Some Final Thoughts from Psalm 119

This week we're finishing up our journey through Psalm 119.  Next week a new journey will begin.  Today we'll focus our attention specifically on those last two stanzas (shin and tav, verses 161-176), and then for the rest of the week we'll be giving ourselves some time to review what we have learned and to process how to apply it.

So, today let's begin by prayerfully reading (again!) those verses.  Here are some questions to guide your thinking:

• What do you learn about the Word of God from these verses?  Are there any new insights, or is the message the same as/consistent with what the psalmist has said previously about the word?
• Do you see any significant words? We often refer to these as "key words".....they may or may not be repeated a lot, but they are central to the message of the passage.  One word that appears in both stanzas is the word "praise".  What does the psalmist have to say about praise?  When does he praise?  Why?
• The shin stanza mentions "peace".  Who has peace?  In a practical way, what does that mean?  How is your daily life impacted by this truth?
• What does the psalmist ask God for in these verses?  What commitments does he make?
• How do these verses fit into the overall context of the psalm?  Are they similar?  Different?  In what ways?

Finally, as you think back over these verses and what we learn from the psalmist - about the Word of God and about the psalmist himself - what life lessons are there for you and me today?  How are you going to apply what you have learned today?  What truths have you grasped from the Word today?