Embrace the Word for Monday, September 21, 2026
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Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s Word. The 176 verses that comprise Psalm 119 makes it the longest chapter in the Bible. Actually, Psalm 119 is longer than at least 30 Books of the Bible. Psalm 119 explicitly speaks about God’s Word in at least 169 verses. Eight different terms are used to accentuate various facets of considering the Word of God. Those eight terms, which are used for a total of 175 times are: “law/instruction,” “testimonies,” “precepts,” “statutes,” “command/commandment,” “rule/judgment,” “word,” and “promise.” Psalm 119 is arranged in 22 segments or stanzas, which corresponds to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each stanza consists of eight verses, and the first line of each verse in that stanza begins with the same corresponding letter of the alphabet. Psalm 119 is beautifully crafted, not only in the alphabetically acrostic arrangement, but also in how each eight verse stanza reflects a four verse sub-stanza, but also in how every two eight verse stanzas seem to reflect a special coupling or relationship to each other. The main character of Psalm 119 is someone simply known as God’s “servant” (119:17,23,38,49,65,76,84,91,122,124,135,140,176), which reflects that he is in relationship with the LORD covenantally. While the main theme is the Word of God, the supporting themes of Psalm 119 consist of prayer and affliction. Of the 176 verses in Psalm 119, all but four (119:1-3, 115) are stated as a prayer to the LORD. The celebratory exploration of God’s Word is primarily expressed as a conversation of prayer. Not only is prayer a supporting theme of Psalm 119, so is the matter of affliction. Affliction of one kind or another is referred to at least 50 times throughout Psalm 119. There is a lot of suffering and sorrow—the severest of sufferings and the deepest of sorrows—expressed here, but that condition is coupled with many verses expressing a love for and a delight in God’s Word. One of the most stressed points that Psalm 119 makes concerning God’s Word is the importance of internalizing it into the heart. The placement of Psalm 119 in the Psalter reflects an intentional pattern. Psalm 1 stressed the importance of God’s Word in the life of the blessed man. This introductory Psalm is coupled with Psalm 2 as it highlighted the son whom the LORD would install as king. This installed king would be a man of the Word. The pairing of the Word and the king, not only reflects the requirements for Israel’s king in Deuteronomy 17, it is also a pattern expressed again in Book 1 of the Psalter and now Book 5. After the emphasis in Psalm 18 of king David arriving in Jerusalem, Psalm 19 is about the Word of God. This pattern is repeated in Book 5, for Psalm 119, with its emphasis on God’s Word, is preceded by Psalm 118, which highlights the arrival of a Davidic king into Jerusalem.
Psalm 119:1-8 begins with the term “blessed.” Each verse in this first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet (which is aleph). The first term, “blessed,” which began the entire Psalter (Psalm 1:1) now begins Psalm 119. In fact, Psalm 119 begins with a doubled “blessed,” as the Psalmist, in the first two verses, begins his introductory orientation by linking that term with God’s Word: “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!” (119:1-3). These first three verses are three of the four verses that are not stated as prayers, for they serve as the general introduction for the entirety of Psalm 119. The term “blessed” will be used eighteen times throughout this Psalm and so it seems fitting that it would be included in the initial comments. The term “blessed” describes the enjoyment experienced by the one upon whom God’s favor rests. Like Psalm 1, true enjoyment in life comes through God’s Word. The “blessed” man in Psalm 1 delighted in and meditated on God’s Word. Here is Psalm 119, the “blessed” man lives and conducts himself in a manner that is consistent with and governed by the Word of God. Whereas Psalm 1 introduced how the Word starts in the root system of a person’s life, Psalm 119 opens with an emphasis on how the Word alters the fruit of a person’s life, for they “walk in the Law of the LORD” and they “keep his testimonies.” The Word of God determines how to live in the journey of life as well as what direction to take on this journey. If God’s Word shapes how to live and in what direction to go, then that journey is characterized as “blameless.” The term “blameless” does not necessarily mean sinless, but does imply a resolute direction that is determined by the Word of God. Such resolution is whole-hearted in that it earnestly seeks the LORD Himself. A blameless way is one that is ordered to consistently walk in accordance to God’s Word. Thus, to seek the LORD consists of a pattern of turning from wrongdoing and turning toward walking in the ways prescribed by the LORD in His Word. Enjoying the good life, which is what the term “blessed” captures, involves living a certain kind of life—a life ordered by and in the direction of God’s Word. The fuller details of this kind of life will be more thoroughly defined and described throughout the rest of Psalm 119.
