“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23)
Greetings, friends! These words from Lamentations and the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” have been on my mind recently and have brought me much encouragement in the last few weeks. What a joy it is to know God’s gracious love and mercy and to find peace in the shadow of our Savior’s wings through whatever storm we may face. I pray that as we continue our discussion through Psalm 19 the Lord will tune your heart to hear His soothing voice and that He will quiet any anxieties or worries plaguing your mind.
Before we begin, I want to share a persistent struggle I faced during the preparation of this blogpost and let it serve as a caveat for the discussion below. After writing my last two posts on Psalm 19:7, it seemed the words translated “law” (tôrâh) and “testimony” (‛êdûth) had clearly distinguishable definitions derived from other uses in the Old Testament: tôrâh = law, Pentateuch; ‛êdûth = testimony, decalogue. I assumed every Hebrew word describing a facet of the law in Psalm 19 would have the same clarity of meaning; however, this assumption was challenged in my study of verse 8. As someone who loves compartmentalization and desires all things to fit into a tidy box, the multiple and overlapping English translations used for the titles of the law in Psalm 19 initially frustrated and confused me. This frustration subsided when I realized that the interchangeability of the Hebrew words throughout the Psalm is not a thing to be dreaded but celebrated! Praise God that His Word is multifaceted and can intertwine and relate to our own untidy lives. Pastor and evangelist F.B. Meyer, in his commentary on Psalm 19:7-9, stated that within these verses are “six synonyms for Scripture, and twelve qualities ascribed to it” [1]. Meyer’s comment reminded me that although the author is using different words, to which “divines and critics…have endeavored to attach a distinct shade of meaning” (John Morison[2]), they all ultimately point to Scripture – a sure and steady foundation. Even John Calvin, in his commentary on Psalm 19, refrains from finely parsing out the technical differences between each of these Hebrew words because “they are sometimes confounded or used indifferently”[3]. Even so, Calvin notes that there are differences and briefly lists the common definitions and uses ascribed to each. In this, I will follow Calvin’s lead[4].
With that, let’s dive in.
As we move into verse 8, recall the pattern found throughout Psalm 19:7-9: “the [title] of the LORD is [property], [effect]”[5].
19:8a. the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
According to Strong’s concordance, the Hebrew word for precepts, piqqûd (pik-kood’), means “properly appointed…a mandate (collectively for the Law)” or “instruction” of God; also synonymous with “statutes” or “commandments”. We find this word piqqûd arise numerous times throughout the Psalms, 21 times in Psalm 119 alone.
What are the Lord’s “precepts”? What aspect of the law does piqqûd describe? When discussing this question with Sweetwater founder and director, David Pendergrass, he pointed out a helpful distinction between God’s precepts and the other titles given for the law in Psalm 19. The word “precepts” in 19:8a is the first of two plural nouns used in these sentences (the other being “rules” in 19:9b); all other titles are singular (law, testimony, commandment, and fear).
Why does it matter that “precepts” is plural and others are singular?
The answer to this question is informed by the quality King David attributes to God’s “precepts” in verse 8a: they are right. In Hebrew, this word is yâshâr (yaw-shawr’), taken literally to mean “straight” (see Jer. 31:9 and Eze. 1:7,23 for verses where it is translated as straight). In other Psalms, as well throughout the Old Testament, yâshâr is sometimes translated “upright” (e.g., Psa. 25:8, Job 1:1, 1 Sam. 29:6 KJV) or “uprightness” (Psa. 111:8). In the KJV, there are a few instances where yâshâr translates as “righteousness” or “righteous” (e.g., Psa. 107:42, Pro. 2:7). Matthew Henry describes the meaning of “right” used in Psalm 19:8a as “exactly agreeing with the eternal rules and principles of good and evil, that is, with the right reason of man and the right counsels of God”[6]. Similarly, Charles Spurgeon explains, “His precepts and decrees are founded in righteousness, and are such as are right or fitted to the right reason of man. As a physician gives the right medicine, and a counsellor the right advice, so does the Book of God.”[7]
Adhering to the “right” precepts of God, then, will also serve to keep us on the “right” path; they show us the straight and narrow road of righteousness. As Calvin puts it:
It is therefore of great importance to be well convinced of this truth, that a man’s life cannot be ordered aright unless it is framed according to the law of God, and that without this he can only wander in labyrinths and crooked bypaths.
