Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
To have respect unto all of God's commandments is to regard, keep, and give heed to every one of them, and this brings freedom from shame so that one can stand without shame. All means every precept without exception or selection, including the whole Decalogue in which the first four precepts enjoin love to God and the last six enjoin love to man. This is the blessing on the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord, keep His testimonies, seek Him with the whole heart, do no iniquity, and keep His precepts diligently. Such full respect is the language of every truly obedient and sanctified heart, testifying under the covenant of grace that God's service is good and His law is safety and life rather than restriction of liberty. Giving heed to all His commandments enables open, unashamed obedience including keeping the Sabbath and standing in moral independence, making the soul honorable toward God at every step.
Meaning and Context
Respect for all of God's commandments brings freedom from shame, so the one who regards them, keeps them, and gives heed to every commandment can stand without shame and need not be ashamed. The promise belongs to full regard for every precept, not partial regard for only some of them. All means every precept without exception or selection. It embraces the whole Decalogue, in which the first four precepts define and enjoin love to God and the last six define and enjoin love to man, declaring love to neighbor as self.
The verse belongs to the blessing pronounced on the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord, keep His testimonies, seek Him with the whole heart, do no iniquity, and keep His precepts diligently. The psalm exalts God's law as the rule of life and presents His testimonies, judgments, and commandments as guidance for faithful living. Integrity comes from walking in His law and diligently keeping His precepts.
The confidence of not being ashamed is joined to the call to keep God's precepts diligently. It is joined to the prayer and desire for one's ways to be directed and established to keep and observe His statutes. Knowledge of God's Word gives this experience of freedom from shame, with the ways established to observe His statutes and respect given to all His commandments.
That same confidence is joined to learning God's righteous judgments and Word. It is joined to praising Him with an upright heart and with uprightness of heart after learning His righteous judgments. Learning His righteous judgments and keeping His commands with an upright heart bring confidence and great reward. To the obedient child of God the commandments are a delight, and respect for them is joined to delight in doing God's will.
Doctrine of Obedience
The verse points out the sacredness of God's law, which is safety and life, and delight is found in doing God's will. It is to be read with solemn earnestness as a witness that the wickedness of the world has reached the point where the Lord will certainly interfere. There is no shame when respect is given to all of God's commandments, with no exceptions and selections among them. That all includes the whole Decalogue, where the first four precepts define and enjoin love to God and the last six define and enjoin love to man, declaring love to neighbor as self, and failure in obedience to this great principle needs God's forgiveness.
Regard for all God's commandments removes shame, and obedience to God's law belongs to the covenant of grace. Keeping the commandments is joined to an upright heart that praises God after learning His righteous judgments. A person who gives heed to all God's commandments need not be ashamed, and such obedience testifies that God's service is good and that His requirements do not restrict liberty.
Blessing and freedom from shame come from regard for all of God's commandments, not only some of them. The undefiled are blessed because they walk in the law of the Lord, keep His testimonies, seek Him with the whole heart, and do no iniquity. Such full respect for every precept is the language of every truly obedient and sanctified heart, set against the false claim to holiness by those who war against the law while remaining transgressors of it. The verse belongs to the psalmist's song of devotion to God's law and is echoed by God's commandment-keeping people, whose love and loyalty to the law become more evident when it is treated with contempt. Even when God's law is widely disregarded, the faithful can stand with David in respect for every commandment, giving heed to all and remaining unashamed.
The psalm is presented alongside warnings about defiance of God's law and His eventual punishment of the wicked. Having respect for all of God's commandments is the way not to be ashamed.
Courage for Faithful Living
The promise of freedom from shame through regard for every divine command is to be set before children so they grow to trust God as their very best Friend, with parents reading the first sixteen verses as a precious lesson and jewel of truth with tender, softened hearts and urging the children to commit them to memory as part of religious training and nurture in the home after God's order. Young men and women are to study these words to foster a spirit that desires to heed the way of the Lord in continual consecration of heart and mind to God, and God's commandment-keeping people may take this as their prayer as they seek to obey His precepts, learn His righteous judgments, and praise Him with upright hearts.
Giving heed to all the commandments enables open obedience without shame, keeping the Sabbath and standing in moral independence, so that no one who honors every commandment including the Sabbath need be ashamed of faith. This stands in contrast to a faith resting on the claim that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. Respect for all the commandments removes shame and makes the soul honorable toward God at every step, for walking in the way of the commandments is a great honor, and returning to loyalty in keeping His holy law, including uniting with Seventh-day Adventists, calls for no apology to friends, relations, or the world but only glad rejoicing in God. Christ gave His precious life for the sole purpose of making it possible to come back from the side of the great apostate and choose to stand by the side of truth, for God is truth, and God so loved the world that He gave His only beloved Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life, and every soul who looks to Jesus the Captain of salvation is greatly honored by being at His side.
Respect for all the commandments brings firmness and confidence, with courage, self-reliance, and a fuller appreciation of the abilities and talents entrusted by God in service as a laborer together with Him. Obeying Christ's words and doing His works means advancing righteousness and restraining unrighteousness. Such regard leaves one unashamed and is joined to delight in doing God's will and to faithfully speaking the words God gives even when people misinterpret them or refuse to listen. Failure in obedience to the great principle of love to neighbor as self needs God's forgiveness.
