This is the longest of the Psalms within the book and the author is not known. However, a few commentators suggest it was written by Nehemiah, Ezra or David.
Adam Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Although most judicious interpreters assign it to the times of the Babylonian captivity; yet there are so many things in it that are descriptive of David’s state, experience and affairs, that I am led to think it might have come from his pen’
This psalm which emphasises glory to God and His Word is divided into 22 sections, each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as do many other psalms, Psalm 9 / Psalm 10 / Psalm 25 / Psalm 34 / Psalm 37 / Psalm 111 / Psalm 112 / Psalm 119 / Psalm 145.
The word ‘torah’, that is, the word ‘law’ is used 25 times in this psalm and refers to God’s teaching. The word, ‘dabar’, that is, ’word’ is used 24 times in this psalm and refers to God’s spoken word.
The word ‘mispatim’, that is ‘judgements’ is used 23 times and refers to god’s judgments. The words ‘deut and edot’, that is, ‘testimonies’ is used 23 times and refer to the witness of God’s word.
The words ‘miswah and miswot’, that is ‘commandments’ is used 22 times and refer to the commands of God. The word ‘huqqim’ that is, ‘statutes’ is used 21 times and refers to God’s written word. The word ‘piqqudim’, that is ‘precepts’ is used 21 times and refers to particular instructions of God.
The word ‘imrah’, that is ‘word’ is used 19 times, this word has a similar meaning to ‘imrah’ but generally means anything which God has spoken.
The theme of the psalm is the glorious word, or the law of God, and our obedience to the law.
The NIV doesn’t offer a heading for this psalm, but the KJV does. Although the headings aren’t inspired by God, they are important because they give us some understanding of the Psalm and they help us to see why it was written. The headings usually tell us four things.
1. Who wrote them, probably wrote them or possibly wrote them.
2. Information about the historical background to the Psalm. Why it was written.
3. They tell us of the tune the Psalm was written to.
4. How it was used.
The heading tells us this psalm contains sundry prayers, praises, and professions of obedience.
The psalmist begins by telling us it is those who are happy, those who keep themselves blameless in reference to their obedience to God’s law.
It’s those who are blessed who constantly seek God with all their heart, Deuteronomy 10:12 / Matthew 22:37. Those who are blessed are those who don’t do wrong but follow God’s ways.
It’s those people who aren’t ashamed of being obedient to God’s ways, they are totally focused on the will of God. As a result of that obedience, the psalmist would praise God, learn His laws and they would have confidence that God wouldn’t forsake them.
The psalmist tells us that the only way a young person can purify their ways was by dedicating their life to God’s commandments, 2 Timothy 2:22.
Anyone who keeps themselves close to God’s commands, decrees, statutes, and precepts will have a better chance of staying faithful to God and His ways. The closer we stay to God’s ways, the less chance there is of falling away from God and His ways.
When we read God’s word regularly, His word helps us to remain pure in His sight, Ephesians 5:26 / John 15:3, it cleanses us and keeps us pure, John 15:3 / John 17:17.
When we meditate upon God’s word, we will renew our minds and be spiritually transformed, Romans 12:1-2. However, we must remember not only read God’s word, but we must also listen to what it says and do it, Proverbs 2:10-12 / Matthew 4:1-10 / James 1:22.
The only way a person can really rejoice as one rejoices in great riches is to have a knowledge of God’s word and follow what they are reading. In other words, the real joy comes when we are obedient to God’s word.
The goal of every righteous servant is to live according to God’s statutes and the reward is comfort and strength. When a righteous servant commits themselves to follow God’s word, they find life, insight and guidance.
When we read God’s word, our eyes begin to see wonderful things, in other words, our eyes are opened, Matthew 11:25 / Acts 9:18. When we commit ourselves to God’s word, we will often feel like we’re strangers on earth. This is because we often feel like we’re the only ones who genuinely care about God and His ways.
The world around us is full of arrogant and accursed people, it’s filled with those who have strayed from God’s commands and those who slander us. In a world like this, we all certainly need God to direct our ways through His word.
