Psalm 119: Introduction, Part 2

In today’s meditation, we continue with our introduction to Psalm 119. Recall that the theme of this Psalm is the written revelation of God, the scriptures. With the exception of four verses, the entire psalm consists of prayers revolving around the word of God. Hence, the psalm is dealing with the subject of verbal communication. We communicate with God by means of prayer and God communicates with us by means of His written words.

In order to give a general overview of the message of this Psalm, I shall define all of the ten words used in this psalm for the scriptures. We begin with the word word, which is used in the singular and in the plural in this psalm.

Word - Speech, utterance, verbal expression. Religious and theological uses. a. A divine communication, command, or proclamation, as one made to or through a prophet or inspired person; esp. the message of the gospel. The Bible, Scripture, or some part or passage of it, as embodying a divine communication.

The Scriptures are the written speech or communication of Almighty God. If you want to know what God has to say, read the scriptures. Have you ever been in a situation and said, “What is the Lord trying to tell me?” The Lord is not trying to tell you anything. God has already told you what He wants you to know and that communication is found in His written word. By reading God’s word we hear what God has to say to us.

The Scriptures are also called God’s law, commandment(s), precepts, and statutes. Observe how these words are used to define each other.

Law – A rule of conduct imposed by authority. Divine law. The body of commandments which express the will of God with regard to the conduct of His intelligent creatures.

Commandment – An authoritative order or injunction; a precept given by authority. esp. A divine command.

Precept – An authoritative command to do some particular act; an order, mandate. A general command or injunction; an instruction, direction, or rule for action or conduct; esp. an injunction as to moral conduct.

Statute – A law or decree made by a sovereign or a legislative authority.

Note the words authority and authoritative used to define the above words. The scriptures set forth a body of laws or commandments that carry the authority of Almighty God. These rules of conduct are not matters indifferent. They are established by authority and will be enforced. Since God is supreme, the authority of His law is supreme. Therefore, the law of Scripture takes precedence over all other laws issued by any other authority. If the commandments of Scripture come into conflict with the commandments of men, the commandments of Scripture are to be obeyed. It is as the apostle Peter said: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

As noted already, we verbally communicate with God by prayer. Consider the definition of the word prayer.

Prayer – A solemn and humble request to God, or to an object of worship; a supplication, petition, or thanksgiving, usually expressed in words.

When we pray to God we either thank Him or we supplicate Him. Now consider the definition of supplicate.

Supplicate - To beg, pray, or entreat humbly; to present a humble petition.

When we communicate with God, we are to do so as humble beggars, who are beholden to God for His favours. Since God is the source of all the good that we enjoy, we also thank Him when we pray. We do not command God’s favours; we rather humbly ask for them. But from the above definitions we see that when God communicates with us, He does so with authority, with the right to command. So in our communication with God, we do the begging and He does the commanding. We cannot maintain a true communion with God unless we respect and submit to His authority. Take the place of a humble suppliant and yield to God’s authority by submitting to His decisions and doing what He commands, and you and God will get along just fine. Psalm 119 will demonstrate this. We will consider the other five words in our next meditation, God willing.