Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
The quote above is from Psalm 119:105. Psalm 119 is by far the longest psalm in the psalter. It contains 176 verses broken down into 22 stanzas of eight verses each. It is an acrostic poem—that means that it follows consecutively the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In practice, this means that verses 1-8 all begin with the first letter of the alphabet, verses 9-16 all begin with the second letter of the alphabet, and so on all the way through the psalm. It is a magnificent creative feat, to say the least.
More than any structural and compositional brilliance, however, the content of Psalm 119 is what is most arresting. Fully 171 out of 176 of its verses mention God’s word. That’s correct. Only five of its 176 verses do not directly mention his word. The remainder uses various synonyms to expound upon the beauty and power of the word of God. Decrees, laws, statutes, testimonies, ways, precepts, commandments, rules, and on and on it goes. The psalmist is convinced, and correctly so, that the word of God is the light that guides God’s people along the way.
It is for this reason that we share God’s word together when we gather. We are here to worship God and to acknowledge him as our Savior and our hope. In the process, we make time for him to speak to us through his holy word. We focus on what God has to say in order that we all may have light to lead us on our way.
–Ricky