Man Reading the Bible Beside a Table of Goldby CBPepper
119:127Psalms 119:127
Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.
The verse declares love for God's commandments above gold and fine gold, prizing them above the greatest material wealth and all earthly treasure as precious and worthy of obedience. It belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law as the rule of life and the standard of righteousness that distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error. It was spoken when people were making that law void by refusing to obey it, setting it aside with contempt and trampling it underfoot amid widespread transgression. In that setting love for God is shown by esteeming His commandments even more, with loyalty and reverence growing in proportion to the disregard shown by others rather than wavering in shame or fear. It is the song of a commandment-keeping people in the last days, who uphold all God's precepts including the seventh-day Sabbath when human powers unite to void the law, while holding that it is time for the Lord to work to vindicate His honor and restrain lawlessness.
Valuing Commandments Above Wealth
The declaration is love for God's commandments above gold, yea above fine gold, prizing them above the greatest material wealth and the choicest earthly riches and all earthly treasure as precious and worthy of obedience. That valuing is a willing, heartfelt choice, for those who choose to obey may hold God's requirements dearer than gold or fine gold.
It belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law as the rule of life and conduct and the standard of righteousness. God's Word defines righteousness and distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error, and His law demands perfect righteousness. It is received as the inspired Word that nourishes those who hold it through the Son of God and grounds them in faith.
Its setting is when people make God's law void by refusing to obey it, setting it aside and throwing it aside and trampling it underfoot, treating it with contempt and scorn amid widespread resistance and transgression and disloyalty. In that time of contempt the followers of God show their love by conduct and by publicly honoring and revering the law.
David spoke it after seeing people make the law void, and seeing that contempt deepened his love until he valued the commandments above fine gold and regarded all God's precepts concerning all things as right. He had seen that disregarding the law brought misery while keeping it brought peace and happiness and reward to people and their families, giving hope of better things for individuals and families and society, so he did not join the transgressors. The contrast between misery in transgression and reward in obedience makes the worth of the commandments clear.
Scorn and disregard and disrespect and contempt do not lessen the worth of the commandments or David's love for them. Even when unrighteousness swells and the law is made void and trampled under unholy feet, its value remains and love for it increases, and the faithful see all the more need to stand in its defense.
Loyalty When Law Despised
When the law is made void and held in contempt, those who love God esteem His commandments even more, with fidelity and loyalty growing with the emergency. Reverence for the law increases in proportion to the disregard shown for it by others, when obstinacy and rebellion increase and scorn and contempt are cast upon it, when precepts are thrown aside and men refuse to obey. The contrast between the obedient and the transgressor makes the law more precious and dear, and as the attributes of evil are developed in despisers and transgressors the holy precept becomes more valuable to the faithful adherent. Love above gold, yea above fine gold, above the choicest earthly riches, grows with the contempt put upon the commandments all around, and increasing love under growing contempt marks spiritual advancement.
Loyalty in that hour is not extinguished, and the obedient are not swept away by prevailing apostasy nor by the fierce current of evil. Those consecrated to serve God are not intimidated by universal contempt and scorn, nor made wavering, ashamed, or cowardly in vindicating the law, nor carried away by the prevalence of evil. Instead they uphold the honor of the law rather than joining widespread disobedience, standing true and loyal, steadfast in obedience rather than weakening, and standing to defend the faith when others treat it as worthless. Having seen that transgression brings misery to individuals and families while obedience brings peace and happiness, they do not join the transgressors but see all the more need to stand in its defense.
This love is shown by conduct and by publicly honoring and revering the law. The faithful openly uphold the value of God's law as their rule of conduct, with increased zeal that becomes manifest under opposition. When human law is used to make void God's law, opposition only makes obedience manifest.
Growing love and confidence in the law is part of sanctification, and increasing love as contempt grows marks spiritual advancement. This is the only safe and true position for those who sincerely love God and neighbor. Such love and reverence distinguish God's followers from false Christians and mark faithful stewards of grace.
David foresaw the wickedness of the last days when the law of God's kingdom is trampled upon, and his words express what every obedient heart will then feel when iniquity widely prevails. The declaration is the song of a commandment-keeping people in the last days when the law is made void and despised, who proclaim the third angel's message with heart and voice. They esteem all God's precepts concerning all things to be right and hate every false way, with contempt for the law deepening love and regard for all precepts as right.
Obedience in that setting includes keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, and growing love and confidence in the law embraces Sabbath keeping. When civil and religious powers unite to make God's law void and keeping the Sabbath is treated as disloyalty, loyalty does not give way but shows increased zeal. Through a national act exalting Sunday, a false sabbath is accepted in place of the day sanctified as a memorial of creation, yet God's memorial Sabbath is to be upheld with devotion and loyalty.
The declaration is joined to the conviction that it is time for the Lord to work when men have made void His law. It expresses the conviction that God must act to vindicate His honor and restrain lawlessness when unrighteousness grows and swells. There is certainty that He will intervene when wickedness reaches its limit and when the wickedness of the world reaches the point where He will arise to punish bold and defiant wickedness against His holy law. Even while men continually insult His holy commandments and change His laws and make life intolerable through cruelty, the obedient hold to the continual light He gives and value His commandments above material wealth. Evil grows bold because sentence against it is not executed speedily, and gracious merciful means to soften and subdue are turned to encourage depraved and hardened hearts in perversity, resistance and transgression, which calls forth marvel at God's great forbearance and long-suffering in bearing long with increasing defiance, constraining His own power and slowness to anger before He will not acquit the wicked.
