This last passage marks the end of Psalm 119, and it continues the thoughts found in the first half. Let’s take a look at it in Psalm 119:173-176:

This stanza wraps up the entirety of Psalm 119 with the psalmist’s cry out to God for help. He seems to know intuitively that the help that God offers can be found in the pages of his Word. So he turns there and shares several areas where he is lacking; areas that can only be fulfilled by the Word of God.

As we looked at the first half of this passage, we saw three areas: our need for understanding, our need for deliverance, and our need for a proper attitude of worship.

In the last few verses here, we can see two more areas where we need God help, and we can find that help in Scripture.

We Need Power To Live Fully For God – Verses 173-174

These two verse initially seem to be referring to the psalmist’s enemies, and display his need for help against them. But I think that this passage has more of a spiritual focus than just a mere physical one. In that light, the psalmist looks to be crying out for God’s help to live by his Word, his commands, his law.

It’s quite simple, really. We cannot live an upright life under our own power. We can do nothing that can attain the righteousness required to satisfy God’s expectations. It is only through his own help that we can live in such a way that we can be seen as righteous before God. It is only because of the blood of Christ shed for us, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, living within us, that we can achieve this. There is no other way.

We Need Strength To Persevere – Verse 175

If we really desire to live such a life, one that is seen as righteous before God, then we will be persistent in our efforts to follow God. That’s the point of this verse, where the the psalmist states, “let me live that I might praise you,” implying an intentional effort day after day after day.

The same is true for you and me. We cannot coast through our lives when it comes to our faith. We need to intentionally seek out ways to stay as close to God as we possibly can, and one of the primary ways that we can accomplish that is by staying invested in the Word daily. Only through God’s Word can we find the strength we need to persevere daily as we live out our faith.

As the psalmist wraps up Psalm 119, he makes on final plea, comparing himself to a lost sheep. If the author of this psalm was David, then this final plea resonates well with what we know about him. David was a shepherd, and he described that role of the Father quite well in Psalm 23. But as a shepherd, he also knows that sheep get lost. They wander off. And a Good Shepherd will seek them out and find them.

This author trusts the Shepherd to do just that. Do you?

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The final stanza in Psalm 119 differs from all those that come before it in the fact that it is a final petition of the writer to God. Take a look at the first half of this passage in Psalm 119:169-172:

The psalmist wraps this passage up with a plea for God’s help in several areas. These are areas that he recognizes clearly that he needs some assistance from God. How does he know this? Because a close look at the Word of God reveals those areas where we fall short, and can only grow with the help of God himself.

The psalmist compares himself to a lost sheep in the final lines of this psalm, bringing to mind the passage written in Psalm 23, of God being our Shepherd. In that passage, the author clams that he lacks nothing, and then describes those areas that God has provided for him.

In this stanza of Psalm 119, by contrast, the writer lists those things he does lack, and seeks God’s help in gaining them. We need God’s help in these areas as well.

We Need Understanding – Verse 169

When we think of the biblical writers, we don’t immediately think of their lack of understanding. We are more likely to think of their wisdom, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that directed them as they wrote the Words of God to his people. At the very least, we would think that a writer of Scripture would be aware of how much he was learning as he wrote.

But here, the psalmist is aware of just how little he knows, and how he needs God’s help if he is to understand anything at all. We are the same. We need to humbly seek God’s guidance as we study the pages of Scripture, allowing him to give us the understanding we need to know God, to know his ways, and to follow them fully.

That is the cry of the writer as he begins this final strophe, in verse 169. His description reminds us that the wisest people are those who know how little they actually know, and that a complete understanding can only come from God.

We Need Deliverance – Verse 170

This is our need for salvation, plain and simple. The psalmist may have been seeking deliverance form his enemies, much as he has been asking over and over in Psalm 119. But I suspect his plea goes a little deeper than just mere physical salvation. Looking ahead to the second half of this stanza, in verse 174, the psalmist “longs for” God’s salvation.

This is the deepest longing of every soul, whether we realize it or not. In the very depths of who we are, we realize that we need a Savior, something – Someone – greater than ourselves to make things right. We need deliverance from sin, and we know that we cannot provide that on our own. We need Someone greater.

Of course, we have a perspective that the psalmist didn’t have. We are looking at this passage from the other side of the cross. We can see that Jesus has come to provide the deliverance that we need. And that is a message that we need to share with all those who need to hear it.

