Key word: Praise
As we travel across America in our automobile, especially on the older highway systems such as Route 66, there often is only short distances between towns and cities. But if you are driving across states like Kansas, Nebraska, Montana or the Dakotas, you can travel great distances with no towns, or even gas stations, Psalms is kind of like that. It is by far, the largest book in the Bible with 150 chapters varying from two verses to 176. It is a collection of songs and prayers, gathered from the time of Moses to Solomon and beyond – covering several centuries. David wrote approximately half the Psalms but there are numerous other contributors. Unlike driving across desolate places in America, the Psalms, while extremely long, is a virtual oasis of heart-felt prayers, cries to God for help, thanksgiving and songs of praise. The Psalms, somewhere, touches on every circumstance and emotion we experience, so, no wonder it is so loved by God’s people. In the end, it is a book about praising and worshipping God, thus our key word is praise.
Because of its length, Psalms is divided into five books, each ending in a doxology of praise. And so, unlike our previous stops along the biblical Route 66, we will spend five days observing these five books within the book.
With cruise-control on, as we drove through Book 5 of Psalms, we sped right past the incomparable Psalm 119. Recognizing our error, we now return, get out of our car and take a close look. D. A. Carson believes Psalm 119 is devoted to unpacking Psalm 1:1, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night.” Every verse, of the 176 verses, except for 4 mentions the word of God through the use of one of 11 terms. If Psalm one sets the agenda for the book of Psalms, Psalm 119 unpacks its meaning.
So, we are not surprised to find that if we want to stay pure, we do so by guarding ourselves through the word (v. 9). If we want to keep from sinning, we must treasure the word in our hearts (v. 11). If we treasure the word, we delight in it (v. 16, and mentioned 8 more times). It is the word that revives or gives us true life (v. 37). It is the word that guides us through life (v. 105). And it holds a special place during times of affliction. It is in the crucible of suffering and pain that we are most likely to learn the importance of obedience (v. 67), the value of the word (v. 71), that God is faithful (v. 75), and the protective power of the word (v. 92). In short, we learn that the Lord is good and does good (v. 68).
Key verse: Psalm 1:1-2 – Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.
