Precious Words
Reprinted from Today in the Word
Imagine that you spent your entire life studying Scripture and trying to live it faithfully. What would your life look like? How would you relate to God and others? Psalm 119 shows us, in this carefully and lovingly crafted poem, what it looks like to love the Lord and His Word.
Psalm 119 mentions God’s Word 176 times: “I remember, LORD, your ancient laws, and I find comfort in them” (v. 52). The Psalmist uses eight different words to refer to Scripture: law, statutes, ordinances, commands, words, decrees, promises, and judgments. The Psalmist also refers to himself 176 times. But there is one more important repetition. The word “You” is used to reference God 232 times. The Psalmist is celebrating His relationship with God through the gift of His Word. “Teach me knowledge and good judgment for I trust your commands” (v. 66).
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, and it’s carefully constructed. Each stanza starts with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So, the first eight lines all start with the equivalent of the letter “A”. The next with the letter “B” and so on. This is a celebration of God’s Word from A to Z!
As the Psalmist immersed himself in Scripture, he discovered that God’s Word is righteous (vv. 7, 62, 75), faithful (v. 30), good (v. 39), trustworthy (v. 66), true (v. 69), and precious (v. 72). Because of this, he values Scripture above all things. “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold” (v. 72). Certainly, the gift of God’s Word is something to treasure!
Do you consider your Bible the most valuable thing you own? Give thanks to God today for the gift of His written word. Tomorrow we will examine the impact that a lifetime of meditation on Scripture had on the Psalmist.
“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word” (Ps. 119:35 37).
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