God” and “counsel of the most High” in 107:11, it is evident that what God instructs can be called His “advice,” עֵצָה (‘eytsah), a term used in this way four other times in the book.69 Table 2.3 also lists the occurrences of three infrequent synonyms for the noun דָּבָר (davar), “word”: אֵמֶר (’eymer), אֹמֶר (’owmer), and נְאֻם (ne’um), better translated as “declaration” or “oracle.” For each of these words only some of the usages are relevant for this theme.
Characteristics of God’s Word
The 254 verses in 47 different psalms listed above in the three tables provide us with a wealth of information about the subject of God’s instructions for mankind. The Holy Spirit has indicated four characteristics. Primacy belongs to the fact that (1) God’s word is true. This is indicated primarily by the term צֶדֶק (tsedeq), “righteousness.” This Hebrew noun indicates that someone or something has met a standard.70 In regard to words or communication, that standard is truthfulness.71 Psalm 119 attributes “righteous” to the various synonyms ten times (vv. 7, 62, 75, 106, 123, 138, 144, 160, 164, and 172), mainly “judgments” (5x). The psalmists explicitly say that God’s word is true at least four times by using the noun אֱמֶת (’ameth), “truth.”72 “The judgments [מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatiym)] of the Lord are true” (19:9); “your law/commands/words is/are true” (119:142, 151, 160, NIV). Additionally, in Psalm 25 if אָרְחוֹת (’arekhowth), “ways,” in verse 10 can be connected to its synonym דֶּרֶךְ (derek),“way,” in verse 9, where the term refers to God’s communication (because this is what He “teaches”), then we have the statement “All the paths [His instructions] of the Lord are … truth.”73
Another way to express the verity of God’s instructions is the use of the word יָשָׁר (yashar), “upright”: “For the word of the Lord is right” (33:4) and “upright are thy judgments” (119:137b). The Geneva Bible recognized the connotation of the Hebrew verb אמן (’aman), “reliable,” and translated 111:7 as “all his statutes are true.”74 Thus we can recognize that “sure” means “true” also in 19:7 (“testimony”) and 93:5 (“testimonies”). The word, however, that really stresses this characteristic is תָּמִים (tamiym), “perfect,” applied to the “law” in 19:7 and when referring to communication, indicating absolute veracity.75
This veracity is part of what makes feasible the next characteristic. (2) God’s word is immutable. Lies are eventually rejected and not remembered; books full of false theories and incorrect statements are discarded. The truth, however, endures. “Lord, Your word is forever; it is firmly fixed in heaven” (119:89, HCSB; see also KJV, ESV, NET). It does not pass away: “he hath made a decree which shall not pass” (148:6b). It does not fall like error: His “counsel … standeth for ever” (33:11a). Yes, what God says is eternal: “every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (119:160).
Furthermore, (3) God’s word is powerful. Psalm 29:4a tells us, “The voice of the Lord is powerful.” His word was the means of creation: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (33:6). It is also the means of the preservation of the earth, for all things have to obey His orders: “They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants” (119:91).76 Psalm 147 states that God merely “sends forth His command/word to the earth” (vv. 15, 18), and things happen. When people were in great trouble, God “sent his word, and healed them” (107:20a).
Finally, (4) God’s word is wonderful. “Thy commandment is exceeding broad” (119:96b). The expression רְחָבָה מְאֹד (rekhavah me’owd), “very wide,” indicates that the law is immeasurable,77 that it is profound,78 containing numerous spiritual implications. Christ made some of these explicit for us (Matt. 5:21–48). Another passage uses a different metaphor to indicate that God’s revelation is unfathomable: “thy judgments are a great deep” (36:6b).79 Thus we look with amazement at God’s Law, indeed at the whole of Scripture. Three times in 119 the author uses words from the Hebrew root פלא (pala’, “to be marvelous, extraordinary, or difficult”) to specify this characteristic: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (v. 18); “Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk80 of thy wondrous works” (v. 27); “Thy testimonies are wonderful” (v. 129a).
Propositions
Of course, each of these characteristics has been stated above as a proposition, but this section will treat four of the many propositions which express actions rather than attributes. With regard to His word God acts on mankind, and the saints react. Constantly, the psalmists tell us that (1) God has revealed His word to mankind. “The Lord gave the word” (68:11a).81 This is also the request for the king: “Give the king thy judgments [laws]” (72:1). In Psalm 119 God’s statutes are the object of the verb למד (lamad), “teach,” 7x in requests by the psalmist: “teach me thy statutes” (vv. 12, 26, 64, 68, 108,82 124, and 135). Additionally in verse 33 he says, “Teach me [hiphil of ידע (yada‘), ‘cause me to know’], O Lord, the way of thy statutes.” And the author of this psalm affirmed that God has indeed done that: “for thou hast taught me” (vv. 102 & 171, using different Hebrew verbs; also 71:17). Other ways of making this request are “grant me thy law graciously” (119:29b) and “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies” (v. 36). In 147:19 three of the synonyms are the direct objects of God’s reporting: “He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.”
(2) The saints habitually think about God’s word. That is their first reaction to God’s revelation. They must remember what God has said and consciously meditate on divine revelation. “Remember … the judgments uttered by His mouth” (105:5, NASB). God approves of “those that remember his precepts to do them” (103:18b). The psalmist affirms that he “remembered thy judgments of old” (119:52). Many times this idea is stated in the negative: the psalmist has not forgotten God’s instruction (119:16, 61, 83, 93, 109, 141, 153, 176). What makes this possible is his constant meditation on God’s word: the verb (שׂיח, siyakh) occurs in 119:15, 23, 27, 48, 78, and 148; the noun (שִׂיחָה, siykhah) occurs in verses 97 and 99. In fact, meditation about God’s instructions seems to be the defining characteristic of the righteous person: “and in his law doth he meditate [a different verb here: הגה, hagah] day and night” (1:2b).83
(3) The saints emotionally react to God’s word by delighting in and loving it. The first part of Psalm 1:2 is “But his delight [חֵפֶץ, kheyphets] is in the law of the Lord.”84 The verb חפץ (khaphats), “to delight,” appears twice in reference to God’s instructions: “Blessed is the man … that delighteth greatly in his commandments” (112:1); “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight” (119:35). In Psalm 119 a different verb (שׁעע, sha‘a‘) for this concept appears three times: “I will delight myself in thy statutes/commandments” (vv. 16a, 47a); “I delight in thy law” (v. 70b). The noun (שַׁעֲשֻׁעִים, sha‘eshu‘iym)85 related to this second verb occurs five times: “my delight” (vv. 24 [thy testimonies], 77, 92, & 174 [thy law], and 143 [thy commandments]). Relative to this proposition are two verses that speak about joy over the Lord’s “customs” (48:11; 97:8).86 Closely connected to this pleasure is the heart-felt love for the word: in Psalm 119 the author expresses his love ten times for Yahweh’s “law” (vv. 97, 113, 163), “testimonies” (vv. 119, 167), “precepts [פִּקּוּדִים, piqquwdiym]” (v. 159), “commands” (vv. 47, 48, 127), or “word [אִמְרָה, ’imrah]” (v. 140).87
(4) The saints are regularly obedient to God’s word. The emotional response leads to actions. Repeatedly in Psalm 119 there is
