Exodus 35
Instructions regarding Sabbathverses 1-3
And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel
Together – and said to them
These are the words which the LORD has commanded
that you should do them
Six days shall work be done but on the seventh day there
shall be to you an holy day
a Sabbath of rest to the LORD
Whosoever does work therein
shall be put to death
You shall kindle NO FIRE throughout your habitations on the
Sabbath day
Call for those with willing heart to give offeringverses 4-9
And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the
children of Israel – saying
This is the thing which the LORD commanded
saying
Take you from among you an offering to the LORD
whosoever is of a WILLING HEART
Let him bring it – an offering of the LORD
gold – silver – brass – blue – purple
scarlet – fine linen – goat’s hair
rams’ skins dyed red – badgers’ skin
shittim wood – oil for the light
spices for anointing oil
for the sweet incense
onyx stones – stones to be set for the ephod
and for the breastplate
Call for wisehearted to construct the Tabernacleverses 10-19
And every WISEHEARTED among you shall come
and make all that the LORD has commanded
tabernacle – his tent – covering – taches – boards –
bars – pillars – sockets – ark – staves thereof
with the mercy seat – veil of the covering
table – staves – all the vessels – showbread
candlesticks also for the light – furniture – lamps
with the oil for the light
incense altar – staves – anointing oil – sweet incense
and hanging for the door at the entering
in of the tabernacle
altar of burnt offering – with his brazen grate
his staves – all his vessels – laver and his foot
hangings of the court – his pillars
and their sockets hanging for the door of the court
pins of the tabernacle
pins of the court and their cords
clothes of service
to do service in the holy place
the holy garment s for Aaron the priest
the garments of his sons
to minister in the priest’s office
Those with willing heart brought offeringverses 20-24
And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed
from the presence of Moses
And they came – every one whose HEART stirred him up
and every one whom his SPIRIT made WILLING
and they brought the LORD’S offering to the
work of the tabernacle of the congregation
and for all his service
and for the holy garments
And they came – both men and women – as many as were
WILLING HEARTED – and brought bracelets
earrings rings – tablets – all jewels of gold
and every man that offered an
offering of gold
to the LORD
And every man – with whom was found blue – purple
scarlet fine linen – goats’ hair – red skins of rams
badgers’ skins brought them
Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the
LORD’S offering – and every man
with whom was found shittim wood for any work of
the service – brought it
Willing women came to workverses 25-26
And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands
and brought that which they had spun – both of
blue – purple – scarlet – fine linen
And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom
spun goats’ hair
Rulers brought offeringverses 27-28
The rulers brought onyx stones and stones to be set
for the ephod – for the breastplate – and spice
and oil for the light – and for the anointing oil
and for the sweet incense
Every willing man and woman brought an offering.verse 29
The children of Israel brought a WILLING OFFERING to the LORD
every man and woman – whose heart made them willing
to bring for all manner of work – which the LORD had
commanded to be made by the hand of Moses
Bezaleel chosen of the LORDverses 30-33
And Moses
said to the children of Israel
See – the LORD has called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri
the son of Hur – of the tribe of Judah
And HE has FILLED him with the Spirit of God
in wisdom – understanding – knowledge
all manner of workmanship
and to devise curious works – to work in
gold – silver – brass
and in the cutting of stones – to set them
and in carving of wood to make any
manner of cunning work
Aholiab to assist Bezaleelverse 34
And HE has put in his heart that he may teach
both he and Aholiab – the son of Ahisamach
of the tribe of Dan
Other workers trainedverse 35
Them has HE FILLED with wisdom of heart
to work all manner of work – of the engraver
of the cunning workman – of the embroideder
in blue – purple – scarlet – fine linen
and of the weaver
even of them that do any work
and of those that devise cunning work
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you as an holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD; whosoever does work therein shall be put to death. (7677 “Sabbath rest” [shabbathown] means a Sabbath with special Sabbath celebrations, a period for rest that may or may not have been on the Sabbath, rest period, or Sabbath oberservance)
DEVOTION: The LORD repeats HIS instructions to the children of Israel. They are to not work on the seventh day of the week which was Saturday. All their work was to be accomplished in six days except the care of animals.
There was to be no cooking of a meal on Saturday. The whole meal had to be prepared before sundown on Friday. There was to be rest on this day to give their minds and bodies time to relax and spend time in the presences of the LORD.
