Fulfill the Commandments of God!

[Psalm 119:161-168]

If we love God, we must keep His commandments (John 14:21). And when we keep God’s commandments, we must not neglect even the smallest of them, but observe them all (Matthew 5:19). In Psalm 119:166, the psalmist says, “Lord, I have hoped for Your salvation, and I have kept Your commandments.” Today, based on this verse, I want to reflect on three aspects under the title “Fulfill the Commandments of God!”: (1) How can we fulfill God’s commandments? (2) How should we fulfill God’s commandments? (3) What is the result of fulfilling God’s commandments?

First, how can we fulfill God’s commandments?

In the passage from Psalm 119:161-168, we find three lessons for fulfilling God’s commandments:

(1) To fulfill God’s commandments, we must fear only God’s Word.

Look at Psalm 119:161: “Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your word.” The psalmist, despite being persecuted unjustly, did not fear the princes who were persecuting him, but instead, he feared only the Word of the Lord. When we have this same reverence for God’s Word, we can fulfill His commandments, just as the psalmist did. Without a reverence for God’s commandments, we may become afraid of those who persecute us and end up disobeying God’s commands.

(2) To fulfill God’s commandments, we must delight in God’s Word.

Look at Psalm 119:162: “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” Not only did the psalmist fear the Word of God, but he also delighted in it. He rejoiced in God’s Word as if he had found great treasure. We, too, should rejoice in God’s Word even in times of suffering. We should rejoice as someone who, without deserving it and without effort, finds a treasure. Likewise, we should rejoice greatly in the promises of God, even though we may not deserve them.

(3) To fulfill God’s commandments, we must love God’s Word.

Look at Psalm 119:163: “I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your law.” To fulfill God’s commandments, we must love His Word, just as the psalmist did. And to love God’s Word, we must hate and abhor all falsehood. We must not tolerate even the smallest lie. Tolerating a small lie shows that we do not truly love God’s Word. Those who love the truth will even hate small lies. And because they love God’s Word, they fulfill His commandments.

Secondly, how should we keep God’s commandments?

Let’s look at Psalm 119:166: “Lord, I have hoped for Your salvation, and I have done Your commandments.” The psalmist kept God’s commandments while hoping for His salvation. This means that it is contradictory to hope for salvation while not keeping God’s commandments. While salvation belongs to God alone, there is a problem in praying for salvation without the human responsibility of obeying His word. We should hope for God’s salvation while obeying His word, as obedience is our responsibility. As we hope for His salvation, we must keep God’s commandments. When we do so, God will deliver us from our trials.

Thirdly, what is the result of keeping God’s commandments?

The result is that we will praise the Lord. Look at Psalm 119:164: “Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous judgments.” The psalmist praised the Lord seven times a day because of His righteous commandments. Ultimately, he praised God because he kept His commandments. Those who revere, rejoice in, and love God’s word will praise the Lord. Another result of keeping God’s commandments is that we find great peace in our hearts. Look at Psalm 119:165: “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” Those who love God’s word and live by it will experience peace in their hearts.

We must keep God’s commandments. Even in times of suffering, we must keep His word. We must obey His word with reverence, rejoicing, and loving it in our hearts. In doing so, we must keep God’s commandments while hoping for His salvation in the midst of our struggles. When we do this, God will give us great peace and make us praise Him.

May we become those who keep God’s commandments.

Pastor James Kim
(Praying that we will reverently, joyfully, and lovingly obey His word)