The Blessed Man

Last time I introduced Psalm 119, and closed with these words, What I want you to see is that this entire Psalm is a detailed exposition of Psalm 1:1-2, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” This entire Psalm explains those two verses! So, let’s start with the Blameless Man,“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in His ways.”

The blameless man is a blessed man. We all want to be happy, but the enemy tries to convince us that happiness comes outside of God. The psalmist says happiness comes from living a holy life before God. Notice it is the law of the LORD, they are His testimonies, and it is His ways. This is centered on God and finding God through His Word. In these first three verses, we find three things about the life of a blameless man.

First, his way, “Blessed are those whose way is blameless.” The word blessed speaks of being ‘happy, happy,’ but it goes beyond our earthly ideas of happiness. It speaks of overflowing delight, of deep seated joy, and of supreme satisfaction. That comes from a way that is directed by God’s Word.

That implies something…it implies that we will know God’s way. We can’t know it if we don’t set our hearts to study His Word. That is where He reveals His way to us. His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always right.

The world says happiness comes from doing whatever you want to do…think for a moment in terms of sexuality…which seems to dominate our culture. The Word tells us that sex is reserved for one man and one woman in marriage. The world says that is oppressive and yet people who seek to live like the animal world deal with guilt, shame, and depression—even when they are free to do it…true happiness comes from following the ways of God. We must know His way and follow His way if we are to be blessed.

But then he talks about his walk which would be the life lived in the way of God. Look at the end of verse 2, Who walk in the law of the LORD. And then at the end of verse 3, “Who walk in His ways.” This is practical living…it is a way of life…it is a matter of obedience. We live our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit as we walk in His ways and the ways, lined out for us in His Word.

His way, his walk, and then in verses 2 and 3, his will. “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart, who also do not wrong, but walk in His ways!” To be obedient is to set your mind to be obedient. It is to determine that you will be a follower of God. It is rare that we accidently obey…you know the old saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” That is true in our spiritual walk. We must make plans…we must set our will on Him. It is the idea of Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.”

Or how about Romans 8, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

The man or woman who will be blameless will be the man or woman who know God’s way, who walk in God’s way, and who set their will to obey God’s way. That’s the blameless man.

The prophet Jeremiah spoke of this, “Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look,

and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” Determine to look for God’s way, ask for help, and when you find it walk in it!