554_The wonders of His Word (Ps 119:17-24)

Psalm 119:17-24 Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
19 I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times.
21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
who wander from your commandments.
22 Take away from me scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are my delight;
they are my counselors.

There’s a story told of a man who had been blind from birth. For years, he had lived in a world of darkness, guided only by sound, touch, and memory. Then came a day when medical science offered him a miracle. After a long and complex surgery — made possible through the gift of a donor’s eyes — the bandages were finally removed. For the first time in his life, light poured in. Shapes, colors, and faces began to form before him. The world that had always been described to him was now visible in breathtaking reality.

A few days later, he boarded a train to return home. Every few moments, he would exclaim, “Wonderful! Marvelous! Glorious! Amazing!” His fellow passengers began to grow irritated. One man sitting beside him finally snapped, “Can’t you please be quiet? What on earth is so wonderful about what you’re seeing?”

The man turned to him with tears glistening in his newly opened eyes and said softly, “Sir, pardon me. Till a few days ago, I was blind. This is the first time in my life that I’m seeing these things. I’m overwhelmed at the beauty of what was hidden from me until yesterday.”

That sense of astonishment — that wonder of seeing what was always there but never perceived — is exactly what the psalmist prays for in Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

We have come to the third section of Psalm 119, the great psalm that celebrates the beauty, power, and perfection of God’s Word. Every verse is like a beam of light reflecting the glory of divine truth. The psalmist begins this section in humility: “Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.”

Notice how he introduces himself — not as a king, a scholar, or even a worshiper — but as a servant. The Hebrew word carries the same sense that the Apostle Paul later uses in the New Testament: doulos — meaning a bond-slave, one wholly owned by his master. A slave’s life is not his own; his purpose and destiny are defined by the master he serves.

So when the psalmist says, “Deal bountifully with your servant,” he isn’t asking for wealth or comfort. He’s not seeking blessings for self-promotion or to satisfy his own desires. He is asking for God’s favor for one reason only — that he may live in order to keep God’s Word. His motive is pure, his heart sincere. He longs to be alive, not just physically, but spiritually — alive to obey, alive to honor, alive to delight in the commandments of God.

What a contrast to so many prayers we hear today, where the focus is on what we can get from God rather than on how we can please Him. The psalmist’s prayer is simple but profound: “Lord, bless me — not that I may be comfortable, but that I may be faithful.”

Then comes that beautiful cry in verse 18: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

The man on the train in our story could appreciate what this means. The wonders of creation had always been there — the green fields, the blue sky, the golden sunlight — but his eyes had been closed. It took a miracle of healing for him to see. In the same way, the Bible is full of splendor and divine mystery, yet many pass it by as though it were ordinary. The problem is not with the Word; the problem is with our sight.

That is why the psalmist prays, “Open my eyes.” He understands that apart from divine illumination, we can read the Bible and yet never truly see. We may glance at its surface, but the treasures remain hidden.

The story of King Josiah in 2 Kings 22 beautifully illustrates this. During one of the darkest times in Judah’s history, when the nation had turned away from God, Josiah ordered the temple to be cleansed. While repairing it, the high priest Hilkiah found a forgotten scroll — the Book of the Law. When it was read to the young king, he tore his clothes in anguish. The words of God pierced his heart. That discovery sparked one of the greatest spiritual revivals in Israel’s history. The Book had always been there, gathering dust, but when its words were seen and heard again, they transformed a nation.

How much we need that same awakening today! The Scriptures lie before us — on our phones, on our shelves, on our lips — but how often are our hearts blind to the wonder within them?

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were diligent students of Scripture, yet they missed its central figure. Jesus told them in John 5:39–40, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” The greatest wonder in God’s Word is not its poetry, its history, or its wisdom — though all these are magnificent — but that it reveals Christ, the Living Word.

The psalmist continues in verse 19: “I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me.” He recognizes that this world is not his permanent home. He is a traveler, a pilgrim journeying toward a better country. God’s Word is his map and compass, guiding him safely through unfamiliar terrain. Just as the blind man depended on others before his sight was restored, the psalmist depends wholly on the light of God’s truth to show him the way.

In verse 20 he says, “My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.” What a powerful confession! His heart burns with desire for God’s statutes. The word “consumed” suggests a deep, continual ache — like hunger that never fades. To him, the Word of God is not a duty but a delight, not an obligation but a feast for the soul.

That longing grows in those who have tasted the goodness of God’s Word. Once you have seen its beauty — once the eyes of your heart are opened — you cannot be satisfied with anything less.

But the psalmist’s life is not without difficulty. He faces mockery and opposition. In verse 22, he prays, “Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.” Like many who love God in a world that rejects Him, he experiences ridicule for his faith. Yet even surrounded by those who plot against him, his confidence remains firm. Like David in Psalm 23, he trusts that God will prepare a table before him in the presence of his enemies. The schemes of men cannot silence a heart that finds its joy in the Word of God.

And so he ends this section with a triumphant declaration in verse 24: “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.”

He no longer seeks advice from the world or comfort from fleeting pleasures. His delight, his wisdom, his counsel come from the Word of God. Each promise, each commandment, each testimony becomes his guide and friend.

Ultimately, all of this points to Christ — the One who is Himself the Living Word. In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. When we open the Scriptures with eyes anointed by the Spirit, we find not merely ancient words, but the very presence of the Lord Jesus. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, our hearts begin to burn within us as He opens to us the Scriptures and shows us Himself from Moses to the prophets.

And that brings us back to our story. The man who had been blind could not stop saying, “Wonderful! Marvelous! Glorious!” because everything was new to him. The psalmist felt the same way as he gazed into the Word of God. Every line, every precept, every revelation was filled with wonder.

May that be our experience too. Perhaps the Bible has grown familiar to you — a book you read, but not one that stirs your heart. Ask God to open your eyes again. Pray the psalmist’s prayer: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

Let God restore the wonder of His Word to you. Approach it not as a routine, but as a revelation. Read it not just to gather information, but to encounter transformation. For when the eyes of our hearts are opened, we will find — like that man on the train — that the world is far more beautiful than we ever imagined, and that the Word of God is infinitely more glorious than we ever knew.

Then we, too, will find ourselves whispering in awe as we read: “Wonderful… marvelous… glorious… amazing.”

Because the greatest wonder of all is not just seeing the Word — it is seeing Christ, the Living Word, shining through every page.