We Need To Worship Rightly – Verses 171-172

With such a deliverance being given to us, we need to give God the praise for that salvation. But in order to worship rightly, we need a couple of things. We need to know what kind of worship pleases God, what kinds of things God is looking for in our worship. And we need a heart filled with love for God so that our worship is sincere and genuine.

God has prescribed specific ways for worship to occur, especially in the Old Testament. Worshipers were worship in a certain place, with a certain sacrifice, at specific times. To do something different was to incur God’s judgment.

The same thing is true in the New Testament. Jesus tells us that our worship must be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). We still have specific manners by which God desires worship. To worship in “truth” means to worship in accordance to what God has revealed in the Bible, because “your Word is truth” (John 17:17).

Just what does that look like? Fortunately, Scripture gives us plenty of freedom to offer our worship in a variety of ways. But all of those ways must include what the psalmist recognizes here. Our worship must be filled with love and praise to God for what he has done. It must be sincere and from the heart. And for that, we need his help.

There are two more items to look at in the next half of this final stanza of Psalm 119. We will turn to those next.

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Over the last couple of stanzas, the psalmist has revealed some things he knows to be true about God. In this last portion of this stanza, he shares two final thoughts. Take a look at this passage in Psalm 119:165-168:

At this point, the psalmist has revealed three different characteristics of God’s nature that he relies upon, that he has found within the pages of God’s Word. First of all, in verses 153-156, Scripture displays God’s mercy. Next, in verses 157-160, God’s Word is proven to be true. The third thing the psalmist reveals about God’s Word, in verses 160-164, is that God’s Word brings joy.

In these next four verses of Psalm 119, we find two additional characteristics of God that can be seen clearly through his Word.

Obedience To God’s Word Brings Peace

I find this verse to be very intriguing. Peace is one of those qualities that followers of God can find when they obey God’s Law. But the idea of obedience is a tough one, because who can obey the Law fully and completely? No one can. And so the psalmist stresses first that peace come to those who love God’s Law, in verse 165. It’s a couple verses later that he equates this love with obedience, in verse 167.

This is a truth that’s worth repeating: Love for God is reflected best in our lives by obedience to his commands. Jesus said the same thing in John 14, in verse 15 and again in verse 23: “If you love me, keep my commands… Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” John reiterates this later in his short letter of 1 John, in 2:3, and in 5:3.

Love of God and obedience to him are always connected in Scripture. The author of Psalm 119 reaffirms this when he states, “I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly.”

And this brings peace. Peace comes from the knowledge that it’s only by the mercy of God that we can be made right. Our love for him results in obedience to him, which leads to his mercy to us, to restore us to a right relationship with him through the work of his Son on the cross. There is no other way to complete peace.

Obedience Leads To Security

When the psalmist states that “nothing can make them stumble,” he’s referring to the fact that nothing can shake God’s love for us. Security comes from knowing God’s love, and loving him in return. That comes from being obedient to his Word. To be certain, God’s love is not dependent upon our obedience; we cannot earn God’s favor. But obeying him out of our love for him provides a measure of security in this life that can come from nowhere else.

God’s Word is true and will stand forever. That provides a sense of security that cannot be given in material prosperity, or found in the promises of men. That can only come from God, and be found in him alone.

There are many uncertainties in this life, from the false promises of infomercials simply trying to sell us something to the windy emptiness of political promises. As fallen people, we make and break promises all too easily, even to those we love the most. But God’s Word stands true, and his promises are unbreakable. When we take that to heart, it provides a sense of security that we desperately need and long for.

So as we move forward into the coming days, weeks, and months of our lives, for however long we may have in this life, let us seek to find God’s love and mercy, his truth, his joy, and the peace and security that comes through obeying him. Let us seek him in the pages of his Word, and rely upon him fully.

There is no better option.

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God brings joy. As the author moves toward the end of this psalm, he leans more and more into the nature of God and his Word. In this passage, he refreshes his own memory about the joy God’s Word brings him. You can see it for yourself in Psalm 119:161-164:

So far, the psalmist has shared that God’s word displays God’s mercy for us to see, and that God’s truth is found to be clear as well. As he meditates on those two characteristics, he seems to almost pause here to share the joy that those qualities of God bring to him.

And yet, at the same time, this is the third characteristic that we can see in this stretch of stanzas as we near the end of this psalm. God is the source of our delight, and that is a constant, whether we face easy times of difficult ones. The psalmist is facing persecution from those who do not love God, from those who hate the truth. But he still finds a reason to rejoice.

