Psalm 119: Falling in Love with the Word
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.
How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.
Psalm 119:1-2
This has been one of the most difficult posts to wrap my tiny brain around. I used to think of Psalm 119 as a really long chapter of poetry that pretty much just said the same thing over and over, as if David just couldn’t get enough of the sound of his own dreamy voice. Now, having spent 22 weeks camped here, I realize how rich it is. The reason I couldn’t get a grip and write the dang thing for so long is because I couldn’t choose where to focus my thoughts. There’s so much here to explore, but I’m only going to hone in on three. If you want the rest of this 8-course meal (and trust me, you do) you’ll just have to go do the study yourself!
Before diving in, I’d like to point out that David didn’t have the New Testament; he didn’t even have the entire Old Testament yet. He’s just working with the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) which is giving him all the feelings.
These are the three themes that kept jumping out at me over and over as I studied Psalm 119:
Blessed by the Word
Let’s talk about the word “blessed” for a second. In the verses I’m about to reference, the word in Hebrew means “happy” (Strong’s H835 for my fact checkers out there).
If I know anything about this life, it’s that the pursuit of happiness is one of the driving forces in all people. Speaking as one who has sought happiness in all kinds of unsavory places, I can safely say that true happiness cannot be found anywhere that this world thinks it resides. It’s not relationships, it’s not money, it’s not Merlot, it’s not anything but this:
David compares his joy in the Word as better than being Jeff Bezos wealthy (14, 72, 162).
He calls God’s words his delight, his joy, the thing his heart’s jaw drops for (24, 47, 70, 111, 143, 161).
Sweeter than honey, better than coffee (103).
Cross Reference:
Psalm 19:10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
But really, also read all of Psalm 19– it’s awesome.
Freedom in the Word
Freedom isn’t a prevailing theme in this chapter, but because it’s such a prominent focus in my life, it beckoned me like a lighthouse. I am easily ensnared by distractions and the need to control, which inevitably leads to bondage in one way or another. God’s words are my only way out.
Ps 119:32 I shall run the way of Your commandments, for You will enlarge my heart.
“Enlarge my heart” is just the strangest wording. The Hebrew word for “enlarge” means “broaden, make room, make wide or open” (Strong’s H7337).
So my paraphrase of this verse would be: I run toward obeying You because You make my heart so wide open.
Ps 119:45 And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.
Ps 119:96 To all perfection I see a limit, but Your commands are boundless. “Boundless” in Hebrew means “roomy in every direction, large, at liberty, proud, wide” (Strong’s H7342, and is related to H7337 for enlarge).
Cross Reference:
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners.
All of Isaiah 61 is lovely, liberating, and restorative. If ever your heart feels captive or injured, this is absolutely a place to soak up some truth.
Lovingkindness in the Word
Lovingkindness is not a word I use on the regular. Basically I say this word only when reading the Bible out loud, because if I said it in casual conversation I’d rightly get some side eye. But you guys, this is one of the most beautiful words I think we can experience. The Hebrew word “checed” means “mercies, kindness, beauty, favor, unfailing love” (Strong’s 2616 and it’s relatives). Hello breath of fresh air.
In this chapter, the lovingkindess of God is portrayed as salvation, and literally a life saving attribute (41, 76, 88, 124, 149, 159). These same verses often include that because of His lovingkindness, God will teach us His word.
Cross References:
Exodus 34:6 The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.
Lamentations 3:22-23
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Selah
I’ve read through the Bible a number of times in the course of my life. Without a doubt I’ve read Psalm 119 at least a handful of times, and never ever enjoyed this depth. It’s always been a really long chapter of the Bible talking about the rest of the Bible (yawn). But like I said before, once settled here, some amazing things started jumping off the pages.
Spending 22 weeks on one chapter of the Bible is not my jam. I approached this journey with trepidation to say the least. BUT, in this go round, I used the Selah method of Bible study. You spend 5 days studying the same small section each day. The Selah study has different sections to focus on like Words I Looked Up (and you thought all that Hebrew talk was just me being brilliant), related verses, characteristics of God etc. It guides you through things to consider and watch for, which makes all the difference in. the. world.
I’d highly recommend you check out the Psalm 119 Selah study and see what God shows you in this fantastic chapter about His words for us. If 22 weeks seems overwhelming, try the Ruth study first- it’s also phenomenal but a much shorter 8 weeks instead.
Other themes
One last word on Psalm 119- there’s so much more here. If these three topics aren’t doing it for you, here’s a short list of the other themes that I chose not to highlight:
| Abundance | Inheritance |
| Character of God | Life-saving |
| Comfort | Meditation |
| Compassion | Protection |
| Correction | Teach |
| Fear of the Lord | The Arrogant |
| Foreigner in this world | Wisdom (discernment, understanding) |
| Forever | Joy |
Like I said, you should check it out, it’s pretty amazing.
