"Consistent Reflection"

Scripture Passage

Psalm 119

Scripture Focus

Oh, that my actions would consistently
     reflect your decrees!
Then I will not be ashamed
     when I compare my life with your commands.
                              (Psalm 119:5-6 NLT)

Observation

Psalm 119 is a remarkable piece of literature. It’s an acrostic, the verses within each successive stanza beginning with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It was probably written that way as a mnemonic device, to aid students in memorizing the values discovered in the study of the Law of God. And, of course, it holds the distinction as the longest psalm (just removed from the shortest—Psalm 117), and as the longest chapter in the Bible. The purpose of the study of the Law of God is declared in verses 5 and 6:

Oh, that my actions would consistently
     reflect your decrees!
Then I will not be ashamed
     when I compare my life with your commands.
                                (Psalm 119:5-6 NLT)

I love that heart-cry!

Ever visited one of those carnival funhouses with the mirrors that intentionally create a distorted reflection?  That's funny at the carnival, but tragic in the life of the believer.  I don't want to give a distorted reflection or an inconsistent reflection—"Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees!"

The thing I love about this psalm is how the psalmist pursues the knowledge of God’s commandments not out of fear of God’s judgment or a legalistic understanding of God’s salvation (“Obey the rules and thou shalt be saved!”), but out of the Word of God as an expression of the love of God and the life He gives. Just a few examples affirm that:

I will never forget your commandments,
     for by them you give me life.
                       (Psalm 119:93 NLT)

Oh, how I love your instructions!
     I think about them all day long.
                      (Psalm 119:97 NLT)

Your laws are my treasure;
     they are my heart’s delight.
                     (Psalm 119:111 NLT)

That’s what I want my attitude to be regarding the commands of God—to know that in them is life, to know that He directs my steps not just for His purposes but for my good, to know that by His living Word to me, He gives me life! I'm convinced that’s why the psalmist prays, “Oh that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees!”

May that declaration reflect my heart, as well!

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