What is the way of blessedness? Of true happiness? Psalm 119 tells us it is found in wholeheartedly pursuing to know, believe, and walk in the ways of God’s word. Hear the first two verses again:

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart.

To be blessed is to be truly happy. Today I want to take a look at Psalm 119. Not the entire psalm in detail or we’d be here until September. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the bible: 176 verses. But thankfully there is one grand theme throughout this psalm: the majesty, the greatness of God’s word. What we see is a collection of hundreds of short phrases of exalting in the glory of God’s revelation, longings for growth and understanding, and petitions for grace to continue in obedience.

We live by the word of God. We are creatures of God’s word. God’s word of creation brought everything into existence (Genesis 1-2). God’s word of preservation sustains everything at every moment (Hebrews 1:3). And God’s revelation for us in the scriptures is meant to regenerate, enlighten, enliven, and transform us. 

Saints have had the highest praise for this psalm. Matthew Henry in his commentary on this psalm said, “This is a psalm by itself, like none of the rest; it excels them all, and shines brightest in this constellation.” Charles Spurgeon said, “It excels [the other psalms] in breadth of thought, depth of meaning, and height of fervor. it is like the celestial city which lies four-square, and the height and breadth of it are equal.” Martin Luther prized this psalm so highly that he said he wouldn’t take the whole world in exchange for one little word of it. Thomas Manton, a puritan pastor and author wrote three volumes on this psalm - each volume containing 5-600 pages.

A Little About this psalm 

Psalm 119 uses several words that all used as synonyms to refer to God’s written revelation. Words like: word, law, command, precept, rule, promise, statute, judgment, and testimony. All in one way or another refer to the revelation given to us in scripture. And out of the 176 verses in Psalm 119, 171 includes one of these words. This is a psalm about God’s revelation to us. 

This psalm is an acrostic poem of 22 stanzas. Each stanza begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and each verse within the stanza begins with that Hebrew letter. One might think, why spend so many words speaking about the exact same thing in one psalm? 

Older commentators assumed it was written by David. More modern scholars believe it was written during the post-exile period. We don’t know for sure who wrote this psalm, and we don’t need to know. The divine Author is the Holy Spirit. It is given to us by God. It is God who inspired this majestic psalm for our good.  Whoever the human author was, most likely it was written over a period of time and compiled later. 

Whoever wrote this (human)... it is clear that this man has a love for… a zeal… a delight in God’s word. This is someone who read the scriptures, not because it was a chore. He poured over the scriptures because he experienced them as living and active. And (this is key), he meditated on it. This man had no fast-food approach to the scriptures. Listen:

My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times. (v. 20)

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (v. 103)

The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (v. 72)

Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold. (v. 127)

Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight. (v. 77)

It is striking to note that at the time this was written, very little of what we have in our bibles today was written down - especially if we take this as written by David. The books of Moses would have been available, but little else. Of course, the NT was still hundreds of years from being written. 

Well, I believe that chapter is not just written for us to let us hear of one man’s love affair with God’s revelation. It is not written merely to tell us how we should love the scriptures too. I believe this psalm is meant to stir our love for and devotion to and longing for and meditation on the scriptures. Matthew Henry, the great commentator of scripture, said his father Philip introduced this psalm to his children when they were young, instructing them to take one verse and meditate on it a day by which they would go through the entire psalm twice per year. Philip Henry said to his children, “This practice will bring you to be in love with all the rest of the scriptures.” This practice certainly had that effect on Matthew Henry. 

In the time we have left, this is what I want to do. I want to draw out some powerful effects the scriptures have on us - from psalm 119. I thought seven was a good bible number. Of course, we will cover just a sampling of what is contained in this psalm. My aim, however, is pastoral. I want to encourage you… inspire you… and spur you on to be a creature of the word, not just in principle, but in practice. To give yourself to reading, studying, and meditating on the word of God. I want to pull these seven points out of this psalm. 

1. The Scriptures Establish You In The Truth. When Jesus Christ stood before Pilate and said, “I have come to bear witness about the truth”. And Pilate responded with an all-important question, “What is truth?” Ironically, the true incarnate was standing before Him. What is truth? How would you answer that question? Listen to verse 160:

The sum of your word is truth

Truth is whatever God says about a matter. We live in a day of universal deceit and lies. We need to have clarity concerning the truth of who God is [STOP], who we are [STOP - creatures, male and female, what men and women are for, etc], We need clarity on what is right and wrong [STOP - What is the standard of judging right and wrong?] We need clarity on God’s purpose in the world, and what we are here for. We need clarity on what government is for and how we should live in light of governing authorities. We need clarity on how we are called to love our neighbors and how we should live in this world. We need clarity on sin and righteousness and judgment. We need clarity on salvation. We need clarity on where everything is headed in God’s redemptive purposes. 

