Psalm 119:80

We now come to consider the last verse of this octave of Psalm 119 entitled Jod.  This completes the chain of prayers in this octave that begin with the word let.

Psalms 119:80  Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.

A sound heart is a healthy heart, a heart that is free from defect.  It is the “honest and good heart” our Lord spoke of in Luke 8:15. 

It is with out hearts that we think thoughts. 

Proverbs 23:7  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Isaiah 10:7  Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

Luke 9:47  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him…

So the prayer for a sound heart is a prayer for a heart that thinks honest and good thoughts, thoughts that are without defect, that are free from error.  It is a prayer for mental and emotional health.

The psalmist’s prayer is that his heart may be sound in thy statutes.  Of course, God’s statutes are found in His written word, the Holy Scriptures.  It is only in the Scriptures that one can ever attain full mental and emotional health.  Consider the character of God’s statutes as set forth in this passage:

Psalms 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 

The Bible is a Book that is perfect, sure, right, pure, true, and righteous altogether.  There is nothing defective in it.  Its teachings will convert, make wise, rejoice, enlighten, and cleanse the person that receives them.  When a Book like that is informing and governing the thoughts of your heart, you will have a sound heart.  How could it be otherwise? 

As one called of God to teach His statutes this prayer has particular relevance to me.  It is a chief blessing to have access to God’s statutes, to be able to read them, hear them, study them, and teach them.  But if we are to receive profit from the statutes of the Lord we must be sound in them, that is, we need to think of them rightly so as not to misunderstand them or misuse them, as so many do.

2 Corinthians 4:1  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

2  But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

2 Peter 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 

Those who handle the word of God deceitfully do not have sound hearts.  Their hearts are not honest.  The motives of their hearts are impure.  Those who are “unlearned and unstable” and wrest the Scriptures do not have sound hearts.  Their hearts lack the understanding and stability needed to make right use of the Scriptures.  If they so understand something, they have trouble retaining it because they are unstable.  So it is urgent that we beg God to let our hearts be sound in thy statutes.  We must pray to God to purge of our hearts of anything impure that might affect how we handle His word.  We must pray to God to help us understand His words so that we do not misinterpret them and thus mishandle them. 

If our hearts are not sound in God’s statutes, we are going to make a lot of mistakes that are going to cause us shame and embarrassment before men and before God.  Hence, the psalmist prays that his heart may be sound in God’s statutes that I be not ashamed.  I for one know something of the shame that comes from missing the right explanation and application of a passage.  When that happens, there is nothing to do but admit the error, correct it, and learn from it.  If I am praying that my heart be sound in God’s statutes and the Lord shows me an error I am making with a passage of Scripture, then God is answering that prayer.  He is not leaving me in my error.  He is letting my heart be sound in His statutes.

Lastly, God is sovereign over our understanding and handling of His word.  If He does not let our heart be sound in His statutes, we will make a mess of handling them.  We are so prone to err that we need the constant help of the Lord to handle His word rightly.  We are ever at the mercy of our God, even when we read, study, and teach His word. 

And so we come to the conclusion of another octave of Psalm 119.  It is my prayer that the lessons we have drawn from this octave have been a blessing to you.