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.
