Blog Journeys of a Lifelong Learner

Psalm 119 is comprised of 22 sections of 8 verses each.

Here are some thoughts taken from the first four sections:

Section 1: (1-8)

Blessings are declared to exist upon those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with their whole heart are blessed. God has commanded that His precepts be taught diligently. The godly man earnestly desires that his ways might be steadfast in keeping God's statutes. The one who does indeed faithfully follow the Word of God is enabled to praise God with an upright heart because he is well acquainted with the righteous rule of God's Word and delights in God. He pursues a path of obedience and seeks the aid of God, knowing it to be abundantly necessary.

Section 2: (9-16)

The only way for a young man to keep his way pure is to walk according to the Word of God. The heart of the godly man (his chief mental energy and the primary trajectory of his life) is directed toward the pursuit of God as He has revealed Himself in His Word. He is well aware of his own weakness and therefore boldly and reverently requests the power of God to keep him in the way of truth. The habitual mental work of the godly man is architected in such a way as to promote a disposition of godliness within himself, for he seeks to establish the authority of God's Word within his own life by being thoroughly mindful of it. The conversation of the godly young man is informed and reformed by that which is the object of his greatest focus, and (this being the Word of God and the divine perfections,) his enthusiasm is excited by the things of God. His interest in truth is abiding, compelling a lifestyle of continuous meditation upon and obedience to the Word of God. Knowing forgetfulness to be a common problem, the godly young man takes deliberate precautions to battle against it in this area.

Section 3: (17-24)

One who seeks to follow God necessarily acknowledges his own insufficiency, thrusting himself upon divine mercy. His petition is intense, but it has noble ends as the basis of personal requests. That which the psalmist has purposed in the preceding section is beyond his reach apart from the help of God, so he asks that God might enable him to do that which he must do if he is to correctly handle the Word of God. The psalmist's purpose to pursue the true knowledge of God is genuine and enduring, so he is fully engaged in prayer concerning this matter. The experience of the psalmist is consistent with that of God's people in every generation: the enemies of God oppose the works of God and are pleased to attack those in whom these works are evident. The godly response to all suffering and persecution is to trust the Word of God concerning such things and to take counsel from God's revelation rather than the school of personal rights and individual autonomy.

Section 4: (25-32)

Those who would be godly recognize their weak condition and earnestly seek divine favor. Requests for this gracious working of God must be consistent with God's revelation of Himself if they are to be effective, so the psalmist identifies the Word of God as the basis for his petition for life; he cannot personally improve his soul, but he knows the grace of God to be effective in the imparting of spiritual life to a soul. The answers of the Word of God are accepted and implemented by the people of God. The devotion of the psalmist invokes both the power of God and the responsibility of man in that instruction in and empowerment for the obedience to the word of God and the pursuit of faithful practices are presented side-by-side. Sanctified striving and sovereign supplying operate in surprising synergy.