God’s Word Brings Joy

These few verses here bring a sense of refreshing to our hearts. The psalmist has covered some weighty and difficult things through the verses of this psalm so far. This brief section reminds us of the joy that God brings to us. And it seems as if he finds a new way to express this joy in every verse of this passage.

In verse 161, he states that his heart trembles at God’s Word. In my own experience, my heart trembles in two different ways: in the face of great fear, and in the face of great anticipation. Either could be the case here, and more likely both. He is standing against unjust persecution, and yet he trembles before God’s Word.

In verse 162, he rejoices in God’s promises. The word picture he displays here is one of a man who has found a treasure. It is reminiscent of the parable Jesus told of the landowner who found a treasure in a field, and then went and sold everything he had so that he could buy that field, obtaining that treasure (Matthew 13:44). Both that parable and this illustration in Psalm 119 depict the same thing. God is a treasure worth pursuing!

In verse 163, he makes a simple statement of love for God’s law. He does so in contrast to his hatred for falsehood. This reminds us of the quality he has already shared about God’s Word being true.

And in verse 164, he praises God for his Word, and he does so multiple times a day.

Each of these expressions in this portion of Psalm 119 express the joy that the psalmist finds within the Word of God. And they serve as vivid reminders to us that God’s Word still brings joy to our lives. That’s the simple truth.

But in order to experience that joy, we have to spend time in his Word daily.

It’s not optional.

In fact, it’s critical.

Without a solid grounding in the Word of God, we are likely to be swept away by the worries and fears that come at us in this life. And if you’re like me, we give in to these worries and fears all too easily most of the time. But God’s Word provides the anchor we need to stay grounded. It provides the nourishment we need to stay strong. It provides the joy we need to stay focused on the love, the mercy, the truth, and the peace that God gives to us so freely.

So how often are you spending time in the Word of God? What do you need to do to make this a habit, or to make an existing habit stronger? I have created a free Bible Reading Plan that can help you to spend time daily in the Word. There are actually three different plans contained within it, giving you the freedom to use the one that fits you and your needs best. With the New Year right around the corner, it’s a great time to start.

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God is merciful. That is the truth that psalmist shared in the first half of this stanza. In the second half, we find the next truth that he has learned about God. You can see this passage for yourself in Psalm 119:157-160:

In the first half of this stanza, the psalmist discussed the characteristic of mercy that he has found in God. God is merciful, and that is all the more evident to us as we become more and more obedient to him.

But this isn’t the only characteristic that the psalmist has learned about God; in fact, there are at least three more truths that he has learned that he reveals in this stanza and in the next.

The second thing that he has learned about God is found in this passage. He states it quite clearly in verse 160, but it has been seen already in Psalm 119, and more than once.

God’s Word is True

This is a reality that the psalmist has already shared. We have seen it in verse 142, and again in verse 151. It seems as if the further this psalm progresses, the more this concept appears. The reason for this is simple: the truth of God’s Word is a vital lesson that we must learn. The psalmist has come to understand it, and so must we.

We live in a culture where truth is commodity that is traded without much thought. A culture where truth is relative at best, and more likely spurned than not. A culture that has accepted untruth more often than truth, and only then if it fits our own desires and lusts.

As a culture, we have largely rejected the notion of absolute truth, that there is a standard of truth that is true for all people, in all places, for all times. That there is a truth that over-arches all else. A truth that does not change or bend.

But God’s Word is utterly true, and completely trustworthy, even when everything else and everyone around us proves to be untrustworthy and false.

Our culture is one where fake news is the news of the day, and deep fakes are so convincing that we accept them as real, often without thought. Our culture refuses to accept any standard of truth, and prefers to hold on to relativism; something might be true true for you, and that’s all well and good, but it’s not for me.

We absolutely reject any sense of absolute truth.

But God’s Word must be viewed as absolute. There is no room for wavering when it comes to the absolute truth it contains. Jesus stated this very clearly in John 17:17, when he prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” In fact, in John 14:6, he even equated himself with the truth of Scripture, calling himself Truth, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Paul carries the concept of Scripture as truth through in his second letter to Timothy. In 2 Timothy 2:15, he writes:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

And then in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we read this:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So when the psalmist states that, “All your words are true,” he is making a statement that can be seen in multiple places throughout the pages of Scripture. And therein lies the power of Scripture. The fact that it is true is what gives it the power that it needs to speak into our lives, and to change us as we open our lives up to it.

