Psalm 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Statutes are something that is mandated. We have been living through mandates that our governments have imposed upon us for some 2 years now. These mandates are all foolish and most are evil as well. Some governments have finally admitted they are over the top and they have removed most of them for now. I expect we will see more brought in after a short break. This experiment that our government has conducted has gone even better than they expected and they want to control our every move and our every thought. That is not just our government but this is a world-wide plan.
Our text states “the statutes of the LORD are right.” God has mandates that are sound and right. That is what the Psalmist declares. There have been many who have tried to discredit God’s Word, but none have succeeded. Adam did not change God’s Word by defying it. Cain did not succeed either. The masses perished in the flood of Noah’s day because they chose to reject God’s statutes.
The Bible records that Moses was so angry with the people when he came from his meeting with God, that he smashed the two tables, which contained the Ten Commandments, on the ground. That did not change those laws one bit. God called Moses back up the mount and re-wrote the same commandments. Those two tables were in the possession of the nation of Israel for years. We do not know where they are now, but the Ten Commandments have not changed. They are still just as true and right today as they ever were.
It is important to note that the Ten Commandments were given to Moses for the nation of Israel. Nine of the Ten are repeated for the Gentile world in the New Testament. The Sabbath law was unique to the nation of Israel.
Exodus 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Exodus 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
God made it clear in these verses that the Sabbath was given to Israel as a sign between Himself and the nation of Israel.
All of the law is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and the true child of God will seek to uphold the statutes of the LORD because their heart has been changed by the LORD. Jesus Christ changed the day of assembly for true Christians with His resurrection on the first day of the week. All of the other nine commandments are still applicable to all people.
The person who will live by God’s statutes will rejoice in heart. The word translated as “rejoicing” means “to brighten up.”
Sometimes people will re-decorate their homes because they want a change. They want to brighten things up. These things are only of temporary benefit. God shows man how he can rejoice in heart.
He will rejoice in heart because God’s law teaches that man must be born again. In the Old Testament, God challenged Cain to turn from his rebellion to the truth. God often challenged the people to turn to Him. The Ark was a picture of salvation. Those who believed in God were saved because they entered the Ark. Those who rejected God remained on the outside and they died.
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Throughout the Bible, those who turned to God and trusted in His law were blessed. David wrote of the blessing of the Lord in many different ways throughout the Psalms.
There are many unknowns in this life. There are many pressures in this life. A person that does not know the Lord will find these pressures difficult to manage. That is why the drug and alcohol business is flourishing. God alone can change the heart and He will help His children to be able to rejoice in heart in spite of the challenges that life brings about.
God further tells us that the commandment of the LORD is pure. No one can find fault with the LORD’s commandments. A commandment is something that must be done. Those who followed God’s commandments saw the value of obedience. Adam learned the hard way that disobeying God was not a good thing. Abel followed God’s commandment and he brought an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord and God was pleased with what he brought. His brother despised him and murdered him, but Abel knew that he was doing the right thing before God. You notice that when we accept the commandment of the LORD, then our eyes are enlightened.
James was directed to remind us that faith without works is dead. By faith we believe what God has said and believing includes doing. It is of no value to say that I believe in speaking the truth and then going about lying about things. God’s way is right and when I humbly submit to His way, I can see that His way is right. He shows me the blessing of following Him when I trust in Him.
There was a day when the Lord convinced me that I was a lost sinner and I needed to be saved that day. I listened to God and He saved me. After He saved me I began to see how important it was for me to listen to Him. I missed out on many blessings prior to that time because I did not see the importance of God’s Word. Once I turned to God and trusted in His salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I saw things differently. The more that I have trusted in His Word, the more I can see the blessing of following His way and the more I can see why our country is in the condition it is in. The hope of man is to know the true God and serve Him faithfully.
God gives enough light to every individual that they can see that. The devil blinds the minds of those who do not believe.
II Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
God directed the Psalmist to remind all who will read His Word that It is pure and enlightening. Those who are saved think and behave differently than the world. The world cannot understand the saved. Many in the world take offence to the saved. Cain took offence to his brother Abel. He saw that God blessed Abel and Cain wanted God’s blessing as well, but he did not want to follow God’s way of blessing. Esau desired the blessing of his father Isaac, but he had despised his birthright. He foolishly saw greater value in a bowl of pottage than in the blessing of the firstborn. Many today are more interested in the pleasures of sin which last for a season, rather than knowing the peace and blessing of God which is eternal.
God provides the only way that man can truly rejoice in heart. He provides the only way man can truly value that which is eternal. Trust in Him and be blessed today.
Pastor Bartel
