Embrace the Word for Wednesday, October 28, 2026

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Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s Word. Psalm 119:129-136 continues the exploration of the “blessed” life. Each verse in this seventeenth stanza begins with the seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (which is pe). The seventeenth stanza draws attention to the awe that the Psalmist experiences from the Word of God as well as the concern he has over the those who reject God’s Word. This seventeenth stanza is bracketed by contrasting terms of “treasure,” which can be translated as keep (119:129) and “keep” (119:136). The contrast is between the servant who treasures the Word with others who do not keep it. The first sub-stanza of the seventeenth stanza highlights how wonderful the Word is to the Psalmist (119:129-132), while the second sub-stanza builds on that wonder ending in how weary the Psalmist is over those who dishonor the Word (119:133-136). The seventeenth stanza begins with wonders and concludes with tears.

Psalm 119:129-136 opens with a statement about the miracle of Scripture: “Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them” (119:129). As the Psalmist describes God’s Word the term “wonderful” refers to its miraculous nature. The Psalmist rightly feels something of the full force of the Word of God. There is nothing ordinary or usual about the Scriptures. The Scriptures are miraculous in their origin, for they are breathed out by God (See 2 Timothy 3:16). They are miraculous in their production, for they were written down by men moved by the Holy Spirit (See 2 Peter 1:21). They are miraculous in their nature, for they are absolutely true (See John 17:17). They are miraculous in their effects, for they are living and active (See Hebrews 4:12). As Words full of wonder, the Psalmist keeps them as he would a valued treasure. In keeping this valued treasure, the Psalmist does not simply lock them up and conceal them in an undisclosed location; the Psalmist takes great personal care and attention to practice them in how he lives his life. That the LORD would entrust His very Words to mankind is nothing short of a precious gift. The Psalmist notes a specific example of why the gift of God’s Word is so precious: “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple” (119:130). The Word of God provides light as it unfolds or opens the heart to shine into it. The Psalmist has already stated: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (See Psalm 119:105). The illuminating work of the Word extends not only to the darkest corners of the world but also the human heart. Such miraculous light gives understanding to those who do not natively have much understanding. Even an innate fool who lives in darkness can experience wisdom and enlightenment. God’s Word imparts wisdom and enlightenment about the most important matters of life. The Word of God tells the truth about the origins of the world, as well as its design, purpose, remedy for what ails it, where meaning is found, as well as its destiny. Even the simplest can have understanding of these vital realities.

With the Scripture having so much value due to its miraculous character, the Psalmist expresses his strong hunger for it: “I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments” (119:131). Even as the LORD miraculously fed the Israelites in the wilderness with bread from heaven, God’s Word was an even more essential miracle: “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (See Deuteronomy 8:3). The Psalmist’s language concerning the Word of God is strong as “I open my mouth” suggests the urgency of the hunger, while “pant” and “long” indicate its intensity. The Psalmist wants to be fed, not just with anything, but with the soul-satisfying, heart-enlightening Word from the LORD. The Psalmist has already indicated that God’s Word opens the heart and shines light into it (119:130). Now the Psalmist prays: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name” (119:132). When Moses encountered the LORD (See Exodus 34:29), his face shone from experiencing the light of the glory of the LORD as He proclaimed His Name before Moses. Moses later instructed Aaron to ask the LORD to turn to Israel, cause His face to shine on them, and be gracious (See Numbers 6:24-26). These realities seem to be reflected in the Psalmist’s prayer as he acknowledges his understanding that the LORD is always and ever gracious to all who love His Name. In this prayer, the Psalmist is confessing his need for the LORD’s grace to be upon him, but it should be noted that such an experience of grace in this stanza is anchored to the reception of God’s Word.

The Psalmist transitions from declaring the wonders of the Word of God (119:129-132), to disclosing even more about his need for God’s Word, but also his dishearten state for those who reject the Word (119:133-136). The Psalmist opens the second sub-stanza with a request: “Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me” (119:133). Having confessed his need for grace at the end of the first sub-stanza, the Psalmist spells out exactly how he needs the LORD to be gracious to him. The Psalmist wants the LORD to cause his steps to be aligned with what the Word of God says. The Psalmist wants to actually live in obedience to God’s Word and he realizes that success in obedience is undergirded by grace. He realizes his need for grace because he recognizes that the power of sin seeks dominion. The quest of sin to have dominion can occur from outside a person as well as inside. Sin’s operational pull works through external enticements, but perhaps even more so through internal desires. Whichever the source, the Psalmist understands that only the LORD can keep his steps steady. The Psalmist admits his need for rescue: “Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts” (119:134). Just like Israel while under Egyptian slavery, oppression requires redemption. Such redemption secures freedom—a freedom that leads to living obediently to the Word of God.

The Psalmist revisits his reflection from the first sub-stanza involving Moses and Aaron: “Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes” (119:135). In verse 132 the Psalmist asks the LORD to turn to him and be gracious, now he completes the Aaronic Blessing as adding “make your face shine.” The Psalmist is connecting his acknowledgement of the light-shining Word of the LORD from verse 130 with an appeal for the light-shining face of the LORD. As the Psalmist stated that the light of the Word imparted understanding to him, he now states that the light of the LORD’s face, that is His presence, imparts instruction from the Word to him. The point that the Psalmist is making by tying together the light-shining Word of the LORD with the light-shining face of the LORD is that experiencing God is inseparably linked to receiving His Word. Thus, God’s Word is precious further still to the Psalmist, for reading the Bible is for the purpose of encountering God. So, it is the failure of many to encounter the LORD through not turning to the Word that invokes great sorrow in the Psalmist: “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law” (119:36). The phrase “streams of tears” is actually the same in Psalm 1:3 where it is translated “streams of waters.” Perhaps this parallel suggests the very streams of the water of the Word that the Psalmist has soaked into his heart, has led to a stream of waters (tears) soaking his face as he is filled with sorrow for those who ignore God’s Word. The Psalmist displays godly grief. A grief stirred in connection with his own love for the Word.

As we reflect on Psalm 119:129-136 we can consider the words of the Apostle Paul concerning the transformational impact of the Word of God: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (See 2 Corinthians 3:18). The Apostle Paul’s words are in the context of his discussion about Moses’ need to veil his face in the aftermath of experiencing the presence of God’s glory. This discussion unfolds as the superiority of the New Covenant is held up against the Old Covenant. The point seems to revolve around the consideration that if Moses beheld the glory of God in the Old Covenant, how much more transformative is beholding the glory of God in the New Covenant. One of the great privileges of the New Covenant is now that all believers are able to experience the light-shining face of the Lord God through the light-shining Word of God. The transformational experience of seeing the face of the Lord is mediated through searching the Word. The Spirit of God is the principal agent who removes the veil over our hearts so that we experience the freedom to see: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (See 2 Corinthians 3:17). These important truths can immensely help us to grasp what is gained as we open our Bibles and seek the Lord Jesus Christ through reading and meditating. As we seek the Word, we should be mindful of Moses’ instructions to Aaron on how he was to bless Israel: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (See Numbers 6:24-26). Remember, reading Words is the means of seeing glory.

That’s all for Embrace the Word for Wednesday, October 28, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Friday, October 30, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 119:137-144.