While still in the first sub-stanza of the first stanza (verses 1-4), Psalm 119 shifts from talking in the third person to now talking in the second person. Other than verse 115, the rest of Psalm 119 will be stated in the third person as the tone becomes that of praying to the LORD. The conversation about God and His Word is basically over and now the conversation to the LORD about His Word begins: “You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently” (119:4). Keeping the Word of God was stated in verse 2, but it is now prayed for in verse 4. This emphasis of prayer throughout most of the rest of Psalm 119 stresses something vitally important to grasp. Most anyone can talk about keeping God’s Word, but to actually practice the keeping of the Word of God requires much grace from God. Grace is the unearned enablement from the powerful presence of the LORD that makes keeping God’s Word doable. This grace comes through trusting in the LORD; and trusting in the LORD expresses itself through praying. The prayer focus of Psalm 119 serves as a reminder that dependence upon the LORD is at the heart of diligently keeping God’s Word in all the aspects spoken of in Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is not designed to be taken hold of by those who are confident in their own abilities; it is designed to be received by those who, amid much affliction, are experiencing a growing confidence in the abilities that God so graciously provides. Such confidence comes through prayer, by the power of the Holy Spirit. But another important point from verse 4 is simply that the Word of God is the Word from God. The things commanded or expressed in the Bible are exactly the things commanded or expressed by God Himself. Obedience to what the Bible teaches is plainly obedience to God. The authority of the Scriptures is derived directly from their Author and He moved on men’s hearts to write what He determined.
The second sub-stanza of the first stanza (verses 5-8) picks up on some of the truths expressed in the first sub-stanza: “Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments” (119:5-6). The Psalmist, in the first sub-stanza, stated what a “blessed” life consisted of. Now he passionately pleads that he might be that “blessed” man. The Psalmist is not, but wants to be, what he should be. “Oh that” expresses a strong desire that he be the man whose “ways” (a term used twice in the first sub-stanza) might be “steadfast” in “keeping” (also a term used twice in the first sub-stanza) God’s Word. The Psalmist knows he is to be “blameless” through seeking the LORD and keeping His Word, and so, essentially his prayer is for further development in the matter of blamelessness. As the LORD gives grace, then the Psalmist has confidence that he would not be put to shame before the LORD, for the LORD has enabled him to stay focused on His Word.
Not only does the Psalmist pray that he would be steadfast in keeping God’s Word so not to be put to shame, he also prays for another outcome. While the first outcome is stated in the negative—to not be put to shame before the LORD; the second outcome is positive: “I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules” (119:7). The Psalmist desires to praise the LORD publicly. But he does not wish to praise the LORD hypocritically, but with “an upright heart.” The Psalmist has already stated the vital importance of keeping God’s Word as a means of developing a whole heart toward the LORD: “who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart” (119:2). Now he reinforces that same idea by stating that “an upright heart” is formed through learning the LORD’s “righteous rules.” The Psalmist prays for the outcome of standing before the LORD giving Him praise and not experiencing shame. Working backwards from those two opposite outcomes drives the Psalmist to not only restate his resolve to the LORD, but also to request mercy: “I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!” (119:8). The Psalmist wants to choose praise to the LORD over shame before the LORD so he states the term “keep” for the fourth time (twice in the first sub-stanza and now twice in the second). The Psalmist has begun his exploration around God’s Word with an emphasis upon keeping it. Keeping it goes way beyond merely knowing it; keeping the Word is a posture of the heart that seeks to practice it. But with a sober awareness of his own struggles and weaknesses, the Psalmist pleads: “do not utterly forsake me!” Ironically, the term “utterly” is the same term back in verse 4 for “diligently.” Perhaps the term “deeply” could be used in both verses. The Psalmist is acknowledging that God has given His Word to His people so that they would keep it “deeply,” for it is only through such a keeping that they would be kept “deeply.” Knowing the seriousness of this matter prompts the Psalmist to ask the LORD to not forsake him. The Psalmist has resolved to keep God’s Word, but he also realizes his need for the kind of help that only the LORD can supply.
As we reflect on Psalm 119:1-8, we can consider that the Word of God has all that we need to encounter enjoyment in any and every experience of life. It also has all that we need to prevent us from complete spiritual ineptitude and ruination. The Word of God is a kind gift from the LORD designed to keep us in one state and keep us from the other. On the one hand only the LORD can keep us: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (See Jude 24-25). But on the other hand, the Lord Jesus Christ keeps us through the means of a perseverant keeping that involves our resolve: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (See Jude 20-21). And yet, on the other hand still, our resolution to keep ourselves in the love of God is undergirded by the Lord’s preserving love: “To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ” (See Jude 1b). Wanting to be kept by the Lord entails at least two awarenesses. First, as we want to be kept by the Lord, we seek, with all our heart, to keep God’s Word. Second, as we want to be kept by the Lord, we seek, with all our heart, to trustingly pray to the Lord to keep us knowing that, “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (See John 6:37b).
That’s all for Embrace the Word for Monday, September 21, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Wednesday, September 23, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 119:9-16.