Psalm 119
Meditations on a Masterpiece
Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible at 176 verses (according to GotQuestions.org) anchors the thirsty spirit.
It renews the soul that yearns for gravity in a world that no longer has any defined directions. No one knows up from down. Relativism washes over the deeds and words of society like poorly mixed, watery paint. We have “soggy chests” — if I can borrow that term from Weezer’s “December.”
As R.C. Sproul put it: “I do not want to drive across a bridge designed by an engineer who believed the numbers in structural stress models are relative truths.”
But then there’s Psalm 119.
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!”
It begins with two Beatitudes, and from there it builds — line upon line, precept upon precept, tidal wave upon tidal wave — into an opus, an epic love letter to the perfect Word of God.
To the wide-eyed heart that discerns its treasures, Psalm 119 is a universe-sized mural that paints a portrait of Jehovah and the Word made flesh.
And, as GotQuestions.org points out (same link at top), Psalm 119 covers eight primary attributes of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We learn about God’s:
1. Righteousness (verses 7, 62, 75, 106, 123, 138, 144, 160, 164, 172)
2. Trustworthiness (verse 42)
3. Truthfulness (verses 43, 142, 151, 160)
4. Faithfulness (verse 86)
5. Unchangeableness (verse 89)
6. Eternality (verses 90,152)
7. Light (verse 105)
8. Purity (verse 140)
Possibly my favorite verse in Psalm 119 is verse 32:
“I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall enlarge my heart.”
In this we find the heartbeat of the Word: that it is always His Word that works in us to do His will. We can’t even take credit for our faith. It is He who enlarges our hearts to believe.
And it is He who fills our soggy lungs with Heaven until we’re breathing fire.
So if you need some of that fire today, why not take a break in your busy schedule and breathe in a few deep gulps of Psalm 119?
It might be just what you needed.
