Psalm 119:13-14
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
The psalmist continues to unpack what it means to "live according to your word". He has already said that he seeks God with all of his heart, he has hidden God's word in his heart, and he praises the LORD. Here he says he speaks all the laws that God has said and he rejoices in following God's statutes.
Just as God speaks in the Law and his promises, now the psalmist speaks. His speech consists of praising God and speaking God's laws.
The word for laws here is mišpat carrying the connotation of God's judgment, what he has determined to be right and wrong, just and unjust, like a king (judge in our culture) deciding a case.
The word for statutes is the word 'ēdut. Some translations translate it testimonies. It comes from a verb that means "to bear witness". In his word God bears witness to himself and testifies to his own nature and the truth. The truth of this witness is confirmed by his mighty works and miraculous events.
In following God's word, which bears witness to the truth of who God is and how we ought to live, the psalmist rejoices as with great riches. This concept is foreign to us in the western world. We tend to think of laws more as unnecessary restrictions to our unbridled freedom (which is one of our highest values) rather than necessary restrictions upon ourselves to restrain evil. When we view God's laws through this lens that we can respond as the psalmist does and rejoice in God's statutes.
Reflection
How do you view the moral imperatives of the NT (ie. the judgments of God that bear witness to his character and nature)? Do you view them as burdensome restrictions to your freedom or as boundaries from a loving God who knows what is best for you? Can you make a statement like the psalmist: "I rejoice in following your statutes"?