Psalm 119: Conclusion

On 17 August 2010, over six years ago, I began what I then described as “a gargantuan task,” and that was to set out on “a verse by verse consideration of Psalm 119.” And now at long last on this day, 9 December 2016, I submit to my readers the conclusion. It seems surreal to have continued in this task all the way to this point. Now here I am sending out the 181st meditation. These 181 meditations comprise three written for the introduction, one on each of the 176 verses, one on the first three verses, and now this conclusion.

This psalm is the largest chapter in the Bible. It comprises 176 verses divided up into 22 octaves (eight verses each) corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is obvious that the theme of this psalm is the written revelation of God, which is called the Holy Scriptures and which we also call the Holy Bible. The word Bible comes from a Greek word meaning books. It strikes me as interesting that a psalm about the Scriptures is arranged according the alphabet of the first language of the Holy Scriptures which was Hebrew. It also strikes me as interesting that the Bible is made up of 66 books, which is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet times 3. The triune (three in one) God communicates with man in words which are made up of letters, in this case, the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

As I pointed out in the introduction of this psalm, the author recorded “a variety of experiences, emotions, and frames of mind in which he found himself.” As one makes his way through the 176 verses of this psalm he vacillates between the high peaks of praise to God and the deep valleys of depression, and whatever comes in between. In reading the varied experiences of the psalmist we see those same experiences lived out in the apostle Paul, who described his life thus:

2 Corinthians 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed....

 Indeed, Paul could have traced his own life in Psalm 119 and so may we all who walk with God in the light of His word. The outstanding feature of this psalm is that all the varied experiences and emotions of the psalmist were processed through the word of God. There is something in the Bible that bears on any and everything about life. The very last words of the psalm define the psalmist in whatever condition he found himself: I do not forget thy commandments. Eight times throughout this psalm he affirmed that he did not forget God’s word (verses 16, 61, 83, 93, 109, 141, 153, 176). He resolved in verse 16 that he would not forget it. He further resolved in verse 93 that he would never forget it, and indeed he made good on that promise. No matter what happened, he kept his Bible in hand. He was like Ezra the priest whom Artaxerxes the king described as having the law of God “in thine hand” (Ezra 7:14).

The psalmist always had his counsellers nearby to advise him: “Thy testimonies are also my delight and my counsellers” (Psalm 119:24). From Psalm 119 we learn that the Scriptures provide us with the answers for either coping with our problems or solving our problems. This reminds me of something I read in a blog written by Pastor Larry Lilly, whom I personally know. I cite it here:

“I know a man who uses a simple, yet largely unused method in solving problems. He first writes out the nature of the problem, then searches to see if there is a similar problem identified in the scripture, then writes out a biblical definition of the problem and the biblical solutions. He then asks, ‘How can I fit this solution to my problem?’ The answer will come.”

To that I can but add a hearty “Amen.”

Psalm 119 opens with a description of the blessed man: “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.” This description finds its ultimate expression in the Lord Jesus Christ of Whom is it written:

Hebrews 7:26  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens….

And thus we have been able to see our Lord Jesus peering through the verses of the Psalm.

As I look back over the six plus years in which I have been writing these meditations, I am touched by all the varied experiences that I have passed through during this time. As I have been engaged in this task I have, of course, grown older. I endure frequent stiffness and shots of pain in the muscles and joints of my body. It takes a bit for the parts to loosen up in the morning. And I notice that I tire out more rapidly. But I am still able to do exercise classes and keep fairly fit. I am able to fulfill the duties of my ministry which consist of praying, preaching about 70-75 minutes every Sunday, conducting a Bible study each week, writing these meditations, counselling, and some travelling here and there. Thanks be to God that as of this writing I am not on any pharmaceutical medications. During this period I have watched some of my grandchildren enter into their teen years. Two of my grandsons are now taller than I. It seems but yesterday that I cradled them in my arms. I also saw the increase of our family with the birth of my youngest daughter’s two children with now another on the way. Not long after I began this work I made a ministerial trip to the Far East which lasted the better part of six weeks. It took months of preparation to get ready for that trip. I count that time as one of the busiest of my life. The trip itself was exciting and eventful, but hugely draining. It literally took me months to recover from it. Also during these years I had the privilege of participating in the ordination of two men to the ministry, one of whom took over the pastorate of a church I started in Minnesota. As I was working through this psalm I went through some of the worst depression of my life, but the good Lord brought me through it. I also experienced a bout with my nerves and narrowly escaped what could have been a crippling battle with anxiety. Over these years I have lived with the sorrow of watching my beloved mother decline with the dreadful disease of Alzheimer’s. It hurts to watch the person you know fade before your very eyes so that they cease being the person you knew. It is a protracted loss that brings a protracted grief. I have also experienced other losses of things I loved and enjoyed. I have seen members, including three of my grandsons, added to the church under my ministry whilst also seeing members leave my ministry. We lost two of our most faithful members to death and others in the congregation are nearing their end. Yet we are also reaping a crop of babies in the congregation which gives us a prospect for the future of the church, if God so will. During this time I have done some very serious self-reflection digging down beneath the surface of my problems to discover the deeper issues that give rise to them. This has helped me in my personal growth. Like the psalmist, I too can say to God that “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies” (Psalm 119:59). Over these years God has blessed me to continue to increase in the knowledge of His word. Just preparing these meditations on Psalm 119 has been very rewarding. I have learned so much. I look forward to going over them again as I edit them with the intent of composing them into a book. God has also blessed me in preparing some serial messages that have been personally enriching to study and that have greatly blessed the congregation. Of all the blessings that I have experienced over these years, I esteem those gleaned from the study and meditation of the word of God to be the best. My sentiments echo those of the psalmist when he wrote:

Psalms 119:72  The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.

Psalms 119:103  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Yes, the years spent in composing these meditations have seen their gains and losses, their ups and downs. In short, as I have been composing these meditations on this psalm to a great extent I have lived this psalm. And just as God’s word met the psalmist wherever he was and brought him comfort, so God’s word has met me and been “my comfort in my affliction” (Psalms 119:50).

And so I am done. My heart is warm and my eyes moisten at the thought that I have finally arrived at the end of this undertaking. I take my leave of this task with the certain realization that I have only skimmed the surface of all that can be gleaned from these verses. The riches of God’s word are unsearchable (Ephesians 3:8). Even eternity itself will not be enough time to fathom “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Romans 11:33). But thanks be to God that by His amazing grace we will have an eternity to engage in the task. In relation to that, this task of searching through Psalm 119 was not gargantuan at all. It was but a shallow skimming of the cream on the surface. But, oh, it is a delightful cream and a foretaste of yet richer and fuller things to come! And so I commend this work to God with thanks to Him, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, Who enabled me, His unworthy servant, to execute it in His name. May it please Him to make further use of this work for His glory and the good of His people.

Philippians 4:20  Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.