The penalty for work was death. God took HIS instructions seriously and so were the people of Israel to take them seriously. The priests would have to execute someone who sinned against the LORD.
Today we worship on Sunday because that is the day that the LORD rose from the dead. Our worship is just as important to the LORD as the worship of Israel on Saturday.
We need a time to evaluate our relationship with the LORD. A prayer time before church and during church and after church could make us think about where we stand in our growth in the LORD. It can give us a time to confess any sins and ask for the refilling of the Holy Spirit in our life before we face our week.
CHALLENGE: Rest is important when we use it for the purpose of spending quality time with the LORD. How was your last Sunday time with the LORD?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. (4984 “stirred up” [mithnasse’] means exalted, life, to take and lift upward, to raise up, or be favorably disposed toward someone)
DEVOTION: What stirs your heart? What makes you willing to serve the LORD with your whole heart? What makes you willing to step out in faith to do a work for the LORD?
Moses had a shopping list given to him by the LORD. He presented the shopping list to the children of Israel and some of them responded by giving the items necessary for the building of the Tabernacle.
The children of Israel were already giving some of their income to the LORD for the support of the priests. Now they were asked to give more. They were still in the wilderness and life was hard but they still responded well to the request.
When our going is hard to we sometimes stop giving to the LORD because we think we need it for ourselves and our own comfort? Are we giving the right percentage of our income to the LORD to show our love for HIM?
What happens when there is a special offering to help the work of the LORD move forward? Do we sometimes think that if we give more we will get more from the LORD?
Giving is a problem in many churches. The government says that the average giving by a family is only about two percent of their income. So the church today has to minister on eight percent less than they should have to. Does this please the LORD?
Our giving is our “thank you” to the LORD for HIS provision of salvation and help on a daily basis.
CHALLENGE: Could it be that we are not a thankful people anymore and that is why society is going in the wrong direction today?
: 29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses. (5071 “willing” [nedabah] means spontaneity, abundant gift, plentiful, freely, or voluntary)
DEVOTION: Moses approached the children of Israel with a command from God. The LORD presents of things that is needed for the tabernacle. HIS list is long but HE knows that the children of Israel have these things available to give.
However, the LORD wants them to freely give their gifts to HIM. HE wants them to volunteer to give HIM their gifts. HE wants their hearts to stir them up to give.
Not only does HE want them to give freely but to also use their personal gifts to help with the construction of the Tabernacle. HE has called two special men to be the project managers, but they will need other workers to come along side.
Remember that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to men and women for their service to the LORD. Here we have an example of God gifting people to make the Tabernacle just the way HE wanted it.
We find that they give it freely to HIM. It is a great example to us. This command, however, was only to those who wanted to give to the LORD. It was only asked of those whose hearts burdened them to give to the work of the tabernacle. God still only wants free giving to HIS causes.
If we give with strings attached, it is not right. If we give because we feel that we HAVE too, it is wrong. If we give because we appreciate God’s gift of HIS son for our sins, then and only then is it right giving.
Let’s give out of love for the LORD. Let’s give voluntarily. Remember HE loves us so much that HIS son opened HIS arms all the way on the cross for us.
CHALLENGE: Are we using our gifts in the LORD church that the cause of Christ can move forward in our community? When we arrive at church are we coming with a gift already prepared for the LORD?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 31 And HE has filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship (4390 “filled” [mala] means consecrate, accomplish, replenish, complete, to make full, impart, overflow, ordain, or endow)
DEVOTION: God the Holy Spirit was active in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. HE filled people for special purposes. HE wanted those who were building the Tabernacle to have a special ability in their workmanship.
The Tabernacle was a holy building to the LORD. HE gave all the instructions necessary for its building. HE gave two men the means to accomplish their task with perfection.
These two men were also given the ability to teach others what needed to be done properly. This needs to happen today in the church of Jesus Christ. We need men and women who are filled with the Holy Spirit to do the work of building up the church of God.
Every believer is indwelt and filled with the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation. The filling could be lost because of sin but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is our engagement ring to help us understand our true relationship to the LORD.
Today we have many believers who don’t seem to have wisdom and understanding and knowledge that is necessary to do a good work for the LORD. The main reason this is happening is a lack of commitment on the part of most believers.
We need to pray for ourselves to be ones who are overflowing with the Holy Spirit to do a work for God. Then we need to pray for others to come alongside us to do this work.
