Lord’s Day, Vol. 8 No. 44
The Rejoicing of My Heart
Psalm 119:111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they arethe rejoicing of my heart.
God’s Word is called His testimony with its first reference to the Ten Commandments – Exodus 31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
Because the Ten Commandments represent the covenant that God made with Israel, it is called the words or table of the covenant and they were pre-eminently placed in the Tabernacle.
Exodus 34:27-28 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Deuteronomy 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
As a result, the Tabernacle is sometimes called the Tabernacle of the testimony (Exodus 38:21); and the ark is sometimes called the ark of the testimony (Exodus 25:22).
Exodus 38:21 This is the sum of the tabernacle, evenof the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, forthe service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.
Exodus 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which areupon the ark of the testimony, of all thingswhich I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
This term is also used alone to represent the ark (Exodus 27:21).
Exodus 27:21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
In time, this term came to stand for the laws or precepts that God had delivered to humanity (Psalm 19:7-8; 119:88). In other words, the Bible. [Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testimony, Spiros Zodhiates]
Psalm 19:7-8 The law of the LORD isperfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD issure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD areright, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD ispure, enlightening the eyes.
It is from the law of God that man knows his sinfulness and inability to order his own life. When we humbly confess our sins and come to God through His Son, Jesus Christ by faith, we finds forgiveness for our sins. When our sins are forgiven, God’s peace, love and joy comes to our heart through the Holy Spirit indwelling us.
Romans 5:1-2, 5, 11. 1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ..5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
The Ten Commandments summarized God’s blueprint for man’s blessedness or happiness from God. It is summarized by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The psalmist’s prayer is that God’s love comes to us, enabling us to love His commandments and keep them.
Psalm 119:88 Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.
This makes for the true rejoicing of the human heart. This is the secret of life with God.
This is the spiritual heritage that the psalmist sought to pass to us. May we appropriate this happy life and pass it on to our children, love ones, family and friends and all whom God will save through the sharing of the gospel through us for His glory. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee