Psalm – Psalm 119

Here we are!  Finally at the centrepiece of the Psalms. The epitome of the Psalms.  All 176 verses of it.

There is just so much one can share about this Psalm (don’t worry – I will try to keep this short (: ).  But one can indeed spend hours singing praises to God – just because of who He is.

In fact, before I started typing these words – I actually spent more than one hour singing hymns and Christian songs along with Youtube videos.  Indeed, many of the hymns brings tears, joy, comfort, love and peace to my family’s lives.  So as we read the longest chapter in the Bible today, don’t just read it – sing it! Let the Word of God move you.

Bible Passage:  Psalm 119

The Word on the Word

With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:10-11

If I were to tell you what I know about Psalm 119, it will take quite a long time.  And even then, I would not have covered even a quarter of what is so fascinating about this Psalm.  But here are some interesting facts:

• Longest psalm (176 verses – but you knew that already)
• Longest chapter of the entire Bible (tell me something more intresting!)
• It is an acrostic psalm of twenty two stanzas (one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet), with the eight verses of each stanza starting with the Hebrew letter of that section.
• Near the exact midpoint of our Bible 🙂
• In this one psalm – we can find a wide array of terms for the Scriptures – laws, decrees, commandments, principles, word, statutes, commands…

While these facts may be interesting and good fun for Bible quizzes, following the Word of God is not a trivial pursuit.  The psalmist was inspired to write the Scripture about the Scriptures – the word on the Word – not to add his credentials as an author or to show how inspiring creative he was.  He was making a commitment to God himself and was urging others to do the same.

Wandering away from these commands?  You are wandering away from God.

Hiding this Word in your heart?  You are hiding God Himself there.

There is a contemporary Christian song entitled “The Word”.

I know this music isn’t the taste of everyone but in this song, the singer expresses the vital connection we can have with God through the Bible.  As the psalmist realises that the only way not to sin is to hide the Word in his heart, the singer recognizes that she has tried to help herself while her Bible sits upon the shelf.

She delights that the Word was, and the Word is, and the Word will be.

We can praise God by learning His principle.  We can live a life that sings God’s Word.

Recommit today to hide God’s Word in your heart.  Then celebrate and sing the Word!

Shining In The Darkness

I am not a very green person.

Even now in my adulthood – I still like to sleep with lights on.  It is not because I am afraid to sleep in the dark.  I just like the light!

Light is what we need.  Light, the first “Let there be” command that God spoke.

The psalmist yearned for the light that is God’s Word.  Not a cozy fixture in the corner, God as interior designer.  No, he needed a lamp for the feet, a light for the path.  He had suffered, he had sorrows, and his experience told him that only God’s illumination would help (Psalm 119:107, 153).

Even when we are trying to walk on God’s path, we find that the wicked had set traps (Psalm 119:110).  Evil waited to take advantage of any misstep (Psalm 119:133).  Even without these foes, darkness meant stumbling (Ps 119:165) or even stubbornly wandering off the path (Ps 119:176).

You can almost hear the psalmist plead “Please God – give me the light of your lamp – your Word – that I may walk on the straight and narrow way”.

In the Old Testament, the Psalmists had the Law.  In the early New Testament, the Christians then had the Law, the History books and the Prophecies and the Psalms.

We, the latter day Christians, have all this, plus the illumination of the New Testament books.

But we also have the greatest light, the Word that became human, the Light who “brought light to everyone.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:4-5 NLT).

As we go through our lives today, let us ask God to illumine your walk throughout the day.  Thank Him for His guidance.

Better still… sing about it to tell everyone!