If we had a majority of people in our churches who were overflowing with the gift of the Holy Spirit we could see communities come alive for Jesus Christ. We could see cities come alive for Jesus Christ.
We have a work to do for the LORD and HE has offered the same endowment of the Holy Spirit to each of us. Do you and I truly desire this endowment of power for the work that is set before us?
CHALLENGE: Too often we settle for just enough of the Holy Spirit to accomplish what we are presently willing to do. Imagine what could happen if we were totally committed to allowing the Holy Spirit to use us for HIS glory.
:35 Them has he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. (2451 “wisdom” [chokmah] means 1 wisdom. 1a skill (in war). 1b wisdom (in administration). 1c shrewdness, wisdom. 1d wisdom, prudence (in religious affairs). 1e wisdom (ethical and religious). [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: What is wisdom? It is the ability to see life from God’s perspective and to apply His principles to our daily life. This is how it is described throughout the “Wisdom Literature” in the Bible, particularly Proverbs. If this is true, how could it be said that God gifted certain men with wisdom in how to do the kinds of work mentioned here?
In a practical sense, it was true that the men who were described as “wise” here had a special skill, and that they were able to apply that special skill in service to God. Hence, the idea is that work itself is not merely secular, but rather something that God established for mankind to do, and gave them the ability in order to do it. Rather than simply calling it a “skill,” God makes it clear that what they are doing is a manifestation of His wisdom in them. This is akin to Paul’s statement in Colossians 3:23 that whatever work we do we should do it as unto the Lord.
If this is true, then we should strive as Christians for excellence in the skills and work that the Lord has given us to perform. There should not be anything as cutting corners or seeking to avoid tasks which are unpleasant to us. Even though those around us who are not believers may engage in these behaviors, we are accountable to God for how we perform our work.
CHALLENGE: Are you working to increase your skills in your job? If not, ask today how you can do better at performing it. (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Offering unto the LORD: gold, silver and brass etc.verses 5-9, 21, 22-24, 27-29
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Offering to the LORD: Willing heartverses 5-9, 22-24
Tabernacleverses 10-18, 21
Cloths for serviceverse 19
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 21, 22, 24, 29, 30
LORD’S offeringverse 21
God (Elohim)verse 31
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spirit of Godverse 31
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Work on Sabbathverse 2
Fire on Sabbathverse 3
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Offering to the LORDverses 5, 21-25
Willing heartverses 5, 22, 29
Ministerverse 19
Heart stirred upverse 21
Willing spiritverse 21
Willing heartedverse 22
Willing offeringverse 29
Filled with Spirit of Godverses 31, 35
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mosesverses 1, 20, 29
Congregation of the children of Israelverses 1, 4, 20
Sabbath restverse 2
Wisehearted make: listverses 10-19, 25-26
Aaron : ministerverse 19
Aaron’s sons: misisterverse 19
Children of Israelverses 20, 29, 30
Woman who were willing heartedverse 22
Woman who were wise heartedverses 25-26
Rulers broughtverses 27-28
Bezaleel son of Uri – son of Hurverses 31-35
Tribe of Judah
Filled with Holy Spirit
Wisdom
Understanding
Knowledge
All manner of workmanship
Aholiabverses 34-35
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Put to deathverse 2
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QUOTES regarding passage
Ver. 5. Take ye from amongst you an offering unto the Lord, &c.] That is, they were to take a part of their substance, of what they were possessed of, every man according to his ability, out of what he had in his hand that was suitable, and present it as a free-will offering to the Lord, for the use of the tabernacle to be built, and the service of it: whosoever is of a willing heart; that is, of a generous and liberal disposition: let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; or an offering to him, otherwise not; if brought niggardly and grudgingly it would not be acceptable, for God loves a willing and cheerful giver: gold, silver, and brass; here and in the four following verses, the several things are particularly mentioned, which would be wanted in building the tabernacle, and in the service of it, and therefore would be acceptable; and they being exactly the same, and delivered in the same words and in the same order as in ch. 25:3, 4, 5, 6, 7 the reader is referred to the notes there. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 530). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
