| God's Word Greater Than Gold
The magnificent power of God's Word is portrayed from beginning to end in this amazing psalm. Here, in the first 64 verses, the great virtue of His Word is lifted off the pages. God's Word can do what no other thing can do for us in the physical dimension in which we live. Those who seek a blessed life are those who keep God's "testimonies." What God has declared as true is more sure than life itself. Just as truths discovered within the laws of nature become principles that make a flight to the moon possible, in like fashion God's spiritual truths have the force to take us to spiritual heights beyond our imagination (v. 2). When integrated into our hearts, the virtue within God's Word has the power to keep us from sin's poison. It is God's truth that sets us free from the chains and oppression of evil (v. 9-11). It is the personal experience of those who live within the promises of God's Word that have discovered comfort in affliction and life more abundant even through sorrow's cruel blows (v. 50). It is because of our logical and heartfelt expectation of what God's Word can do, that, like this psalmist, we are drawn to seek God's Word more than the covetous seek gold. It is the wise person who seeks to know and live God's Word with all his heart (v. 2). If we do not, we deceive ourselves in thinking we hold a true regard for God's Word or for God Himself. To say we love God but not His Word is like saying we like flowers but not their scent, form, or color. Those who see the genuine value of God's Word for what it really is and where its wisdom can take us will pursue it with diligence that moves us to deeply meditate and search out God's ways (v. 4-5, 15). All who know their own "blind spots" will find themselves passionately crying for God's divine help to see His unseen wonders, the glorious things that the natural man will never behold. It was our Lord Jesus who found great joy when He beheld humble "babes" seeking what the greatest minds never could find. Thus Jesus said to God, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes" (Matt. 11:25). Come to Him now with the humble, hungry heart of a sincere child and you too will see wondrous things that are waiting to be known in the pure and rich Word of God. | |||
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| Psalm 119:1-64
2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, 3 They also do no iniquity; 4 You have commanded us 5 Oh, that my ways were directed 6 Then I would not be ashamed, 7 I will praise You with uprightness of heart, 8 I will keep Your statutes; 9 How can a young man cleanse his way? 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, 12 Blessed are You, O LORD! 13 With my lips I have declared 14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, 15 I will meditate on Your precepts, 16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; 17 Deal bountifully with Your servant, 18 Open my eyes, that I may see 19 I am a stranger in the earth; 20 My soul breaks with longing 21 You rebuke the proud—the cursed, 22 Remove from me reproach and contempt, 23 Princes also sit and speak against me, 24 Your testimonies also are my delight 25 My soul clings to the dust; 26 I have declared my ways, and You answered me; 27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts; 28 My soul melts from heaviness; 29 Remove from me the way of lying, 30 I have chosen the way of truth; 31 I cling to Your testimonies; 32 I will run the course of Your commandments, 33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; 35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, 36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies, 37 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, 38 Establish Your word to Your servant, 39 Turn away my reproach which I dread, 40 Behold, I long for Your precepts; 41 Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD— 42 So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, 43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, 44 So shall I keep Your law continually, 45 And I will walk at liberty, 46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, 47 And I will delight myself in Your commandments, 48 My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, 49 Remember the word to Your servant, 50 This is my comfort in my affliction, 51 The proud have me in great derision, 52 I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD, 53 Indignation has taken hold of me 54 Your statutes have been my songs 55 I remember Your name in the night, O LORD, 56 This has become mine, 57 You are my portion, O LORD; 58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; 59 I thought about my ways, 60 I made haste, and did not delay 61 The cords of the wicked have bound me, 62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, 63 I am a companion of all who fear You, 64 The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; | |||
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| Psalm 119:1-64 This extravagant psalm is the longest chapter in the Bible; 176 verses or lines of poetry, all arranged in an acrostic in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet (22 in number) begins eight verses of poetry. It was designed to teach the supreme importance of God's word and impress this upon the memory and thinking of each and every believer who recited it. v. 1 undefiled – blameless in the way – derek (Heb.) road or path. For the psalmist, the life of faith is a way. The word for "way" reappears 12 more times in this psalm (v. 3). The men and women of the early Christian church were called followers of "the way" (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14). Who walk – halak (Heb.) Life with God is a journey (1 John 1:7). Law – torah (Heb.) instruction v. 2 whole heart – an undivided focus upon God as the center of life and action v. 3 They also do no iniquity – The godly man or woman does not live in sin. v. 4 precepts – The first synonym for torah. v. 5 statutes – Another synonym for torah. v. 6 commandments – The Hebrew word (in singular form) is mitzvah, familiar to even non-Jews in the name of the coming-of-age ceremony, the Bar Mitzvah, in which a Jewish boy takes the first step to manhood and becomes a "son of the commandment." v. 7 uprightness of heart – honestly and without hypocrisy righteous judgments – mishpat (Heb.) ordinances v. 9 a young man – In the ancient Hebrew tradition of Wisdom, a na'ar or lad needs instruction on how to live; hence the connection with torah (God's instruction). cleanse his way – 'orach (Heb.) live his life on God's "path" taking heed – patterning one's life v. