The theme of this unique psalm is the Word of God. Every verse except five (84, 90, 121, 122, 132) refers to God’s Word, what it is and what it can do in your life if you let it.

The arrangement is also unique. There are twenty-two sections of eight lines each, and the lines in each individual section begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eight lines begin with Aleph, the next eight with Beth, and so on through all twenty-two letters.

This may have been a device to help people memorize the psalm.

The writer had a great love for the Word of God and was persecuted because he obeyed God and opposed sin. Most of the verses are either prayers for God’s help or affirmations of the writer’s faith in God’s truth despite his difficulties. Meditating on this psalm ought to make you love and treasure the Word of God more and obey it more willingly. Our approach will be to emphasize in each section one special ministry of the Word to your life.

The Word of God Psalm 119 contains ten different names for the Word of God: word, word, law, saying, statutes, way, commandments, path, testimonies, precepts, and judgments. Each name indicates what the Word is and how we should respond to it. The writer pictured the Word of God as

water (v. 9),
treasure (vv. 14, 72, 127, 162),
a companion and counselor (v. 24),
a song (v. 54),
honey (v. 103),
light (vv. 105, 130), and
a heritage (v. 111).

Meditate on these pictures and see what they mean to your personal life of faith.

PSALM 119:1–8

Knowing and obeying God’s Word will bring blessings to your life, some of which are given in the following sections. But if God is to bless you, you must sincerely seek the Lord and not just study the Bible. It is not facts in the head but truth in the heart that makes you grow in the Lord. Review Psalm 1.

PSALM 119:9–16

Here is the first blessing: God’s Word can keep you clean. You must heed God’s Word (v. 9) and hide God’s Word in your heart (v. 11). Campbell Morgan said of the Bible: “The best book, in the best place, for the best purpose.” You must also rejoice in God’s Word, delight in it and meditate on it. Meditation is to your inner person what digestion is to your body. Heavenly Meditaton When you truly delight in the Word, you will have a desire to meditate on it and make it a part of your life. In Psalm 119, the writer connects “delight” and “meditation” (vv. 15–16, 23–24, 47–48, 77–78). Cultivate an appetite for the Word of God.

PSALM 119:17–24

God’s Word will guide you on the pilgrim path of life. You are a stranger on the earth (v. 19; 1 Pet. 2:11), and you need a “road map” to help you know the way. That road map is the Bible. Ask God to open your eyes to the Word (v. 18) and keep your eyes on the way (v. 21; Prov. 3:1–6; 4:25–27). Let your Bible be your trusted counselor (v. 24).

PSALM 119:25–32

The Word of God brings you the blessing of life (v. 25) because it has life (Heb. 4:12), imparts life (1 Pet. 1:23–25), and nourishes life (1 Pet. 2:1–3). God’s Word can revive and strengthen you (v. 28), even when you are in the dust. Nine times in this psalm the writer prayed for new life from the Lord (vv. 25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 149, 154, 156, 159). No need to stay in the dust when there is life for you in the Word of God!

PSALM 119:33–40

If you want real values, get them from the Word of God (v. 37). How tragic that so many people waste time, energy, and money on things that amount to little or nothing (Isa. 55:2). The Hebrew word translated “worthless things” means “that which is nothing (vanity) because it is false.” The word was used of idols. What your heart covets (v. 36), your eyes will see, and then you will make wrong decisions. This is what happened to Lot (Gen. 13).

Proper Values
The psalmist had the right values. He would rather have God’s Word than food (v. 103), sleep (vv. 55, 62, 147–48), or money (vv. 14, 72, 127, 162).

PSALM 119:41–48

Freedom is another blessing God will give you if you love and obey His Word (v. 45). His Word is truth (v. 43), and the truth sets you free (John 8:32). Disobedience may seem like freedom, but it is really bondage (2 Pet. 2:19). When you obey God’s Word, you enjoy true freedom because His Word is “the law of liberty” (James 2:12). Law and liberty are not enemies; they are coworkers in your life in building character and bringing joy.

PSALM 119:49–56

The Word of God will bring comfort to your life if you will let it. The writer suffered affliction and persecution because of his faith, but the Word gave him comfort and hope. When the days are difficult and the nights are long, remember God’s promises and God’s name,

PSALM 119:57–64

If you are true to God’s Word, you will have friends who are worth having (v. 63). Solomon taught this same lesson in Proverbs 2 (see also Prov. 13:20). If you walk with the wicked, they will bind you (v. 61), but if you walk with God’s people, they will help you to enjoy life and liberty. People who love the Word will be glad to see you (v. 74) and will turn to you and help you (v. 79).

PSALM 119:65–72

The Word of God can encourage you in times of affliction (vv. 67, 71; see also vv. 50, 92). What life does to you depends upon what life finds in you. If the Word is in your mind and heart, affliction can bring out the best in you. If not, it may bring out the worst in you. The school of suffering never graduates any students, so ask God to teach you the lessons He wants you to learn.