Chuck Colson said it this way: “The Bible’s power rests upon the fact that it is the reliable, errorless, and infallible Word of God.”

That’s exactly what the psalmist discovered, and that’s what carried him through the persecution of his enemies (verse 157), what held him above the faithless (verse 158), and what kept his life preserved (verse 159).

God’s eternal truth, found in the pages of his Word, will act in the same way in our own lives still, revealing God’s love for us, preserving us, just is the psalmist discovered all those years ago, and as he penned in these beautiful stanzas of Psalm 119.

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With only three stanzas left in Psalm 119, the psalmist seems to be increasing his pleas for God’s salvation and provision against his enemies. His conclusions should help us understand God’s desires for our own lives better. Take a look at Psalm 119:153-156:

The author of Psalm 119 has described more than once his enemies and the persecution that they bring to him as he strives to follow God’s Word. As the psalm progresses, there seems to be an increasing urgency in his cries for help.

And yet, at the same time, the psalmist’s pleas are focusing less and less upon himself and have become more of a prayer as the stanzas have gone by. As Psalm 119 progresses, the author has grown to the point where he is now calmly waiting in obedience.

As this section of the psalm begins, he calls out once again for protection and deliverance. The psalmist reminds God that he has kept his laws, and that he hasn’t forgotten them. He knows that obedience to God’s Word isn’t an option for him, and it’s not an option for us either.

Our culture dislikes the notion of obedience. We want to do whatever we want, whenever we want, and to do it on our own. We have become overly independent, refusing to submit to any authority whatsoever.

This isn’t a new problem, and has been around for centuries. Jesus spoke very forthrightly about obedience, and about the need to submit to his Lordship. Paul writes in several places of the need to submit to Christ, to submit to others, to submit to authorities, and more.

The simple reality is that if we do not submit in obedience, then Jesus really isn’t the Lord of our lives. We are. And not one of us is capable of saving ourselves from the sinful nature that prevents us from being restored to God.

So obedience to God’s Word is the natural response that we must give when we read and understand it. Obedience is the natural response that comes if we truly love the One who has given us his Word. We have to practice what we say we believe.

James puts it this way in James 1:22-25:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

This is the principle found in this stanza of Psalm 119, and the stanza that follows. The psalmist has discovered a few things that are true about God, and that we can experience to greater degrees when we are obedient. One is found in verse 156. Three more are found in the latter half of this passage. We will look at those next week.

God Is Merciful

Verse 165 says, “Your compassion is great, O Lord.” The Hebrew phrase here could be translated as “rich in mercy.” But just what does this mean? Look at Exodus 34:6-7, where God himself describes his merciful nature to Moses:

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”

We are in desperate need of God’s mercy. And we have access to this mercy through the shed blood of Jesus.

But it requires our obedience. If we continue to stand on our own, refusing to submit to Christ’s Lordship of our very lives, the mercy that we so desperately need cannot be grasped. Our willful defiance prevents us from attaining it. We must be obedient, submitting ourselves to God, and he will draw near to us (James 4:7-10).

So let’s let go of our pride and our independence, and draw near to God. Let’s be obedient to what we find in the pages of God’s Word so that we can receive his mercy that we so desperately need.

What will be the result of this? The psalmist goes on in the second half of this stanza, and the next one, to identify three more results of obedience to God: an understanding of God’s truth, God’s peace, and the security that only God can give.

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The first half of this stanza contained a couple of instructions on prayer that the psalmist has learned while facing opposition in his life. This passage gives two more. You can see them in Psalm 119:149-152:

As mentioned when we looked at the first half of this strophe, the author of Psalm 119 has learned to rely upon God mainly due to a single factor: his prayer life. He has come to rely upon God for protection and provision, and knows that it is only through his ongoing conversations with God that this relationship can stay vibrant and healthy.

In the first half of the passage, the psalmist gave two ways that using God’s Word in his prayer life gave him the strength he needed to continue following God fully. First, he stated that we must pray earnestly. And second, that we must pray continually.

In the final verses of this stanza, we can see two more characteristics of our prayer life, and the need to use God’s Word within it.

The third way the psalmist speaks of prayer is by praying biblically. What that means is that prayer is often best when it flows straight form our Bible study and our understanding of God’s Word. In a sense, praying biblically is to use God’s very Words in our prayers, repeating them back to him. This is what he means when he states “according to your laws.” He has taken promises, decrees, and teachings from God’s very Word and is relying upon them as the basis for God’s activity within his own life.

