Psalm 119:5

Psalm 119:

Obey His decrees

The Hebrew word for “decrees” is huqqim and it is often used in tandem with “commands”. In Deuteronomy 30:16 we read of Moses saying to the Israelites, “For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.” “Huqqim” literally refers to covenant laws that have been written down; earlier in Deuteronomy 30:9-10 Moses says, “The Lord will delight in you ….. if you obey the Lord your God and keep His commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” 

As they were taught the Torah (first 5 books of our Bibles), the Israelites were to take special notice, for these were not just empty words, repeated in conversation, these were sacred commands and decrees that were engraved on parchment, some of them on stone, and they must never be disregarded or disobeyed. It was the keeping or breaking of the commands and decrees that was the catalyst for the blessings or curses described in Deuteronomy 28. In the light of the above, we can have some sympathy with the writer of Psalm 119 who clearly struggled with these rules and who longed to be able to say that he had been a steadfast keeper of the Lord’s decrees. 

We are also legally contracted to keep our side of God’s Covenant; however, the signatory is Jesus Christ Himself who carries the punishments of those who fail to keep the decrees. That does not mean that we should take them lightly, there are plenty of instructions in Torah that teach us God’s ways and His character and so they are worthy of our attention and obedience. 

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