II. That the Lord’s house should be the result of the people’s free and generous will, ver. 5. The principle held as good then as now, “The Lord loveth a cheerful giver,” &c. The people were not taxed for it. No Church rate was levied. No hand was laid on national property. To wrest contributions from unwilling and grudging hands for God’s service, is to overthrow the principles on which such service is founded, and to offer what God cannot accept. Here, as afterwards, such as had “a mind to work” were invited to work; such as were inclined to give were encouraged to give. No compulsion was used. God wanted a house. Moses told the people so. The voluntary principle was called into play, and was on this its first appearance successful, as it has been ever since, as it will be as long as the work is left to the faith and love of those to whom the appeal is made (Ps. 110:3). (Adamson, W. (1892). Illustrations to Chapter 34. In Exodus (pp. 535–536). New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
Exod. 35:5. Take ye from among you an offering. I have introduced a passage from chapter 35, wherein Moses again requires what he had before prescribed; but he goes more into detail, and treats at greater length of the parts of the tabernacle. In the former passage he employed a verb, where he here uses a noun, “willing or voluntary of heart.” There is, however, no ambiguity in the meaning; since in both places God requires a cheerful zeal, so that they may not only contribute abundantly, but willingly. He will afterwards use a different form of expression, viz., that they did their duty, whose heart roused, or stirred them up, so as to distinguish them from the indifferent and slow.—v. 21. (Calvin, J., & Bingham, C. W. (2010). Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony (Vol. 2, p. 158). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and brass,
Whosoever is of a willing heart, for God values not forced or grudged services, 2 Cor. 9:7. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 1, p. 195). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
35:5 willing of heart The qualification that people give willingly is key to understanding the significance of this building project for the community. The tabernacle was not constructed by forceful means, such as taxation or confiscation. At a later time a tax will be levied for maintenance (Exod 30:11–16). Ultimately, the people willingly bring more than is needed (35:21–36:7). (Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ex 35:5). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)
FROM MY READING:
God dwelt in the person of God’s Son. What did the
world do with this glory? Nailed it to a cross!
Where is God’s glory today? The body of every true
believer is the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19–20), but so
is the local church (3:10–23) and the church universal
(Eph. 2:20–22). When Solomon finished the temple,
the glory of God moved in, but when God finishes
building His church, He will move the church out!
Then we will share God’s glory in heaven for all eternity! “And the city had no need of the sun or of the
moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated
it, and the Lamb is its light” (Rev. 21:22 nkjv).
God today doesn’t live in buildings (Acts 7:48–50;
1 Kings 8:7). Buildings are dedicated to God to be used
as tools for His work and His workers. But God does
dwell in His people, and it’s our responsibility to glorify God individually (1 Cor. 6:20) and collectively
(14:23–25). What a tragedy it would be if the glory
departed and we had to write “Ichabod” on our buildings. How much better it would be if, like Moses, we
did everything according to the heavenly pattern so
that God’s glory would feel at home in our midst.
Notes
1 Phillips Brooks, The Influence of Jesus (London: H.R.
Allenson), 191.
2 Some have defended Aaron by saying that the golden calf was
supposed to represent God (v. 4) and not replace Him, but
their arguments are weak. It was unlawful for a Jew to make
any representation of Jehovah, and Aaron knew it. Unable to
control the people, he compromised with them and encounter aged their sin.
3 The phrase “rose up to play” in 32:6 is described in verses
18–19. Their feast was a demonstration of idol worship with
all its sensuality and immorality. The word “naked” in verse 25
can also mean “to cast off restraint.” Aaron allowed the people
to do whatever they wanted to do, and their evil hearts took
over.
4 At least three times in his career, Moses put the people of God
ahead of his own interests. In Egypt, he gave up his future as a
royal prince to identify with the people of God in their trials
(Heb. 11:24–26). On Mount Sinai, he refused God’s offer to
make a new nation out of him and his descendants (Ex.
32:10), and he refused the same offer a second time at Kadesh Barnea (Num. 14:1–20). Moses made his mistakes, but by
every measure you can find, he was a great man and a great
leader.
5 In Scripture, committing sin is sometimes compared to eating
and drinking. See Job 15:16; 20:12–19; Ps. 109:18; Prov.
4:17; 9:17; 18:8; 20:17; 26:22.
6 The “Book of Life” is the book in which the names of the
living are recorded and then blotted out when they die. See
Psalms 9:5; 69:28. It must not be confused with the
Lamb’s Book of Life which records the names of the saved
(Rev. 13:8; 17:8; 20:15; 21:27). An unforgiven sinner was
in danger of being killed by the Lord (2 Sam. 12:13). Paul
was willing to be eternally condemned for the sake of the
Jews (Rom. 9:3), and Jesus did die and suffer judgment for
the sake of His people as well as the whole world (Isa.
