105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to observe your righteous ordinances.
107 I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O Lord, according to your word.
108 Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord,
and teach me your ordinances.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
111 Your decrees are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
Psalm 119 is wisdom psalm. The date is around 625-600 BC. A contrary dating places it in post-exilic time when the law had begun to replace the Temple as the focal point of Israelite religion, with a concomitant rise in the influence of wisdom schools on biblical thinking and literature. The psalm is acrostic in form. Each eight verses begin with the same letter of the letter Hebrew alphabet, continuing in such form for 22 segments. The Babylonian Theodicy, composed about 1000 BC, is an acrostic poem that has twenty-seven stanzas of eleven lines each. In that case, the acrostic reads, “I, Saggil-kinam-ubbib, the incantation priest, am an adorer of the god and the king.” Several psalms are structurally acrostic (e.g., Psalms 9-10 [a single psalm originally], 25, 34, 37, 111, 112 and others). Acrostics are elsewhere in the OT (e.g., the opening chapters of the book of Lamentations), and the form appears to have been used as a mnemonic device to assist student scribes in memorizing the poems. Such compositions may have originated in wisdom circles in Israel or ancient scholars may have redacted (edited) them in those circles from earlier sources. It is as though the psalmist is giving his readers the basic ABCs of human life and how to best live from beginning to end. The psalm is the longest in the Hebrew Psalter. While Weiser thinks the psalm repeats similar thoughts in a wearisome way, Dahood sees a richness of expression. The central theme is that the word and law of God are decisive in every sphere of life. Weiser sees this psalm making a shift toward what we know later as Pharisaism. In any case, the psalm is a remarkable example of Israelite devotion to the law. It becomes largely a hymn in praise of God’s law and a sustained meditation on the role of that law in the life of the person of faith. Reading this long psalm, one gets the impression that it’s very repetitive. It has 167 lines and says essentially the same thing 167 ways. At least eight different words appear throughout that refer to the Torah or law of God: law, decrees, statutes, commandments, ordinances, word, precepts and promise. According to Old Testament scholar James L. Mays, the use of the Hebrew alphabet as the form of the psalm signals completeness, while the vocabulary represents comprehensiveness. In other words, the repetition in the psalm is really the whole point. The more one engages the repetition of words and concepts, the more they have a chance to influence the imagination. In its exaltation of the law, Psalm 119 is similar in theme to Psalms 1 because of its description of those who “delight” in the law of the Lord and “meditate” upon it day and night (v. 2) and 19 because of its assertion that obedience to the law of God is the key to a successful life. This psalm is an assertion of steadfast devotion to God’s law in the face of affliction. No matter what happens, the psalmist asserts, he will remain devoted to doing what God has instructed. The entire psalm is a paean to God’s law — torah, instruction or teaching — and bears many marks of having influence by the wisdom tradition in Israel. In this psalm, the law is glorious because it gives Israel a direction it is to gladly hear and obey because in it God has revealed divine mercy.[1] If we approach the psalm from the standpoint of what Paul says about the Law, we will miss the point in a profound way. We need to carefully consider its guidance.[2] The psalmist will say that he studies and meditates upon the command, word, and promise of the Lord. His urging of both intellectual understand and prayerful reflection is good guidance in reading the Bible for pastors and laity, but theologians and scholars as well.
In the fourteenth segment (verses 105-112), the stanza devoted to the Hebrew letter nun (from the first Hebrew word, ner, which means “light” or “lamp”), affirm the psalmist’s commitment to that instruction irrespective of hardship, risk or temptation. It becomes an assertion of steadfast devotion to God’s law in the face of affliction. No matter what happens, the psalmist asserts, he will remain devoted to doing what God has instructed.
105 Your word (davar), which has an enormous range of meaning: word, speech, command, message, report, tidings, thing, matter, affair, intention, advice, counsel, complaint, etc. The word commonly refers to divine communication (some 394 times in the Hebrew Bible), which is expressed in such ways as prophetic utterances, oracular pronouncements and oral or written commandments. Modified by the possessive adjective “your,” referring to God, the word occurs only 24 times in the Hebrew Bible, 20 of those occurring in Psalm 119 (e.g., vv. 9, 11, 16, 17, 25, 28, 42, 49, 65, etc.), making the expression a favorite of this writer. The phrase refers to the totality of divine instruction found not only (or even primarily) in written instruction, but also in oral instruction and commentary. Your word is a lamp, the Hebrew word is not commonly used as a metaphor for religious teaching, to my feet and a light to my path. The poetic arrangement of lamp/feet paralleling light/path occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. The closest parallel to the arrangement in this verse is Proverbs 6:23, “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light.” In the darkness we will attempt to orient ourselves, but if we are to receive light in the darkness we must rely upon the word of God.[3] 106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances. The expression “righteous ordinances” occurs only in Psalm 119 (here and in vv. 7, 62, 160, 164), and elsewhere God’s ordinances are described as righteous only in Psalm 19:9. The idea of God’s ordinances being righteous, as distinct from their simply being divine, is clearly a concept from Israel’s wisdom tradition. “Ordinances” is one of eight different terms used in this psalm to describe the law (the others being commandments, statutes, decrees, words, precepts, promise, and law.[4] The psalmist begins to indicate the nature of his problems. The psalmist has made some sort of public declaration to observe the “righteous ordinances” of the Lord and is now finding it difficult to honor that commitment. Oath- taking in ancient Israel was framed within the larger context of the functionality of language in that culture, in which the spoken word (cf. the use of davar, “word” as divine communication above) was understood to be invested with much more power and significance than modern, writing cultures readily grasp. The confirmation of the psalmist’s oath involved some sort of public declaration, accompanied by a gesture. We find an example in Ruth 4:7: “Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one took off a sandal and gave it to the other; this was the manner of attesting in Israel.” Although the text does not specifically indicate the swearing of an oath, it is difficult to imagine this scene in the absence of such a formal declaration of intent. 107 I am severely afflicted, either by the strain of having adhered to the law or because of reprisals for having done so; give me life, O Lord, according to your word. 108 Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances. 109 I hold my life in my hand continually, an idiom found only here. What the psalmist means by the expression is not entirely clear. The expression could mean that the psalmist is presenting his life along with his offerings, hoping for divine acceptance and preservation of both simultaneously. The psalmist could also be saying that he continually faces dangers requiring careful human judgment and concentration, but he nonetheless does not allow overriding concerns for self-preservation to cause him to forget the law or precepts of God. In either case, but I do not forget your law. 110 The wicked have laid a snare, a bird-trap, used almost entirely metaphorically in the Hebrew Bible to refer to calamities and plots for me, but I do not stray from your precepts, finding the source of at least some of the psalmist’s troubles. 111 Your decrees are my heritage forever, another unique expression, only here the word “heritage” refer to religious instruction; they are the joy of my heart. 112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.
