Psalms 119:105

STROPHE 14

THE PSALMIST REJOICES IN GOD'S LAW AS HIS INHERITANCE AND AS A LAMP EXPOSING SNARES OF THE WICKED

Nun

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

A light unto my path.

I have sworn, and have confirmed it,

That I will observe thy righteous ordinances.

I am afflicted very much:

Quicken me, O Jehovah, according to thy word.

Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill-offerings of my mouth, O Jehovah.

And teach me thine ordinances.

My soul is continually in my hand;

Yet do I not forget thy law.

The wicked have laid a snare for me;

Yet have I not gone astray from thy precepts.

Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage forever;

For they are the rejoicing of my heart.

I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes

Forever, even unto the end."

Yates' summary of the teaching here is that, "The word of God is the Light of Life, a lamp; and the psalmist's pilgrimage through life is under the guidance of God's teachings. He thus vows to follow the light wherever it may lead and whatever dangers may be involved."[36] A number of the thoughts and expressions of this psalm are included in Isaac Watts' famous hymn, "How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts"?[37]

"Accept the freewill-offerings of my mouth" (Psalms 119:108). This is the exciting new idea that adorns this strophe. In it there is an indication of the time when the bloody sacrifices of the Law of Moses shall no longer be "the way" to worship God, but he shall be worshipped with the "fruit of our lips" (Hebrews 13:15).