Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
Psalm 119 as a whole exalts God's law. This verse points out the sacredness of that law. It presents God's word as the rule for life, and its lesson about keeping that word accords with the psalm's emphasis on receiving counsel and direction from that word. It is to be read with solemn earnestness as a warning that the wickedness of the world has reached the point where the Lord will certainly intervene.
Psalm 119 as a whole exalts God's law. This verse points out the sacredness of that law. It presents God's word as the rule for life, and its lesson about keeping that word accords with the psalm's emphasis on receiving counsel and direction from that word. It is to be read with solemn earnestness as a warning that the wickedness of the world has reached the point where the Lord will certainly intervene.