“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7-11.

There are six precepts in the above passage, they are, the law of the Lord, the testimony of the Lord, the statues of the Lord, the commandment of the Lord, the fear of the Lord, and the judgments of the Lord.

It is my desire to clearly show the relevance of these precepts to Christians today. Also, be careful, I have quoted a few verses here from Psalm 119 which might cause some confusion.

One. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul…” the law shows the perfect desire of God for us. We no longer must keep the law, but it shows us how far we have drifted away from God, or how close we are to becoming more Christ-like. The law is the knowledge of sin drawing us to the salvation which is in Jesus Christ our Savior.

“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20.

“…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” Galatians 2:16.

“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:8-10.

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!” Psalm 119:1.

Two. “…the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple…” The word of God is absolutely sure, divine truth, truthful, true in wisdom, in prophecy, and on our duty before God. To those who will listen the word of God makes even the simple wise.

“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.” Psalm 119:2-3.

Three. “…the statutes [precepts] of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart…” The statutes of the Lord are right, dividing the works of good and evil, leading us to a godly life, and restoring us to our right mind.

“You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently.” Psalm 119:4.

Four. “…the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes…” the Lord’s commandment shows us our sins and misery and directs us to our duties in life.

“You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments.” Psalm 119:4-6.

Five. “…the fear [reverence] of the Lord is clean, enduring forever…” the fear of the Lord is clean and will cleanse us even into eternity.

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord!” Psalm 119:9-12a.

Six. “…the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” God’s judgments are upon individual sinners, governments, nations and evil altogether.

They are not presumptuous because God is not a respecter of men. All things are done in righteousness because God is good all the time.

“My soul breaks [is crushed] with longing for Your judgments at all times. You rebuke the proud – the cursed, who stray from your commandments.” Psalm 119:20-21.

I believe many of us long for God’s judgment against the present political climate of liars, every word that comes out of their mouths are lies. It is easy to see why the psalmist’s soul cries out in longing for justice.

“More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:10-11.

Scripture sums these six precepts up by calling them “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” We are to desire them more than fine gold. Imagine what life would be like with a few pounds of gold!

If a loved one becomes deathly ill gold will pay for the treatment, but it cannot save a life, unlike a righteous Christian who can pray to God for healing, or to keep your family safe, or for the salvation of your loved ones.

All of us would like to have even a little gold, but it will not give us the peace of God, the comfort of knowing He is in control, nor contentment with what we have. And honey cannot match the sweetness of a relationship with the living God in Christ Jesus.

Seek Him!

I have included the portions from Psalm 119:1-16 below for your comparison with this study of Psalm 19.

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.
You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments. I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments. I will keep Your statutes; oh, do not forsake me utterly! How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”
Psalm 119:1-16.

Psalm 19:7-11 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 5-3-25 ck.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.