Psalm 119:46

In this octave the psalmist has besought God: “take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth” (verse 43). Having the law of God at his disposal, the psalmist will keep it forever and thus walk at liberty (verses 44-45). Now by means of the word also the psalmist adds the following resolution:

Psalms 119:46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.

Having the word of God in his heart, mouth, and life, the psalmist resolves that he will unashamedly speak of it, even before kings. Now this is significant when you remember that princes “did sit and speak against” him (verse 23). But the psalmist would not be intimidated by this. He will stand before kings themselves and boldly speak of God’s testimonies. He will be ashamed of neither his Lord nor of His words. Connecting this verse to the one that precedes it, Charles Spurgeon wrote:

“This is part of his liberty; he is free from fear of the greatest, proudest, and most tyrannical of men.”

No power in this earth no matter how great it was would cause the psalmist to shrink from speaking of God’s testimonies. A man like this is walking at liberty. He is truly a free man! Today’s verse reminds us of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who would not bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold even under threat of a painful death. God’s testimonies forbad them to worship any other god but Jehovah and to bow down before any graven image. They were not ashamed to own those testimonies before the king. We also think of the apostle Paul who spoke of God’s testimonies before the governor Felix (Acts 24), before the governor Festus (Acts 25), and before king Agrippa (Acts 26). And then Paul appealed to be heard by Caesar Augustus himself. Indeed, he would speak of God’s testimonies also before kings, and would not be ashamed. Paul was not ashamed to speak God’s truth before kings because he was empowered by the Spirit of God.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel....

How could any believer in his right mind be ashamed of the One Who saved his soul and conquered death! It is sad to see a professing Christian cower before an angry relative, or a scornful professor in the classroom, or unbelieving friends. Showing such cowardice before these of lesser stature, it is almost certain he would never stand up for his faith before judges, governors, and kings. And being thus ashamed to own his Lord and His words, the Lord will be ashamed of him at His coming. Hear the words of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Now that is a frightful prospect! More frightening than anything we might suffer for boldly speaking of the testimonies of our Lord before the most powerful kings of this earth.

Psalm 119:45

In today’s meditation we observe again that the verse is linked to the preceding verse, in this case, by the word and.

Psalms 119:45 And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

In the preceding verse 44 the psalmist wrote that he would keep God’s law continually. Now from the verse we consider today, we see that keeping God’s law he will walk at liberty. Ultimately, keeping the law and walking at liberty flow out of the mercies of God coming to us, even His salvation (verse 41). You can tell that God is showing mercy to a man and delivering him when you see him keeping God’s word. And when a man is keeping God’s law he is experiencing the only true liberty or freedom there is.

No man is free in the sense of having no master at all. Every man serves a master. It is the law of our being. It is not a question of serving or not serving a master. It is a question of which master you serve. Ultimately, one either serves sin or he serves God.

Romans 6:20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

From this passage we learn that the service of sin ends in death whereas the service of God ends in everlasting life. Now which sounds the most like liberty to you? So many consider sin as an expression of their freedom, when in reality it is an experience of the greatest bondage.

Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

The man who serves sin is in a bondage from which he cannot free himself. The servant of sin cannot of himself choose to leave his sin and serve God. In fact, his servitude to sin is described as being “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). There is no greater bondage than death, for the dead have no power to change their condition. Only Jesus can free the servant of sin. On the other hand, the servant of God has been made free from sin by the Lord Jesus Christ. He may still sin, but he does not have to. He is free to resist sin and serve God. And if he sins, God has provided a remedy whereby he can extricate himself and continue to serve God.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Many think of freedom as the liberty to do what one wants to do. In reality, true freedom is the liberty to do what one ought to do. When one is freed from sin by the Lord Jesus Christ, he wants to serve God. So when he serves God he is doing both what he ought to do and what he wants to do. Now that is real liberty. Which sounds like the greater freedom to you? Doing what you want to do but not what you ought to do? Or doing what you want to do and what you ought to do? If you fail to do what you ought to do, it will always rise up and bite you in the end. Sin has its own built-in destruction.

