The joy of my heart
Psalms 119:111 - The greatest thing you can personally do with God’s Word is to pass it along to someone else
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“Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.”
Psalms 119:111 NIV
I was thrilled to see that God pointed me towards the Psalms again today, as they are a continual source of inspiration and wisdom. Psalm 119 has been visited before on Heaven On Wheels, which is not surprising since it is filled with 176 individual verses — this is the fifth we’ve studied.
Our newer readers might be astounded to know that it is the longest chapter of the Bible, and that it is written as an acrostic; that is, each one of the 22 stanzas of the psalm begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each stanza consists of 8 verses, making up the 176 verses.
The psalm focuses on the beauty and importance of God’s Word, and mentions that fact in all but of the verses! Taken as a whole, Psalm 119 is a lengthy and beautiful prayer that expresses love and devotion to the teachings of God.
Enduring Word’s commentary on the psalm describes the words used to describe the Scriptures:
In this psalm there are eight basic words used to describe the Scriptures, God’s written revelation to us:
Law (torah, used 25 times in Psalm 119): “Its parent verb means ‘teach’ or ‘direct’; therefore coming from God it means both ‘law’ and ‘revelation.’ It can be used of a single command or of a whole body of law.” (Derek Kidner)
Word (dabar, used 24 times): The idea is of the spoken word, God’s revealed word to man. “Proceeding from his mouth and revealed by him to us…” (Matthew Poole)
Judgments (mispatim, used 23 times): “…from shaphat, to judge, determine, regulate, order, and discern, because they judge concerning our words and works; show the rules by which they should be regulated; and cause us to discernwhat is right and wrong, and decide accordingly.” (Adam Clarke)
Testimonies (edut/edot, used 23 times): This word is related to the word for witness. To obey His testimonies “…signifies loyalty to the terms of the covenant made between the Lord and Israel.” (Willem VanGemeren)
Commandments (miswah/miswot, used 22 times): “This word emphasizes the straight authority of what is said...the right to give orders.” (Derek Kidner)
Statutes (huqqim, used 21 times): The noun is derived from the root verb “engrave” or “inscribe”; the idea is the written word of God and the authority of His written word: “…declaring his authority and power of giving us laws.” (Matthew Poole)
Precepts (piqqudim, used 21 times): “This is a word drawn from the sphere of an officer or overseer, a man who is responsible to look closely into a situation and take action.... So the word points to the particular instructions of the Lord, as of one who cares about detail.” (Derek Kidner)
Word (imrah, used 19 times): Imrah is similar in meaning to dabar, yet a different term. “The ‘word’ may denote anything God has spoken, commanded, or promised.” (Willem VanGemeren)
I would be remiss in my duties if I did not provide you with the words of Charles H. Spurgeon about this Psalm (once again from Enduring Word):
“This wonderful psalm, from its great length, helps us to wonder at the immensity of Scripture. From its keeping to one subject it helps us to adore the unity of Scripture; for it is but one. Yet, from the many turns it gives to the same thought, it helps you to see the variety of Scripture…. Some have said that in it there is an absence of variety, but that is merely the observation of those who have not studied it. I have weighed each word, and looked at each syllable with lengthened meditation; and I bear witness that this sacred song has no tautology in it, but is charmingly varied from beginning to end. Its variety is that of a kaleidoscope: from a few objects a boundless variation is produced. In the kaleidoscope you look once, and there is a strangely beautiful form. You shift the glass a very little, and another shape, equally delicate and beautiful, is before your eyes. So it is here.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Despite the word “statute” being used in the NIV translation of verse 111, the original Hebrew uses the word עֵדְוֺתֶיךָ (ʿēḏûṯ) which is more accurately translated as “Your testimonies”.
The psalmist is expressing the deep “joy of my heart” he felt from his immersion in God’s testimonies. That joy meant that God’s Word became his “heritage forever”. Enduring Word’s cites James Montgomery Boice in explaining this heritage:
i. “What is the psalmist’s spiritual heritage, that is, what is he looking toward and working for? Some heavenly reward? A word of praise from God? Surprisingly, he says that his heritage is what he has been speaking about all along: God’s Word itself.” (Boice)
Claiming God’s Word as his heritage meant that the psalmist was an heir to God’s testimonies; he had learned to appreciate and study Scripture from his father, and was determined to pass God’s wisdom along to his family forever.
The greatest thing you can personally do with God’s Word is to pass it along to someone else, whether that is your children, a friend, a co-worker, or even a complete stranger. That means that YOU play a part in continuing this important heritage.
I don’t usually discuss charitable organizations in Heaven On Wheels devotionals, but today I am making an exception. The Pocket Testament League encourages the exploration of Scripture in people around the world through making pocket-sized copies of the Gospel of John available for free in a variety of languages. Whether you donate money to the League or purchase a number of the pocket testaments to hand out to other people, it’s a way for each and every reader to claim his or her heritage to God’s Word.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer is from Prayerz.org:
Dear Lord, I thank you for the gift of your testimonies. I claim the promise that they are my heritage forever and the joy of my heart. May your word be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Help me to treasure your testimonies and to meditate on them day and night. May they guide me in all my ways and bring me closer to you. Thank you for your faithfulness and for the gift of your word. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.