The psalmist tells us that the only way they could live in a world like this was by meditating and delighting in God’s decrees and allowing God’s statutes to be their counsellor, John 14:16.
It appears the psalmist is in deep spiritual distress, hence, why they laid low in the dust, waiting to be renewed by God’s word. However, being filled with God’s word, they couldn’t stop themselves from speaking about God and His commands.
Their soul is weary with sorrow, hence, why they ask God that they be true to them. They don’t want to live deceitfully, 1 Samuel 21:2 / 1 Samuel 21:8 / 1 Samuel 27:8 / 1 Samuel 27:10, but deliberately chose to live faithfully.
The psalmist didn’t want to be put to shame, they wanted to gain more understanding of God’s commands and they wanted more joy and the only way to do this was to keep very close to the commands of God.
The psalmist now pleads with God for help, that He will preserve their life. They wanted to understand God’s will but not just for knowledge’s sake, they wanted to understand it and obey it with all their heart. They wanted God to direct their ways through His word because that is where their delight was.
The only way to prevent them from going after selfish gain, Joshua 7:21 / Numbers 22 / 2 Samuel 11:2-17 / 1 Kings 21:1-13 / 2 Peter 2:14-16, the only way to keep themselves away from focusing on worthless things, Numbers 15:39 / Job 31:1, was to keep their minds off the things of the world and focus on the statutes of God, Philippians 2:13 / Philippians 4:8 / Colossians 3:1-2.
The psalmist asks God to fulfil His promise, so that God may be feared. In other words, they are asking God to fulfil His promise according to His word, Luke 1:38.
They ask God to take away the disgrace they dread, these are the insults they received from others because they followed God’s commands, 2 Corinthians 12:10 / 1 Timothy 4:10 / Hebrews 13:13 / 1 Peter 4:14.
The psalmist is seeking God’s unfailing love and salvation, which comes through being obedient to God’s word. When they focus on God’s word and His promises found within them, they will be able to face anyone who taunts them.
They ask God to never take His word of truth away from their mouth, John 17:17 / James 1:18, that is, they want to be totally committed to obeying God’s laws, and as a result, they would walk about in freedom, 1 Peter 2:16.
When a person is totally free, they will be able to boldly speak to kings without being put to shame, that is, without being intimidated.
When we trust God’s word, when we put our hope in God’s word, when we obey His laws and delight in His commands, when we love His commands and meditate upon them, then we are blessed with a sense of security.
The psalmist is obviously feeling the pressure from those who are arrogant and wicked. They are suffering but they find hope and comfort in God’s word. Despite the suffering he was facing from the arrogant, they continued to remain faithfully obedient to God.
Their commitment to God caused them to have an anger toward the wicked, that is, those who were disobedient. Those who forsake God’s law often lead others to do the same, Luke 17:1-2.
We get the impression that the more the psalmist draws closer to God’s word, the more they are aware of the sin around them. Despite being mocked, despite the wicked, the psalmist says that God’s decrees are the theme of their songs where they live, Acts 16:25.
The psalmist remembers God’s Name in the night so that they will keep His law, in other words, God was constantly on their mind, Romans 10:17. Remembering God at night has been a long time practice of the psalmist, and as a result, they are able to obey His precepts.
The psalmist had made God his portion in life and it appears that they had sinned at some point but repented, 2 Corinthians 7:10. This was godly repentance because immediately after repenting, they didn’t waste any time in totally committing themselves to obey God’s law.
Despite being bound with robes by the wicked, they didn’t blame God but continued to be faithful to Him and His laws. This is seen in that they gave thanks to God at midnight.
He received a lot of encouragement from their friends, 1 Corinthians 15:33, that is, those who like them feared the Lord and follow His ways, Proverbs 1:7 / Proverbs 2:5 / Proverbs 9:10. The psalmist knows that the earth is filled with God’s love, Psalm 86:15, and wants God to teach them His decrees.
The psalmist appears to reflect upon their life and comes to the conclusion that God has been good to them, despite living in an evil world. They wanted God to teach them knowledge and good judgment, that is spiritual discernment, Job 34:3 / Hebrews 5:14.
They had been afflicted because they went astray, but as a result, they drew closer to God and obey His word, 1 Thessalonians 3:3 / Hebrews 5:8 / Hebrews 12:11.
They had been afflicted because they went astray, but as a result, they learned God’s decrees. In other words, their once hard heart has now been softened by the word of God, Ephesians 4:19 / 1 Timothy 4:2.
Because they were committed to keeping God’s law, they were arrogantly smeared, but because they learned that obedience to God’s laws was more precious than a thousand pieces of silver and gold, Psalm 19:7-10. God’s word was now more valuable than anything the world had to offer, Luke 16:13-15.
The psalmist reminds us that they were made and formed by God, Genesis 2:7 / Psalm 139:14, and since we’re created by God, it’s natural that we should allow God’s word to continue to form our souls, Hebrews 4:12.
The psalmist says that others will rejoice when they see the transformation in the psalmist’s life, Matthew 5:16 / Philippians 2:15. The psalmist had been afflicted by God and so they pray for relief from their affliction in order that they might survive their distress.
They appeal to God’s unfailing love, faithfulness and compassion in order that God will allow them to live, Job 1:21 / 1 Samuel 3:18 / 2 Samuel 16:11.
Their commitment to God had caused them to be persecuted by those who were arrogant and so, they ask that the arrogant be put to shame for wrong them without any excuse, Matthew 26:14-16 / Acts 5:1-11 / 1 Timothy 1:20 / 2 Timothy 4:10.
However, because of their commitment to God, they also gained more friends, more people who were committed to God and His commands. They know if they are wholeheartedly committed to keeping God’s decrees, they will not be put to shame like the arrogant.
The psalmist appears to be in some kind of trouble, they were suffering, and so, they cry out to God for salvation. They are desperate, their eyes are failing to look for God’s promise to comfort them, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 / 2 Corinthians 4:13.
Just as a wineskin gets blackened and wrinkled from smoke, this is how they feel. In other words, their suffering is making them feel older than they actually were.
They ask God to deliver them from those who arrogantly tried to persecute them by setting traps for them, 1 Samuel 28:6-7 / Jonah 4:7-9. The traps these arrogant people are setting up weren’t in accordance with God’s law, Exodus 21:33-34.
However, despite being persecuted for no cause, Psalm 35:19 / Matthew 5:10-12, the psalmist turned to God’s precepts for their deliverance. They turned to God’s unfailing love for life.
The psalmist appears to have been delivered from their suffering, from those who waited to destroy them and the reason for that was simply because they turned to God’s word, which is eternal and firm, Matthew 5:18 Isaiah 40:8 / Matthew 24:35 / 2 Timothy 3:16.
Despite the world around them changing all the time, they received comfort from God’s unchanging Word. The psalmist had learned from their own personal experience, that mankind has limitations when it comes to perfection, but there are no limits, no boundaries, to perfection in God’s word, Psalm 18:30 / Psalm 19:7.
The psalmist’s love is clear in that they meditated upon it all day long. Because God’s commands are always with them because they spend so much time meditating upon God’s word, they are wiser than their enemies, they have more insight than their teachers, the elders, and those who reject God’s word, Acts 4:13.
The psalmist didn’t become arrogant, thinking they knew everything, but because they feared God, they knew this was the beginning of wisdom.
It appears that the precepts of God had greater influence in their life than the traditions that had been handed to him by the teachers and elders who appear to have rejected God’s word, John 3:1-15.
The psalmist finds God’s word sweet to taste, sweeter than honey, Psalm 23:1-3 / Psalm 8:1 / Proverbs 27:7. As a result of tasting God’s sweet word, they made the deliberate decision not to follow every wrong path.
The psalmist tells us that mankind can’t direct their own lives in order to please God. Mankind needs God’s word to help us live as we are supposed to, it’s God’s word which is a lamp for our feet, a light on our path, John 8:12.