James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

When you sin, you are fulfilling your lust, you are doing what you desire to do; but in the end that sin kills you. Think about it. In the end, how much freedom do drug addicts, drunkards, whoremongers, liars, and criminals really enjoy? How much freedom is there in having liver disease from alcohol abuse? How much freedom is there in having a sexually transmitted disease from sexual promiscuity? How much freedom does a liar experience when he must always come up with ways to cover his lies? How much freedom does a criminal enjoy living in fear of being caught, or finally being caught and incarcerated? So doing what you ought to do and want to do is liberty in the fullest sense of the word. Doing what you ought to do you can live in good conscience, free from tormenting fear, and at peace with God. And even if you are persecuted for doing what is right, you have promise upon promise from God that it is well with your soul and great reward awaits you. That sure sounds like liberty to me! This is the freedom, the true liberty that Jesus gives us.

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Now our psalmist cites a reason he will walk at liberty. That reason is stated in these words: for I seek thy precepts. Since all of God’s precepts are truth, the person who is seeking those precepts is seeking truth. And finding that truth he will find that which will make him free.

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

I can personally attest to the fact that the more truth I learn the more liberty I discover. Knowing God’s precepts as opposed to the precepts of men sets me free. No longer do I walk captive to commandments imposed by men without the authority of God.

Colossians 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

When you learn God’s precepts, you learn to walk free of man-made restrictions that deny you things God has given you to enjoy. When you know the truth of salvation by grace you walk free of the burden of trying to earn your own eternal salvation or trying to secure the eternal salvation of others. You walk at liberty, blessed liberty! I close with this exhortation to every seeker of truth:

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Psalm 119:44

When we have finished considering this verse today, we will be one fourth of the way through Psalm 119. The first post on this psalm was submitted on 17 August 2010. So at the rate I am going I should be done by 2018 at which time I will be around 67 years old, if I am still living and the Lord tarries. Will you and I be able to keep this up? We’ll see and work with what the Lord permits. The verse from Psalm 119 that we consider today is quite short, but its sets forth something that extends into the ceaseless ages to come.

Psalms 119:44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.

By means of the introductory word so the psalmist links the thought of this verse to the verse that goes before it which is in turn linked to the one before it and so on to the beginning verse of the octave. This being so, we can see clearly what the psalmist is putting forth. If God’s mercies come unto him, even His salvation (verse 41), so that the psalmist is equipped with God’s word of truth in his mouth and can use it in answering his enemies (verses 42-43), then he will keep God’s law continually. This is God’s objective in our salvation both in time and eternity. The Lord wants us to have His word of truth in our mouth so that we will be “speaking the truth in love” as Paul teaches in Ephesians 4:15. And speaking the truth in love, “we may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Having the word of truth in our mouth and speaking it are essential to growing up into Christ in all things. And if we are growing up into Christ “in all things” we are keeping God’s law continually in every thing at all times and in every situation. In this way our obedience to the Lord will be continual, ever increasing, never letting up. And why is it so important that God’s word of truth be in our mouth? Because if our mouth is under the control of the law of God so that we are speaking its truth, then we will be able to bring the desires and passions of the rest of the body under control, which we must do in order to keep God’s law continually.

James 3:2 …If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

But observe, the psalmist says that he will keep God’s law continually for ever and ever. Obeying the word of God is something he expects to do from now unto all eternity. Later on in Psalm 119 we are informed that God’s law lasts forever.

Psalms 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

The Bible is an imperishable book. Destroy one copy and another will spring up in its place. Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

God’s word of truth is something we will have with us always.

2 John 1:2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

If you have the truth dwelling in your heart and mouth now, you will have it with you forever. And having God’s word forever, you will be keeping it forever. When we are keeping God’s law, we are serving the Lord. In fact, that is the only way you can claim to be a servant of God. And serving God by keeping His law is something God’s children will do forever and ever. In the new heavens and the new earth, we will be serving the Lord.

Revelation 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him…

If you do not enjoy serving the Lord by keeping His law, heaven is not a place you want to be. And since serving the Lord is the very activity of heaven, we can say that if you are continually keeping God’s law now, you are experiencing a little heaven below!