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 119:17-24 G Gimel (hebrew letter)
Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times. You rebuke the proud–the cursed, who stray from Your commandments. Remove from me reproach and contempt, for I have kept Your testimonies. Princes also sit and speak against me, but Your servant meditates on Your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.
Hi-lite the “Law” words from the list above.
What does the Psalmist ask God to do?
- Underline: “Deal bountifully”, “Open my eyes”, “Do not hide”, “remove from me”
Why does he ask God to do these things?
- Circle “that I may live”, “that I may see”
Like the psalmist, what actions should we take (consider the verbs)?
- Hi-lite in a different color “I have kept Your testimonies”, “Your servant meditates on Your statutes”
How does the Psalmist describe himself?
- Put a box around “servant” and “stranger”
Double underline “I am a stranger in the earth.” We should feel like strangers in this world, as Christians we should have nothing in common with the world. We are walking in the light, they are walking in darkness.
Consider the affect the Word has on the psalmist?
- Vs. 20 – longing
- Vs. 24 – delight and counsel
What happens to those who wander from the commandments?
- Vs. 24- Rebuked and cursed