In other words, it’s God’s word which helps us live the kind of life which God wants us to live, Ephesians 4:1 / Isaiah 57:2 / Micah 6:8 / 1 John 1:7.
Because God’s word was directing the psalmist’s life, they offered freewill offerings of praise and thanksgiving. They openly declare that their life was totally in God’s hands, and despite being surrounded by the wicked who try to trap them in a snare, they have kept God’s precepts.
God’s statutes are their heritage and they bring joy to their heart and they are determined to keep God’s decrees all the days of their lives, that is, they are committed to serving God all the days of their life.
The psalmist declares that they hate those who are double-minded, which means they are aware of the dangers these people pose to others, 1 Kings 18:21.
The psalmist says that God is their refuge and shield, that is, shelter and strength and they found safety only in God’s word, they trusted God’s word to keep them safe from those evildoers, Matthew 4:4 / Matthew 4:7 / Matthew 4:10.
They ask God to sustain, uphold and deliver them so that they can live and keep their hopes alive. The psalmist is confident that those who turn away from God’s word will come to nothing, they will be like dross, that is, the leftovers from the refining process, Isaiah 1:22 / Jeremiah 6:28-30 / Ezekiel 22:18-19.
The psalmist is fearful of God and as a result, they stand in awe of God’s laws.
The psalmist tells us that they were being unfairly oppressed, it was unfair because what they had done was righteous and just. As a result of this unfair oppression, their eyes fail from looking for salvation and from looking for God’s religious promise, and so, they cry out to God for help, Job 17:3.
It’s a sad, but the general rule is that when people do what is right, they will often receive persecution from those who are evil, Matthew 5:11 / John 15:20. When the psalmist read God’s word, they were assured that they were right and their arrogant oppressors were wrong, Judges 21:25.
Despite their arrogant oppressors violating God’s laws by persecuting a righteous and just servant of God, the psalmist is determined to continue to love God’s commandments. They will love His commandments because they are more precious than gold, even pure gold, Matthew 6:24.
Because of God’s precepts, they are determined to hate every wrong path, which implies they are determined not to walk on the wrong path, Matthew 7:13-14.
The psalmist tells us when they realise that God’s statutes are wonderful, they will automatically obey them. When they open up God’s word, they find that the words give light and understanding even to the simple, that is, the innocent, this again encourages them to obey His word.
When the psalmist opens their mouth, they pant and want more of God’s commands. As a result, they desire to be closer to God so that they can receive God’s mercy. They want God’s word to direct their footsteps in order that they will stay away from sin, Romans 6:14 / 1 Corinthians 6:12.
By being obedient to God’s word, the psalmist will find freedom from human oppression, they want God’s face to shine on them, that is, they want God to show favour to them so that God can teach them His decrees.
Notice the psalmist is deeply moved, they are moved to tears because there are some who don’t obey God’s law, Matthew 23:37-39 / Mark 3:5.
The psalmist declares that God is righteous and His laws are right and they declare that His statutes are trustworthy. Their zeal is wearing them out because their enemies ignore God’s word, Psalm 69:9 / John 2:13-17.
They acknowledge that God’s promises have been thoroughly tested, that is, God keeps His promises, and as a result, the psalmist loves them.
It’s God’s word, which is the word of truth, 2 Corinthians 6:7, it’s God’s word, which is the word of life, Philippians 2:16, it’s God’s word, which is filled with power, Hebrews 1:3.
Despite the psalmist feeling lowly and despised, 1 Samuel 16:10-13 / 2 Corinthians 11, they didn’t forget God’s precepts. They didn’t forget that God’s righteousness and law is true, John 18:37-38.
Despite being troubled and in distress, the psalmist found delight in God’s commands. God’s statutes give them understanding so that they may live, John 10:10.
It appears the psalmist is being oppressed and as a result, they wake up in the morning, Mark 1:35, crying out to God for help because they couldn’t sleep through the night, Luke 6:12.
It was during this time of oppression that they cry out to God for hope, and while meditating upon God’s promises, they receive that much-needed hope.
