I.　In Psalm 119 Christ is the reality of the law:

A.　Christ is the reality of the law as the testimony of God, the expressionof God; the testimony of God signifies Christ, theembodiment of God (Col. 2:9), as the living portrait of whatGod is.

B.　Christ is the reality of the law as the word of God, signifyingChrist as the living Word of God breathed out by Him—Rev. 19:13b; 2 Tim. 3:16-17:

1.　The written words are the letters, but the living Word isthe Spirit, who is the reality of the letters—John 6:63;Eph. 6:17.

2.　The law is the person of Christ, and the person of Christ isthe Spirit—1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17.

3.　The Spirit is the reality of whatever God is (John 16:13;1 John 5:6); hence, as the Spirit, Christ is the reality of thelaw.

II.　There are two aspects of the law—the aspect of the letterand the aspect of the Spirit as the reality of God's blessings—2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:3:

A.　If our attitude in coming to the law is to care for the commandmentsin letters, we will have the law in the aspect ofthe killing letter.

B.　However, if we take every part of the law—all the commandments,ordinances, statutes, precepts, and judgments—as theword breathed out by the God whom we love, we will have thelaw in the aspect of the life-giving Spirit.

III.　There are two aspects of the function of the law:

A.　The law has a negative aspect:

1.　As God's commandments, the law exposes man's sin andsubdues sinners before God—Rom. 7:7b; 3:19-20; 5:20a;4:15b.

2.　As God's regulations with statutes, ordinances, and rituals,the law functioned to guard God's chosen people in itscustody that they might be conducted to Christ—Gal.3:23-24.

B.　The law has a positive aspect:

1.　As God's living word, the law functions to minister theliving God to His seekers—Psa. 119:2, 88.

2.　As God's living word, the law functions to dispense GodHimself as life and light into those who love the law—vv. 25, 50, 107, 116, 130, 154.

3.　As God's living word, the law functions to restore man'ssoul and make man's heart joyous—19:7-8.

4.　As God's living word, the law functions to bring us salvation—119:41, 170.

5.　As God's living word, the law functions to strengthen(v. 28), comfort (v. 76), and nourish us (v. 103).

6.　As God's living word, the law functions to uphold us, keepus safe, and cause us to hope—vv. 116-117, 49.

7.　As God's living word, the law causes us to enjoy God as ourportion—v. 57.

8.　As God's living word, the law causes us to enjoy God'scountenance (v. 58) and the shining of His face (v. 135).

9.　As God's living word, the law causes us to enjoy God as ourhiding place and shield (v. 114) and also enjoy God's helpand well-dealing (vv. 175, 65).

10.　As God's living word, the law functions to make us wiseand give us understanding—vv. 98-99.

11.　As God's living word, the law functions to give us properdiscernment and knowledge—v. 66.

12.　As God's living word, the law functions to keep us fromsinning and from every evil way—vv. 11, 101.

13.　As God's living word, the law keeps us from stumbling(v. 165), establishes our footsteps, and causes us to overcomeiniquity (v. 133).

C.　Whether in our experience the law is positive or negativedepends on the condition of our heart in receiving the law:

1.　If we love God, humble ourselves, and regard the law as Hisliving word through which we contact Him and abide inHim, the law will become a channel through which the divinelife and substance are conveyed to us for our supplyand nourishment; being infused with God's substancethrough the law as God's word, we will become one withGod in life, nature, and expression and will spontaneouslylive a life that expresses God and corresponds to His law—Rom. 8:4; Phil. 1:21a.

2.　However, if in coming to the law we do not seek God in lovebut rather separate the law from the living God as thesource of life, the law, which was intended to result in lifebut cannot give life of itself, will become a condemning andkilling element to us—Exo. 19:8; John 5:39-40; Rom. 7:10-11;Gal. 3:21; 2 Cor. 3:6-7, 9; cf. Exo. 23:19b and footnote 2.

IV.　There are two kinds of people in relation to the law:

A.　The first kind is the letter-keepers, illustrated by the Judaizersand Saul of Tarsus—Phil. 3:6b, 2.

B.　The second kind is the God-seekers, illustrated by the psalmists,especially by the writer of Psalm 119, and by the apostlePaul—2 Cor. 3:6:

1.　They seek God with all their heart—Psa. 119:2.

2.　They love God's name and remember it—vv. 132, 55.

3.　They entreat God's face—v. 58.

4.　They ask for God's face to shine on them—v. 135.

5.　They walk in God's presence—v. 168.

6.　They consider God's law to be God's word—vv. 17-18, 28-29.

7.　God's word is sweeter than honey to their mouth—v. 103.

8.　God's word is more precious than fine gold to them—v. 127.

9.　God's word is a lamp to their feet and a light to their path—vv. 105, 130.

V.　Psalm 119 expresses the attitude of God's loving seekerstoward God's law as His living word:

A.　They choose God's word—vv. 30, 173.

B.　They believe God's word—v. 66.

C.　They lift up their hand to God's word, indicating that they receivethe word of God warmly and gladly and say Amen to it—v. 48a; Neh. 8:5-6.

D.　They love God's word—Psa. 119:47-48, 97, 113, 119, 127, 140,159, 163, 165, 167.

E.　They delight in God's word—vv. 16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 92, 174.

F.　They taste God's word—v. 103.

G.　They rejoice in God's word—vv. 14, 111, 162.

H.　They sing God's word—v. 54.

I.　They regard God's word—vv. 6, 117.

J.　They have a perfect heart in God's word—v. 80.

K.　They incline their heart to God's word—vv. 36, 112.

L.　They seek God's word (vv. 45, 94), long for it (vv. 20, 40, 131),and hope in it with prayer (vv. 43, 74, 114, 147).

M.　They trust in God's word—v. 42.

N.　They muse on God's word—vv. 15, 23, 48, 78, 99, 148:

1.　Rich in meaning, the Hebrew word for muse implies to worship,to converse with oneself, and to speak aloud; to museon the word is to taste and enjoy it through careful considering.

2.　Prayer, speaking to oneself, and praising the Lord may alsobe included in musing on the word; to muse on the word ofGod is to enjoy His word as His breath (2 Tim. 3:16) andthus to be infused with God, to breathe God in, and toreceive spiritual nourishment.

O.　They consider God's word—Psa. 119:95b.

P.　They esteem God's word to be right in all things—v. 128a.

Q.　They learn God's word—vv. 73, 71.

R.　They treasure God's word—vv. 14, 162, 72, 127, 111.

S.　They treasure up God's word in their heart—v. 11.

T.　They remember God's word and do not forget it—vv. 52, 16b, 93.

U.　They stand in awe of God's word—vv. 161b, 120.

V.　They cling to God's word—v. 31.

W.　They do not forsake God's word, do not swerve from it, do notturn aside from it, and do not stray from it—vv. 87, 51, 157,102, 110.

X.　They turn their feet toward God's word—v. 59.

Y.　They keep, observe, and do God's word—vv. 33, 69.

Z.　They walk in God's word and run the way of God's word—vv. 1, 32a.