We have now established in what sense yâshâr means “right” and can return to the importance of the “precepts” plurality. Piqqûd indicates that this rightness applies to all of God’s statutes, both individually and as a collective whole. For example, when we look at the Pentateuch in its entirety, encompassing its overarching historical, thematic, and revelatory elements, we can say that the Law is “right” – it is true, it is trustworthy, it is food for our souls and shows us the path to life (by pointing to the Messiah, Jesus). But we can also look at every individual event, or command, within the Pentateuch and reach the same conclusion:
- “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Our human reasoning tells us that the earth had to have a beginning, and Genesis 1 tells us where that beginning came from: the Word of God.
- “He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord…” (Lev. 1:4-5a). Here, God is describing to Moses one of the sacrifices the Israelites needed to perform to atone for their sin and thus enjoy the presence of the Lord in their midst. Human reason tells us that wrongful actions and disobedience have consequences and this principle is active in the burnt offering directive of Leviticus 1. God tells His people (and us) that the consequence for sin and disobedience is death, but though the Israelites deserved death for their sin, God instituted substitutionary atonement where a bull would be sacrificed in their place. This ordinance of an atonement sacrifice foreshadowed the work of our Savior Jesus, who was slain for our sins and became the substitution for the death we all deserve (see Rom. 6:23).
- “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you” (Deut. 31:6). Do we not all desire to have courage, to live without fear, and to be loved? For those who trust in Christ for salvation, remembering the truth of Deuteronomy 31 can keep us from swerving off the path of righteousness and chasing after unsatisfactory, worldly desires and comforts.
What happens when we accept God’s precepts, both individually and collectively, as being right?
He fills us with a “rejoicing heart”.
Spurgeon notes a progression through the verses of Psalm 19:7-8 that brings us to this expression of joy:
…he who was converted was next made wise and is now made happy; that truth which makes the heart right then gives joy to the right heart. Free grace brings heart joy. Earthborn mirth dwells on the lip, and flushes the bodily powers; but heavenly delights satisfy the inner nature, and fill the mental faculties to the brim. There is no cordial of comfort like that which is poured from the bottle of Scripture.
Before we experience the joy of Christ, we first must acknowledge our hopeless state without a Savior which is revealed to us in God’s law (19:7a). Then, by God’s grace, we are awakened to the truth of who God is and what His Son has accomplished for us, and we are thus made wise (19:7b). Once we are given the knowledge of the wisdom found in Christ our desires are no longer for the things of this world, but to follow after Jesus, to walk the straight path of life alongside Him, and it is in this that we find unimaginable and incomparable joy (19:8a; see also Psa. 4:7, John 15:11, Rom. 15:13). This joy that we find in relationship with our Heavenly Father is a natural expression that overflows from the restoration of a “right” relationship between us and our Creator — a relationship that brings us back to how it was supposed to be from the beginning, for us to walk and fellowship with the Lord our God as Adam and Eve did in the Garden (Gen. 3:8). It is this right relationship with God that frees us to say with Habakkuk:
Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places (3:17-19; emphasis mine).
19:8b. the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
Strong’s concordance defines “commandment”, mitsvâh (mits-vaw’), as “a command, whether human or divine (collectively the Law)”; synonymous with “law”, “ordinance”, or “precept”. Recall also that “commandment” was a synonym for “precept” in 19:8a, so while these two words are different in the Hebrew, they are often used interchangeably. John Calvin says in his commentary on Psalm 19 this word “mitsvâh …which we translate commandment, has almost the same signification [as piqqûd]” (p. 317). Though commandments and precepts are synonymous, mitsvâh is used far more often in Old Testament scripture than piqqûd (181 and 24, respectively)[8].
Reading Psalm 19:8b might lead us to ask: “which commandment is pure?”
