12/4/2024
Elijah McSwain, Sr.
Psalm 19:7-11 NKJV — The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19:7-11 is crafted to demonstrate the aspects of moral guidance and the spiritual impact that God’s Word manifests in the lives of humanity. The Word of the Lord as described as the law of the Lord, the testimony of the Lord, the statutes of the Lord, the commandment of the Lord, the judgments of the Lord, and so forth are geared to guide mankind into the truths of God. As people are guided into the truths of God, His Word adversely influences the inward nature of man and the outward conduct of those who submit to its authoritative power. The premise of God’s Word provides guidance in ordering our steps. Psalm 37:23 (ESV) constitutes “the steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in His way.”
According to the established way of the Lord, we are set to travel in the paths that we should follow even before we step forward as we seek His way above all else. As we take to heart the implications of Scripture, we understand the navigational guidance that we need is predetermined and marked out for our journey. The chosen path has been ordained for our spiritual well-being and choosing to walk in the paths where He leads us is a display of our faith and trust in His guidance through His Word. Upon submitting to the statutes of God, it has a tremendous impact on how we conduct ourselves in the heart of the earth. Adherence to God’s ways transform the inner working of the heart, whereby the manifestation of it is made evident outwardly in how we live. The mind that is renewed by God’s Word will submit the members of its body as a living sacrifice of reasonable service in rationalization, conduct, speech, and action (cf. Romans 12:1-2). Thus, this is the effectual outworking of the power of Scripture on the human heart that delights in God.
Psalm 19:8a emphasizes the heart that is affected by God’s statutes is inclined to live God’s way in a joyous manner. In order to better grasp this reality, let’s first consider………
The Precise Nature of God’s Word
It is noted that the statutes of the Lord are right. First, statutes are used interchangeably in the Bible with precepts. Statutes or precepts are given as a rule of action and governance in accord to what is just and good.
The statutes of the Lord reveal the essence of His government of what is right and holy.
James Montgomery Boice advised that “right means straight as opposed to being crooked and is linked to the idea of righteousness.” 1 God’s statutes are tied to His righteousness. Psalm 33:4 (NKJV) indicates “for the Word of the LORD is right, and all His work is done in truth.” God’s Word is unerring, equitable, and accurate as it reflects the embodiment of His truth, justice, righteousness, and character. The Life Application Study Bible speaks of “a person’s words are measured by the quality of his or her character. If your friends trust what you say, it is because they trust you. If you trust what God says, it is because you trust Him to be the God He claims to be. If you doubt His words, you doubt the integrity of God Himself. If you believe God is truly God, then believe what He says in His Word! The Bible is reliable because, unlike people, God does not lie, forget, change His words, or leave His promises unfulfilled. We can trust the Bible because it contains the words of a holy, trustworthy, and unchangeable God.” 2
God is the personification of honesty and integrity; therefore, He is trustworthy, and His Word is infallible, inerrant and right. His statutes are fashioned after His flawless, faultless, and impeccable nature to point and direct people unto Himself. Charles Spurgeon wrote “His precepts and decrees are founded in righteousness and are such as are right or fitted to the right reason of man. As a physician gives the right medicine, and a counsellor the right advice, so does the Book of God.” 3
The statutes of God instruct mankind in what is right. It gives insight to the transformative power to influence and improve the character of man as well as change their external behavior.
Psalm 119:128 (NKJV) perfectly sums up the impact that God’s statutes or precepts has on mankind. The psalmist testified that God’s precepts concerning all things he considered to be right and that he hated every false way. To be identified with God’s way for human living is to be identified with what is fitting and right for humanity. John Gill stressed the statutes of the Lord “set men right in their principles, and direct them to right practices; they are the means of making them upright in heart, and in conversation: the doctrines of the Word of God have nothing crooked, froward, and perverse in them; are without sophism, and the hidden things of dishonesty; they are all in righteousness, and plain and easy in everything respecting salvation, to those who have a spiritual knowledge and understanding of them; they lead into right and straight paths of truth and holiness, in which wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err.” 4
The guidance of the Lord through His statutes are akin to the words of Proverbs 8:8 (NKJV) that state “all the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them.” He leads men in accordance to His Word in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (cf. Psalm 23:3) so that His righteousness will be evident in the life of every believer. In summation, the precise nature of God’s Word causes Christians to live in a precise way that honors God.
The Inward Effect Of God’s Word On The Heart
The spiritual impact of God’s Word is not only seen in how it causes individuals to live in a righteous manner, but it impacts the heart by causing it to rejoice. Psalm 19:8 records the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The heart that is filled with God’s Word is prone to display joy through rejoicing.
W. E. Vine articulated it this way, "the supernatural Word produces a supernatural result that of rejoicing the heart.” 1
God’s Word has a profound effect that enables the heart of our minds to be overflowing with delight and gladness. Psalm 119:14-16 (NKJV) gives an explanation of the writer quoting these word “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word.” Meditation and contemplation of Scripture leads to divine satisfaction when our minds resonate on the glorious goodness, concrete promises, spiritual guidance, and the unwavering truth of the Lord.
Joy and rejoicing are the overflow of a heart that is submerged in the richness of canonical truth.
The privilege of spending time in Scripture is to spend intimate time with the author of Scripture. Thus, a deeper connection is made between with the author of Scripture and the reader as His Word moves the reader to revel at the impartation of the statutes of the Lord. Jeremiah 15:16 (ESV) communicates “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O LORD, God of hosts.” The Word has a comforting effect that causes the heart to be at peace and find jubilation as an end result. The Life Application Study Bible remarked as we are filled with God’s words, it should be our aim to “pore over them and internalized their meaning. If we love and treasure God’s Word, we should read and study it diligently. We should not give the Bible a quick once-over, but we should really dig into the Scriptures, study them carefully, inwardly digest them, and let them change our lives. In God’s Word, we find the kind of wisdom that leads to real and lasting joy.” 2 In order to have a real and lasting joy, we must continue to daily engage the statutes of the Lord. There are many things on a daily basis that will try to rob us of our joy and rejoicing. Therefore, constant pursuit of God’s Word will permit our hearts to experience enjoyment of who God is as revealed in the Bible.
Psalm 119:162 (NKJV) denotes “I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure.” William MacDonald concluded “the thrill of discovering a hidden cache of treasure is experienced by the one who delves into the Bible and finds wonderful spiritual riches.” 5 Are we searching the righteousness of God as revealed in His Word to experience the means of rejoicing? If not, we need to reevaluate our aim in life so that we cane gravitate toward the things of God. We can rejoice at the increase knowledge that is found in the Lord’s statutes. Psalm 119:171 (ESV) informs us that the psalmist from his lips would pour forth praise, for the Lord taught him His statutes.
William MacDonald further claimed, “increased knowledge of God’s statutes should not lead to pride and exaggerated self-esteem, but to praise and adoration of the Lord.” 5
Does the Word cause us to praise and stand in awe of God due to the condition of our heart?
As it relates to Psalm 19:7-8, Charles Spurgeon implicated “mark the progress; he who was converted was next made wise and is now made happy; that truth which makes the heart right then gives joy to the right heart. Free grace brings heart-joy. Heavenly delights satisfy the inner nature and fill the mental faculties to the brim. There is no cordial of comfort like that which is poured from the bottle of Scripture.” 3
The heart that is connected to the source of Scripture is inevitably inclined to rejoice.
References
The Life Application Study Bible
Spurgeon, C. H. n.d. The Treasury of David: Psalms 1-26. Vol. 1. London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.
John Gill’s Exposition of The Bible
William MacDonald. Believer’s Bible Commentary