Psalm 119 is the Bible-study anthem. I’m working through this psalm focusing on three things:
- Reasons to read and study the Word
- Ways to respond to the Word
- How the gospel of Jesus makes this Psalm even better
Today we’re exploring how Jesus makes the Aleph section (Ps 119:1–8) so much better.
Reading a passage like this probably sends off all manner of alarms. “But how can I keep the law?” “Wait, how do I make sure I’m on the right side of those judgments?”
Good news: the gospel of Jesus makes this psalm even better.
One of the main things we learn from the Law of Moses is that nobody can keep it. The apostle James says that even if someone keeps the whole law and then slips up once, he’s guilty of breaking the whole thing (Ja 2:10).
And as for doing no unrighteousness, Paul and David say it’s a standard we can’t meet (Ps 14:2–3; Ro 3:9–18).
There is none righteous, not even one;
There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks God.
But if we can’t keep the law, that makes it difficult to go along with this psalm. How am I supposed to be one of those “blessed” (happy) people who keeps God’s ordinances?
Thanks be to God: Jesus kept the law, but took our punishment for breaking it. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can give thanks for God’s judgments all the more (Ps 119:7).
