Psalm 119:45 I Will Walk At Liberty, For I Seek Thy Precepts: Vignette On Liberty, Part 3

I will walk at liberty: for I have sought thy precepts. The Apostle Paul earnestly contends that” we are called unto liberty,” but he carefully distinguishes liberty from self-willedness. A man can never have his liberty save on the supposition that he knows what to do with it, and is able to do what he knows. And so the godly man is a free man, he is able to do what he likes, but the distinct assumption is that his likes have come into the renewing grace, and are still in the sanctifying grace, of God. He is free because he is right-willed, and can be trusted with his liberty. The phrase is significant, “freedom in righteousness.” We get the idea illustrated if we observe our anxiety that our sons should be right-principled ere they go forth to meet life’s temptations. We are not afraid for them to have their freedom, if only they are right-willed. The psalmist may only mean freedom from special circumstances of constraint and intimidation, but we can use his words in a more comprehensive and more general sense.

I. RIGHT-WILLEDNESS AS A CONDITION TO BE GAINED AND KEPT. Here it is the disposition to seek the guidance and help of God’s precepts in every emergency of life. Wrong-willedness is an undue tendency to trust in self for wisdom and guidance. Dependent man never comes right until he wants God; and he never keeps right unless he leans on God. The very essence of the example of the Lord Jesus lies in his right-willedness. No restraint had ever to be put on him, because he always wanted what God wanted for him. We only get our wills set in harmony with God’s in the persuasion and power of God’s Spirit; but we can set ourselves, and keep ourselves, open to his gracious leadings and inspirings and inworkings.

II. RIGHT-WILLEDNESS AS A CONDITION IN WHICH FREEDOM CAN BE ENJOYED. Where there is that disposition and purpose there is always sensitiveness to evil. It is detected at once. It is disliked. To it there is a natural resistance. It is illustrated in Joseph, who “could not do wickedly;” and in the Hebrew youths, who could not “defile themselves with the king’s meat.” These young people could be trusted anywhere, because they were set on doing right. The only man in God’s world who is really free, and can be safely trusted with freedom, is the man who means to do right, who is resolved to do God’s will as he may get to know it. – R.T.