Henry Martyn wrote, “I experienced a solemn gladness in learning this MEM part of the 119th Psalm.” Psalm 119:97-104 is a prayer in which the psalmist addresses the Lord in every verse. It is a prayer with no petitions. It is a prayer of devotion: “Oh how I love your law!” He did not say he believed, obeyed, or proclaimed God’s word. He says, “Oh how I love your law.” It is a personal confession: “Oh how I love your law!” It is a present-tense testimony. He did not remember when he loved the word of God. He did not...

Psalm 119:81-88 is the midway point of the Mt. Everest of the Psalms. It is also the lowest point of this psalm. The psalmist discusses his troubles throughout this psalm. But no other stanza, before or after this section, describes his anguish, despair, or weariness as here. His turmoil is evident from the opening verse of the stanza. Even though he maintains his devotion to the word, he does not experience spiritual breakthrough in this stanza.  This stanza also stands out because verse 84 is the first verse of this psalm that does not mention the word of God. It is as if the psalmist momentarily lost his sense of direction. It can...

There are two types of God-talk in Psalm 119. The author speaks about God and to God. This tenth stanza consists of the latter, as the psalmist addresses the Lord in each of these eight verses. This stanza is a prayer. It teaches two lessons about prayer.  Handle everything with prayer. In previous sections, the psalmist says a lot about the difficult circumstances and ungodly opposition he faced. He will further discuss his challenges in this section. Yet we do not find him angry, bitter, or resentful. He responds by going to God in prayer. His example teaches us to handle everything with prayer. When trouble comes, pray about it instead of doubting, worrying, hustling, fighting,...

The Teth stanza of Psalm 119 begins with grateful praise: “You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word.” This testimony affirms the goodness of God. In verse 17, the psalmist prayed, “Deal bountifully with your servant.” The Lord answered his prayer. The psalmist testified, “You have dealt well with your servant.”Verse 64 is a universal statement about the goodness of God: “The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes.” Verse 65 is a personal testimony of the goodness of God.  The Lord had dealt well with him.  The Lord had shown kindness to him. The Lord had been good to him.  This is the testimony...

The stanza begins with a testimony: “The Lord is my portion.” “Portion” refers to a personal inheritance, acquired possession, or great endowment. It is a real estate term. The Lord used the term to explain why the priestly tribe of Levi would not receive property or possessions in the promised land of Canaan. Numbers 18:20 says, “And the Lord said to Aaron, ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.’” Joshua 13:33 says, “But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance just as he said to them.”   We do not know...

Psalm 119 repeatedly confronts us with the fact that devotion to God’s word brings troubles and blessings. The hard truth that devotion brings trouble is mentioned in the previous stanzas. It is stated explicitly in this stanza. Yet the tone of the psalmist is upbeat.  He was not down, distressed, or defeated.  He was not on the verge of giving up on his faith.  He was not looking for deliverance from his troubles.  There is only one prayer request in this stanza. It is not a prayer for deliverance. It is an expression of confidence in the faithfulness of God. Alexander Maclaren wrote: “This section has...

Matthew 28:18-20 records the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The Lord has commissioned the church to make disciples. Teaching is essential to the disciple-making process.  Disciples think and live by the teaching of Christ. Who is qualified to teach others? It is those who have been taught. No one who does not have a teachable spirit should be...

In Psalm 51:5, David confesses, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” David’s testimony is our testimony. We are sinners – by nature, birth, inclination, choice, and conduct. Romans 3:10-12 says: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” We do not need anyone to teach us to sin. Having children proves this truth. You do not have to train a child to lie, cheat, or steal. At birth, babies are hardwired to do wrong. So is every one of us. William Beveridge wrote: I cannot pray,...

The previous section of Psalm 119 ends in verse 24 with a testimony of joy: “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.” This section begins in verse 25 with a prayer of lamentation, “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!”  This sudden and extreme change of mood reminds us that one who lives by God’s word will face joy and pain, happiness and sorrow, celebration and grief. This abrupt shift further reveals that seasons of depression often follow seasons of delight. Times of weakness often follow times of strength. The experience of defeat often follows the experience of victory.  Andrew Bonner wrote: “We must be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.” It...

Psalm 119 celebrates the sufficiency of God’s word for every season of life.  Verses 1-8 affirm the sufficiency of God’s word to bless us.  Verses 9-16 affirm the sufficiency of God’s word to cleanse us.  Verses 17-24 affirm the sufficiency of God’s word to sustain us.  This third stanza marks a transition in Psalm 119. It is the first time the psalmist acknowledges devotion to God’s word does not vaccinate you from difficult circumstances. In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and...

The second stanza of Psalm 119 begins with an important question: “How can a young man keep his way pure?” This question has led some to speculate the author of Psalm 119 was a young man. But the tone, content, and structure of this psalm point to one who has length of days, depth of maturity, and breadth of experience with God. Most likely, the author was an older man who wrote this psalm to teach young men to trust and obey God’s word. Verse 9 asks a relevant question for the young and old. This question assumes the depravity of man. It assumes young men are not naturally good, pure, or clean. It assumes the absence of internal discipline and the presence of external pressures that corrupt...

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. - Psalm 90:14 “How can I pray for you?” When I am asked this simple question, it is a great kindness from the Lord. Not knowing what to say, I often answer by asking that person to pray Psalm 90:12 for me: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”  Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses – the only psalm attributed to Moses. The psalm begins by declaring the eternality of God (Psalm 90:1-2)....