Psalm 119 is known for being by far the longest chapter in the Bible, but it also ought to be recognised for its praise of God's Law and righteous precepts. In nearly every single verse the psalmist magnifies God's laws, statutes, precepts, commandments, and testimonies. It is ironic a common complaint about Christianity is all the restrictive rules and requirements, yet the psalmist saw things completely differently. In God's Law the psalmist saw freedom, not a prison. A man who follows his own heart is enslaved to his own lust, yet the man who seeks God's counsel to walk in His judgment finds himself free from the power of sin.
Psalm 119:45 says, "And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts." Even under the covenant of Law it was a time of freedom for God's people. In the United States Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers wrote all men were endowed by their Creator with "unalienable rights." Some of those listed were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is God who has created man and is the source of all life, He is a Deliverer and Saviour, and how happy are those who trust in Him! This pursuit of happiness is only satisfied as we seek God and walk in His ways. Happiness cannot be permanently obtained for any earthly price, yet happy are the people whose God is the LORD (Ps. 144:15). The man who receives Christ and gives himself to God has assurance of happiness the world cannot know.
Jesus came to earth to set the captives free from all bondage and deliver souls from death. He said in John 8:36, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." The world has hijacked "freedom" to mean "the right to do whatever you want." Freedom of speech means you can say whatever you see fit without fear of correction or retribution. We have seen the results of this sort of freedom: it creates people who are tyrannized by their own flesh. People can only be free when they willingly place themselves under the sovereign rule of God. For the first time when we are born again through faith in Jesus we breathe the free air of the Holy Spirit, knowing we are no longer a slave to self, sin, Satan, or the opinions of others. God's righteous judgments provide clarity of thought and light for every step. Those enslaved to sin claim to be free but aren't going anywhere: for all their freedoms, their chains remain. Jesus is the only King who breaks all chains and sets captives free.
Psalm 119:45 says, "And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts." Even under the covenant of Law it was a time of freedom for God's people. In the United States Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers wrote all men were endowed by their Creator with "unalienable rights." Some of those listed were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is God who has created man and is the source of all life, He is a Deliverer and Saviour, and how happy are those who trust in Him! This pursuit of happiness is only satisfied as we seek God and walk in His ways. Happiness cannot be permanently obtained for any earthly price, yet happy are the people whose God is the LORD (Ps. 144:15). The man who receives Christ and gives himself to God has assurance of happiness the world cannot know.
Jesus came to earth to set the captives free from all bondage and deliver souls from death. He said in John 8:36, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." The world has hijacked "freedom" to mean "the right to do whatever you want." Freedom of speech means you can say whatever you see fit without fear of correction or retribution. We have seen the results of this sort of freedom: it creates people who are tyrannized by their own flesh. People can only be free when they willingly place themselves under the sovereign rule of God. For the first time when we are born again through faith in Jesus we breathe the free air of the Holy Spirit, knowing we are no longer a slave to self, sin, Satan, or the opinions of others. God's righteous judgments provide clarity of thought and light for every step. Those enslaved to sin claim to be free but aren't going anywhere: for all their freedoms, their chains remain. Jesus is the only King who breaks all chains and sets captives free.
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