SUMMARY
God’s words are sweet and provide a lamp to show God’s people the way.
ANALYSIS
PsalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. 119 is an extended acrosticAn acrostic is a play on words or a word game in which the first letter of each line in a document spells out another message. One biblical example of an acrostic is Psalm 119 in which the consecutive subsections of the psalm feature the... poem (see Introductory Issues) that prays for help in following God’s law and praises the law as better “than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (v. 72). The synonyms for law (TorahThe Torah is the law of Moses, also known as the first five books of the Bible. To many the Torah is a combination of history, theology, and a legal or ritual guide., instruction) seem endless: law, decrees, ways, precepts, ordinances, statutes, word, commandments, works, judgments, promise. In all of this the psalmist delights–which can seem strange to Christian readers, especially modern ones. Why delight in laws and commandments that tell you what to do? But Israel knew that God gave the law out of mercyMercy is a term used to describe leniency or compassion. God's mercy is frequently referred to or invoked in both the Old and New Testaments. so that God’s people might have life (v. 77). The law even brings salvationSalvation can mean saved from something (deliverance) or for something (redemption). Paul preached that salvation comes through the death of Christ on the cross which redeemed sinners from death and for a grace-filled life. (v. 81)–not in a legalistic way, such that one gains eternal salvation by keeping the law; but joyfully, for in this life one is “saved” from death and destruction by following the precepts that God has graciously given. The law serves life; God, like a loving parent, teaches people how to get from today to tomorrow without killing and being killed. This is a good thing, and the psalmist knows it. These words are “sweeter than honey” and “a lamp to my feet.” God’s law (torah), or word, includes more than commandments, of course; it is all of God’s instruction, including God’s promises and judgments. All God’s people know that this word is worthy of love and of meditation all day long (v. 97).