The verse declares love for God's commandments above gold and fine gold, prizing them above the greatest material wealth and all earthly treasure as precious and worthy of obedience. It belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law as the rule of life and the standard of righteousness that distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error. It was spoken when people were making that law void by refusing to obey it, setting it aside with contempt and trampling it underfoot amid widespread transgression. In that setting love for God is shown by esteeming His commandments even more, with loyalty and reverence growing in proportion to the disregard shown by others rather than wavering in shame or fear. It is the song of a commandment-keeping people in the last days, who uphold all God's precepts including the seventh-day Sabbath when human powers unite to void the law, while holding that it is time for the Lord to work to vindicate His honor and restrain lawlessness.
Valuing Commandments Above Wealth
The declaration is love for God's commandments above gold, yea above fine gold, prizing them above the greatest material wealth and the choicest earthly riches and all earthly treasure as precious and worthy of obedience. That valuing is a willing, heartfelt choice, for those who choose to obey may hold God's requirements dearer than gold or fine gold.
It belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law as the rule of life and conduct and the standard of righteousness. God's Word defines righteousness and distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error, and His law demands perfect righteousness. It is received as the inspired Word that nourishes those who hold it through the Son of God and grounds them in faith.
Its setting is when people make God's law void by refusing to obey it, setting it aside and throwing it aside and trampling it underfoot, treating it with contempt and scorn amid widespread resistance and transgression and disloyalty. In that time of contempt the followers of God show their love by conduct and by publicly honoring and revering the law.
David spoke it after seeing people make the law void, and seeing that contempt deepened his love until he valued the commandments above fine gold and regarded all God's precepts concerning all things as right. He had seen that disregarding the law brought misery while keeping it brought peace and happiness and reward to people and their families, giving hope of better things for individuals and families and society, so he did not join the transgressors. The contrast between misery in transgression and reward in obedience makes the worth of the commandments clear.
Scorn and disregard and disrespect and contempt do not lessen the worth of the commandments or David's love for them. Even when unrighteousness swells and the law is made void and trampled under unholy feet, its value remains and love for it increases, and the faithful see all the more need to stand in its defense.
Loyalty When Law Despised
When the law is made void and held in contempt, those who love God esteem His commandments even more, with fidelity and loyalty growing with the emergency. Reverence for the law increases in proportion to the disregard shown for it by others, when obstinacy and rebellion increase and scorn and contempt are cast upon it, when precepts are thrown aside and men refuse to obey. The contrast between the obedient and the transgressor makes the law more precious and dear, and as the attributes of evil are developed in despisers and transgressors the holy precept becomes more valuable to the faithful adherent. Love above gold, yea above fine gold, above the choicest earthly riches, grows with the contempt put upon the commandments all around, and increasing love under growing contempt marks spiritual advancement.
Loyalty in that hour is not extinguished, and the obedient are not swept away by prevailing apostasy nor by the fierce current of evil. Those consecrated to serve God are not intimidated by universal contempt and scorn, nor made wavering, ashamed, or cowardly in vindicating the law, nor carried away by the prevalence of evil. Instead they uphold the honor of the law rather than joining widespread disobedience, standing true and loyal, steadfast in obedience rather than weakening, and standing to defend the faith when others treat it as worthless. Having seen that transgression brings misery to individuals and families while obedience brings peace and happiness, they do not join the transgressors but see all the more need to stand in its defense.
This love is shown by conduct and by publicly honoring and revering the law. The faithful openly uphold the value of God's law as their rule of conduct, with increased zeal that becomes manifest under opposition. When human law is used to make void God's law, opposition only makes obedience manifest.
Growing love and confidence in the law is part of sanctification, and increasing love as contempt grows marks spiritual advancement. This is the only safe and true position for those who sincerely love God and neighbor. Such love and reverence distinguish God's followers from false Christians and mark faithful stewards of grace.
David foresaw the wickedness of the last days when the law of God's kingdom is trampled upon, and his words express what every obedient heart will then feel when iniquity widely prevails. The declaration is the song of a commandment-keeping people in the last days when the law is made void and despised, who proclaim the third angel's message with heart and voice. They esteem all God's precepts concerning all things to be right and hate every false way, with contempt for the law deepening love and regard for all precepts as right.
Obedience in that setting includes keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, and growing love and confidence in the law embraces Sabbath keeping. When civil and religious powers unite to make God's law void and keeping the Sabbath is treated as disloyalty, loyalty does not give way but shows increased zeal. Through a national act exalting Sunday, a false sabbath is accepted in place of the day sanctified as a memorial of creation, yet God's memorial Sabbath is to be upheld with devotion and loyalty.
The declaration is joined to the conviction that it is time for the Lord to work when men have made void His law. It expresses the conviction that God must act to vindicate His honor and restrain lawlessness when unrighteousness grows and swells. There is certainty that He will intervene when wickedness reaches its limit and when the wickedness of the world reaches the point where He will arise to punish bold and defiant wickedness against His holy law. Even while men continually insult His holy commandments and change His laws and make life intolerable through cruelty, the obedient hold to the continual light He gives and value His commandments above material wealth. Evil grows bold because sentence against it is not executed speedily, and gracious merciful means to soften and subdue are turned to encourage depraved and hardened hearts in perversity, resistance and transgression, which calls forth marvel at God's great forbearance and long-suffering in bearing long with increasing defiance, constraining His own power and slowness to anger before He will not acquit the wicked.