What does that mean? Do I have to be perfect to be happy? Is this an impossible statement?
Answers (2)
To understand the bible, the first thing you have to get straight is TO WHOM IT IS ADDRESSED. If you were to read a letter addressed to your uncle, you could learn from it and perhaps apply what you learn for your own benefit. But when that letter commands to do something, you are not bound by that command because it was not addressed to you.
The entire old testament was addressed to the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, the people we call Jews. The other tribes of Israelites were not bound by the law of Moses. At the same time, the old testament expresses laws and principles that apply to all people, and that is why it calls itself the word of life. Many of the psalms express such principles.
You can learn a lot by looking for meanings. They are not hidden, you simply never looked before. For example, consider the first commandment: Matthew 22:36-40 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 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. This is the first and great commandment." Why is that first? Our God is the God of rightness. If you don't put rightness first, it doesn't matter much what you do instead.
Here is a book to help you to understand the bible. It's a free download and you can get a hard copy at any bible book store.
www.philologos.org/__eb-htetb/ "How To Enjoy The Bible"
The writer of Psalm 119 faced severe trial. Presumptuous enemies who disregarded God's law derided him and smeared him with lies, the wicked surrounded him, and his life was endangered. All of this made him " sleepless from grief." What sustained him was his confidence in God. Applying the guidance from God's laws made him wiser than his enemies and preserved his life. Obeying the law gave him peace and a good conscience.
Psalm 119:1 Happy are those who are blameless in their way, who walk in the law of Jehovah.
Today, we live in critical times hard to deal with. The principles in the Bible remain the same, they are of enduring value. They comforted the psalmist then, and they can be a comfort to God's servants today who struggle to deal with difficult times.
We are all imperfect humans, but if we love God's laws and principles, apply them to our lives, show appreciation for them and obey them, the happier we will be.