Psalm 119: 57, 72, 76-77, 127-130

This week’s responsorial glorifies the Law of the LORD. The longest psalm by far in the Psalter, it praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for the people to live by.

In its entirety, Psalm 119 is acrostic: its twenty-two stanzas each begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses in each stanza begins with the same letter, and each verse contains a different word for “instruction” (tôrâ).

The creative genius of the psalmist is seen in the innovative ways in which the Law is praised within this structure, with each verse glorifying a different nuanced perspective.

I have said, O LORD, that my part is to keep your words.

Some translate this verse as “My portion is the LORD, I will keep your words.” Both are faithful translations of the Hebrew.

A person’s “part” or “portion” is their inheritance, which normally referred to an inheritance of land. Land and the inheritance of land was an important concept in Israelite thinking. It not only gave people a sense of security and belonging, it also gave them their identity as a people (see Joshua 13-21).

For the psalmist, God rather than land is the cherished inheritance (cf. Psalms 16:5, 73:26). Obedience to the Law, not the reception of land, is the source of the people’s security, sense of belonging, and identity.

The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

The divine law, which is eternal, holds a value far surpassing material wealth, which is temporary and perishable.

We miss the true significance of the Law if we do not understand it within the context of the covenant. Doing so allows us to appreciate the goodness of God, who has graciously invited us into a covenant relationship and, importantly, has revealed how to live out that covenant commitment.

Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise to your servants. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.

Kindness (hesed) and compassion (rahămîm) are terms that are intimately associated with God’s covenant.

Hesed represents a deep, loyal, and covenantal love that God shows to his people and an unwavering commitment to his covenant promises. It implies a selfless, enduring love that goes beyond what is expected or deserved.

Rahămîm conveys a deep sense of empathy, tenderness, and concern. It describes God’s heartfelt compassion and his inclination to show mercy and forgiveness to his people.

For I love your command more than gold, however fine. For in all your precepts I go forward; every false way I hate.

We return to the theme of extolling the value of the Law. Even the purest gold is a merely a material possession; it cannot guide and direct us the way the Law does.

The Law ensures our relationship with God and the blessings that flow from it. Therefore it is truly priceless.

Wonderful are your decrees; therefore I observe them. The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple.

The Law enlightens all and is treasured by all, both the wise and the simple. All are invited to obtain the blessings that flow from adhering to it.

This psalm makes it very clear that the Law is not a burden but a cherished gift, a treasure beyond compare.