Psalm 119 for Life

by Hywel R. Jones

Jonathan Edwards, the well-known preacher of the eighteenth-century Great Awakening', wrote, I know of no part of the Holy Scriptures where the nature and evidences of true and sincere godliness are so fully and largely insisted on and delineated as in the 119th Psalm.'

The sufficiency of the Word of God for the whole life of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the individual Christian believer is a vital matter, and never more so than today. In many strands of contemporary Christianity the wide gap between God's revealed truth and man's religions is being rapidly closed. This convergence is traceable in no small measure to the way in which the church (unlike the psalmist) has moved Holy Scripture to the margins of its own confession and proclamation, worship and witness.

The message of this psalm is therefore one of pressing relevance and every Christian should give it serious and regular attention. The truths and convictions which formed the mind-set of the psalmist, as he looked upward to the Lord and forward to the coming of the Messiah, should characterize every Christian as he or she looks back to the first coming of Jesus Christ and forward to his return.

Genres: Christianity

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good treatment of Psalm 119 is several respects: 1) Jones approaches each section of the psalm looking for a theme within each section that unifies that section. To my mind, this is a highly appropriate and edifying way to study a psalm which tends to hit on similar ideas frequently. 2) Jones demonstrate a keen, biblical sense of the weight of certain words in this psalm. He unpacks the riches of terminology and connects it to the rest of the psalm (an Scripture) quite well. 3) His approach is Christ-centered. 4) Each chapter is not too heavy word count-wise.

However there are a couple of things I didn't like as much: 1) I would place this book towards the academic side of the spectrum rather than the devotional/pastoral side. 'Psalm 119 For Life' is a tightly exegetical book (though written at a lay level). It looks at the exegetical foundation of Psalm 119, but doesn't necessarily give a lot of guidance as to how to develop/interpret/apply the psalm for personal use or teaching purposes. BTW that's fine it doesn't have to to still be a very helpful resource, but I picked up this book 'expecting' it to be a resource that could help me map out pastoral themes as I prepared to teach on Psalm 119 (FWIW, Boice's commentary does good on practical, application issues in Psalm 119). 2) At some points, Jones found a good theme to work with in a section of the psalm, but didn't always connect it to everything else happening in the section, thus leaving a verse-by-verse teacher/preacher with a fair bit of exegetical/interpretive work still to do even after reading his treatment.

That being said, this really is a good exegetical treatment of Psalm 119. This is a psalm that most Psalms commentaries will blow through at far too quick a speed for a student to gain anything meaningful from. But Jones doesn't treat this psalm superficially, and he proves in this book that it really is one to savor for life.

[Joel Rockey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for my study on Psalm 119. I enjoyed this one. Some great thoughts.

[Jordan Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Hywel Jones first delivered the oral form of this book in a series of sermons on “The Great Psalm” given at Westminster Seminary California. I listened to the sermons and was so struck by the beauty of the Psalm and Dr. Jones ability to explicate spiritual truth, I promptly purchased the book.

“Psalm 119 For Life” is written as a devotional. It is broken down into 22 sections of 8 verses each. Jones capitalizes on a “theme” of each section while masterfully maintaining the unity of the Psalm as a whole. While I generally abhor modern day devotional reading, this book is unlike is contemporaries. Dr. Jones takes no issue with diving deeply into exegesis and the Hebrew structure, syntax, and composition which shapes and defines the poem. This analytical approach in no way compromises the passion and zeal that drives the Psalm and in fact underscores the fervor of the Psalmist by opening up the technical features of the Psalm which give it it’s majesty. Get this book. Read it slowly. Study and meditate on the Psalm. Pray over it. If you do, most assuredly The LORD’s word shall not return void.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on a series of the author's chapel messages on Psalm 119 at Westminster Seminary, California. He goes section by section in an expository fashion through the psalm, commenting on the meaning of each section and tying together the threads which run through the psalm.

I used it as a devotional reading while studying the psalm, and quite enjoyed it. It's only 156 pages of easy reading, and highly recommended.

[Terrence O'Hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a devotional for a studious person, this was a worthwhile book. Sure, it was exegetical (which I enjoy), but the author found themes in each section of the book that were worthy of devotion from either the divine or human aspect. The blend of the personal, the exegetical, the devotional, there was something in each chapter for every day that inspired a godward look or an inward look for personal edification.