◄ Psalm 119:106 ►
I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.
Study Bible
I have sworn and confirmed

This phrase indicates a solemn vow or promise, reflecting the psalmist's deep commitment to God's law. In biblical times, oaths were taken very seriously, often invoking God's name as a witness (Deuteronomy 6:13). The act of swearing and confirming suggests a deliberate and conscious decision, emphasizing the importance of integrity and faithfulness in one's relationship with God. This mirrors the covenantal language found throughout the Old Testament, where God and His people enter into binding agreements (Exodus 24:7-8).

Psa 15:4 who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD…
Neh 9:38 In view of all this, we make a binding agreement…

that I will keep

The commitment to "keep" implies not just passive observance but active obedience and adherence to God's commands. This reflects the Hebrew concept of "shamar," which means to guard, protect, and observe. The psalmist's intention to keep God's laws aligns with the broader biblical theme of obedience as a response to God's covenantal love and faithfulness (Deuteronomy 11:1). It also echoes the Shema, a central declaration of faith in Judaism, which calls for wholehearted devotion to God's commandments (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

Jos 22:5 But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law…
1Ki 8:61 So let your heart be fully devoted to the LORD our God…

Your righteous judgments.

"Righteous judgments" refers to God's decrees and laws, which are inherently just and fair. The term "righteous" underscores the moral perfection and fairness of God's laws, which are designed to guide His people in living a life that reflects His character. This phrase connects to the broader biblical narrative of God's justice and righteousness, as seen in passages like Psalm 19:9 and Isaiah 33:22. The psalmist's commitment to these judgments highlights the belief that God's laws are not arbitrary but are rooted in His unchanging nature. This also points to the ultimate fulfillment of God's righteousness in Jesus Christ, who perfectly embodied and fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17).

Psa 19:9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;…
Rev 16:7 And I heard the altar reply: “Yes, Lord God Almighty,…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Psalmist
The author of Psalm 119, traditionally believed to be King David, who expresses a deep commitment to God's law.

2. God
The divine author of the "righteous judgments" that the psalmist vows to keep.

3. Israel
The nation to whom the law was originally given, serving as the context for the psalmist's commitment.

4. The Law
Refers to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, which contain God's commandments and judgments.

5. Judgments
The specific decrees and ordinances within God's law that the psalmist is committed to obeying.
Teaching Points
Commitment to God's Word
The psalmist's vow highlights the importance of making a personal commitment to follow God's Word. As believers, we should also make intentional decisions to live according to Scripture.

Understanding Righteous Judgments
The term "righteous judgments" in Hebrew is "mishpatim," which refers to God's just and fair decrees. Understanding these helps us align our lives with God's standards.

The Role of Oaths
The psalmist swears an oath to keep God's judgments, illustrating the seriousness with which we should approach our promises to God. Our words should reflect our dedication to His commands.

Living Out Our Faith
The psalmist's commitment is not just verbal but practical. We are called to actively live out our faith by obeying God's Word in our daily lives.

Dependence on God's Strength
While the psalmist vows to keep God's judgments, he also relies on God's strength to fulfill this promise. We, too, must depend on the Holy Spirit to empower us to live righteously.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to "swear and confirm" in the context of your personal commitment to God's Word?

2. How can understanding the original Hebrew term "mishpatim" deepen your appreciation for God's righteous judgments?

3. In what ways can you practically live out your commitment to God's Word in your daily life?

4. How does the concept of making an oath to God challenge or encourage you in your spiritual journey?

5. What role does the Holy Spirit play in helping you keep God's righteous judgments, and how can you cultivate a greater dependence on Him?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
This passage emphasizes the importance of keeping God's commandments, similar to the psalmist's vow in Psalm 119:106.

Joshua 24:15
Joshua's declaration to serve the Lord parallels the psalmist's commitment to God's judgments.

James 1:22-25
Encourages believers to be doers of the word, not just hearers, aligning with the psalmist's vow to keep God's judgments.

Romans 12:1-2
Calls for a life transformed by the renewal of the mind, which is in harmony with the psalmist's dedication to God's righteous ways.
Sermons
Confirming Our Pledges by Keeping ThemR. Tuck Psalm 119:106
The Power of Virtuous ResolutionsA. Gerard, D. D.Psalm 119:106
The Psalmist's Solemn ResolutionS. Knight, M. A.Psalm 119:106
Characteristics of the Word of God as Declared by the Various Names Given to it in This PsalmS. Conway Psalm 119:1-176
Introductory to Whole PsalmS. Conway Psalm 119:1-176
The Illuminated PathS. Conway Psalm 119:105-112
People
Heth, Nun, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Confirm, Confirmed, Decisions, Follow, Guided, Judgments, Kept, Laws, Oath, Obey, Observe, Ordinances, Perform, Righteous, Righteousness, Sworn, Upright
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 119:106

