What is the meaning of Psalm 119:97? Oh, how I love Your law! “Oh, how I love Your law!” • The psalmist bursts out with affection, not for an abstract idea, but for God’s revealed commands. He treats Scripture as living truth that deserves wholehearted love, just as Psalm 19:10 says the law is “sweeter than honey.” • Love for God and love for His Word are inseparable (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3). Embracing the commands shows devotion to the Commander. • This delight is not selective; it covers the whole counsel of God. Like Joshua 1:8, the believer is called to embrace every statute, precept, and ordinance as trustworthy and good. • Why such passion? Because God’s law exposes sin (Psalm 119:11), preserves life (Psalm 119:93), and points to the Savior (Galatians 3:24). The psalmist loves the law because through it he meets the Lawgiver. • Loving Scripture guards against the pull of the world. When the affections are fixed on God’s Word, competing loves lose their grip (Psalm 119:165). All day long it is my meditation. “All day long it is my meditation.” • Meditation here is active engagement—turning God’s words over in the mind, letting them shape perspective and choices (Psalm 1:2). • “All day long” shows constancy. The truth is not quarantined to morning devotions; it saturates work, conversation, and rest. This echoes Deuteronomy 6:6-7, where parents are told to speak of the commands “when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road.” • Continuous meditation yields wisdom and discernment (Psalm 119:98-100). When decisions arise, Scripture is already on the tip of the tongue. • Practical ways to keep God’s Word before you: – Memorize short passages and recite them while driving or waiting in line. – Write a verse on a card and glance at it during breaks. – Turn verses into prayer for people and situations you meet throughout the day. • Philippians 4:8 calls believers to dwell on whatever is true and honorable; nothing fits that description better than God’s own words. • Colossians 3:16 urges, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Meditation moves the text from the page to the heart, where it can govern attitudes and actions. summary Psalm 119:97 models a life where love for God’s Word fuels unceasing reflection on it. The believer treasures every command as a gift from a trustworthy Father and keeps those commands in constant view, allowing them to guide, protect, and satisfy the soul from morning to night. |
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