There is no such thing as “my truth”. There is “the truth”. And God’s word is the truth. Jesus in his great high priestly prayer said, “[Father], sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth. Alexander Solzhenitsyn famously said, “in a day of universal deceit, the most revolutionary thing to do is speak the truth”. But of course to speak the truth and be men and women of truth, we need to know the truth. The scriptures establish us in the truth. Which leads to number two:

2. The Scriptures Give Stability. Do you ever feel unsettled in our ever-changing, tumultuous world? There are personal trials, family traumas, societal convulsions. The scriptures stabilize us. When we get unexpected, painful, disorienting news - we need something solid to stand on. When we hear about the threat of nuclear war and the mutual assured destruction if the US and Russia begin lobbying nuclear bombs back and forth. Or the threat of AI taking over and extinguishing human beings from the planet. We need something solid to stand on. There are lots of scary things that can happen on any given day. Bilbo said to Frodo in LOTR, “It’s a dangerous business, going out your door”. That’s true. So in a world that is ever-changing, in which there are serious threats, big and small, at home and abroad, where do we go for stability? God’s word. Listen to verse 89,

Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. 

What a statement! Three “f” words describe God’s word: forever, firmly, fixed. And where is God’s word forever firmly fixed? In the heavens. His word is not subject to the waves and winds of blowing controversy and tumults of the earth. God’s word is the most stable, unchanging reality for us to live in, because God is unchanging.  Don’t get me wrong, there are real threats in the world and we shouldn’t live with our heads in the sand. But the scriptures, the word of God, place us on solid ground. His word of command tell us how to live in all of life. His word of promise assures us of His grace and protection. This is incredibly stabilizing. Isaiah 40:8,

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

3. The Scriptures Enliven and Strengthen. Spiritual vigor, strength, and life come through the word. When in the depths of sorrow and despair, God’s word breathes life into us. Listen to v. 50:

This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. (v. 50)

Has this ever happened to you? You are in some affliction, and a promise from the scriptures comes upon your wounded soul like healing balm? And we should pray for this. When we are afflicted we should open bibles and pray like this psalmist does in verses 25, 28, and 107:

My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! (v. 25)

My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! (v. 28)

I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word! (v. 107)

Do you feel the fervor of this man? He’s in sorrow. He’s severely afflicted and what does he do? I imagine him with the scroll open, pouring over God’s revelation… saying, “Give me life, strengthen me, according to your word!” God’s word gives life and strengthens. 

4. The Scriptures Are A Lamp and Light. God’s word helps give direction through life. If you are walking in the woods at night time, it is very helpful to have a head lamp to light your path. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. Without the scriptures, it is like you are walking in the forest without any light. And here is where it really shows. As Christians, the bible is to be the lens through which we see everything else. We are called to think biblically about everything. It is something we progress in throughout life - we don’t arrive at it instantaneously. But we are to make progress. Listen to verse 130:

The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

As the words of God unfold throughout our lifetime, they give more and more light. They impart understanding to simple people like us. And we begin to think more and more like God. Which is the goal - to think God’s thoughts after him. 

5. The Scriptures Sanctify - they transform us. There are all sorts of ways people pursue growth and transformation. Self-help seminars, life-coaches, conferences, podcasts, personality tests, getting special words of prophecy. I’m not against these (except tests - enneagram). There is within us a desire to be transformed, to reach our potential, etc. But do we understand the power of God’s word to do just that? I recently read this profound quote from RC Sproul. He said,

I think the greatest weakness in the church today is that almost no one believes that God invests His power in the bible. Everyone is looking for power in a program, in a technique, in anything and everything except where God has placed it. His word. 

Of course, the greatest miracle God does is make someone a new creation. And the miracle work continues in transforming that person more and more into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a powerful work of God. And he uses his word. Listen to verses 9-11:

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Sin and the word cannot abide in the same heart. If the heart is storing up the word of God, sin will be pushed out. And the heart empty of the word of God is a playground for all manner of depravity and sin. The word of God sanctifies. 

6. The Scriptures Rejoice the Heart. When you realize the scriptures are not an old dusty book of something that God said long ago with some relevance. But that it is the living and active, God-breathed words that God speaks, it is a thrill to the heart. Verse 162,

I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.

This has been the testimony of untold numbers of saints for thousands of years. He likens his joy to a conqueror who has gained the spoils of victory after a battle. And I think right here is a clue to us that this response of joy at the word of God is not easily gained. It is a battle. Listen to this great insight from Matthew Henry, “it is through much opposition that a soul comes to rejoice in God’s word.” It’s true. And for good reason. The world, the flesh, and the devil are aimed against it. GK Chesterton quote. But if through the Spirit’s help you overcome the opposition, you will find the word a serious joy. 

If you want to know these effects, what should you do?

1. Begin and end each day with scripture (READ v. 147-148)

• For some, start small. If you are out of practice or never have, start here: in the morning, read one stanza from Psalm 119. In the evening, read one chapter in the gospels. 

2. Meditate. Which means don’t just read but think, mull over. Let it sink in. Don’t be in such a hurry. Take a small portion and meditate on it. Paul’s encouragement to Timothy 2 Tim. 2:7.

3. Pray for the Spirit’s enlightenment and inclination. 

• Verse 36: “Incline my heart to your testimonies and not selfish gain!”

• Verse 18: “Open my eyes that I might behold wondrous things out of your law!”

Beloved, give yourself to the word… and hear the Lord and watch what he does! Let’s pray.