     7915   confirmation
     8223   dedication

Psalm 119:100-106

     8454   obedience, to God

Psalm 119:105-106

     8604   prayer, response to God

Psalm 119:105-120

     5376   law, purpose of

Library
Notes on the First Century:
Page 1. Line 1. An empty book is like an infant's soul.' Here Traherne may possibly have had in his mind a passage in Bishop Earle's "Microcosmography." In delineating the character of a child, Earle says: "His soul is yet a white paper unscribbled with observations of the world, wherewith at length it becomes a blurred note-book," Page 14. Line 25. The entrance of his words. This sentence is from Psalm cxix. 130. Page 15. Last line of Med. 21. "Insatiableness." This word in Traherne's time was often …
Thomas Traherne—Centuries of Meditations

Life Hid and not Hid
'Thy word have I hid in my heart.'--PSALM cxix. 11. 'I have not hid Thy righteousness in my heart.'--PSALM xl. 10. Then there are two kinds of hiding--one right and one wrong: one essential to the life of the Christian, one inconsistent with it. He is a shallow Christian who has no secret depths in his religion. He is a cowardly or a lazy one, at all events an unworthy one, who does not exhibit, to the utmost of his power, his religion. It is bad to have all the goods in the shop window; it is just …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Cleansed Way
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy word.'--PSALM cxix. 9. There are many questions about the future with which it is natural for you young people to occupy yourselves; but I am afraid that the most of you ask more anxiously 'How shall I make my way?' than 'How shall I cleanse it?' It is needful carefully to ponder the questions: 'How shall I get on in the world--be happy, fortunate?' and the like, and I suppose that that is the consideration …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'Time for Thee to Work'
'It is time for Thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void Thy Law. 127. Therefore I love Thy commandments above gold, yea, above fine gold. 128. Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.' --PSALM cxix. 126-128. If much that we hear be true, a society to circulate Bibles is a most irrational and wasteful expenditure of energy and money. We cannot ignore the extent and severity of the opposition to the very idea of revelation, even if we would; …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Stranger in the Earth
'I am a stranger in the earth: hide not Thy commandments from me.... 64. The earth, O Lord, is full of Thy mercy: teach me Thy statutes.' --PSALM cxix. 19, 64. There is something very remarkable in the variety-in-monotony of this, the longest of the psalms. Though it be the longest it is in one sense the simplest, inasmuch as there is but one thought in it, beaten out into all manner of forms and based upon all various considerations. It reminds one of the great violinist who out of one string managed …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

May the Fourth a Healthy Palate
"How sweet are Thy words unto my taste." --PSALM cxix. 97-104. Some people like one thing, and some another. Some people appreciate the bitter olive; others feel it to be nauseous. Some delight in the sweetest grapes; others feel the sweetness to be sickly. It is all a matter of palate. Some people love the Word of the Lord; to others the reading of it is a dreary task. To some the Bible is like a vineyard; to others it is like a dry and tasteless meal. One takes the word of the Master, and it …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Inward Witness to the Truth of the Gospel.
"I have more understanding than my teachers, for Thy testimonies are my study; I am wiser than the aged, because I keep Thy commandments."--Psalm cxix. 99, 100. In these words the Psalmist declares, that in consequence of having obeyed God's commandments he had obtained more wisdom and understanding than those who had first enlightened his ignorance, and were once more enlightened than he. As if he said, "When I was a child, I was instructed in religious knowledge by kind and pious friends, who …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

A Bottle in the Smoke
First, God's people have their trials--they get put in the smoke; secondly, God's people feel their trials--they "become like a bottle in the smoke;" thirdly, God's people do not forget God's statutes in their trials--"I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes." I. GOD'S PEOPLE HAVE THEIR TRIALS. This is an old truth, as old as the everlasting hills, because trials were in the covenant, and certainly the covenant is as old as the eternal mountains. It was never designed …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

The Dryness of Preachers, and the Various Evils which Arise from their Failing to Teach Heart-Prayer --Exhortation to Pastors to Lead People Towards this Form Of
If all those who are working for the conquest of souls sought to win them by the heart, leading them first of all to prayer and to the inner life, they would see many and lasting conversions. But so long as they only address themselves to the outside, and instead of drawing people to Christ by occupying their hearts with Him, they only give them a thousand precepts for outward observances, they will see but little fruit, and that will not be lasting. When once the heart is won, other defects are …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

Of Deeper Matters, and God's Hidden Judgments which are not to be Inquired Into
"My Son, beware thou dispute not of high matters and of the hidden judgments of God; why this man is thus left, and that man is taken into so great favour; why also this man is so greatly afflicted, and that so highly exalted. These things pass all man's power of judging, neither may any reasoning or disputation have power to search out the divine judgments. When therefore the enemy suggesteth these things to thee, or when any curious people ask such questions, answer with that word of the Prophet, …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Seven-Fold Joy
"Seven times a day do I praise Thee because of Thy righteous judgments."--Ps. cxix. 164. Mechthild of Hellfde, 1277. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 I bring unto Thy grace a seven-fold praise, Thy wondrous love I bless-- I praise, remembering my sinful days, My worthlessness. I praise that I am waiting, Lord, for Thee, When, all my wanderings past, Thyself wilt bear me, and wilt welcome me To home at last. I praise Thee that for Thee I long and pine, For Thee I ever yearn; I praise Thee that such …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