The same is true for you and me. When we earnestly seek God’s involvement in our study of his Word, when we pray it back to him, using his own Word as the foundation for our words to him, then God very often reveals deeper and more fulfilling insights into that Word, creating a richer understanding of his communication to us.

Time spent prayerfully in the Bible is time well spent.

The fourth and final instruction on prayer in this strophe of Psalm 119 is found in the last couple of verses. Our prayer lives must be earnest, must be continual, and must be biblical, but we must also pray in faith, believing that God is near, that he hears, and that he is already working on our behalf to do what only he can do.

This sentiment is echoed in the letter written by James, when he writes, “when you ask, you must believe and not doubt…” (James 1:6-8). We live in a world where doubts and fears creep in, regardless of how hard we strive to keep them at bay. But Psalm 119 teaches us that God is a God who gives us faith and strength. And he gives us just what we need.

Often, I hear people complain that they just don’t have much faith. But we don’t need an overwhelming amount of faith. In fact, Jesus stated that if we only had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, we could move mountains (Matthew 17:20). This sounds counter to all that we have been taught; that we need faith in large quantities to be a “successful” Christian.

But what we have forgotten — or perhaps it’s more of a lie that we have believed — is that our strength is not in our faith. No, our strength comes from the object of our faith, God himself. Our faith does nothing, but the God in whom we place our faith can do anything!

So how do we develop this kind of faith? We gain it by studying the Word of God, to know more of what God is like, and as we learn more, we get to know him better.

The author of Psalm 119 learned this as he studied God’s Word day and night, and in verse 151, he writes perhaps the most telling phrase in the entire psalm: “Yet you are near, O Lord.” It is God’s presence that frees us from our fears, that protects us from that which seeks to destroy us, that provides all that we need to continue to grow in our faith.

He is still near. And he is to be found easily in the pages of Scripture. When you find him there, he will help you to grow in your faith.

That final verse gives us one more insight into God’s nature. He established his Word to last forever.

He isn’t going anywhere. So seek him out. And see if your prayer life might grow because of of it.

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As Psalm 119 has progressed, we have seen the author take his needs concerning his enemies to God again and again. In this stanza he does this once more, although his focus is less on his enemies and more on his reliance on God. Take a look at this passage in Psalm 119:145-148:

Frankly, the author of Psalm 119 has learned to rely upon God due to one major factor: his prayer life and his ability to use God’s Word within it.

In the author’s circumstances, he had enemies who were against him, and against his faith in God. So his prayers throughout this entire psalm have been for deliverance from them, and from the dangers and threats they pose.

For us, we probably don’t face physical enemies, in the form of other people, although it is increasingly possible in our culture. But we do face opposition to our faith. It can come in the form of physical persecution and ridicule, but more often in the form of spiritual attack, at least in my experience.

So what do we do in such circumstances? In this stanza of Psalm 119, the writer turns to his prayer life and how using God’s Word within it can help.

First of all, the psalmist states that we must pray earnestly. His prayers were very earnest and intentional. In verse 145, he cries, “I call with all my heart.” His cries are short and fervent, “Help me! Save me!” In circumstances that are threatening and beyond our ability to endure, such a prayer is entirely appropriate.

Think of Peter, when he stepped out of the boat on the Sea of Galilee and began walking to Jesus in Matthew 14:29-30. His cry was the same prayer that the psalmist utters here, “Lord, save me!”

When our prayers are earnest, when they are fervent, they are powerful and effective, according to James 5:16. So our prayer life should be in earnest as much as possible.

This isn’t to say that there is no place for well thought out prayers, which we take our time composing and spend more time lifting up. There is a place for both, but both must be in earnest.

Second, the psalmist states that he prays continually. Verses 147-148 show how he stays up through the night in order to dwell upon the promises of God and lift his petitions to God. Paul reiterates this in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, when he simply says that we should “pray continually.” This doesn’t mean that we are to do nothing but pray, but that everything we do must be done with an attitude of prayer surrounding it. Prayer should be a natural and constant part of our lives.

Again, this isn’t to say that specific, planned times of prayer have no place. They do, and they can be very beneficial. Developing a habit of prayer, both structured and continual, is to be our goal.

It is interesting to note that the psalmist also uses the word “meditate” in verse 148. His prayers of all hours of the night and day are paired with a meditation upon the Word of God. He takes the Word of God, the promises and the commands contained within it, and continually dwells upon it, especially in his prayers.