One does not need a lamp or a light unless one is doing something. You can sit in the dark quite nicely without any light whatsoever. But if you are going to walk about the house, venture outside at night, take to a trail in the darkness, go down to a dark basement or do something similar, you need a light. The assumption is that the believer’s context is often one of darkness and unknowing. The life of faith is not a life lived in the unambiguous glare of the noonday sun. It is often a life lived in the shadows, the dark hallways or hidden valleys. Lamps are needed. The path must be illuminated. Some lights are suitable for some purposes and not for others. A candle, for example, might work in the basement, but not outdoors in a howling wind. God’s word, however, has light for all situations and contingencies.
Such a word is a lamp and light in the darkness of a human life. Our temptation is to orient ourselves in the darkness. In these matters, we need to receive and trust the light that comes from God.[5]
How are we to walk in the dark? Sometimes it happens. We are in the dark. We are clueless. We are in uncharted territory without lights, signal markers, hints, landmarks, white roadside stripes, a flashlight, a smartphone, or infrared night-vision googles. Such times in our lives can be terrifying. They often immobilize a person. Life comes to a standstill. Too often, churches get nervous here. We know such times happen in the lives of people, but we are afraid when an example gets too close or becomes too public. The loss of a job, a mid-life crisis, the disintegration of a marriage, the failure as a parent to riase a child to love God and neighbor, are all real possibilities for the most devoted Christian and pastor. Somehow, the assurance that God will not text us beyond our ability becomes hollow counsel. The darkness of this world will never go away.
One of the most difficult conditions a person can be forced to bear is light deprivation. Darkness, in fact, is often used in military captivity or penal institutions to break down an individual’s sense of self. Once a person becomes disoriented, once they lose a sense of where they are, and what it is that lurks in the dark around them, or where the next crevasse or wall or attack may be coming from — once they can no longer feel in control of their physical surroundings — a person loses a sense of self.[6]
Yet, the psalmist does not feel this way. He, like us, is on a metaphorical path. The image of verse 105 is of a path obscured by darkness. It is an unknown path.
If the way were a well-known path, a light might not be needed. Sometimes, the light of the moon will be enough to guide someone who is traveling via a common, if narrow, pathway. This text suggests that the traveler is both in the dark and walking an unknown path. The wayfarer is so glad to have a lamp or a light. It illuminates where the feet are stepping, and it shows the path ahead. These are two important considerations.
You do not want to put your foot on a rock or root upon which you might sprain your ankle or over which you might trip and fall. We want to have some light on what is immediately before and below us. The Bible often expresses concern that some things in life cause us to trip and stumble. We want light on this path to make sure we can avoid a tree root, a jutting rock, or a rotting log. We want to have some advance notice of the terrain ahead, to avoid stepping headlong into a ditch, or worse, an abyss. We want to know if dangers, hazards, or problems lie imminently before us. To walk in God’s path of right living means that we need to “see” or be aware of these hazards. The word of God casts light on these obstacles to wholesome living. The Ten Commandments are a good place to start. Paul warns often of the vices that can afflict us, the “works of the flesh” being a temptation and obstacle.
Further, we want to have a sense of where we are going. We can catch a glimpse of a well-lived life in the love of God and others, in embodying the Lord’s Prayer, in living out our baptism as a dying and rising with Christ, and a life that produces the fruit of the Spirit. Our destiny is to be like Christ in our dying and in our rising to new life with God.
The text also naturally raises the question of what it is that we have taken to light our way in the journey of life. It raises the question of what principle, philosophy, or faith governs our thinking, planning, behavior, and relationships. It also raises the question of how that light is working for us. Has it led to the flourishing of our lives? Given the context, not just any light will do. It may well be that we need to check our perspective as we read the Bible. That perspective may well block the light we need.
For the faithful, such a word is powerful. When we are afraid and might think we have lost our way, the Word remains near as a guide. The heart of the faithful may wander. They need the Word to be present as a guide. For Christians, this Word is not only the written text, but the presence of the living Word.[7]
[1] Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.2 [66.5] 591.
[2] Ibid, I.2 [16.2] 274.
[3]
[4] See the introductory note on Psalm 119 by Patrick D. Miller in the HarperCollins Study Bible).
[5]
[6] —Joan Chittister, Between the Dark and the Daylight (Crown, 2015), 17-18.
[7] “Thy Word” is a song many of us as Christians will hear when we read this Psalm.
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