Psalms in Psalms

The Bible is the best interpreter of  the Bible. We often find one book explaining and repeating another. Psalms is so long that it does it itself. Many of us know that Psalm 119 is noted for its celebration of God’s Word, His Law, His Statutes, His Precepts and several other nouns used to describe the communication of God to man. There are over 175 references* to that subject in the 176 verses. That would seem to indicate that God’s Word, etc. is pretty important.

I am memorizing Psalm 19 and as I work my way through it, I am coincidentally reading Psalm 119. Psalm comments on 119. It is fascinating that the same theme precedes the longest chapter in the Bible by 100 chapters. We could examine all 175, at least, meanings, but we will confine our thoughts to the shorter version in 19.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Begin with law. All societies must begin with some type of rule or control. Anarchy is the result of a society lacking any authority. God’s law is perfect, unlike any other we have or will encounter. David was keenly aware of the havoc wrought when the ruler gets outside the bounds of law. So he was celebrating the rule of Law in both of these Psalms. And he was particularly comforted by a perfect law.

Following the perfect law, we encounter the testimony or report about the law. And even a simpleton, when quoting and living by God’s law, is wise. Being wiser than the teacher is a common thread in Scripture. Again, using the best foundation will yield the best results.

The precepts are right. Just and righteous pronouncements are a comfortable, enlightening, and a source of  joy. Again, David understood this. We do too. Finally God’s commands are pure. There is not ulterior motive or underlying flaw. Our understanding, based on the perfect law, the sure testimony, the right precepts and the pure command will literally light up our eyes and our world.

Incidentally, Psalm 119 consists of 22 sections, one for each of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. I guess we could be trite and say God’s Word covers life from A to Z. So David just gave us the Reader’s Digest version in Psalm 19.

Read them both. Read them all.


*The total includes (1) Law, used 25 times in this psalm–depending on translation), (2) Testimonies (used 10 times in the psalm), (3) Ways (used 7times), (4) Precepts (21 times in the psalm), (5) Statutes (22x in the psalm), (6) Commandments ( 22 times in the psalm), (7) Judgments or ordinances ( same Hebrew word; 23 times in the psalm), (8) Word ( 23 times in the psalm), (9) Word (19 times in the psalm), (10) Faithfulness (v. 90), righteousness (v. 40), and name (v. 132) are also sometimes cited as synonyms for the Scriptures in this psalm. (Bible.org)

BibleHub listed 178.