I was quite happy to learn that I'm not the only pastor or teacher, who has approached Psalm 119 reluctantly. This is like a hiker coming to within a few hundred feet of his objective and finding that it goes straight up for fifty or seventy-five feet. This is a very hard climb, but it's worth the effort. And yet, if we didn't carry so much baggage, so much weight and size, maybe it would be easier. If we were children, climbing this rock might be easier than climbing stairs. Spurgeon came to it reluctantly, and so did Matthew Henry. One well-known scholar said, "as often as I essayed to think thereon, it always exceeded the powers of my intent thought and the utmost grasp of my faculties.... In proportion as this Psalm seemeth more open, so much the more deep doth it appear to me; so that I cannot show how deep it is. For in others, which are understood with difficulty, although the sense lies hid in obscurity yet the obscurity itself appeareth; but in this, not even this is the case; since it is superficially such, that it seemeth not to need an expositor, but only a reader and listener." The man was saying that this is a difficult Psalm to expound, but it's easy for a child to read and appreciate.

Obviously, this is a huge Psalm - as far as Psalm's go. As we said a couple of weeks ago, there is only one chapter in the Bible which is longer. It is so large that in only a very superficial way can anyone begin to examine it in one message. John Calvin preached twenty-two sermons from this Psalm, but I'm sure that there have been others who preached many, many more. Twenty-two messages makes a lot of sense, because there are twenty-two stanzas to the Psalm. I do not intend to spend the next five months on this one song. But I will spend more than one, and those twenty-two stanzas are certainly a help in this. It is easy to look at four or five and stop for the night, beginning again a week later.

But for this evening, I thought that we'd start with some of the back-ground and incidentals of the Psalm.

Although we aren't told, most commentaries think that it was written by David. It was certainly written by someone who knew the depths of the life - as well as the Word of God.

It seemed to be written with an eye towards young people or perhaps to a favorite son. It extols the Word of God in a fashion which might excite the interest of someone young. Perhaps David wrote it for Solomon, who shared his father's love for this kind of poetry and for the Word. Unfortunately, the childish direction of the Psalm is somewhat lost in its translation into English.

It is twice as long as the second longest Psalm. It is as long as twenty-two average length Psalms. As we said, it is the second longest chapter in the Bible.

There once was a preacher named George Wishart. He got into trouble with the government and was condemned to be executed. It was customary in that day for a condemned man to request the singing of any of the Psalms. And this George Wishart chose the 119^th Psalm. Before the singers could reach the 10^th stanza a pardon arrived and his life was preserved. The historian who told this story quickly pointed out that this George Wishart, must not be confused with the godly man of the same name who lived a century earlier. This man was not godly, but only shrewd, and chose Psalm 119 only because it was the longest. And yet the application might be made that if the ungodly made this Psalm their study and delight, even their miserable lives would be strengthened and lengthened.

This is where things get kind of interesting. This Psalm is divided into twenty-two sections with eight verses in each - for a total of 176 verses. In the original Hebrew there is a section for each of the twenty-two letters of the alphabet. And they begin at the beginning of that alphabet - aleph, beth, gimel, daleth and so on. That may be nothing in itself, but each of the eight verses in each of the twenty-two stanzas all begin with that particular Hebrew letter.

Imagine the skill required to put together that kind of poetry and for that length. I'm not suggesting that other poets couldn't do it, but not every kind of poet could. Someone has said that if David was placed next to all the great writers, poets and eloquent speakers of history - Cicero, Virgil, Demosthenes and so on - he might be the most eloquent and talented of them all.

In glancing through some of my reference material, I found an English rendition of the first stanza - edited so that each line began with the letter "a". Tell me if you think that it is good poetry, a good translation or even easy reading? If you would like you can follow long in your Bibles, or just listen. "A blessing is on them that are undefiled in the way, and walk in the law of Jehovah; A blessing is on them that keep his testimonies, and seek him with their whole heart; Also on them that do no wickedness, but walk in his ways. A law hast thou given unto us, that we should diligently keep thy commandments. Ah! Lord, that my ways were made so direct that I might keep thy statutes! And then shall I not be confounded. While I have respect unto all thy commandments. As for me, I will thank thee with an unfeigned heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. An eye will I have unto thy ceremonies, O forsake me not utterly." I may not be much of a poet or scholar, but that doesn't do as much for me as our Bibles. And I'm sure that if we had the privilege of reading Hebrew, David's version would be better than our old King James.

