“I will keep [it] until the end”

[Psalm 119:33-40]

Last night on the CBS 9 o’clock news, I saw a person living in Hermosa Beach running back and forth along a 3.36-mile stretch of sandy beach for 24 hours without rest, together with other participants, to help schools facing financial difficulties. Watching that, I thought that even running without stopping for 24 hours on a regular track would be hard, so how much harder it must be to run on sand. But they had a purpose (last year, participants ran 83.04 miles and set a world record, and millions of dollars were donated), and it was really inspiring to see their effort to achieve that goal. Somehow, seeing that made me think about the race of faith that we Christians run. As we know, the race of faith is not a 100-meter sprint but a long-distance marathon, and we cannot help but wonder what and how we must do in order to finish that marathon to the end.

In Psalm 119:33, the psalmist says: “Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.” In other words, he committed to keep the Lord’s commandments (His Word) until the very end. How is this possible? What must we do and how must we do it to keep God’s Word until the end? We can think of three things:

First, we must delight in keeping God’s commandments.

Look at Psalm 119:35: “Make me walk in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.” The psalmist prayed to God to allow him to walk in the way of the Lord’s commandments because he found joy in that way. This means that the psalmist, taught by God (verse 33) and enabled to understand His Word (verse 34), wholeheartedly obeyed the Word he understood (verse 34), and enjoyed the joy that God gives (verse 35). When we experience this joy, we can keep God’s Word until the end. When this joy is within us, we can finish the race of faith to the end.

When I see my youngest daughter, Ye-eun, I think she is somewhat different from the other four members of our family. Ye-eun does what she likes with joy, happiness, and a willing heart. Yesterday, after returning from summer school, she asked my wife and me if she could change schools. I think it’s because she believes the school she’s attending for summer school is better. The reason she thinks that school is better is because she really likes the cooking class she is taking now. Also, she says the teacher is very nice. Seeing Ye-eun so happy and joyful was really wonderful, and I just thanked God. Seeing our youngest Ye-eun reminded me of the answer to the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. I also thought that in that answer, too much focus is placed on the first part. We Christians all know that we must live for the glory of God. But what seems to be less understood is “to delight in God forever.” In fact, we don’t even really know how to delight in God. When we can delight in God while living for His glory, we can run the race of faith before us to the end. When we can delight in keeping God’s commandments, we will be able to keep God’s Word until the very end.

Secondly, we must be renewed by the Word of God.

Let’s look at Psalm 119:37 and 40: “Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way… I have longed for Your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness.” When our souls are stuck in the dust due to tribulation and persecution (v. 25) and when our souls grow weary and faint (v. 28), we need to experience how the Word of God can revive and restore our souls. In doing so, we will be able to keep God’s Word until the end.

Personally, every time my soul becomes discouraged and falls, the Lord has lifted me up again with the promises of His Word, bringing me to this day. Like a Weeble that falls but gets back up, the Lord has caused me to meditate on the story of the loaves and fishes from John 6:1-15, which has renewed hope in my soul and brought me this far. Because the One who promised is faithful and cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13), and because He clearly fulfills His Word (Numbers 23:19), God has revived my soul and brought me along. When my soul was discouraged and troubled (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5), God, through His living and active Word (Hebrews 4:12), made me look again toward Him, desiring Him and filling my soul with hope. Therefore, I earnestly hope that the faithful God of the covenant will help me to keep His Word until the end.

Lastly, thirdly, we must fear the Lord.

Consider Psalm 119:38: “Establish Your word to Your servant, which will produce reverence for You.” The psalmist prayed for God to fulfill the promise He had given him. As a result, he desired to fear the Lord. Through the fulfillment of God’s promised Word, the psalmist desired not to let his heart be turned to greed (v. 36) or to behold vain things (v. 37). By fearing God, the psalmist desired to walk straight, not deviating to the left or the right, but keeping God’s Word until the end.

I, too, want to walk in a straight path until the end. I want to keep my eyes only on the Lord, walking the righteous path He has set before me. However, while my spirit is willing, my flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41), and I have experienced countless instances where the enemy’s work has caused me to stray. Among the works of the enemy, I recognize the greed and vanity mentioned by the psalmist in today’s text. In the lust of the eyes (1 John 2:16), I often find myself looking at worthless and empty things. When I see my heart’s greed desiring things that are of no value and give me no benefit, I am deeply disappointed in myself. When I reflect on why I keep sinning against the holy God, I realize that my problem is that I do not fear God. Because I do not fear Him, I do not hate evil.

Therefore, the prayer of the psalmist in verse 38 is also my sincere prayer: “Establish Your word to Your servant, which will produce reverence for You.” By fulfilling the promise God has given me, I, too, desire to fear the Lord, just like the psalmist. And by fearing God, I want to experience freedom from greed, vanity, and all sinful things as I walk the righteous path until the end.

When I become a gray-haired elder, I want to look back on my life and see the righteous path that the Lord has walked with me (Proverbs 16:31). In particular, I want to be able to say, like the Apostle Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). By keeping and following God’s Word until the end, I want to give glory to God. To do this, I desire to savor the joy of keeping His Word even more. I want to experience more of how my soul is renewed by His Word. By fearing God, I want to distance myself from evil and live a life that keeps only the Lord’s way and His Word.

Desiring to complete the race of faith,

Pastor James Kim
(Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide)