God’s Law, Just Society, and Our Dishonest Gain: Reflecting on the Plea of Psalm 119

In psalm 119 so far, the psalmist

1. confesses God’s ways are better than his,
2. asks God to keep him according to God’s ways, and
3. claims that God’s ways make him happier than his own ways.

As the psalmist reflects on the Law of God, he continues,

Incline my heart to Your testimonies And not to dishonest gain (Psalm 119:36). 

Since the psalmist sees the Law of God as opposite dishonest gain, we get to ask another question of God’s Law–Does God’s Law actually prevent dishonest gain?

When I observe the world, I realize the natural person seeks dishonest gain—from money to power and fame. We really like personal success, and we like to try to get what we think we are owed. There are divisions, wars, fights, hatreds, and slanders because we tend to think very highly of ourselves and want more for ourselves. I have owned my own business and am aware of the temptation to “serve people” in order to gain from them. Even ministry is no exception. Every day pastors are climbing their own ladders of success and trying to gain a following for themselves. Sinful people try to rule the church, their workplaces, communities, schools, and homes. When we seek dishonest gain, other people always suffer. The psalmist recognizes that God’s Law not only facilitates personal happiness but also an equal and just society. Incline my heart to Your testimonies because my yearning for personal gain actually creates injustice and inequality. It is better and happier to have a just world than to get what I want.

The psalmist believes God’s Law facilitates a just and equal society as opposed to our worldly ways. I believe the Law stands as an example for the law codes of nations today. Consider, for instance, Deuteronomy:

You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your countrymen you shall not charge interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess (Deuteronomy 23:19-20).

The Law forbade any type of interest charged to one’s own countrymen so that He may bless the nation in all it undertakes. People charge interest to make money at someone else’s expense. Charging interest is a pure matter of personal gain. The Law indicates that charging interest, though it profits someone personally, is not good for a nation. Charging interest creates classes and debt. While there are many ways we can and should apply this truth in our own circumstance from the collection of taxes to the existence of mortgages and credit card companies, we plainly see that God’s Law favors the equality and just circumstance of the people living together—such that no one is taken advantage of so someone else may profit from his loss. All people were to thrive by honest work. God’s ways are better than ours.

Isaiah referred to this principle in the Law when he predicted the coming of the kingdom of heaven.

They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, And their descendants with them (Isaiah 65:21-23). 

Isaiah predicted a time when God’s Law would reign as the supreme Law of all lands and peoples. There would be such prosperity on the earth because people won’t own properties for other people to live in. They won’t keep people subject to them using welfare systems. No one’s labor will be in vain because each one will gain honestly through the work of his hands. Isaiah describes God’s economy according to the Law, which facilitates a just and equal society in which everyone prospers—not merely the few who take advantage of the rest.

The psalmist sings out asking God not to give him over to his inclination toward dishonest gain but, instead, to keep him according to His testimonies, the Law. The principles in the Law facilitate a prosperous, just, and equal society. That is why, when we sing, we ask God to keep us according to His ways rather than our own. Praise Him for the just result.

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In this post, you read about how God’s Law actually facilitates equality and prosperity for a nation. You saw the Law’s restrictions on charging interest and even Isaiah’s prediction that there would be no property owners or tenants in the kingdom of heaven. If you have any questions about any of these topics, please feel free to reach out.