There is no reference to the Tabernacle or the Temple in here. We aren't told here about sacrifices, family duties, good government, or Heaven, except perhaps that the Bible teaches some of these things. Although we have encouragement to worship the Lord, it is in the context of His great gift of the Word. This Psalm is all about the revelation of God. Its intention is to heighten the saints' love for the Word. And several people suggest that it was written first for children. It's as though, as soon as the child begins to learn the alphabet, he should also begin his journey towards reverence for the Word of God. "Aleph" - "A blessing is on them that keep his testimonies, and seek him with their whole heart. "Beth" - "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart." Someone has said that this Psalm begins simply and gets more complex toward the end. Maybe we'll agree with him, and maybe we won't.

Matthew Henry wrote one of the greatest commentaries on the Bible that can be found. If you look to commentaries for exegesis and insight into original words and theology, look elsewhere. But if you want your heart to be blessed by a devotional comment on the scriptures, Matthew Henry should be your first choice. Actually Henry wrote a great number of books, and one was a biography of his father, Philip. Now remember that this man loved the Word of God, not as a theologian or a technician, but as a humble child of God. And of his father he said, "Once, pressing the study of the Scriptures, he advised us to take a verse of this Psalm every morning to meditate upon, and so go over the Psalm twice in the year; and that, saith he, will bring you to be in love with all the rest of the Scriptures." Philip Henry often said, "All grace grows as love to the word of God grows." We might say that the great Matthew Henry Commentary grew out of a long and early meditation on Psalm 119.

Another man, named John Ruskin testified, "It is strange that of all the pieces of the Bible which my mother taught me, that which cost me most to learn, and which was to my child's mind most repulsive - the 119th Psalm - has now become of all the most precious to me in its overflowing and glorious passion of love for the law of God." I can imagine how difficult it would be for a young child to try to memorize this Psalm. There is so much near repetition and close thought and logic that it would be very hard to perfectly memorize. As I said, it is more to be read and enjoyed than studied or memorized. But what a blessing there is if we could plant this Psalm - verbatim - in our hearts.

Can you remember how the First Psalm begins? "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 119 would be fit to answer the needs mentioned in Psalm 1. The 119^th Psalm is for meditation, not for preaching necessarily or for public worship. But it begins with simple reading. It wasn't written to commemorate some special national victory or divine deliverance. It was written to strength the love of the saint for the Word of God.

There is a lot of repetition or near repetition in this Psalm. But I'd like to think of it as I would some spectacular sight - like a special mountain. A person might take a thousand pictures of Mount Rainier, and no two of them will be exactly the same. The place from which the picture could be different but not necessarily so. Of course the sun hits that mountain differently every 15 minutes of the day for 365 days each year. Then there is a constant parade of clouds behind it, or the moonshine and the stars. And then we could move to a thousand different places from which to take those pictures. It's all the same mountain, but every picture is different - yet the same. And so it is with all these references to the Word of God.

This Psalm is so thorough that like the Lord Jesus Himself, who is the living Word, we have here the alpha and omega of the Hebrew language. We have in both Christ, and in His word, all the elements of knowledge and wisdom. We have in this book the foundation of all that is eternally important. We have the beginning - the aleph all the way up to shin and tav - the last letters.

This evening let's close with them.

This Psalm refers to the "Law". This noun is formed from a verb which means "to direct, to guide, to aim, or to shoot forwards." Its etymological meaning, then, would be "a rule of conduct." It speaks of God's law in general, whether it be that universal rule called the law of nature, or that which was revealed by Moses, and perfected by Christ. And strictly speaking, the law means a plain rule of conduct, rather placed clearly in man's sight, and not enforced by any command. That is to say, "Law" does not necessarily include judgment for breaking its precepts.

Another word used here is "Testimonies" This is derived from a word which signifies "to bear witness - to testify." Testimonies are more particularly God's revealed law; the witnesses and confirmation of his promises made to His people, and guarantees of His future salvation.

"Precepts" comes from a word which means "to place in trust." These are things for which man is responsible, as an intelligent being.

"Statutes." The verb from which this word is formed means "to engrave or inscribe." This word refers to a definite, prescribed, written law.

"Commandments" is a word which is easily understood - "to command, or ordain." God's command to Adam about the tree, was a commandment - obviously.

"Judgments" is derived from a word signifying "to govern, to judge or determine."

And finally there is the word - "Word". The scriptures are those things that God has spoken unto us. And of course, He meant what He said to be heard. Then following that train - the Lord Jesus is also the "Living Word" - He is also meant to be heard.

Next week we'll begin reading through this great Psalm.