Psalm 119 is one of the most unusual chapters in the Bible.  First of all, at 176 verses it is the longest chapter.  

Second, it is one enormous acrostic:  in Hebrew, verses 1-8 begin with the first letter of the alphabet (aleph), vv 9-16 with the second (bet), vv 17-24 with the third (gimel), and so on, all the way through the 22 Hebrew letters.  Just think of the artistic care that went into making this extended statement!

Third, almost every one of the chapter’s 176 verses refers to the Word of God (i.e., Bible verses about the Bible!):  “the law of the Lord,” God’s “testimonies,” his “precepts,” “statutes,” “command¬ments,” “word,” and “rules.”  In this way, we get the picture of a life simply saturated with the life-giving truth of the Lord.

Fourth, over and over the psalmist lauds the Word of God, and in so doing gives tribute to the sovereign Lord who has spoken into our human context so we can know who he is, who we are, where we stand in relation to His Majesty, and what we must do to align our lives with his wise and good purposes—and in that way to find true peace in him.  What a gift that God has spoken!

Especially prominent in Psalm 119 are the declarations of love for God’s Word.  Does this make the psalmist guilty of “bibliolatry” (i.e., idolizing the Bible)?  No.  It means the writer loves and trusts and delights in the God who speaks—the awesome God who has made us and taught us and holds out his arms, through Christ, to save us forever!  Psalm 119 is a love song—for example: 

•    47, I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.

•    97, Oh how I love your law!  It is my meditation all the day.

•    127, I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.

•    159, Consider how I love your precepts!

Yes, the Master and Maker of the universe created us to know him, and so he spoke words of life.  Question is:  are we listening?