Psalm 119:80

Psalm 119:80

The path of "no shame"

Verses 5-6 of the Psalm reflect the desire of the author that he might not be put to shame and that he would diligently obey the decrees of the Lord. Being “put to shame” speaks of public humiliation and becoming the object of sneers and taunts at the hands of our enemies. The alternative is to be blessed by the Lord and to live in such a way that everyone can see that we are favoured and protected by Him. Some will argue, “But such sentiments tend to smack of earning God’s approval and working for His blessing.” In truth, the Law was exactly that, those who kept the Lord’s commands could expect to be blessed by Him, those who rejected His Word would suffer the consequences. There’s a kind of justice in this that still hangs over all religious people, and yet the Word of God says that our salvation is “not of works lest anyone should boast!” Ephesians 2:9. 

Here's the thing, we cannot earn God’s favour, law-keeping is praiseworthy, but no man or woman is perfect, however hard we try, we will still break God’s commands and fail to reach His standards. That is why we need Christ and His sacrifice for sins, what He did for us is the only way that past errors can be atoned for, even those committed by devoted Jews! But now that we have that salvation, it is right and good that we seek to live lives that honour the Lord so that no one can point the sneering finger and say, “But I thought you were meant to be a Christian!” We wholeheartedly follow the Lord’s decrees, not to earn His salvation but to show our love and devotion to Him. It’s not the shaming of our reputations that we want to avoid but His! You only have to look at how people sneer when prominent Christians fall from grace and are paraded throughout the media. They ruin their own standing but also bring dishonour on the name of the Lord.