PSALM 119:73–80

God made you and knows best how you should manage your life. The Bible is His how-to-do-it manual for making life work successfully (v. 73). It tells you how to use your body and mind, how to handle your time and money, and how to make right decisions. Obeying it can keep you from getting into trouble and hurting yourself and others. Do not wait until “all else fails” before you read the instructions! It may be too late!

PSALM 119:81–88

The Word of God will help you get victory over your enemies (vv. 84–87). When your eyes are failing and your soul is fainting, the Word will give you strength and comfort. When it looks like the end has come, God’s Word helps you make a new beginning. Your worst enemy is on

PSALM 119:89–96

If you trust God’s Word, you will have a solid foundation in a world that offers you no stability. The Word of God is settled; nothing can change it or destroy it (v. 152; Matt. 24:35). God is faithful and His Word can be trusted. The same Word that created the world (v. 90) and runs the world (v. 91) will also govern your life and make it secure.

PSALM 119:97–104

Those who love God’s Word and obey it develop a practical wisdom for guiding their lives. It is dangerous to learn from your enemies (v. 98), and both your teachers and your elderly friends may not know what you need to know (vv. 99–100). Learn all you can from every good source, but let God, not man, be your teacher (John 14:26; 16:13–15).

“Everywhere among Conservatives we find persons who are Bible-taught but not Spirit-taught. They conceive truth to be something which they can grasp with the mind. If a man hold to the fundamentals of the Christian faith he is thought to possess divine truth. But it does not follow. There is no truth apart from the Spirit.”

A. W. Tozer

PSALM 119:105–12

In a dark world, God’s Word can be your light (v. 105) to keep you from the traps and detours of the enemy (v. 110). God gives you the light you need a step at a time. If you want more light, you must obey what He says; then more light will come (John 7:17). God sends the light into your heart (v. 130) and gives you the wisdom you need.

PSALM 119:113–20

Doubleminded people are unstable people (James 1:8), and unstable people eventually fall. If you put God’s Word first in your life, it will hold you up and you will not fall (vv. 116–17; 2 Pet. 3:17–18; Jude 20–25). Cultivate a holy fear of the Lord and His Word (v. 120) and

PSALM 119:121–28

God’s Word will assure you and enable you when you feel the oppression of the enemy (vv. 121–22). God’s people are aliens in enemy territory, and only the Word can protect them from the lies of the oppressor. But you must accept all that God’s Word says about all things; if you love the truth, you must also hate the false (v. 128).

PSALM 119:129–36

When you live by the Word of God, your life becomes wonderful because the Word of God is wonderful (v. 129). The Spirit shows you wonderful things in the Word (v. 18) and enables you to meditate on His wonderful works (v. 27). God transforms your mind and enables you to escape the dull conformity of the world (Rom. 12:1–2). His light shines within you (v. 130) and His face shines upon you (v. 135), so that you

PSALM 119:137–44

A key word of this section is righteousness. No matter how zealous we may be for God’s truth (v. 139), we must also have His righteousness if we are going to succeed. The Word helps us practice righteousness in a sinful world. There is no substitute for integrity, which comes from loving the Word and obeying it.

PSALM 119:145–52

In this section, the psalmist is crying out to God in prayer and reminding us that the Word of God helps us to pray in the will of God. The Word of God and prayer must never be separated (Acts 6:4); if they are, we will get out of balance. The better we know the Word, the more effectively we will pray (John 15:7), and the more effectively we pray, the better we will learn the Word.

PSALM 119:153–60

One of the most difficult things in the life of faith is to be accused by Satan and ungodly people. “Plead my cause,” prayed the psalmist (v. 154), and God defended him. When the enemy accuses you, let the Word of God assure you (Zech. 3), for the Word is truth (v. 160; John 17:17). If Satan tries to drag you into court, read Romans 8:31–39.

PSALM 119:161–68

Knowing the Word of God and obeying it will bring joy to your heart, the kind of joy you would have if you found a buried treasure (v. 162) or inherited a fortune (v. 111). If material wealth is your goal, God’s Word will not be a joy to you; but if you love the Word more than money (v. 127), you will have eternal spiritual treasures. Along with joy, you will experience love (vv. 163, 167), peace (v. 165), and hope (v. 166)—treasures money cannot buy.

PSALM 119:169–76

If you put the Word of God first in your life, you will have something to sing about (vv. 171, 172, 175). Spontaneously, you will find yourself singing God’s Word and turning statutes into songs (v. 54)! When your heart delights in God’s law (v. 174), your lips must declare God’s praise (Matt. 12:34). After all, you talk about the things that you love. When God’s Word fills your heart, the right words will come out of your mouth (Col. 3:16; 4:6).

Honor His Word
You have been thinking about what the Word of God will do for you if you allow it to work in your life. Now it is time to discover what you must do with God’s Word. You must do more than simply read it, although that is necessary. You should also love it (v. 97), treasure it (v. 72), learn it (vv. 26–27), memorize it (v. 11), meditate on it (v. 15), believe it (v. 42), and practice it (vv. 1–4). The way you treat your Bible is the way you treat your Lord, for it is His Word to your heart.

Wiersbe, Warren W.. With The Word Bible Commentary:

Categories: Studiu biblic