You word, O Lord, is eternal;
It stands firm in the heavens.
God’s word is eternally alive. It is timeless, neither running out of effects nor of time for its effects to take place. It stands in the heavens like the sun, moon and stars – eternal, unchanged, but how differently we see it day to day and month by month, when we care to pay attention.
Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
You established the earth and it endures.
Like the legends of the sky, told to grandchildren, tales of God’s faithfulness are intended to be told over and over again. But earth, sun, moon and stars exist in imitation of his Word, and not vice versa!
Your laws endure to this day,
For all things serve you.
God’s will – it is impossible for sun, moon or stars to disobey them, or move outside the realm of their control. Even human manipulation will only exist within God’s given physical and spiritual laws. And his law is so fur us, as people. To know him is to love and obey him – this is the unavoidable physical and spiritual law. We see his law by its effect on things, but not on a few things, rather on all things in all time. Therefore we know his law must be everywhere and eternal.
If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
The Psalmist says “I would be dead” if it weren’t for you – and depends on a joyful delight in following God’s self, not a grudging acceptance of doing what we are told. Death is to serve without love, to follow without understanding or to participate without any ownership. Gdo offers us something quite different in his Word.
I will never forget your precepts,
For by them you have preserved my life.
I won’t – can’t – it will not happen – for this experience of God’s precepts is indelible, physical, imprinted on me, body and soul. Brain is hard-written, spirit is changed. Continued life involves remembering. [Re-reading this in September 2015, originally noted 26-4-14, I am amazed that God showed me this and that so much of what I currently experience and understand can be traced to the effect of God’s word on my life as I studied Psalm 119.]
Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought your precepts.
I want to live in salvation – in being saved. That is the same as being yours, Father. And it increases my taste for instruction. I have gone looking for teaching to be changed by it. [Seeking God’s precepts marks us out as His. We belong to him because we seek him – what a privilege. What easy access to the Holy of Holies! Seek.]
The wicked are waiting to destroy me
But I will ponder on your statutes.
Every day, they are there with their temptations and a breath of death, but your law cannot be touched by such things – it is above the heavens. By even wondering at what you have said – by simply thinking to myself, “What does this mean?”, I allow you to preserve me from destruction, from falling into temptation, from giving into sin.
To all perfection I see a limit
But your commands are boundless.
Oh, Hallelujah! Ah! High,mighty and eternal are you, O God! Your very Word with us, eternal, perfect, all-encompassing, all-embracing, breathing through all, teaching through all… I praise you, God!