Insight from Psalm 119.

This morning, I decided to spend a bit of time in Psalm 119 and was greatly encouraged. In verses 105 and 106, we read:

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.” (Ps. 119:105-106)

At first glance, I see these verses as pretty straightforward. My Christianese mindset starts to take over and I glance over the words like they have no meaning whatsoever. Too often I neglect to meditate on Biblica poetry enough in my devotional time. Most of the time I choose other areas of Scripture, with more practical instruction and application, trending toward Proverbs or the Epistles.

That was until our church’s Preaching Team decided to take on 6 weeks of Psalms to bridge our completion of Colossians and the Christmas Season Series. It has been a blessing to have this book renewed in my life.

Back to Psalm 119.

Like I was saying b before, initially, these verses seemed fairly straightforward. Perhaps, it’s because the lamp and path metaphors have been so commonly used within the church world. These concepts have been made into songs and other poetic writings and have great value.

But what intrigued me this morning was the statement following this verse. The Psalmist sees the Word of God as such a light and lamp, that he pledges an oath! He has, “…taken an oath and confirmed it…“

If we’re to get really honest, we’d have to face the facts that in our culture today, an oath is unheard of. Sure we promise a lot, but an oath has seemingly been removed from our modern language.

We live in a world where we value commitment and integrity, but words have little meaning. Maybe not globally, but at least in Western society, this is the case.

Consider the following example.

If I said that I’m going to be somewhere at a certain time, I just generally have to fulfill that commitment. If someone tells me they’re going to complete a certain task by a certain date, I almost assume that it’ll be later than promised.

This might be fundamentally wrong, but a promise just isn’t a promise in this day and age. And it’s never an oath. I’m left to wonder, “can this cultural characteristic become spiritual? I can’t help but wonder whether or not it slips into our spiritual life. How many times do I make promises to God, almost knowing that I’m not going to fulfill them?

I hate it, but it’s true.

I understand the concepts of grace and forgiveness, but I don’t want them to prevent me from ever making strong commitments or dare I say it, an oath. I can’t help but wonder what place the Psalmist was in when he wrote this.

“I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.” (Ps. 119:106)

What was he feeling to state his dedication to the Word with such specific commitment as this? Did he fulfill his oath? In the bigger picture, I don’t think it really matters. I just want to be in that place.

Join the Conversation, Share Your Thoughts:

• In what areas of your life would you be willing to take an oath?