I am not sure why some Bible trivia stays with you, but I am amazed at how many people know the longest chapter in the Bible. One remarkable aspect of this psalm is that the Bible is mentioned in some way in 174 of the 176 verses in this chapter. David, the author of most of the psalms, was a man whose heart was like God’s heart. How tragic it is that many today do not understand the relationship between loving the Bible and being people who have the heart of God.
In this psalm, the 119th, the heart is mentioned more than a dozen times. Take a moment and look at the psalmist’s description of the heart of those who love the Lord.
The godly heart is blessed by God. “Blessed are those . . . who seek Him with the whole heart” (119:2). The same verse shows that seeking Him is directly related to keeping His testimonies.
The godly heart praises God. “I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments” (119:7).
The godly heart seeks God and hides His word in the heart to void sin. “With my whole heart have I sought You . . . Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (119:10-11).
The godly heart is enlarged by devotion to the Bible. “I will run the course of your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart” (119:32).
The godly heart observes the Bible and gains understanding—(119:34).
The godly heart overcomes covetousness by listening to His precepts—(119:36).
The godly heart finds favor and mercy because of its understanding of His word—(119:58).
The godly heart overcomes those who slander because it keeps His word—(119:69).
The godly heart longs to be blameless in keeping His statutes—(119:80).
The godly heart rejoices in His testimonies, for they are his heritage forever—(119:111).
The godly heart performs His statutes to the very end—(119:112).
The godly heart is heard by God because he keeps His statutes—(119:145).
The godly heart stands in awe of the word of God— (119:161).
Now read this list again, noticing the italicized words, and think of your heart and its attitude toward the Bible. May God help our hearts to be like the heart of the man who had the heart of God!