For the past month, I have been Blogging Through Psalm 119, capturing my thoughts, feelings, and impressions as I read through and studied this wonderful love poem to God’s word. What follows below are my concluding thoughts, for now. I have no doubt that I will revisit this psalm again in the future, and find all new things in it with each subsequent reading…
This psalm covers only one topic, God’s word. But its coverage of that topic is wide and varied. It is amazing to me the sheer number of things that the psalmist says about God’s word, even in “only” 176 verses. Yes, it is long, but its length does not nearly account for the depth of its teaching. What follows are just some general thoughts about some of the many themes that David emphasizes.
1. We should use God’s law to prevent ourselves from sinning. That may seem obvious, since “sin” can be defined as any deviation from God’s law, and therefore we must know His law in order to not break it. But we are a dense, sinful bunch, and therefore need the constant reminder that regular study of His word brings us. We need to not only”know” it, but we need to have it penetrate our hearts so deeply that it is the first thing that comes to our mind at the first sign of temptation. Or, as the psalmist puts it in v11, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
2. The psalm also reminds us that it is God alone who can teach us His word. We can do nothing. We can’t know His word without the help of His Spirit. David makes this clear as he again and again blesses God and asks for His help in understanding. “Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law,” he tells God in v34. In v35, he asks God to “Make me walk in the path of Your commandments.” Again, in v125, he humbles himself before God, praying “I am Your servant; Give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies.”
3. The psalm makes clear the need for us to evangelize, to declare the word of God. v13: “With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.” In other words, we are not only to evangelize, but we are to declare ALL of His judgments – to preach the whole counsel of God. And we are to do it at all times, despite whatever fear of man we have: “I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.” (This last one, I am sorry to say, convicts me deeply.)
4. David constantly turns to God’s word in times of sorrow, suffering or persecution. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” And, “They almost made an end of me on earth, But I did not forsake Your precepts.”
Do we do this? Is God’s word the first place we turn when we are faced with difficulty? For instruction? For joy? For delight? For understanding? For wisdom? For our salvation?
