A Lamp to My Feet: Psalm 119 Week 3

H.M. Coker

19 May, 2024

A Lamp to My Feet: Psalm 119 Week 3

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Week 3, Day 1:

Pray: Dear Lord, Your words are pure words, like silver refined in the furnace on the ground, purified seven times.  You, O Lord, will keep them; You will guard us from this generation forever (Psalm 12:6-7).

Hear: Read Psalm 119 and, in the space below, list the words used by the Psalmist to signify the Word of God.  You may also want to note the first verse in which each word is used. 

Do:  This week’s memory verse is Psalm 119:160, “The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever.”  Write it in the space below.

Week 3, Day 2:

Pray: Dear Lord, Your law is perfect, reviving the soul.  Your testimony is sure, making wise the simple.  Your precepts are right, rejoicing the heart.  Your commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes.  The fear of You is clean, enduring forever.  Your rules are true, and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Because moreover, by them is Your servant warned.  Because in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11)

Hear:  Use a Hebrew word concordance book or app to look up the following definitions.  If you have access to a copy of The Complete Word Study: Old Testament by Zodhiates, I recommend using it for this exercise.  Write what you learn in the space provided. 

  1. Word (s) (H1697, dabar or davar)
  2. Promise (this is simply translated as word in some English versions, however it is a different Hebrew word). (H565, emrah)
  3. Law (H8451, torah)
  4. Testimonies (H5713, edah and H5715, eduth)
  5. Way (s) (H1870, derek)
  6. Precepts (H6490, piqqud)
  7. Statutes (H2706, choq)
  8. Commandments (H4687, mitsvah)
  9. Rules/Judgments (H4941, mishpat)

Do: Today may have felt challenging, or even tedious, but if you learned nothing else from today, I hope you learned that God’s Word is multifaceted.  It has many attributes.  What understanding has this given you regarding the Word of God? How does this change the way in which you will read Psalm 119 moving forward? 

Week 3, Day 3:

Pray: “Praise the Lord!  I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.  Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.  Full of splendor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 111:1-3).

Hear: Read Psalm 119 and highlight in green everything you learn about the Word of God.  Be sure to reference the list you made on day one.  But be careful to only highlight passages that teach you something specific about the Word.  This means you should not highlight every time you see the Word mentioned within the Psalm.  Just because a verse mentions the Word, doesn’t mean you learn something specific about It from that verse.  Use discernment as you read and only highlight verses that teach you something specific about the Word.  If this seems confusing then look for statements like “Your testimonies are…”  or “Your Word is…”  You may have to read slowly to do this, but slowing down as you read and using discernment to highlight only the references to the Word which teach you something specific about It will yield bountiful results.  Just think, a year from now, you will still be able to open Psalm 119 and reference everything it teaches you about the Word, just by following the green highlighter road. 

Do: The way the Psalmist writes about God’s Word is personal.  He says things like, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:24) and “Your promise gives me life” (Psalm 119:50).  From this, we learn that God’s Word is a delight, It gives counsel, and It is life giving– but have you believed It?  1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  The passage goes on to say that it pleased God to save those who believe (1 Corinthians 1:21). 

How do you truly feel about God’s Word?  How do you regard it?  What is your attitude towards It?  How have you allowed outside sources, such as culture, family, and friends, to impact your attitude towards the Word?  Take a few moments to take an honest estimation and write your observations below.

Week 3, Day 4:

Pray: “I give You thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing Your praise; I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness, for You have exalted above all things Your name and Your Word. On the day I called, You answered me; my strength of soul You increased. All the kings of the earth shall give You thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of Your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.  For though the Lord is high, He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar.  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand delivers me.  The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.  Do not forsake the work of Your hands.” (Psalm 138)

Hear: Yesterday you highlighted in green every verse which taught you something specific about the Word.  Now, it’s time to take notes. 

  1. If you have studied with me before then you should already have a section for “The Word” in your Cross-Reference Journal.  Add to this section everything you learned specifically about the Word from Psalm 119.
  2. If this is your first study with me, then at the top of a clean page write “The Word.”  Now write everything you have learned about the Word from Psalm 119. These are the things you highlighted in green yesterday.  Don’t forget to include the verse’s reference so you can easily locate it later. 

Do: Read over your list slowly.  Does what you wrote yesterday about how you regard the Word conform with what you have learned in Psalm 119?  Are God’s testimonies your delight (119:24)?  Are They the joy of your heart (119:111)?  Do you believe that They are wonderful (119:129)? The only true estimation of the Word is that which we learn in the Word.  So, if your estimation of the Word doesn’t line up with what you have learned in Psalm 119 then repent.  Spend time in prayer and change your attitude, opinions, feelings so you can join the Psalmist in saying, “Your testimonies are my delight (Psalm 119:24).  Write your prayer in the space below.

Week 3, Day 5:

Pray: Dear Lord, “It is You Who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.  For by You I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.  This God—His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 18:28-30).

Hear: Today, let’s review some of what we’ve learned this week and correlate it with the rest of Scripture.

  1. How are God’s rules described according to Psalm 119:39?
  2. What if you disagree with something in the Bible?  Is God’s Word always upright and righteous? (verse 62, 75, 137, 172)
  3. Can we trust God’s Word?  Is It a firm and secure foundation for us? Is God’s Word true?  What is truth?  (verse 86, 140, 142, 151, 160)
  4. Does God’s Word still apply today?  How long will the Lord’s Word last? (verse 89, 111, 152, 160)
  5. Is there a limit to the perfection of God’s Word? (verse 96)
  6. What does the rest of Scripture teach us about what we have reviewed so far?  Read the following verses and write what you learn which correlates to the above passages of Psalm 119. Psalm 33:4, Psalm 111:7-8, John 17:17, 1 Peter 1:24-25, Romans 15:4, Psalm 18:30
  7. What are we given by/through the Word of God? (verse 98, 104, 105, 130, 165, 50, 93).
  8. Let’s look at just a small portion of what the rest of Scriptures say regarding the life-giving power of the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:15, Romans 10:17, John 1:1, John 6:63, John 14:6, 15-27, Mathew 4:4, 1 Peter 1:23, 1 Corinthians 1:18-21
  9. How does the Psalmist describe God’s testimonies in verses 24, 111, and 129?
  10. Finally, Read Psalm 19:7-11 and take notes below on everything that correlates with what you have learned this week from Psalm 119.

Do: Meditate on this for a moment:

God’s Word is…

Good (119:39)

Righteous (119:75)

Right (119:137)

Sure (119:86)

Well tried (119:140)

True (119:142)

Eternal (119:160)

Is there anything in God’s Word you disagree with?  If so, then it is your own beliefs and lifestyle that need to change.  Pray and ask God to show you anything in His Word you have been choosing to disregard, write it out below and then choose to set aside your own will and submit to the righteous rules of the Father (Psalm 119:75).  The Bible says, “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

All Scriptures Taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted.