Read Psalm 119 B (v. 33-64)
ה He
33 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread,
for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts!
In your righteousness preserve my life.
ו Waw
41 May your unfailing love come to me, Lord,
your salvation, according to your promise;
42 then I can answer anyone who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
43 Never take your word of truth from my mouth,
for I have put my hope in your laws.
44 I will always obey your law,
for ever and ever.
45 I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.
46 I will speak of your statutes before kings
and will not be put to shame,
47 for I delight in your commands
because I love them.
48 I reach out for your commands, which I love,
that I may meditate on your decrees.
ז Zayin
49 Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
50 My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.
51 The arrogant mock me unmercifully,
but I do not turn from your law.
52 I remember, Lord, your ancient laws,
and I find comfort in them.
53 Indignation grips me because of the wicked,
who have forsaken your law.
54 Your decrees are the theme of my song
wherever I lodge.
55 In the night, Lord, I remember your name,
that I may keep your law.
56 This has been my practice:
I obey your precepts.
ח Heth
57 You are my portion, Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.
58 I have sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.
61 Though the wicked bind me with ropes,
I will not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws.
63 I am a friend to all who fear you,
to all who follow your precepts.
64 The earth is filled with your love, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
Go Deeper
The theme of all of Psalm 119, and this section in particular, is rejoicing in the law of the Lord. The author of this psalm continually rejoices in it. However, our culture doesn’t seem to share the same attitude toward the authority of Scripture. We live in a culture that celebrates rebellion. We wrongly believe that freedom is the ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want. But ultimate freedom–freedom from sin and freedom in Christ–comes in submission to a good God. He gives us the law for our protection.
God knows, even better than we do, what is good for us. He gives us His Word and teaches us that abiding by it will bring about abundant life. His instruction is good so we can rejoice in it and learn to live according to it, just as the psalmist does here. Praise the Lord for His Word, decrees, laws, and precepts! They are good and worth delighting in, meditating on, and memorizing.
What can come of us following God’s Word? This passage tells us we will find delight (v. 35) and we will be able to walk in freedom (v. 45). Verse 52 tells us that the psalmist finds comfort in God’s Word. God’s Word is there for our good! Elsewhere in Scripture we see that God’s Word is sufficient to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy, 3:15-17). It teaches us and gives us encouragement and hope (Romans 15:4-5).
In order for us to pursue holiness and live in a manner worthy of the gospel, it is essential that we know God’s Word intimately. God transforms us as we renew our mind by meditating on His Word. Jerry Bridges, in his book The Discipline of Grace, puts it this way, “I am very much aware that Scripture memorization has largely fallen by the wayside in our day… But let me say this as graciously but firmly as possible: We cannot effectively pursue holiness without the Word of God stored up in our minds where it can be used by the Holy Spirit to transform us.”
Questions
- Have you made a habit of memorizing God’s Word? What verses do you know that you can meditate on today?
- What are some verses that you find comfort in? What books/chapters/verses do you delight in?
- What about your life would be different if you knew God’s Word and meditated on it regularly?
Did You Know?
The format of Psalm 119 is an alphabetic acrostic, meaning that the first letters of each line in Hebrew follow through the alphabet, 8 lines per letter, thus 8 lines x 22 letters in Hebrew = 176 lines. One message of this psalm is that we are to live a lifestyle that demonstrates obedience to the Lord, who is a God of order (hence the acrostic structure), not of chaos. (GotQuestions.org)
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6 thoughts on “Psalm 119: Part Two (v. 33-64)”
God is my greatest JOY!!!! But man oh man do I stumble around. God is all I need. Learning, delighting, longing to know God’s truth completely. Listening as God speaks, He does through His Word. I need to meditate on it, and memorize it. To remember Yahweh is to ask Him to remember me, and to work on my behalf. Thinking on Him and His name is to trust Him, obey Him and not to be afraid. God is all I need and He is my greatest JOY!!!
God teach me, give me understanding, direct my paths, turn my heart to more of You. Thank You for turning my eyes away from the yuck of the world. As You fulfill Your promises that preserve my life, give me more understanding of Your character. Thank You God for obedience with a grateful heart because I Love You!!!! Thank You for my brain and memorizing Your Word, help me. Thank You for continuing boldness to speak about You and Your word to further Your Kingdom. Help me see people the way You do and to love in these minutes of this day in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I noted 10 verbs of the Psalmist in response to God’s unfailing love—
answer, trust, obey, walk, sought, speak, delight, love, reach, meditate. (To make it personal, insert your name before each of them.) May we be spurred on in our journey of faith by both actively responding and quietly reflecting on the goodness of God and the salvation he provided in Christ. A verse I’ve cherished from this Psalm is “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (v50).
1. Have you made a habit of memorizing God’s Word?
Yes. For over a year now, I have been memorizing a new passage from the Bible every week. It has been a very meaningful discipline for me.
PS – Two tools that I use are 1) Bible Memory app on my phone and 2) Spotify Playlist “Scripture Memory Songs”. Used together these are really helpful for putting these passages into my everyday consciousness.
For example, to help memorize verses 49 – 50 from today’s reading of Psalm 119:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3LaaZSZEuR6kISdhKkI0mt?si=kbFm6d12Qny8S1IsRAxQlQ&context=spotify%3Aplaylist%3A0zUpAfSuSUPmIPLet2V1Fv
Another good tool for Bible verse memorization is the Versify app. I learned about it from the Becoming Something podcast and it has been a fun way to learn, practice, and memorize scripture. It can help keep the message of Psalm 119 on our hearts.
I will take a look at that!
Teach,give,direct and turn. These are the lessons I receive in BRP daily through God’s Word.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.