The answer is all of them. Though the word used here is in its singular form[9] David is not specifically referring to only one commandment, but rather uses the singular noun holistically, as with “law” (tôrâh) and “testimony” (êdûth). Therefore, “the commandment of the Lord” includes, but is not limited to, the Ten Commandments or even the Pentateuch. It includes any command given by God within the body of Scripture and all that God commands is inherently “pure” (Hebrew: bar).
What is purity?
It refers to cleanness, clarity, uncontaminated beauty, being without blemish or default. In Psalm 12, King David likens the words of God to “silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times” (v. 6). Metal purified by fire reveals the true, inner core so that only the elemental substance is left; silver that has been refined by fire seven times is not only pure, but perfectly pure[10]. The comparison between refined silver and God’s words point to the true, undefiled nature of all God’s commands. This purity means that we can test, prod, burn, examine, and attempt to tear them apart but through all of these trials God’s commands remain solid, beautiful, “without dross and defilement” (Matthew Henry), and 100% truth. God’s pure commandments are inherently so and will remain so until the end of time because the One who is free from all sin and corruption and who knows all things and is working all things out for His holy purpose and glory is the One proclaiming them.
What effect does the perfect purity of all God commands have on us?
It brings light to our eyes.
According to Calvin:
…only in the commandments of God [do] we find the difference between good and evil laid down, and that it is in vain to seek it elsewhere, since whatever men devise of themselves is mere filth and refuse, corrupting the purity of life. …[they] are blind, and always wander in darkness, until they turn their eyes to the light of heavenly doctrine.
Drawing also from Spurgeon:
’Enlightening the eyes,’ purging away by its own purity the earthly grossness which mars the intellectual discernment: whether the eye be dim with sorrow or with sin, the Scripture is a skilful oculist, and makes the eye clear and bright. Look at the sun and it puts out your eyes, look at the more than sunlight of Revelation and it enlightens them; the purity of snow causes snow blindness to the Alpine traveller, but the purity of God’s truth has the contrary effect, and cures the natural blindness of the soul.
The light David talks about in Psalm 19:8b is a spiritual light, not physical. Scripture tells us that there are some who “have eyes, but do not see” (Psa. 135:16b, Jer. 5:21, Eze. 12:2, Mat. 13:13,15, Rom. 11:8) referring to people with physical eyes but who are spiritually blind. From Spurgeon we see that unlike the brightness of the sun, or the pure whiteness of the snow, which harms our physical eyes and can cause physical blindness, the spiritual light of Scripture serves to open our eyes and remove the blindness from our hearts to accept the truths within God’s Word (Pro. 4:20-27, Eph. 1:18, 1 John 1:5,7) so that we become people who have eyes and see!
Great is the faithfulness of our Lord and King, Jesus, for He has provided us a straight and narrow way unto salvation. Praise Him for His right, true, trustworthy statutes and His pure, undefiled, sinless commandments to rejoice our hearts and enlighten our eyes forever and ever! Amen.
*All scripture references in this post were taken from the ESV translation unless otherwise noted.
[1]Through the Bible Day by Day, Published 1914. Accessed on e-Sword.
[2] https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/treasury-of-david/psalms-19-8.html
[3] PDF of Calvin’s commentary was accessed on Christian Classics Ethereal Library website (https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom08.html). All quotes from Calvin used in this post were found here.
[4]Regarding the definition of piqqûd, Calvin states, “I have followed others in translating [piqqûd] statutes” which “is every where taken generally for ordinances and edicts” (p. 317).
[5]For a refresher, or further explanation, on this pattern see this blogpost.
[6]All quotes from Matthew Henry were pulled from: Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Published 1708-1714. Accessed on e-Sword.
[7]All quotes from Charles Spurgeon were pulled from: C. H. Spurgeon “Treasury of David”, Published 1869-1885. Accessed on e-Sword.
[8]Cross referencing performed in e-Sword.
[9]In the context of Psalm 19:8b, the word mitsvâh is translated in its singular form: commandment. However, most occurrences throughout the Old Testament translate mitsvâh as plural: commandments.
[10]In Biblical numerology, the number 7 represents perfection, or completeness.