Obedience Is A Gift of Grace

This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts.

Psalm 119:56

This is a difficult verse to translate. In the original Hebrew, the word "blessing" isn't actually there. It's been added by the translator. But to make things even more unclear, the word "that" can also be translated as "because."

So, in light of the different ways this verse can be translated, how should we understand it?

Translation #1

This has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts.

Psalm 119:56

In this translation, I understand "this" to refer to the second half of the sentence. In other words, "This is what has fallen to me: that I have kept your precepts." And the conclusion I arrive at is this: obedience (keeping God's precepts) is a gift of grace ("has fallen to me" implies that I am ultimately a passive recipient).

Translation #2

This has fallen to me, because I have kept your precepts.

Psalm 119:56

In this translation, I understand the "this" to refer to the previous verse.

I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law.

Psalm 119:55

In other words, "This is what has fallen to me: that I remember your name in the night and keep your law." And the conclusion I arrive at is this: obedience (keeping God's law) is a gift of grace ("has fallen to me" implies that I am ultimately a passive recipient). But in this case, obedience ("keeping God's law" in v. 55) is a gift of grace that God grants in response to my obedience ("keeping God's precepts" in v. 56).

Obedience is a gift of grace that God grants in response to our obedience. He rewards our obedience with grace for future obedience.

But before we could ever be rewarded with the grace for obedience in response to our obedience, God had to initiate our first act of obedience when we had no ability to obey (Ephesians 2:1-8, 2 Timothy 2:25).

"This has fallen to me" underscores the fact that even though I must make an active choice to obey God (Philippians 2:12), I am ultimately a passive recipient of the sovereign, sin-conquering grace of God (Philippians 2:13).

Grace unending all my days
You'll give me strength to run this race
And when my years on earth are through
The praise will all belong to You

Which is why it's the ultimate culmination of grace that God could one day say to us: "Well done, good and faithful servant....enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21).

You mean to tell me that He's going to reward me for the gift that He gave to me in the first place?

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD [who are obedient]!

Psalm 119:1

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong but walk in his ways [who are obedient]!

Psalm 119:2-3

This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts [I have been obedient].

Psalm 119:56

In the end, it doesn't really matter which way you end up translating verse 56 of Psalm 119. Either way, obedience is a gift of grace.

I couldn't more wholeheartedly agree with the translator's decision to insert the word "blessing."