Psalm 119:167

We are making our way toward the end of the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Schin.

Psalms 119:167  My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.

In verse 129 the psalmist said of God’s testimonies: “therefore doth my soul keep them.” In today’s verse he affirms again that his soul kept them. As I noted when commenting on verse 129, the psalmist did not merely keep God’s testimonies outwardly and on display for other men to see. Rather, his innermost self, his very soul, kept them. He “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered” to him (Romans 6:17). Like the apostle Paul, he delighted “in the law of God after the inward man” (Romans 7:22).

In verse 129 the psalmist wrote in the present tense: “therefore doth my soul keep them.” In today’s verse he writes in the present perfect tense: my soul hath kept them. The present perfect tense of a verb refers to a past action the effects of which continue into the present. What the psalmist had done in the past he was continuing to do in the present and that was to keep the testimonies of the Lord. Furthermore, having kept God’s testimonies had this present effect upon him: and I love them exceedingly.

Repeatedly in this psalm the psalmist stated his love for God’s word (see verses 47-48, 97, 113, 119, 127, 140, 159, 163). The reason he kept God’s testimonies was because he loved them. He did not keep them merely because it was socially respectable, or because it was his duty, or because it secured him from punishment. He kept the testimonies because he loved them. Love of the testimonies themselves was the spring of his obedience to them. His obedience proceeded from the very affections of his soul. W. M. Statham’s comments on this point are insightful: “To keep it because we love it is to show that it is already part of us – has entered into the moral texture of our being.” 

As we keep the testimonies of the Lord from a principle of love, we come to love them more and more, even to the point of loving them exceedingly.

Exceedingly – Of degree: Above measure, extremely.

The psalmist’s love for God’s words was beyond his ability to measure. It was extreme. We generally tend to be critical of extremism. But this is one form of extremism we would all do well to develop and maintain.