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You – Wholeheartedness is the key to walking on God's path, unlike the double-souled man of James 1:8. wander – Again, the picture is of a path, which the careless or thoughtless can stray from. v. 11 word – 'imrah (Heb.) utterance or speech; i.e. the active and living communication of God. 'imrah is a favorite of the poet; he uses it a total of 19 times in this psalm. That I might not sin against You – live a life that does not offend God's character v. 13 With my lips I have declared – There is a proper spiritual movement from learning to speaking or teaching. All the judgments of Your mouth – All the decisions that God pronounces. v. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies – Note again the conjunction of "way" and "testimony" (yet another synonym for the Word of God). v. 15 meditate – talk (also to oneself) contemplate – focus on v. 17 keep Your word – observe Your Word v. 18 Open – galah (Heb.) also means to discover wondrous things – marvelous truths v. 19 I am a stranger in the earth – The Bible teaches that the believer is a sojourner, a "resident alien" in the world, living a transient life, exposed to dangers and discrimination. Do not hide Your commandments from me – Only God's instruction can guide us safely through such an obstacle course. v. 21 You rebuke the proud–The cursed, who stray from Your commandments – God speaks out against the arrogant, those who wander from the path of His instruction for life. v. 22 Remove from me reproach and contempt – the contempt of the arrogant pictured in the previous verse v. 23 Princes also sit and speak against me – Ps. 1:1 v. 24 my delight – my enjoyment my counselors – men of my counsel (Heb.) v. 25 soul – nephesh (Heb.) innermost being clings to the dust – faced with death revive me – give me new life v. 26 I have declared – retold or recounted v. 27 Your precepts – Your "decrees" v. 28 heaviness – anguished grief or sorrow; the image is of wax melting before a flame v. 29 the way of lying – the other path; the way of deception and falsehood, of appearance rather than reality and grant me Your law graciously – Better translated, "Through Your instruction give me grace." v. 30 I have chosen the way of truth – in contrast to the "way of lying" from the previous verse Your judgments I have laid before me – Through a conscious decision the psalmist has set his mind upon God's Word. v. 32 course – derek (Heb.) way or path for You shall enlarge my heart – give me true understanding v. 33 Teach me – Hebrew verse, like most other poetry, uses sound patterns to connect ideas and statements together. Associations are formed in the brain when words and phrases sound like previously used terms. (This is why poetry, like music, really needs to be heard.) The Hebrew form of the verb that begins this verse ("teach") is horeni; it sounds like the word for "law/instruction" (torah); so the connotation is: "teach me / ‘instruct' me in the way of your statutes." I shall keep it to the end – probably in the sense of "certainly keep it" v. 34 understanding – biyn (Heb.) prudent discernment I shall observe it with my whole heart – Wholeheartedness is the mark of a person whose attention is focused upon knowing and obeying God. v. 35 Make me walk – "Walk" is the verbal form of derek ("way" or "path"). "Walk me on the path" would be a more exact translation. Admittedly, this sounds a little strange in English, but we do have expressions such as: "Please walk me through the process step-by-step." v. 36 Incline my heart – "turn" or "bend" my heart in the right direction; the inner work of the Holy Spirit in His battle against our flesh (Gal. 5:17) covetousness – a preoccupation with selfish personal gain or profit v. 37 Worthless things – shawv (Heb.) worthless content, emptiness revive me – give me new energy v. 39 reproach – public dishonor and disgrace v. 40 Behold – The second half of this verse again articulates the poet's desire for a fresh input of God's energy into his life; hence re-vival and re-vive v. 41 mercies – Note the plural form; the word refers to specific and multiple acts of kindness on God's part. Note also the parallelism between "mercies" and "salvation." v. 42 him who reproaches me – Or, the enemy who taunts me. This verse has the tone of appealing to God for help against specific foes. v. 43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth – Utterly probably means "in any way" or "to any degree." v. 45 And I will walk at liberty – literally, "I will walk in a wide-open place"; in freedom and security (see Ps. 118:5-6 study notes) v. 46 kings – those at the top of the social and power hierarchy v. 48 My hands also I will lift up – In a posture of prayer; traditionally, prayer was done standing with raised arms. v. 49 Remember the word to Your servant – the specific promises and covenant commitments God has made to His people in general and the psalmist in particular v. 50 Your word has given me life – this is the united testimony of all of God's people through the ages v. 51 The proud – In Hebrew thinking, those who do not follow God's commandments and go their own way are the "proud." v. 53 Indignation – The translation tones down the original Hebrew considerably: "burning rage" is a better choice. v. 54 Your statutes have been my songs – The Word of God, sung by His people. In the house of my pilgrimage – the biblical view is that our physical bodies are "dwellings" or "tents" on our journey through life and beyond (2 Cor. 5:1; 2 Peter 1:13) v. 56 This – The Name of God from v. 55. We "take possession" of our relationship to God and our spiritual heritage by faith. v. 57 portion – share or inheritance v. 58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart – "My" is lacking in Hebrew; better translated, "with a whole (i.e. undivided) heart. v. 61 The cords of the wicked – as a prisoner bound with ropes v. 63 companion – chaver (Heb.) friend | |||
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| "Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!" –Psalm 119:2 We pray today, Lord, that You would give us a thirst for Your Word, and that You would reveal Yourself to us through the verses we read there. Thank You, Lord, for making Yourself knowable through the Bible and for the grace and mercy we see in its pages. | |||
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Psalm 119:2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
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