Book Extract: The Heart Cries Out on Psalm 119

Psalm 119 is easily the longest psalm in the Bible, at 176 verses. It is composed as an acrostic, with a stanza of eight verses for each of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is a meditation and a teaching on the Law of God as the way of life.

We tend to think of laws as lists of “thou shalt nots,” defining and confining our liberties. Here are things we are not supposed to do, and if we do them, there will be consequences we don’t like. We get speeding tickets and arrest warrants. A list of 176 things we are not to do seems extreme!

Augustine said “Love God and do as you will.” The oath of Hippocrates was “Do no harm.” Jesus summarized the law and the prophets with two rules: love God and love your neighbor. These seem simpler and more positive. But it is not the purpose of Psalm 119 to beat us up with rules and regulations. Instead, it is a devotional reflection praising God for the life-giving gift of the divine law. It is even affectionate in its approach. It extols God for the gift of the law and encourages us to live by this law. Several different words are used to describe the law, signifying the intimate and dynamic relationship the author has with it. The law of God is the yearning, longing, desiring of God for us; it is how God expresses God’s love and desire for us. This may be summarized by the words of verse 105, often set to music, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light upon my path.”

David Moffett-Moore, The Heart Cries Out, 47

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