Life From A-Z in the Word Part 1 of 22

Psalm 119:1-8

Tonight I’m going to begin a brand new series of messages from the 119th Psalm on the topic “Life From A-Z in the Word.”

There is a two-fold reason why I chose this title for this series.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and contains more references to the Bible than any other chapter in the Bible. It is referred to by Bible scholars as the crown jewel of Israel’s songbook.

Out of the 176 verses 171 verses mention the Word of God in some way a total of 179 different times. In fact, there are ten different expressions used to identify the Word of God in this Psalm. Some of the synonyms used to refer to the Bible is the law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, the word, ordinances, truths and the way.

The second reason is because Psalm 119 is what is called an alphabetical Psalm. It is divided into 22 sections that contain eight verses and each section and verse correspond to one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

For instance, the first eight verses in the first section all begin with the Hebrew letter aleph. The next eight verses in the second section all begin with the Hebrew letter beth; and so on throughout the entire Hebrew alphabet.

It is a holy alphabet that is so plain that children can understand it, yet so rich with instruction that the wisest and most experienced Bible student can learn something from it. When you think about who would be able to do this, the only answer is God. In fact, some people have said that Psalm 119 is the greatest evidence there is in the Bible for the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible.

Tonight as we look at verses 1-8 I would like us to consider “God’s Way to Happiness.”

This last week I was in Portland, Oregon performing a wedding for my Nephew. The Bride was dressed in a beautiful white gown and the groom was dressed in a black tuxedo. Which reminds me of a joke about happiness.

A little girl was attending a wedding for the first time and whispered to her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?" "Because white is the color of happiness and today is the happiest day of her life," her mother explained, trying to keep it simple. The child thought about this for a moment, then said, "So, why is the groom wearing black?"

On the last day of our vacation Debra and I went to Disneyland. As we walked down main street we saw that the Carnation Ice Cream both had been completely removed. I was a little saddened by this because that’s where I proposed to her.

A husband and wife were celebrating their silver anniversary. The wife reminded her husband, "Do you remember when you proposed to me, I was so overwhelmed that I didn't talk for an hour?" The husband replied, "Yes, and honey, that was the happiest hour of my life."

What is it that makes you happy? What is the key to happiness? Here in our text we are given 3 valuable keys to remember.