Psalm 119:105-112 was my early morning reading this past Sunday (May 5, 2019).

I knew I was on to have the evening devotional in our home church. I decided I would use this passage. I also decided I would just wing my public commentary based on my early morning thoughts (an approach that’s very out of the ordinary for me).

I had a Mission Board meeting to attend that afternoon, so I went early and spent some time rereading the passage and gathering my thoughts better.

Well, it was a relatively short meeting and I got home much earlier than I had anticipated. I decided to quickly “pencil out” a few notes for myself.

That evening, after some introductory comments regarding this particular Psalm, I read Psalm 119:105-112:

105. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
106. “I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.”
107. “I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.”
108. “Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.”
109. “My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.”
110. “The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.”
111. “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.”
112. “I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.”

After the reading, I zeroed in on three verses:

• God’s Word helps me see to navigate the darkness of life’s puzzles (Psalm 119:105).
• God’s Word renews me and revives me in my heavy afflictions (Psalm 119:107).
• God’s Word is part of my eternal heritage and inheritance (Psalm 119:111).

Then I worked my way through the section noting commitments and connections to Word:

105. I will walk by the Word.
106. I will keep the Word.
107. I will turn to the Word.
108. I will learn from the Word.
109. I will remember the Word.
110. I will stay true to the Word.
111. I will rejoice in the Word.
112. I will do the Word.

Of course, I fleshed out my written notes with ad lib commentary which included these four items:

• Verse 105 suggests a dark environment — I don’t recall thinking about it that way before.
• Quicken in verse 107 has to do with making alive or causing to live.
• Heritage in verse 111 translates a Hebrew word that’s far more often translated inheritance. In fact, this is the only time it’s translated heritage. But whether we look back on our heritage or look forward to our inheritance, God’s Word is part of it. And it’s forever, not just for this life.
• Section bookends that talk about my commitment to obedience: verses 105 and 112.