Entrancing Loveliness: Bibliocentric Evangelism in Psalm 119
In an age of gimmicks, decisions, and four-step strategies, Psalm 119 contains a unique approach to evangelism. The longest psalm in the Bible is a poem of praise for ‘the Law of the LORD.’ It contains a picture of true piety – a study of what it looks and feels like to pursue God. Built into this psalm is an evangelistic approach with much to inform our modern methods.
In Psalm 119, the Word of God becomes the central apologetic of the pious life. ‘The Law of the LORD’ draws sinners to righteousness. We can observe this from two perspectives. Ultimately, the Law of the LORD teaches the Psalmist to proclaim God’s Word. But first – and perhaps more fundamentally – the Law of the LORD draws the Psalmist himself to abandon a life of disobedience as he pursues a life of obedience.
The Entrancing Loveliness of the Law of the LORD
The Psalm opens with a three-verse beatific vision. Observing from afar, the Psalmist swoons over the blessedness of those individuals who ‘walk in the Law of the LORD.’ It is the only time in the entire Psalm that ‘the law of the LORD’ (torat-yhwh) is mentioned, even if seven other synonyms constantly take its place. Throughout the Psalm, the ‘law’ and its synonyms refer to the entirety of God’s revelation of Himself to mankind.
Far from a list of dry precepts and inane statutes, the divine law is an object of entrancing wonder, beauty, and delight. “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (v. 97). Such exclamations of rapture are a constant refrain. “Your testimonies are my delight” (v. 24) – “I love your law” (v. 113) – “Your testimonies are wonderful” (v. 129). “I find my delight in your commandments, which I love” (v. 47).
The Psalmist recognizes that he is only able to see beauty in God’s law because God has given him a ‘sixth sense’ of spiritual insight. “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (v. 18). “Make me understand that way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works” (v. 27).
The law is more than an object of enjoyment for the Psalmist. It is precisely because of its entrancing, wondrous nature that the Psalmist experiences spiritual life. The Psalmist was drawn to God – ‘converted,’ we might say – because of the Scripture. This is seen clearly in verses 92-93: “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts; for by them you have given me life.”
If the Psalmist was ‘converted’ by Scripture, it is because Scripture is particularly useful for those without spiritual insight. ‘Young men’ are particularly susceptible to temptation, but they can keep their way pure if they pay attention to it in light of God’s revelation (v. 9). ‘Simple’ people are lacking in wisdom, but the Law is able to ‘give light’ and ‘impart understanding’ to them (v. 130). The takeaway is clear: God’s revelation is not merely for the mature and spiritual; it is also for the distant and ignorant.
What we have seen, then, is that the Psalmist was invariably drawn to a lifestyle of piety because of the entrancing character of the divine law. The beauty of God’s revelation was enough to overcome sinfulness in his life. All of this, of course, is only due to divine grace, which grants the ‘sixth sense’ that enables individuals to recognize that the law is beautiful. But it is this model – of God’s revelation as beautiful, and as drawing sinners to holiness – which will help us create a biblical pattern for evangelism.
The Evangelistic Overflow of the Law of the Lord
If the Psalmist has been drawn to God by the Law, then he is also compelled to speak of this law to others. The kernel of evangelism – sharing God’s truth with others – is certainly present in Psalm 119, even if it is not primary.
There are at least two verses in which the Psalmist speaks of his unabashed declaration of God’s law. “With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth,” he announces in verse 13. And in verse 46 he is so bold as to say, “I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame.” What has happened is noteworthy: the Word of God has become so much a part of him that he now becomes the mouthpiece of God. His lips are, as it were, God’s lips, as he proclaims the rules that come from God’s mouth.
There are several other verses in which the Psalmist speaks God’s Law, though perhaps not to an audience. In verse 54 he says, “Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning.” In verse 172 he says, “My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.” Verse 27 is more ambiguous: “Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.” The idea behind ‘meditate’ may convey the concept of talking – conversing about an idea. Either way, these verses make a clear point. God’s glorious revelation has become so ingrained in the Psalmist’s mind that he is constantly thinking of it, so that it naturally bubbles up in his speech and song.
The question which now arises is, why does the Psalmist bother to speak God’s Word to individuals who have no interest in it? The answer is found in verse 136. “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” In other words, the Psalmist speaks because of his love for the Law. It is so compelling and beautiful that he cannot bear to think of people who do not appreciate it or obey it.
It is only at this point that we can finally begin to understand what may be the harshest verse in the entire Psalm. Verse 158 seems as if it would kill all evangelistic zeal, unless it is interpreted in light of the other sentiments. “I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands.” Here we must remember that the Psalmist’s entire worldview is dictated by his love for the Law. He is disgusted by the faithless because they exhibit the antithesis of everything found in the Law. But, as we saw in verse 136, he is not without compassion. His disgust does not lead him to ignore them, but rather to declare God’s law to them, so that they, too, might know its beauty.
In the first place, then, we saw that the Psalmist was himself drawn to God by the beauty of the Law. Afterward, it became so central in his thinking that he could not help but become the mouthpiece of God. His love for the law became a central reason for his declaration.
Implications for Evangelism
In Psalm 119, the Law of the LORD takes a triple significance for evangelism. It is concurrently the apologetic behind, the message of, and the motivation for, evangelism. The Law is the apologetic because it is the most convincing argument: its entrancing beauty draws sinners to God. The Law is the message because it is the substance that the Psalmist proclaims to sinners. And it is the motivation because love for the Law drives the Psalmist to proclaim God’s revelation.
It is important not to draw too much implication here. We cannot say, for example, that God’s Word is the only apologetic, or message, or motivation. Surely we can be motivated by love for God, forgiveness that we have experienced, and compassion for humanity. Similarly, our own testimony may be part of the message, and logical reasoning may play part of the apologetic. But at the last, we can see that Scripture lies at the heart of evangelism.
At the same time, there is much that this Psalm can teach. It reveals that organic evangelism springs from a heart in love with God’s revelation. When the Christian loves God’s Words supremely, he will not be ‘forced’ to evangelize out of a sense of duty alone. The Word will bubble up from within, so that he will meditate on it, sing about, and even proclaim it to others. This is the first implication: that insofar as we wish to be evangelistic, we must cultivate a love for the Word.
The second implication is that the Word itself is evangelistic. We do not need to present it in clever ways, or package it carefully in pre-formulated theological ‘principles’ or spiritual ‘laws.’ A more convincing method might be to present the Word to unbelievers in all its glory, allowing them to experience it themselves: its grand storyline, its powerful comfort, its lofty themes, and its convicting force. When unbelievers experience this, they will either detest it, or (if God gives them that ‘sixth sense’) they will be drawn irresistibly toward it.
The Psalmist of 119 – as I envision him today – would be inclined to read the Bible with his unsaved friends. He would be likely to hold a Bible study in his home in which he guides his neighbors through passages like the Sermon on the Mount – passages which show the excellence of God’s law and the beauty of a life lived in conformity to it. He would speak Biblical truth to his acquaintances, in such a way that God’s Word would appear very applicable to their own lives. For it is in ways like these that ‘the simple’ will be introduced to the entrancing loveliness of ‘the Law of the LORD.’