53:4–6, 8).
7 Truly spiritual people don’t recognize their own godliness but
usually feel as though they’re failures and far from what they
ought to be. At Pentecost (Acts 2), each believer could see the
tongues of fire above the other believers’ heads, but not over
their own heads.
8 The Greek word for “transformed” in 2 Corinthians 3:18 is
“transfigured,” as in Matthew 17:2. It describes the glory on
the inside being revealed on the outside. Moses only reflected
the glory of God; the dedicated believer radiates the glory of
God. Unlike Moses, we don’t wear a veil when we come to
God’s Word because we have nothing to hide.
9 The statement in verse 33 “So Moses finished the work”
reminds us of Christ’s prayer in John 17:4 and His cry from
the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30), as well as Paul’s words,
“I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).
How important it is in the Christian life to end well Exodus 24—38 (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary)
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Like Churchill, most of us have an image of ourselves we want others to have of us also—whether of success, godliness, beauty, or strength. We can go to great lengths to conceal our “ugly” sides. Perhaps deep down we fear we won’t be loved if the real us is known. (Our Daily Bread March 27, 2017)
Acts 7
Stephen is arrested for preaching the Gospel.
INSIGHT
The New Testament was written in times that, in many ways, seem barbaric to us. That respectable people would clamor for a crucifixion or incite a mob to riot or pick up stones and kill another man is difficult for us to imagine. Yet culture was different then. Today we do not kill a person to get rid of an unwanted message. Instead, we use other tactics. We can kill the message by making it look foolish or by discrediting the messenger. We even attack God Himself, declaring that He is dead or that He has no relevance to our era. But unless we accept the message of salvation that Stephen preached, we are as guilty before God as the ones who threw the stones. (Quiet Walk)
OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES FULFILLED
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
2 Corinthians 1:20
What does the Old Testament tell about Christ as it focuses attention upon Him and compels us to consider Him? First, it says that He is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies and promises. The great central statement of that is in 2 Corinthians 1:20: “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” They come to a focus, to a point, in Him.
He is the fulfillment of the promise that was given in the Garden of Eden when God said that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). There is also the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 17 about the seed. Paul refers to this in Galatians 3:16: “He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
Take, for instance, the promise given in Genesis 49:10: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” That is a tremendous promise and a most vital statement, and it was literally fulfilled in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a fact of history that the scepter and lawgiver did remain with Judah until A.D. 70, and since then, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the casting out of the Jewish nation among the
nations, that has no longer been the case. The scepter and the lawgiver remained there until Christ came, and then it departed, in that external sense. And likewise the statement “and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” obviously has been fulfilled and only fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Thought to Ponder: Christ is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies and promises. (From God the Father, God the Son, p. 248, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Blessed by the Word
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.” (Psalm 119:1)
The Hebrew word barak appears over 300 times in the Bible. It basically means to endue or bless with power for success, prosperity, fruitfulness, longevity, and so on. The oft-used Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) closes with “The LORD lift up [turn] his countenance upon [toward] thee, and give thee peace,” and is initiated by the greater upon the lesser.
The opening stanza of Psalm 119 identifies the traits of a lifestyle subject to the Word of God and then claims the blessing that comes as the result of those who “seek him with the whole heart” (Psalm 119:2). The unknown psalmist saturates all 22 stanzas with eight key words describing the intimate role by which inspired Scriptures empower godly behavior. Six are used in this opening testimony and prayer.
Those who “walk in the law [torah] of the LORD” and “keep his testimonies” (edah) receive God’s blessing (Psalm 119:1-2). These instructions inscripturated in God’s Word enable us to be “undefiled in the way” and to “do no iniquity” (Psalm 119:3). The apostle Paul noted that apart from the law, he would not know he was sinning (Romans 7:7).
God “hast commanded us to keep [His] precepts [piqquwd—listings, statutes, laws] diligently….Then shall [we] not be ashamed, when [we] have respect unto all [His] commandments [mitzvah—instructions]” (Psalm 119:4-6).
The promise to “praise [Him] with uprightness of heart” (Psalm 119:7) is based on a prayer: “O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes [hoq—engraved laws]!” (Psalm 119:5). And we can be certain that a righteous life will come when we have “learned [His] righteousness judgments [mishpat]” (Psalm 119:7). May our lives be as dedicated to God’s Word as is described in this magnificent song.
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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