The psalm selection this week from The Book of Common Prayer is a portion of a very special psalm in the Bible, Psalm 119. This psalm holds several ranks in the Bible. First, though there are several long psalms, Psalm 119 is by far the longest one in the Book of Psalms. Secondly, it is the longest chapter in the Bible, with a total of 176 verses and 2,445 words. The next longest chapter lags behind by a bit, being Numbers 7, with 89 verses, and 1,939 words.
The subject or theme of Psalm 119 is to celebrate God’s Word. All but five of the 176 verses mention God’s Word or law by several different names, such as word, law, statutes, precepts, testimonies, commandments, ordinances, judgments, ways. Verses 84, 90, 121, 122, and 132 do not have a word that refers to Scripture. Verse 84 speaks of asking God to judge those who persecute us. Verse 90 speaks of God’s faithfulness. Verse 121 speaks of the writer having done what is right. Verse 122 asks God to defend the writer from the proud and arrogant. Lastly verse 132 asks God to be merciful to him.
Psalm 119 is also an acrostic psalm. An acrostic poem has the first word of a line begin with a successive letter of the alphabet, or to spell out a certain word. There are several acrostic psalms, where the first word of the verses begin with a sequence of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119 is divided into groups of eight verses, one for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, where each verse begins with that specific letter. Our portion of Psalm 119 begins with the Hebrew letter Ayin (Latin alphabet equivalent of letter O), and the Hebrew letter Pe (Latin alphabet equivalent of letter P). Let’s take a quick look at just a few verses in this portion of Psalm 119.
The unknown author of Psalm 119 speaks in verse 127 of how he loves God’s commandments more than he does gold. As we know, gold is quite valuable. People desire to have gold jewelry. Very wealthy people have other objects made of gold. Some people, if they have the money, will invest in gold coins. Yet our psalmist values God’s Word, the Bible, even more than the purist of gold. If we were offered the Bible or a stack of gold coins, which would we pick? Our psalmist would pick God’s Word!
The psalmist believed God’s Word to be right, good, and true (vs. 128). He hates falsehood, and who is the father of falsehood or lies? Satan. Jesus called Satan the father of lies (John 8:44). The psalmist knew that he could find the truth in God’s Word.
Another good verse in our portion of Scripture is verse 130. It’s not safe to stumble around in darkness. If we get up in the middle of the night, it can be dangerous to walk without at least a small night light on. When I was a teenager I fell down a flight of stairs trying to feel my way through a pitch black hallway. Walking outside in the dark is also quite dangerous. It is even more dangerous to be walking around in spiritual darkness. However, we have a light, and that is God’s Word. His Word gives us understanding to help us with anything we may face. We should ask God for discernment and understanding in order to apply Scripture to our daily tasks when we need His help.
Verse 132 is a quick prayer the psalmist made, asking for God’s mercy in his life. We all need God’s mercy, for Him to withhold the just punishment we deserve for our sins. The psalmist love’s the Lord, and honors His holy Name, and prays as a child of God for Him to show him mercy.
The psalmist knows that God’s Word is the best thing to guide us throughout our life (vs. 133). We can travel safely through life by placing our feet firmly and securely in God’s Word, and in His faithfulness to His Word and promises. By following the Bible we can avoid having sin rule over us.
The last verse of this portion of Psalm 119, verse 136, tells us how the psalmist is brought to grief over the sins of others, over those who do not follow God’s Word. How do we feel about those who have no belief or respect in the Bible? Are we indifferent to that, thinking that is just their choice, or does that sadden us? Does it distress us that more and more the Bible is being driven out of society at every level? This brought the psalmist to tears.
If you haven’t read Psalm 119 in a while, why don’t you take several minutes to read it over once again. Give praise to the Lord for His Holy Word!
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