PSALMS
Psalms 119
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Chapter Analysis & Study Guide
The Glory of the Law
The hundred and nineteenth psalm is a massive, eight-line-per-letter acrostic dedicated entirely to the beauty and sufficiency of the Word of God. The setting is one of total immersion in the "Law," "Testimonies," "Ways," "Precepts," and "Statutes" of the Lord. It is a world where the heart is "fixed" on the divine commandments, finding more delight in them than in all riches. The psalmist describes the Word as a "lamp to my feet and a light to my path," providing the only guidance through a dark and treacherous world filled with "princes" who plot and "wickedness" that entices.
The narrative movement is a relentless "climbing" of the spiritual life through the study of the Word. The psalmist expresses his love for the law, his longing for its comfort, and his determination to keep it even in the face of affliction and persecution. He value the Word above "thousands of gold and silver pieces" and sees the "limitless" nature of the divine commandment compared to the "perfection" of the world. The psalm concludes with a surprising admission of frailty: "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments." The movement is from the "blessedness" of the upright to the "searching" of the Shepherd for the sheep.
The theological claim of this psalm is that "Word" and "Wisdom" are identical. It teaches that the "opening" of the divine words gives light and understanding to the simple. The "affliction" of the soul is often the "school" in which the statutes are truly learned ("It was good for me that I was afflicted"). To "love" the law is to align the "all that is within me" with the character of the Lawgiver. True freedom is the ability to walk in the "broad place" of the commandments. Our light is His Word.
Jesus Christ is the "Living Word," the Way, the Truth, and the Life in whom all the perfections of Psalm 119 are embodied. He is the One who perfectly meditated on the law day and night and who "did not forget" the commandments even when abandoned on the Cross. This psalm reminds us that because Jesus is our Shepherd, He has "sought" us in our wandering and brought us back to the statutes of life. We are invited to let His Word dwell in us richly, for our King has fulfilled the law on our behalf. Our home is His Truth.