The more we meditate upon Scripture, the better we will know God’s heart. The better we know his heart, the more in line with him will our prayers be. The two are inseparably intertwined. We would do well to learn better this discipline of meditation in our own prayer lives.

In the next half of this stanza of Psalm 119, we will look at two additional ways in which the psalmist emphasizes prayer in his life.

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For the past two stanzas, the author of Psalm 119 has given six different reasons for why God’s Word is so powerful and wonderful. In the final half of this stanza, we find the seventh and final reason given. Take a look at Psalm 119:141-144:

Let’s run through a quick review of the first six reasons given by the psalmist in these two stanzas of Psalm 119. The first pair were found in verses 129-132. They were, first of all, that God’s Word gives understanding; and second, it displays mercy.

The second pair were found in the second half of that stanza: God’s Word gives us direction, and it contains God himself within the very words of Scripture.

In the next stanza, in Psalm 119:137-140, we saw reasons five and six: God’s Word is righteous, and God’s Word is reliable.

Now, we will look at the seventh reason the author gives us why God’s Word is so wonderfully impacting and so critical for our day to day lives.

Seventh, God’s Word Is True

Nothing that the psalmist has given his readers has been an earth shattering revelation about God’s Word. Each and every one of these reasons is simple, yet profound; is obvious, yet we need the reminder. Each of these reasons are found in multiple other passages of Scripture, both in the Old Testament and in the New. And yet, the writer has gathered them all here into these two short passages of Psalm 119.

God’s Word is true. That may sound rather simplistic, but the weight of that simple statement is deep and awe inspiring when you stop to think about it. The problem is that we often don’t stop to dwell on this concept. So the writer gives us a reminder in verse 142.

God’s Word is true. So much of what we hear from other sources is not true. Things that we hear in the news, or on social media are not always true. Things that are taught in our schools and universities are not always true. The things that we receive from fallible man are not always true. In fact, our enemy excels is promoting things that are not true. And we often buy into them.

God’s Word is true. Every single word of God’s Word is true. Every single statement found in these pages is true. Every single word he has ever uttered is true.

God’s Word is true. In fact, God is true. And to take that one step further, Jesus even said that he is Truth… literally. How can the written Word of God be anything less than the Incarnate Word of God?

God’s Word is true! It is enduring! It gives us joy! And it leads us to life!

God’s Word is true!

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Over the past few verses, the psalmist has identified several ways by which God’s Word impacted his life. In this weeks passage, he gives us two more to add to the list. Take a look at this passage for yourself in Psalm 119:137-140:

A couple of weeks ago, we saw the first two reasons in Psalm 119:129-132. These were the first two of seven reasons for why God’s Word is so impactful. First, God’s Word gives understanding; and second, it displays mercy. All together, in this stanza and in the next, there are seven different reasons.

The second half of that stanza identified reasons three and four: That God’s Word gives us direction, and that it contains God himself within the very words of Scripture.

In this new stanza, we see three more reasons, two in the first half, and one final reason in the second half, which we will look at next week.

Fifth, God’s Word Is Righteous

Righteousness seems to be the main theme of this entire stanza, and the writer uses the first letter of the Hebrew word to begin every single verse in this stanza. But more than that, God’s Word is righteous because God himself is righteous. Righteousness is a core part of the very character of God, and the Bible reflects that character within it. The psalmist uses the word at least four times, in verses 137 and 138, as well as in the second half, in verses 142 and 144.

It becomes very clear as you read this: If you care about knowing righteousness and acting righteously, then you should study God’s Word, because it contains that which is right. Righteousness is a core characteristic for those who follow a righteous God.

Sixth, God’s Word Is Reliable

Right in the middles of this discussion on righteousness, we find reason number six. God’s Word is reliable. It has been tested over and over, and it has proven itself reliable again and again. So many times, we hear people question the reliability, very often the historical reliability, of the Bible. But each question or criticism is often soon proven to be true through further study or other means.

For example, archaeology often confirms things we find in the pages of the Bible, from proving certain people existed, to identifying places that are named in the pages of Scripture and more.

And, to add a further reason, God’s promises have all been found to be true, at least those that have been fulfilled. That means that we can trust God’s Word to hold true for those yet to come. After all, God does not change, and his Word reveals his character. It is trustworthy and reliable.

In the final section of these two stanzas, we will see one final reason why God’s Word is so extraordinary.

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