies.

158 I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands.

159 Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love.

160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

Psalm 119 Vs 153-160 Resh, NKJV

I have often talked about the two classes of people (Christians and non-Christians). This section of Psalm 119 expresses these two groups in an entirely different way: those who keep God's rules and those who do not keep God's rules.

If you've had children or been around young children, you know the drill. What are the rules today, and how far can I stick my big toe over the line before I get caught. Even from a young age we chaff against rules. How does the saying go? Rules are made to be broken.

Look at the change in heart that takes place when one comes to know the Lord. Give me life according to your rules (verse 156). God's rules are called by many names in the Bible, even in this short section, Psalm 119 Vs 153-160, David calls them: your (God's) law, your promise, your statutes, your rules, your testimonies, your commands, and your precepts.

Why the change in the Christian; why do we now love these rules that we once tried so hard to break? What are the blessings that David receives from obedience to these rules that he speaks of here in Psalm 119 Vs 153-160? He finds deliverance from affliction (verse 153), redemption and life (verse 154), salvation (verse 155), mercy and life (verse 156), life according to God's steadfast love (verse 159), and righteousness for eternity (verse 160).

It is true that we are unable to keep the law of God by ourselves; that is why our Lord Jesus Christ had to come to this earth. Only He could keep the law perfectly and then purchase salvation for us and teach us to obey the law. The result of the choice you make by the grace of God is found in verses 155 and 159: Salvation is far from the wicked. Give me life according to your steadfast love.

The conclusion of Psalm 119 Verses 153-160 is found in verse 160: The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. There it is: life or death.

Pray today that you would love God's precepts and have life forevermore.

Next: Psalm 119 Vs 161-168 - Seven Times a Day

More Devotions on the 119th Psalm Vs 153-160 from my blog, Daily Bible Devotions.

Consider, verses 153-156

True from the Beginning, verses 157-160