Obedience to God’s Word
Living a life honouring to the Lord means living under His Lordship. The psalmist in this stanza emphasises that he is a servant of God (122,124,125). The most important aspect to being God’s servant is faithfully obeying His commands. Believers’ obedience to the word of God has three ramifications for their lives.
First of all, obedience produces a confident prayer life (119:121-122). The psalmist declares that he has lived pleasing to the Lord (121). He confidently prays for God’s deliverance from those that are oppressing him and for God to do him good (122). Brethren, we can pray confidently because we know God’s character and works on behalf of His people recorded in His word (Jam 1:1:6).
Second, obedience produces a growing appetite for God’s word (123-125). The psalmist is passionate and consistent in his longing (123) and desires that God would act lovingly toward him and teach him His will and His ways (124). As God’s servant, he desires to grow in His knowledge of the Lord (125). Brethren, as we obey what we know of God’s truth we grow in our understanding of our Lord, and get a taste of His goodness (Ps 34:8). This “taste” produces an appetite for more and more (1 Peter 2:1-3).
Third, obedience produces a love of good and a hatred of evil (126-128). The psalmist boldly prays for God to act because He has been dishonoured by evildoers (126). The more the wicked commit evil, the more that the psalmist loves and values God’s word above anything else (127). He declares that God’s word is true and sufficient in all matters of life (128). Because of this, he hates all falsehoods (128). Brethren, God’s word is true and right and should be valued by us above ways of men.