Give Me Life

The phrase "give me life" appears nine times in Psalm 119.

Psalm 119:25  My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!
Psalm 119:37  Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Psalm 119:40  Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!
Psalm 119:88  In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.
Psalm 119:107  I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word!
Psalm 119:149  Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life.
Psalm 119:154  Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise!
Psalm 119:156  Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to your rules.
Psalm 119:159  Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love.

This Psalm is all about God's word. The Psalmist uses several different words to refer to God's word, they are law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, rules, word, and promise. I was fascinated and amazed to discover that only eight verses (out of 176!) don't have at least one of these words. And in Psalm 119 life revolves around God's word.

But as I chewed on this concept, I began to wonder, What is life? (From a biblical perspective.) And I was reminded of several passages.

then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature... And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Genesis 2:7,16-17
 
"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
Deuteronomy 30:15-16
 
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:1-4
 
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:35
 
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:22-23

So I came to the conclusion that "life" is being in a favorable standing with God. Adam had a favorable standing with God when he was created and until he sinned. The Israelites were promised God's favor if they obeyed, and Jesus always had the Father's favor.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
Mark 1:9-11

I think I'll echo the Psalmist's prayer: Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise!