I thought of an exercise that will help you to meditate on every verse of Psalm 119.

[Ed Walsh]

Psalm 119 has 22 sections, and 176 verses. A section for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. As you are very well aware, the Psalm is an awesome tribute to the Word of God. Every verse in each section begins with the letter of that section. Obviously translating into English would be tough.

Almost every verse is a praise for one aspect or another of the Word of God. I said almost. But there are three or perhaps four versus that do not directly mention the Word of God. So if you read through it carefully, you will have to hear every verse to find the several that do not mention the Word.

But the heart of the psalmist is revealed mostly in the very last verse. It is different than the many many verses that command, exhort, and encourage us to seek the Lord while he may be found. But wait till you read the last verse. This is often my prayer, for I am a sinful man, a man of sorrow over his remaining corruption. But we are invited to pray here in this verse something that isn't super common in the Bible. Make sure you meditate thoroughly on verse 176. And you will see a humble sinner like me.

Just for fun, see who can first locate the several verses that do not mention the Word.

Begin.

 

[Scottish Presbyterian]

Verse 90
Perhaps verse 121
Verse 122

 

[Ed Walsh]

Wow, that was fast. I have to go to work now, so it may be hours or even the end of the day before I can respond again. But keep the verses coming. I forget whether it's three or four. I'm going to have to do this exercise again myself, even though I went through the whole Psalm this morning.

I'll only add this one additional thought on the beginning of the Psalm that shows the heart of the psalmist, much like the last verse does. I'm going to quote from memory and leave out a couple of verses, but you can go and fill in the blanks yourself. My quotation is from the ASV 1901 because it has a beautiful ring to it.

"Blessed are they that are perfect in the way, that walk in the law of Jehovah; yea, they do know unrighteousness; they keep his law."

You must understand that these people, these "perfect people" do not exist anywhere on this Earth. I'm sure the psalmist knows this in the absolute sense, but he considers others better than himself, which is how all of us should think.

A couple of verses later, the Psalmist cries out, "Oh, that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes, then I would not be ashamed."

See it?

 

[Ploutos]

Another fun fact about Psalm 119. In English, at least, God's Word is referenced by words like law, precept, way, commandment, etc. Such synonyms occur 177 times at least in the AV. It's already been asked which verses LACK a reference so now I'll follow that with a challenge to find the verses that have multiple references.

 

[Aretha]

Another fun fact about Psalm 119. In English, at least, God's Word is referenced by words like law, precept, way, commandment, etc. Such synonyms occur 177 times at least in the AV. It's already been asked which verses LACK a reference so now I'll follow that with a challenge to find the verses that have multiple references.

Commandments (מִצְוֹת)
Psalm 119:6, Psalm 119:10, Psalm 119:19, Psalm 119:21, Psalm 119:32, Psalm 119:35, Psalm 119:47, Psalm 119:48, Psalm 119:60, Psalm 119:66, Psalm 119:73, Psalm 119:86, Psalm 119:98, Psalm 119:115, Psalm 119:127, Psalm 119:131

This is only a small part. It's just way too much

Commandments (מִצְוֹת)
Psalm 119:6, Psalm 119:10, Psalm 119:19, Psalm 119:21, Psalm 119:32, Psalm 119:35, Psalm 119:47, Psalm 119:48, Psalm 119:60, Psalm 119:66, Psalm 119:73, Psalm 119:86, Psalm 119:98, Psalm 119:115, Psalm 119:127, Psalm 119:131

This is only a small part. It's just way too much

1. Psalm 119:16 - "I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word."
   • References: "statutes" and "word".
2. Psalm 119:22 - "Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies."
   • References: "reproach" and "testimonies".
3. Psalm 119:24 - "Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors."
   • References: "testimonies" and "counsellors".
4. Psalm 119:27 - "Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works."
   • References: "way" and "precepts".
5. Psalm 119:35 - "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight."
   • References: "path" and "commandments".

 

[Aretha]

Wow, that was fast. I have to go to work now, so it may be hours or even the end of the day before I can respond again. But keep the verses coming. I forget whether it's three or four. I'm going to have to do this exercise again myself, even though I went through the whole Psalm this morning.

I'll only add this one additional thought on the beginning of the Psalm that shows the heart of the psalmist, much like the last verse does. I'm going to quote from memory and leave out a couple of verses, but you can go and fill in the blanks yourself. My quotation is from the ASV 1901 because it has a beautiful ring to it.

"Blessed are they that are perfect in the way, that walk in the law of Jehovah; yea, they do know unrighteousness; they keep his law."

You must understand that these people, these "perfect people" do not exist anywhere on this Earth. I'm sure the psalmist knows this in the absolute sense, but he considers others better than himself, which is how all of us should think.

A couple of verses later, the Psalmist cries out, "Oh, that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes, then I would not be ashamed."

See it?

Yes, I see.

Can we also see Jesus as the living Torah, embodying the principles and teachings of the Torah perfectly? Therefore, can we see our devotion to the Torah in Psalm 119 as also a devotion to Jesus, who we believe is the way, the truth, and the life? For example, when the psalmist speaks of loving God's law, we can reflect on how Yeshua exemplified perfect obedience and love for God's commandments.