They ask God to preserve their life according to God’s love and God’s law because those who were wicked were devising evil schemes against them, these were the wicked who had no respect for God or His laws.
Despite what those wicked people were doing, the psalmist knew that God was near, Psalm 73:28 / Jeremiah 23:23, and His commands were true. They had learned from long ago, that God established His statues to remain forever.
The psalmist is suffering greatly and asks God to deliver them from those who had no respect for God’s law because they hadn’t forgotten God’s law.
They want God to defend their cause, Psalm 35:1 / Psalm 43:1 / Hosea 4:17, to redeem them and preserve their life as God has promised in His word.
The psalmist knows that those who practise wickedness will not receive salvation, because they don’t seek God’s decrees, Galatians 5:19-21. God’s compassion is great, Isaiah 1:18 / Isaiah 43:22-25, and the psalmist asks God to preserve their life according to God’s laws.
Despite their foes persecuting them, Matthew 13:20-21, they didn’t turn away from God’s statutes, despite their foes being faithless, and disobeying God’s word, they love God’s precepts because they preserve their life according to God’s love.
The psalmist knows that God’s word is true and His righteous laws are eternal. They have complete confidence that God will defend them, redeem them and preserve their life.
The psalmist tells us that even the rulers of the land were persecuting them without any cause, nonetheless, they were more afraid of God’s word and they wouldn’t turn from it.
When they read God’s promises they rejoiced like someone who found some great buried treasure. They hate and detest anything which is false but loves God’s law.
They praise God seven times a day because of His righteous laws, that is, they constantly praised God throughout the day, Leviticus 26:28. As a result of praising God, they received God’s peace, Philippians 4:7, and were made stronger in their faith.
They will patiently wait on God to save them and they will continue to follow God’s commands. They obey His statutes and love them greatly and they obey God’s precepts and His statutes because God knows all their ways, Psalm 139:1-24 / Matthew 10:30 / Hebrews 4:13.
God’s word was going to protect them from turning away from God’s righteousness and because they will obey God, they will be blessed with life, peace, strength and comfort, Nahum 1:7 / John 10:10.
The psalmist asks that his cry is heard by God and asks for understanding according to God’s word. They also ask that their supplication be heard by God so that God would deliver them according to His promise.
They want to praise God continually with their mouths when God teaches them His decrees. They want to be able to sing God’s word, they want to sing of God’s righteous commands.
They want God’s hand to be ready to help them because they have chosen God’s precepts, that is, they have chosen to live by God’s commandments. They long for God’s salvation because it’s God’s law, which brings the delight of salvation, 1 Peter 1:23.
Just as a sheep strays away in the wilderness, the psalmist asks God to continue to direct them through His commandments, Romans 7:21. In other words, they are asking God to renew and transform their lives, Romans 12:2.
The psalmist describes themselves as a servant, Luke 17:10, who hasn’t forgotten God’s commands.
Someone once said, ‘The best evidence of the Bible’s being the word of God is to be found between its covers. It proves itself.’
Indeed, were it not for the proof within its pages of the inspiration that it claims for itself, the Bible would never have become the most widely circulated book in the world.
Every Christian ought not only to believe the Bible but he ought also to be able to thoroughly examine the foundation upon which that faith rests.
For it we don’t know why we believe the scriptures are inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, our faith in it and in Christ himself may be uprooted by the cynicism and scepticism of adverse Biblical critics.
Christian evidences is the term usually applied to the study of reasons for believing in the inspiration of the Bible and the religion of Jesus Christ.
Whole books have been written in this field, and it is impossible in the space allotted in this study to more than touch upon these things. The student who would like to study these matters in greater detail should secure one or more of the several fine books which have been written in defence of the Bible.
The Bible presents the highest standard of morality that the world has ever known. Never has the world known a finer rule than the golden rule, Matthew 7:12.
If anyone doubts the superiority of the Christian religion from a moral point of view, let him examine those countries in which the Bible has had little influence and see the degeneration of man.
The moral standard given by Christ are so superior to those of other religions that it is impossible to account for these principles except on the basis that they were divinely revealed.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."