A Daily Study of Psalm 119 (NKJV)
Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God
“Psalms 119 is an acrostic to end all acrostics! There are twenty-two strophes (paragraphs), corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the strophes has eight lines (verses), and every one of the lines in each strophe begins with the appropriate Hebrew letter marking that stanza.” – Coffman(1)
Every paragraph contains these words pertaining to God’s Laws:
Law of the Lord or Your Word– Body of prophetic, legal and moral directives (Mosaic Law)
Testimonies – Witness (God never asks us to believe anything that He does not give us evidence (testimony) for.)
Precepts – Command or order respecting moral conduct
Statutes – Something prescribed, prescribed task
Commandments – order by authorities
Judgements – Act of deciding a case, ordinance
PSALM 119:81-88 K Kaph (hebrew letter)
Day 11 Psalm 119:81-88
K Kaph.
“My soul faints for Your salvation, But I hope in Your word. My eyes fail from searching Your word, Saying, “When will You comfort me?” For I have become like a wineskin in smoke, Yet I do not forget Your statutes. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me? The proud have dug pits for me, Which is not according to Your law. All Your commandments are faithful; They persecute me wrongfully; Help me! They almost made an end of me on earth, But I did not forsake Your precepts. Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.”
Hi-Lite: the “Law” words (listed above).
Underline and Connect with an arrow
- :81 “my soul faints”
- :82 “my eyes fail”
- :88 “revive me”
Verse 83 – “become like a wineskin in the smoke”-dried and hardened
Put Brackets around the questions in this passage? Always notice the questions, they are helpful in understanding a passage.
- :82 [When will you comfort me?]
- :84 [How many are the days of Your servant?] & [When will you execute judgment on those who persecute me?]
What can you deduce about how the Psalmist is feeling? Have you ever felt the need for God’s comfort and vindication of your “enemies”?
Notice the contrast in verse 86. Circle “faithful” and “wrongfully” and connect them with a line.
Underline What have the wicked people done to the Psalmist.
- :85 “The proud have dug pits for me”
- :86 “They persecute me wrongfully”
- :87 “They almost made an end of me on earth”
Circle What requests does he make of God?
- :86 “Help me!”
- :88 “Revive me”
Why does he make these requests? Underline twice
- :88 “So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.”
Hi-lite what does he…
- :81 Hope for “I hope in Your word”
- :83 Not forget “I do not forget Your Statutes
- :87 Not forsake “I did not forsake Your precepts”
- :88 Want to keep “So that I may keep the Testimony of Your mouth”
Hi-lite in another color the attributes of God
- :81 “Salvation”
- :86 “faithful”
- :88 “loving kindness”
Look up verse 81 in other versions. What other words are used for “faints”?
Compare with Psalm 84:2 and Psalm 42:1-2 (write in margin as cross references)
How intense are your feelings for God and His word? Do you feel hungry for His word? I find that when I study daily, I become impatient with the mundane things of life, because they seem to get in the way of my communing with God through His word. I get anxious to study that next idea or chapter. I feel like Satan is putting stumbling blocks in front of me. Yes, the dishes need to be done, the laundry needs to be done, the house needs to be straightened. My job takes up at least 8 hours of every day. But I find that if I stop, take some time to study, everything falls into place.