Embrace the Word for Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s Word. Psalm 119:105-112 continues the exploration of the “blessed” life. Each verse in this fourteenth stanza begins with the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (which is nun). The thirteenth and fourteenth stanzas are linked together by their emphasis upon the Word of God. In the thirteenth stanza, the Psalmist expressed his love for God’s Word because of the helpful guidance that it supplied. Picking up on this guidance, the Psalmist, in the fourteenth stanza, explores in greater detail how the Word of God provides him the moral navigation through darkness and difficulty. The thirteenth and fourteenth stanzas also share common terms such as “feet” (119:101,105), “keep” (119:100,101,106), as well as similar phrasing with “I do not turn aside” (119:102), and “I do not stray” (119:110). The first sub-stanza of the fourteenth stanza speaks of the darkness that the Word of God helps the Psalmist to navigate (119:105-108), while the second sub-stanza speaks of the danger that God’s Word helps the Psalmist to navigate (119:109-112). In both sub-stanzas, the Psalmist speaks of his resolute determination to walk in the ways of obedience before the LORD.
Psalm 119:105-112 opens with a strong affirmation linking God’s Word to living a life of obedience: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (119:105). The imagery of “feet” refers to the manner in which one walks, while “path” refers to the direction in which one walks. These overlapping ideas are meant to stress that the Psalmist is talking about a moral way of living. In order to know where he should walk and how he should step, the Psalmist extols the Word as a “lamp” and “light.” Imagery of the Word as a “lamp” and “light” is also found in the Proverbs: “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light” (See Proverbs 6:23a). The Psalmist has resolved to walk in righteousness: “I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules” (119:106). The Psalmist is resolute in how he seeks to live. God’s Word is absolutely necessary for navigational guidance in living righteously. The imagery of “lamp” and “light” imply that the Psalmist’s journey is during the darkness of night. The Word of God is necessary because without it, the Psalmist would not have the illumination he needs to walk appropriately on the correct path. It is important to keep in mind that the Psalmist’s affirmations are meant to first and foremost pertain to guidance in godly living and not guidance in general. Many of the daily choices in life are not explicitly stated in God’s Word, but the Word of God is to be the most trusted source for making moral decisions throughout life. Without his “lamp” and “light” the Psalmist would not see what lay before him. What would otherwise seem harmless or even unseen altogether due to poor lighting, would subject the Psalmist to a host of moral and spiritual dangers. However, with proper lighting, the potholes, slippery places, or even disguisedly-set traps can be seen and avoided.
The Psalmist is serious about living righteously. His sworn oath should not be taken as arrogance, but earnestness on his part. Pledging obedience when done with a true recognition of dependence upon the LORD is not carelessly wrong, it is carefully correct. Without the aid of the Spirit, vows are unobtainable. But as the Spirit works fresh desires of obedience to the Word into the hearts of His people, perhaps vows are unavoidable. In the context of his dark affliction, the Psalmist acknowledges his need: “I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word!” (119:107). The Psalmist has expressed his earnest commitment to keep God’s Word. That he has done this with deep dependence upon the LORD is seen in his prayer. The Psalmist is asking for the LORD to stir new life into him. Pledging obedience to the LORD is a seriously important matter; pledging this obedience in the face of severe affliction is a seemingly impossible matter. Affliction serves to increase the awareness of the LORD’s help. The Psalmist demonstrates his awareness of the need for the LORD’s help, not only through prayer, but also through his praise: “Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me your rules” (119:108). A freewill offering was not one of the required sacrifices in the Old Covenant for sin. A freewill offering was an unconstrained, spontaneous, tribute of gratitude and praise. That he has the LORD to depend upon, not only to pledge obedience, but to do so in the midst of affliction, prompts the Psalmist to burst into praise. From his outburst, the Psalmist asks for the LORD to teach him even more of His Word.
The Psalmist transitions from speaking about the dark affliction he faced (119:105-108), to speaking about the dangerous affliction he faced (119:109-112). The Psalmist opens the second sub-stanza by acknowledging the great risk he has taken by seeking a life of obedience: “I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law” (119:109). The Psalmist has counted the cost of his pledge; he has accepted the responsibility of his life and whatever may be the outcome of his decisions. In saying that he holds his life in his hands, the Psalmist is not acting independently from God, but he is acting responsibly before God. The Psalmist’s acknowledgment of personal responsibility is one of dependent responsibility. Come what may, the Psalmist is resolute to continue keeping God’s Word. This resolve is taken up in the face of danger: “The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts” (119:110). The wicked had set a trap for the Psalmist. The imagery is that of a device that would spring shut on an unsuspecting animal to capture resulting in the animal’s demise. The wicked were not hunting animals; they were seeking to do great harm to the righteous. However, the Psalmist’s resolution is undeterred—he purposes to not stray from God’s Word. The Psalmist has great confidence that he would not stray, for the Word itself—the Word that he purposes to keep—lights the path and illuminates the steps he should take.
A huge factor that is driving the Psalmist to stay on the path of the Word of God, is the immense treasure he finds in God’s Word: “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart” (119:111). The term “heritage” is a frequently used term in the Old Testament. Usually, “heritage” is used in reference to the Promised Land that the LORD entrusted to Israel. The Land was a treasured possession from the LORD. But actually, Israel was blessed with an even greater treasure than the Land—a treasure that the Psalmist keenly acknowledges he has received. The Scriptures are the Psalmist’s prized treasure, for they bring his heart much joy. In fact, the Psalmist confesses that since the Word of God is his “heritage forever” he is the recipient of eternal joy. The Psalmist receives so much joy from God’s Word that he resolves to keep it even in the face of the severest affliction: “I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end” (119:112). The Psalmist concludes with an inward glimpse into the nature of his resolve. His resolve to keep God’s Word was not a compulsive drudgery, but as his source of joy, his resolve to obey the Word of God was a complete delight. Driven by joy, the Psalmist was determined to pursue the LORD and His Word.
As we reflect on Psalm 119:105-112, we can consider the Lord Jesus Christ. For Christ, whose entire life was one of perfect obedience to God’s Word, resolving to keep God’s Word was an essential element of life. The severe affliction that Jesus faced in the wilderness was personally taken up by the devil himself: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (See Matthew 4:1-4). This experience at the start of His public ministry set the tone for a three year period of intense affliction, which culminated in the humiliation of death by crucifixion. As our example, Jesus was driven by joy in His determination to be obedient: “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (See Hebrews 12:2). As the founder and perfecter of our faith, he has blazed a well lit path for us to walk down: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (See 1 John 2:3-6).
That’s all for Embrace the Word for Wednesday, October 21, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Friday, October 23, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 119:113-120.