The Determined Man

So, we move from the blameless man, to the knowledgeable man, and finally, to the determined man.“I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!” I love the fact that he sets the bar high…there is no sense of, “Well, we all sin,” or “Nobody is perfect;” he knows he isn’t perfect, but he speaks of being blameless and now upright.

The determined man is shown through his resolution. “I will praise you with an upright heart,” and “I will keep your statutes.” He is resolved to worship…knowledge of God should lead us to worship God...to praise God. He is resolved to be blameless and takes the necessary steps to get there. Are we resolved to be the men and women God calls us to be?

His resolution leads to his confession. I love this, “I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.” I think there is a confession here…God, I can’t do it unless you teach me. I can’t praise you, I can’t be blameless, I can’t walk in your ways, unless you teach me your righteous rules.

We will see this over and over again…look at verses 25-29, “give me,” “teach me,” “make me,” strengthen me,” and “teach me.” He knows that God must move in his heart. Don’t ever be afraid to ask God to help you grow in Him, to help you understand His Word, and to help you to be holy. He will move mountains to get you there.

He closes with a plea, “I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!” I think this is like what the Psalmist said in 103:14, “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” God, I am seeking to obey you, but remember I am just a man, please, if you will teach me I will keep your statutes, but until I learn…do not utterly forsake me.

I’m so thankful that God has promised to never leave us or forsake us, but I also hope we never take that for granted. We must seek to be blameless, we must seek to be knowledgeable, and we must be determined to be holy…and when we do…we will be blessed…we will be happy, and full of joy and peace unlike the world has ever experienced.

How do we do it? Let me give you four things—

(1) commit to read the Word of God every day,

(2) commit to study the Word of God every day,

(3) commit to properly interpreting the Word of God,

(4) and commit to apply the Word of God to everything in your everyday life.