And in Jeremiah He Thus Declares his Death and Descent into Hell...
And in Jeremiah He thus declares His death and descent into hell, saying: And the Lord the Holy One of Israel, remembered his dead, which aforetime fell asleep in the dust of the earth; and he went down unto them, to bring the tidings of his salvation, to deliver them. [255] In this place He also renders the cause of His death: for His descent into hell was the salvation of them that had passed away. And, again, concerning His cross Isaiah says thus: I have stretched out my hands all the day long …
Irenæus—The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

The Christian Described
HAPPINESS OF THE CHRISTIAN O HOW happy is he who is not only a visible, but also an invisible saint! He shall not be blotted out the book of God's eternal grace and mercy. DIGNITY OF THE CHRISTIAN There are a generation of men in the world, that count themselves men of the largest capacities, when yet the greatest of their desires lift themselves no higher than to things below. If they can with their net of craft and policy encompass a bulky lump of earth, Oh, what a treasure have they engrossed …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan

Excursus on the Choir Offices of the Early Church.
Nothing is more marked in the lives of the early followers of Christ than the abiding sense which they had of the Divine Presence. Prayer was not to them an occasional exercise but an unceasing practice. If then the Psalmist sang in the old dispensation "Seven times a day do I praise thee" (Ps. cxix. 164), we may be quite certain that the Christians would never fall behind the Jewish example. We know that among the Jews there were the "Hours of Prayer," and nothing would be, à priori, more …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

The Daily Walk with Others (I. ).
When the watcher in the dark Turns his lenses to the skies, Suddenly the starry spark Grows a world upon his eyes: Be my life a lens, that I So my Lord may magnify We come from the secrecies of the young Clergyman's life, from his walk alone with God in prayer and over His Word, to the subject of his common daily intercourse. Let us think together of some of the duties, opportunities, risks, and safeguards of the ordinary day's experience. A WALK WITH GOD ALL DAY. A word presents itself to be …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren

The Talking Book
In order that we may be persuaded so to do, Solomon gives us three telling reasons. He says that God's law, by which I understand the whole run of Scripture, and, especially the gospel of Jesus Christ, will be a guide to us:--"When thou goest, it shall lead thee." It will be a guardian to us: "When thou sleepest"--when thou art defenceless and off thy guard--"it shall keep thee." And it shall also be a dear companion to us: "When thou awakest, it shall talk with thee." Any one of these three arguments …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

How to Read the Bible
I. That is the subject of our present discourse, or, at least the first point of it, that IN ORDER TO THE TRUE READING OF THE SCRIPTURES THERE MUST BE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THEM. I scarcely need to preface these remarks by saying that we must read the Scriptures. You know how necessary it is that we should be fed upon the truth of Holy Scripture. Need I suggest the question as to whether you do read your Bibles or not? I am afraid that this is a magazine reading age a newspaper reading age a periodical …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 25: 1879

The Obedience of Faith
"Is there a heart that will not bend To thy divine control? Descend, O sovereign love, descend, And melt that stubborn soul! " Surely, though we have had to mourn our disobedience with many tears and sighs, we now find joy in yielding ourselves as servants of the Lord: our deepest desire is to do the Lord's will in all things. Oh, for obedience! It has been supposed by many ill-instructed people that the doctrine of justification by faith is opposed to the teaching of good works, or obedience. There …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Faith
HABAKKUK, ii. 4. "The just shall live by faith." This is those texts of which there are so many in the Bible, which, though they were spoken originally to one particular man, yet are meant for every man. These words were spoken to Habakkuk, a Jewish prophet, to check him for his impatience under God's hand; but they are just as true for every man that ever was and ever will be as they were for him. They are world-wide and world-old; they are the law by which all goodness, and strength, and safety, …
Charles Kingsley—Twenty-Five Village Sermons

What the Truth Saith Inwardly Without Noise of Words
Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.(1) I am Thy servant; O give me understanding that I may know Thy testimonies. Incline my heart unto the words of Thy mouth.(2) Let thy speech distil as the dew. The children of Israel spake in old time to Moses, Speak thou unto us and we will hear, but let not the Lord speak unto us lest we die.(3) Not thus, O Lord, not thus do I pray, but rather with Samuel the prophet, I beseech Thee humbly and earnestly, Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth. Let not Moses …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

That the Body and Blood of Christ and the Holy Scriptures are Most Necessary to a Faithful Soul
The Voice of the Disciple O most sweet Lord Jesus, how great is the blessedness of the devout soul that feedeth with Thee in Thy banquet, where there is set before it no other food than Thyself its only Beloved, more to be desired than all the desires of the heart? And to me it would verily be sweet to pour forth my tears in Thy presence from the very bottom of my heart, and with the pious Magdalene to water Thy feet with my tears. But where is this devotion? Where the abundant flowing of holy …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

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