Love God Greatly is a ministry passionate about God’s Word! We want the information we acquire during our study time to burn a path to our hearts, igniting a fire and zeal for God that transforms us from the inside out. And we are confident that this will happen since what we study is the very Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:12).

The greatness of God’s Word is the theme of Psalm 119.

Kevin DeYoung calls this Psalm a love poem because the author sings the praises of God’s Word over and over again. The Psalmist mentions God’s Word in one form or another 169 times in 176 verses.

The sections and verses are not like a chain, where one link is connected to the other, but like a string of pearls were each pearl has equal, but independent value. – David Guzik

Scripture doesn’t let us know who the author of Psalm 119 is. Some scholars believe it was written by David, while others believe it was written well after David’s time. No matter who wrote it, it is the inspired Word of God and should be poured over carefully.

Isn’t it interesting that the longest chapter in the Bible is all about the Bible itself? This says something about the beauty, importance, and usefulness of Scripture.

Let’s get back to the set-up of this Psalm. It is an acrostic made up of twenty-two stanzas, and each stanza is made up of eight verses. The fun part is that each of those eight verses begins with the same Hebrew letter. The first eight verses all begin with aleph and next eight verses all being with beth and so on and so forth.

We need to be careful when reading Psalm 119. It is easy to get caught up in its repetitive style and then allow ourselves to get bored. Martin Boos said, “Most read their Bibles like cows that stand in the thick grass, and trample under their feet the finest flowers and herbs.” This Psalm requires that we pay close attention in order to catch all of the powerful, beautiful, and sometimes subtle truths the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us about his Word.

Many superficial readers have imagined that it (Psalm 119) harps upon one string, and abounds in pious repetitions and redundancies; but this arises from the shallowness of the reader’s own mind: those who have studied this divine hymn, and carefully noted each line of it, are amazed at the variety and profundity of the thought.
– Spurgeon

As you read Psalm 119 look for the different character qualities of Scripture, like the fact that it is sufficient, truthful, pure, authoritative, and unchanging. But don’t stop there. Look beyond the words on the page to the Living Word, God himself, and see how his character is reflected in this chapter.

As we get ready to open up Psalm 119 we should ask God to show us what we should believe about his Word and about himself, and how we are to apply those precious truths to our own lives so that we walk away more in love with God and his Word, more aware of – and disgusted with – our sins, and more thankful and joyful because of Christ and his sacrifice.

Looking To Jesus,

THERE’S STILL TIME to join us for our Summer Online Bible Study, but don’t wait long – our study starts on MONDAY!

Don’t miss this opportunity to grow and be encouraged in your faith as we study God’s Word TOGETHER! Grab some friends and join us starting June 15th… it wouldn’t be the same without YOU!

**Enroll in our Psalm 119 study here.**

**Find our FREE Psalm 119 resources here.**

**Join a Love God Greatly Community group here.**

#LoveGodGreatly #Psalm119

Jen Thorn

Jen Thorn grew up in Germany and then spent her teenage years in Africa, where her parents were missionaries. She moved to the United States for college and attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where she met her husband. They have been married for twenty-two years and have four children. Jen lives in the suburbs of Chicago, where her husband is the pastor of Redeemer Fellowship. Jen is passionate about theology and the connection to daily living.