Overview
The psalmist uses may beautiful expressions to describe the wonderful things the Word of God does for him. The same is true for all believers who love and devote themselves to reading it and who have hidden it in their hearts. Throughout the psalm we learn that the Word cleanses our way, causes us to rejoice, brings delight and counsel, revives, teaches, strengthens and gives us life, hope, comfort, songs, wisdom, understanding and great peace. It is a light and a lamp to our feet that we may see clearly the right path that we should follow. The Word of God directs our steps. What marvelous benefits the Lord gives through His Word!
Because of the poet's attempt to start every verse with the same letter of the Hebrew letter within each stanza, it has caused little continuity of thought throughout. Although the theme of the wonderful Word of God remains the same, the thoughts within each stanza are often unrelated. In many stanzas the same thoughts are repeated, but expressed in different ways. This is not a vain repetition. Such an important topic deserves to be emphasized in order to ensure that it may be understood and become real to the readers.
If the psalmist were not David, he may have been a Levite who continually studied and copied the Law, like a scribe as was Ezra. The Levites received no inheritance of land, for the Lord Himself was their inheritance. The psalmist relates to this when he says, "You are my portion, O Lord" (v. 57). He has laid a personal claim on God's Law, which is part of his inheritance (v. 56, 111). He finds everything He needs in God. He is content and not tempted to be covetous or envious of the possessions of others.
The psalmist may have been the "young man" who learned that by living according to God's Word, his way was cleansed (v.9). Even though he was young, he claimed to have greater spiritual understanding than his teachers and even more than the ancient sages. The reason is because he constantly read, meditated upon, and obeyed God's Word. He prayed for understanding and he was spiritually enlightened (vv. 99-100, 18, 33-34).
The psalmist recognized that when he had been afflicted, it was the Lord's chastisement upon him to bring him back to the right path. In this divine form of discipline, he acknowledges that God was good and the affliction was also good. As a result he drew closer to God, learned more about God and His Word, and it brought him back to the straight and narrow way (67-68, 71; Hebrews 12:5-12). Because he delighted in the Word and was familiar with it, when he was afflicted it did not lead to his fall or his death (v. 92). He knew he could claim the promises and blessings of God which are found in His Word. He knew he could call out to a merciful God who hears his prayers. As a result of his knowledge of God's Word, he had the faith that God would revive him, as well as accept his "freewill offerings" of praise and thanksgiving (v. 108).
Another predominant topic within this psalm is the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. The righteous shall be safe and preserved, but the wicked evildoers who do not obey the Word of God will be rejected and cast away (vv. 117-119). Although the wicked (proud) have bound him with cords, dug pits for him, laid snares for him, slandered and wronged him with lies, persecuted him without reason, and almost killed him (vv. 61, 69, 78, 85-87, 95, 110), they were not able to overcome him because he continued to meditate on God's Word (v.78). He kept true to the Lord by not forgetting, forsaking, or straying from His laws and precepts (v. 61, 87, 110). The Lord was his hiding place and his shield, just as He will be for us in our time of need. In God's Word we have the assurance that He will uphold His children.
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