To have respect unto all of God's commandments is to regard, keep, and give heed to every one of them, and this brings freedom from shame so that one can stand without shame. All means every precept without exception or selection, including the whole Decalogue in which the first four precepts enjoin love to God and the last six enjoin love to man. This is the blessing on the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord, keep His testimonies, seek Him with the whole heart, do no iniquity, and keep His precepts diligently. Such full respect is the language of every truly obedient and sanctified heart, testifying under the covenant of grace that God's service is good and His law is safety and life rather than restriction of liberty. Giving heed to all His commandments enables open, unashamed obedience including keeping the Sabbath and standing in moral independence, making the soul honorable toward God at every step.
Meaning and Context
Respect for all of God's commandments brings freedom from shame, so the one who regards them, keeps them, and gives heed to every commandment can stand without shame and need not be ashamed. The promise belongs to full regard for every precept, not partial regard for only some of them. All means every precept without exception or selection. It embraces the whole Decalogue, in which the first four precepts define and enjoin love to God and the last six define and enjoin love to man, declaring love to neighbor as self.
The verse belongs to the blessing pronounced on the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord, keep His testimonies, seek Him with the whole heart, do no iniquity, and keep His precepts diligently. The psalm exalts God's law as the rule of life and presents His testimonies, judgments, and commandments as guidance for faithful living. Integrity comes from walking in His law and diligently keeping His precepts.
The confidence of not being ashamed is joined to the call to keep God's precepts diligently. It is joined to the prayer and desire for one's ways to be directed and established to keep and observe His statutes. Knowledge of God's Word gives this experience of freedom from shame, with the ways established to observe His statutes and respect given to all His commandments.
That same confidence is joined to learning God's righteous judgments and Word. It is joined to praising Him with an upright heart and with uprightness of heart after learning His righteous judgments. Learning His righteous judgments and keeping His commands with an upright heart bring confidence and great reward. To the obedient child of God the commandments are a delight, and respect for them is joined to delight in doing God's will.
Doctrine of Obedience
The verse points out the sacredness of God's law, which is safety and life, and delight is found in doing God's will. It is to be read with solemn earnestness as a witness that the wickedness of the world has reached the point where the Lord will certainly interfere. There is no shame when respect is given to all of God's commandments, with no exceptions and selections among them. That all includes the whole Decalogue, where the first four precepts define and enjoin love to God and the last six define and enjoin love to man, declaring love to neighbor as self, and failure in obedience to this great principle needs God's forgiveness.
Regard for all God's commandments removes shame, and obedience to God's law belongs to the covenant of grace. Keeping the commandments is joined to an upright heart that praises God after learning His righteous judgments. A person who gives heed to all God's commandments need not be ashamed, and such obedience testifies that God's service is good and that His requirements do not restrict liberty.
Blessing and freedom from shame come from regard for all of God's commandments, not only some of them. The undefiled are blessed because they walk in the law of the Lord, keep His testimonies, seek Him with the whole heart, and do no iniquity. Such full respect for every precept is the language of every truly obedient and sanctified heart, set against the false claim to holiness by those who war against the law while remaining transgressors of it. The verse belongs to the psalmist's song of devotion to God's law and is echoed by God's commandment-keeping people, whose love and loyalty to the law become more evident when it is treated with contempt. Even when God's law is widely disregarded, the faithful can stand with David in respect for every commandment, giving heed to all and remaining unashamed.
The psalm is presented alongside warnings about defiance of God's law and His eventual punishment of the wicked. Having respect for all of God's commandments is the way not to be ashamed.
Courage for Faithful Living
The promise of freedom from shame through regard for every divine command is to be set before children so they grow to trust God as their very best Friend, with parents reading the first sixteen verses as a precious lesson and jewel of truth with tender, softened hearts and urging the children to commit them to memory as part of religious training and nurture in the home after God's order. Young men and women are to study these words to foster a spirit that desires to heed the way of the Lord in continual consecration of heart and mind to God, and God's commandment-keeping people may take this as their prayer as they seek to obey His precepts, learn His righteous judgments, and praise Him with upright hearts.
Giving heed to all the commandments enables open obedience without shame, keeping the Sabbath and standing in moral independence, so that no one who honors every commandment including the Sabbath need be ashamed of faith. This stands in contrast to a faith resting on the claim that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. Respect for all the commandments removes shame and makes the soul honorable toward God at every step, for walking in the way of the commandments is a great honor, and returning to loyalty in keeping His holy law, including uniting with Seventh-day Adventists, calls for no apology to friends, relations, or the world but only glad rejoicing in God. Christ gave His precious life for the sole purpose of making it possible to come back from the side of the great apostate and choose to stand by the side of truth, for God is truth, and God so loved the world that He gave His only beloved Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life, and every soul who looks to Jesus the Captain of salvation is greatly honored by being at His side.
Respect for all the commandments brings firmness and confidence, with courage, self-reliance, and a fuller appreciation of the abilities and talents entrusted by God in service as a laborer together with Him. Obeying Christ's words and doing His works means advancing righteousness and restraining unrighteousness. Such regard leaves one unashamed and is joined to delight in doing God's will and to faithfully speaking the words God gives even when people misinterpret them or refuse to listen. Failure in obedience to the great principle of love to neighbor as self needs God's forgiveness.