Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s word, its nature and purpose, its power and perfection, its necessity, sufficiency, reliability, and veracity. The Hebrew word for law, torah, is used thirty-six times in the Psalms, twenty-five of which are found in this particular Psalm. Add to that the many synonyms the author employs—God’s word, ways, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, and judgements—and God’s word is explicitly mentioned 178 times in its 176 verses.

And while one might expect that a passage about God’s word would include a call to obey God’s word, there isn’t one. Instead, readers are given a model to obey not a command to obey. The psalmist, throughout this lengthy acrostic poem, presents himself, not as one in grim, slavish obligation to God’s law, but as one who loves and delights in God’s law, inviting all of God’s people to join him in his resolution to walk in God’s way.