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ד (Daleth)： The Law as Our Way
Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law 4/22
Psalm 119:25-32
Andy Nagahara
The fourth in the series of Psalm 119, called Hymn to the Law, contains the fourth paragraph, verses 25-32, with the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, dalet, placed at the beginning of each line.
Although there is another theory, Daret is said to derive from the letter depicting a door (Hebrew: דללת delet).
In today’s passage, you may have noticed the repeated use of the expression way (Way, Path). Way is a frequently used expression in the New Testament. For example, Jesus himself introduced himself as the way we should walk. It is used here to refer to our walk of life, in which we are encouraged by God to walk that path.
1. Returning to the way (25-28)
Let’s begin by reading up to verse 28.
25 I am laid low in the dust;
preserve my life according to your word.
26 I recounted my ways and you answered me;
teach me your decrees.
27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts;
then I will meditate on your wonders.
28 My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
To say that “the soul is lying in the dust” is to be placed in the lowest state. It is the condition of being placed in a state of great difficulty, unable to look forward or get up. Have you ever felt this way? Yet here you are now, all of you, stepping forward before God and worshipping together! This is because God, who has brought us through such times, has invited us to do so. Or some of you may be in a situation where you can’t say you’ve gotten over it yet. However, you all know as well as this psalmist the importance of what is written in this section. That is, the words that God speaks to us keep us alive and make us stand up. When we cannot go on any longer and have stopped and stooped by the side of the road, Jesus is the one who approaches us and, like the Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), saves and protects our lives and gives us the opportunity to get well.
When the path of life is frustrated, there is only one thing we need to do to ask Jesus, our God and Lord, to help us. It is described here as ” recounting one’s own way”. In the Gospels, there is a man who recounted his ways and received certain salvation.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.'”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)
Was Jesus so impressed with Zacchaeus’ generous offer to “give half of his property” or to ” repay four times what he had taken” that he forgave him? I don’t think so. Rather, the point is his confession that . However, it is important to keep in mind that this is not a mere procedural thing, as if you are forgiven because you confessed your sins, or if you kept silent, you would not be forgiven. Zacchaeus was a wealthy, famous, but hated, despised sinner and lonely man. Jesus approached this person from the beginning with the intention of becoming friends with him. He was not trying to make him feel sorry for himself. He just had compassion on him and wanted to befriend him. But when Zacchaeus was spoken to by Jesus, he knew what kind of person he was, he knew that Jesus in front of him could change his life into something wonderful, he knew what he wanted to do, and he offered it to Jesus. It is not a confession of sin because Jesus asked for it, nor is it an offer of a price to be paid to be saved. Salvation is realized for us in this way.
Unfortunately, the Bible does not tell us how Zacchaeus lived the rest of his life. So this is just my imagination, but as verse 27 says, whenever he ran into difficulties, I think he kept going even when things got muddy, by thinking about the wondrous works for him that Jesus had invited, forgiven, made friends with, and started a new life together with him. Please remember these words. Even when your soul seems to be lying in the dust, even when it seems to melt away in sorrow, Jesus is the God who will keep you alive and make you get up again and again.
2. Choosing the way (29, 30)
Let me read verses 29, 30
29 Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me through your law.
30 I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set my heart on your laws.
Life is a series of choices. I am here now after countless choices, and if I had made even one of those choices differently, I would not be where I am today, and I would not have the relationships I have today. While those who do not believe in God may call it coincidence, or even fate, we say it is the true way that God has prepared for us. There are false ways and there are true ways. As I have told you, it can be rephrased as commands, word, decrees, statutes, The Law, and so on. It is about walking by false words or walking by words of truth. However, each specific choice is not as clearly defined as the right is the way of truth and the left is the way of falsity. Even if you have taken a decisively bad turn, God will give you the option to recover afterward. No matter how many times we fail, God is the one who gives us a chance until the very end. When we have to make choices and judgments, we are often confused as to which is “God’s will” and fear making a mistake. However, one of the choices itself is not “God’s will. The ” will of God” is the word He continues to speak to us in our walk. And so what is more important is not each choice or decision, but to continue to listen carefully. Therefore, you cannot ask your pastor which is ” the will of God,” and you should not trust him/her when he/she says that this is the will of God. It is probably the pastor’s desire.
Let us continue to listen carefully. Even though each decision is not fatal by God’s mercy, the sacrifice we make for it is not small. That’s why Your Church is so insistent on living a worship-centered life and building relationships in mini churches with Jesus at the center. I want you to continue to offer heartfelt worship on a daily basis, and to feel that you are the living body of Christ as you walk with one another in the mini-churches. For these things are essential to the right choice. The psalmist asks, “Keep me from deceitful ways, and be gracious to me through your law.” This is because the psalmist is aware that he is not wise or strong enough to choose the way of truth without close communion with God. And let us likewise seek to become more intimate with God and each other.
3. Running in the path (31, 32)
Let’s read the next passage.
31 I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD;
do not let me be put to shame.
32 I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.
The expression “running in the path” is refreshing. In fact, in the Bible, far more often the expression walk than run is used, and if I haven’t missed it, this is the only place in the Old Testament where the expression run instead of walk is used to compare life to a road, and in the New Testament, Paul and the author of the letter to the Hebrews only use it to compare it to a race. When a child is intrigued by something, he or she suddenly starts running. You have probably had a scary moment when they jump out of the way while you are driving your car. At my age, it is dangerous in a different way because the feeling just goes ahead of me and my legs can’t keep up and I tangle and fall, but I am talking about the importance of the feeling of wanting to run. The word of God that comes into our hearts through the Bible, through someone else’s story, is such an attractive path that if we had legs in our souls, our feet would naturally quicken and we would run. For it is the path that God is preparing for us to expand our minds and set us free.
But that does not mean that we should be thrilled with the Old Testament legal codes. What excites us are these words of Jesus.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34,35)
Here is the heart of the law that is given to us. Jesus said this as a will, so to speak, as the time of the crucifixion approached, and then, after teaching about the relationship between himself and those who believe in him using the analogy of the vine and the branches, he repeated it once again: “
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:11,12）
Would it be too big a dream for the world to love one another instead of hating one another? Jesus would disagree. Where there is the commandment of Jesus, there is the Kingdom of God. And it will spread, just as Jesus himself compared it to a mustard seed. Although Your Church is just one tiny seed sown by God, it will go forward, filled with joy through the commandment to love one another. As part of the Kingdom of God, as part of the Gospel of Jesus.
（Prayer） Thank you, God, for making us walk in your ways. Thank you that you have approached me, invited me, forgiven me, and added me to your fellowship to follow you. Thank you that you stand me up, support my steps, and keep me on the way of truth.
I hope that we will remember the basis of your commandments and that your glory will be expressed through our love for one another.
For this purpose, fill us with the joy that comes from You and use us. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, let us begin this morning with Worship, a time for you to lift your voice to the Lord, open the ears of your heart, and let God and you talk to each other.
Summary
The essence of the law is God speaking to us. It gives us strength to stand up and start walking, the ability to choose what is right, and the endurance to walk until the end. Jesus said, “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (John 13:34), prefacing this as a “new commandment.” This is the heart of the law. It is the way that Jesus himself walked and is the way he wants us to walk.
For Discussion
- What are “deceitful ways” and the “way of truth”?
- Share your experiences of returning to, choosing, and Running in the path.