Psalm 119:1-16

Psalm 119:1-16

Psalm 119 is unique in a few ways:

The longest chapter in the Bible (176 verses)

The longest Psalm.

It is an acrostic.

There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 stanzas to this Psalm. Each stanza is eight verses long and corresponds to a letter in the Hebrew Alphabet.

The first stanza is called aleph. Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

The second stanza is called Beth. Beth is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The stanzas continue with the order of the alphabet.

Each verse of each stanza begins with the corresponding letter of the alphabet.

Every verse in the first stanzas begins with the Hebrew Letter aleph. Every verse in the second begins with the Hebrew letter Beth. It continues like that all the way through the alphabet.

It’s believed it was written this way to make it easier to memorize. The Psalm is a celebration of the Word of God. Almost every verse in this Psalm has a reference to the Word of God. The author’s name is not listed. It is clear he had a great love for the Word of God.

It is my plan to cover two stanzas each in each sermon. That means we can finish the Psalm in five or six weeks. There will be some repetition. That being said, we can never be encouraged enough concerning the Word of God.

v. 1-2 We begin with beatitudes.

Blessed are those whose way is blameless!

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies!

Reminds us of Psalm 1-“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners…”

Blessed = happiness. The point being that God is the one who makes you happy.

The blessedness we have is the result of:

Our way is blameless. Not perfection. Living according to God’s Word.

“way” = path. The road we are on. The way we live day in and day out.

“walk in the Law of the Lord” Our life is governed by what we read in the Bible. We are committed to be doers of the Word.

“Those who keep His testimonies” testimonies is a synonym for the Word of God. To keep them means we don’t break them.

Notice this is not legalism. Look at the end of verse 2. We “seek Him with our whole heart”.

It’s our relationship with God that urges us to keep His commandments. We are not trying to earn our salvation. We love God. That’s why we obey him.

v. 3 “Who also do no wrong, but walk in His ways!” This is the ideal. None of us are perfect. If we were to walk perfectly in His ways we would be. It is the Christians goal to live perfectly. Thank God for grace when we fall. When we study God’s Word we should never be looking for an out. The Bible instructs to not sin. We should strive for that.

v. 4 “precepts” is another synonym for the Word of God.

God’s Word is not a suggestion. It is a command. We should be diligent to keep it. There is to be a carefulness in the Christian’s life. If we wonder if something is sinful or not we should search God’s Word. The flesh will try to excuse sin. God’s Word will point it our clearly.

v. 5 This is a great prayer for us.

“statutes” is another synonym for the Word of God. The Psalmist prays that He would be steadfast in keeping the Word of God.

God said of Israel in Deut. 5:29

Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

That’s close to what the Psalmist prays in verse 5.

Do you pray like that? Do you ask God to help you walk according to His Word? When we pray God’s Word we can be sure we are praying God’s will.

v. 6 This verse describes what would happen if the prayer in verse 5 were answered.

He will not be put to shame. Sin brings shame.

His eyes will be fixed on the commandments of God.

We have all experienced the shame of sin both before and after we were saved. Walking according to God’s word assures we live in a state of blessedness rather than shame.

v. 7 “righteous rules” refers to God’s Word. Learning God’s Word would lead the Psalmist to praise. This is the reaction of a regenerated heart to the Word of God. When we are lost, we do not praise God for His Word. We don’t like it. We don’t agree with it. We don’t want to obey it. When God saves us, He changes our heart. We praise God for His Word.

v. 8 We have a promise and a prayer:

He will keep the statutes of God.

He asks the Lord not to utterly forsake Him.

He knows he can’t obey God without God’s strength. Without the Lord He can’t:

Understand the Word.

Obey God’s Word.

Now we come to the second stanza: Beth

v. 9 It opens with a question: How can a young man keep his way pure?

Young men are a target of the devil.

Young men are impressionable. If they start off on the wrong course it may be difficult to bring them back.

The answer to the question is given in the latter part of verse 9.

“By guarding it according to Your Word.” The entire stanza is filled with good advice for the young man. I’m going to break it down in that way.

How does a young man (or any person for that matter) keep his way pure?

1. By guarding it according to the Word of God.

This means by living, taking heed to God’s Word. The Bible is the book of life we need. Recognize that the Bible is the Word of God and is the only rule we need in this world.

2. Have a relationship with the God of the Word (10).

“With my whole heart I will seek You” We cannot study the Bible merely from an academic perspective. It is God’s book. It points us to Christ. If we are seeking knowledge alone we will wander from His commandments.

3. Memorize the Word of God (11).

He memorized God’s Word. This was not for the purpose of showing off or debating. He memorized God’s Word so he would conquer temptation. We don’t walk about with our Bible open. The Bible must be stored in our heart.

To be clear, memorization is not enough. The Word in the heart means it has become a part of you. It is not stagnant. It functions in you. It drives you.

4. We must be willing to be taught (12).

The Psalmist asks the Lord to teach him His statutes. Most people never get here. They want to hear sermons, but they don’t want to be taught. Are you learning the Bible or just listening to it?

We are taught:

Through personal Bible study.

Through Preachers and teachers.

Through a podcast or radio program.

Can you read a verse and explain what it means?

5. We must declare God’s Word (13). In verse 12 he is taught. In verse 13 he teaches.

“With m lips I declare all the rules of your mouth”

He knows the Word well enough to tell others.

He is not ashamed of the Word.

We should tell people what the Word of God teaches. That helps in our own sanctification and in evangelism as well.

6. We must delight in God’s Word (14).

“I delight as much as in all riches”

The Word of God is like hidden treasure to the Psalmist. When a person finds hidden treasure, they rejoice. They have become rich.

Does this describe your relationship with the Word of God? Do you mine the pages of the Bible and shout for joy when a ruby is discovered?

When the Lord reveals His Word to me, I have at times stood up and shouted. God’s truth is rich and delightful.

7. We must meditate on God’s Word (15).

This word means to rehearse aloud. We are to speak the Word of God to ourselves. This can also be done with focused thinking. Meditation in the Biblical sense is not clearing the mind. It is focusing the mind solely on God’s Word.

As we meditate on the Lord we are fixing our eyes on His ways. We are staring at the Lord without interruption from the world.

You can take one verse and think about it all day. You can quote it again and again. You can ask questions of it. You can seek ways to live it out.

8. We must not forget God’s Word (16).

The sure way to guard against this is to delight in God’s Word. When you enjoy God’s Word it is easier to remember it. Here are some ways to guard against the tendency to forget God’s Word:

A. Guard against sin. It will deceive us into neglecting the Word of God.

B. Read your Bible daily.

C. Come to church often.

D. Talk about the Word of God with others.

There we have 8 ways for the believer to make his /her way pure.