Psalm 119:165 - Love And Obedience To God's Law And Ways Brings Peace And Security.
Psa 119:165; Love & Obedience To God's Law & Ways Brings Peace &
Security.
CONTENT; Translations; Paraphrase; Word Study:
Psa 119:165 (KJV) Great peace have they which love thy law: and
nothing shall offend them.
Psa 119:165 (CEV) You give peace of mind to all who love your
Law. Nothing can make them fall.
Psalm 119:165 (NLT) Those who love your law have great peace
and do not stumble.
Definition of Key Terms
Some eight different Hebrew synonyms are used in referring to
Scripture. These are:
Dabar ("word"), a general term for any form of divine revelation.
Torah ("law"), a teaching, indicating a single command, the
Books of Moses, or all of Scripture.
Piqqudim ("precepts"), detailed instructions given by God as
guardian of His people.
Huqqim ("statutes"), binding laws engraved on a permanent record.
Mispatim ("ordinances"), judgments made by God, containing God's
judgments concerning man's rights and duties.
Miswot ("commandments"), orders given by competent authority.
'Edot ("testimonies"), vivid and unmistakable witnesses to man
of God's will.
'Imra ("promise"), a term often translated "word," suggesting
the trustworthiness of divine truth in any form.
Together these words form a clear picture of the Scriptures.
They are God's authoritative Word, in which we can have complete
confidence, and through which we learn to trust God and to live a life
characterized by godliness. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
The often-used term "law" has the idea of teaching, direction,
or instruction. The law is the gracious revelation of what God
wants in order for believers to have fellowship with him. It reveals
who he is. [New Bible Companion]
Great peace. Complete security and well-being. [NIV SB]
CONTEXT; Overview; Topic:
Psalm 119 The Word of God
Psalm 119 The Law of the Lord
Ps 119 This is the longest psalm, as well as the longest
chapter of the Bible. It is also a classic example of the acrostic poem.
The 176 verses of the psalm are divided into 22 stanzas,
corresponding to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Each stanza has
eight verses, and all verses in each stanza begin with the same letter
of the Hebrew alphabet. The letters are arranged in alphabetical
order. It is fitting that the longest chapter in the Bible should be a
hymn of praise magnifying the Word of God. Of its 176 verses, almost
every verse contains a direct reference to the Word of God. Some eight
different terms are employed in referring to God's Word-"law,"
"testimonies," "ways," "precepts," "statutes," "commandments," "judgments"
(ordinances), and "word." [Believer's SB]
Psalm 119 The longest of the psalms is an acrostic in which each
group of eight verses begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew
alphabet. Nearly every verse mentions the law of God directly or by a
synonym: law, precept, ways, word, commandments, decrees, statutes,
precepts, promise, ordinances. The psalm praises God for having given the
law to his people, and records the sustaining, renewing, hopeful and
admonitory roles that the law fulfills in their lives. [Cambridge Annotated
SB]
Psalm 119 A Torah psalm, an alphabetical psalm: It consists of
twenty-two stanzas corresponding successively to the letters in the Hebrew
alphabet. The eight verses of each stanza all begin with the same letter.
This pattern is maintained throughout the psalm until the alphabet is
complete. [New Bible Companion]
This psalm celebrates a revelation which brings delight, because
each fresh word from God reveals not just information but its Author.
[The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
CROSS REFERENCES
Proverbs 3:1-2 (KJV) My son, forget not my law; but let thine
heart keep my commandments: [2] For length of days, and long life, and
peace, shall they add to thee.
Proverbs 3:17 (KJV) Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all
her paths are peace.
Isaiah 32:17 (KJV) And the work of righteousness shall be
peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for
ever.
Isaiah 57:21 (KJV) There is no peace, saith my God, to the
wicked.
John 14:27 (KJV) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto
you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23]
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 6:15-16 (KJV) For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. [16]
And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and
mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Philip. 4:7 (KJV) And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Isa 26:3 (KJV) Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind
is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION
Modern society longs for peace of mind. Here is clear-cut
instruction on how to attain this: if we love God and obey his laws, we will
have "great peace." [Life Application SB]
Though there is turmoil and strife without, there is peace in
the heart of him who loves the law of God. [SDA Commentary]
Such peace as the world can neither give nor take away. A person
may be in great trouble without and yet enjoy great peace within,
(Matthew Henry's Commentary)
The Peace in Love: is an inner peace that grows out of his love
for God's way. [Wycliffe Bible Commentary]
The only power that can create or perpetuate true peace is the
grace of Christ. When this is implanted in the heart, it will cast out
the evil passions that cause strife and dissension. "Instead of the
thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the brier shall come
up the myrtle tree;" and life's desert "shall rejoice, and blossom
as the rose." DA302
The peace of Christ is born of truth. DA302
The sure result of accepting truth, the experience that always
follows willing obedience, is peace and rest. TM247
Peace is not merely a psychological state of mind, but an inner
tranquillity based on peace with God--the peaceful state of those whose sins
are forgiven. The opposite of anxiety, it is the tranquillity that
comes when the believer commits all his cares to God in prayer and
worries about them no more. [NIV SB]
God's peace is different from the world's peace. True peace is
not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good
feelings. It comes from knowing God and living in His strength. [Life
Application SB mod]
The peace of God, the comfortable sense of being reconciled to
God, and having a part in his favour, and the hope of the heavenly
blessedness, are a greater good than can be fully expressed. This peace will
keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus; it will keep us from
sinning under troubles, and from sinking under them; keep us calm and
with inward satisfaction. [Matthew Henry]
Is there any note in all the music of the world as mighty as the
grand pause? Is there any word in the Psalms more eloquent than the
word "Selah," meaning pause? Is there anything more thrilling and
awe-inspiring than the calm before the crashing of the storm, or the strange
quiet that seems to fall upon nature before some supernatural
phenomenon or disastrous upheaval? And is there anything that can touch our
hearts like the power of stillness?
For the hearts that will cease focusing on themselves, there is
"the peace of God, which transcends all understanding" (Phil.
4:7);"quietness and trust" (Isa. 30:15), which is the source of all strength; a
"great peace" that will never "make them stumble" (Ps. 119:165); and a
deep rest, which the world can never give nor take away. Deep within
the center of the soul is a chamber of peace where God lives and
where, if we will enter it and quiet all the other sounds, we can hear
His "gentle whisper" (1 Kings 19:12).
Even in the fastest wheel that is turning, if you look at the
center, where the axle is found, there is no movement at all. And even
in the busiest life, there is a place where we may dwell alone with
God in eternal stillness. [Streams in the Desert by Cowman]
We must offer men something better than that which they possess,
even the peace of Christ, which passeth all understanding. We must
tell them of God's holy law, the transcript of His character, and an
expression of that which He wishes them to become. Show them how infinitely
superior to the fleeting joys and pleasures of the world is the
imperishable glory of heaven. Tell them of the freedom and rest to be found
in the Saviour. "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give
him shall never thirst. MH156-8
The law is an expression of God's idea. When we receive it in
Christ, it becomes our idea. It lifts us above the power of natural
desires and tendencies, above temptations that lead to sin. FLB83
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