Saturday, May 3, 2014

Psalm 119, the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. At the beginning of each section is a Hebrew word, and a Hebrew letter. This psalm is written as an acrostic poem using the Hebrew alphabet.

Under Aleph
"...precepts that are to be fully obeyed."
His precepts, commands, laws, etc are to be fully obeyed.  Incomplete obedience is disobedience.

Under Beth:
“How can a young man keep his way pure?”
How can we stay pure in a filthy environment?
By living according to your word.”
We can read God’s word, stay connected in fellowship with other believers, and get involved in ministry but how can we keep from being polluted by the world? Just read the rest of Psalm 119, it spells it out perfectly!

Under Daleth
"I have chosen the way of truth."
No comment necessary!

Under He
"Teach me O Lord to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end."
We keep these decrees to the end of our lives or the end of forever.  Remember, forever has a beginning and an end.  Eternity has no beginning and no ending.  Moses' laws will not be a factor in heaven. (Isaiah 65:17 See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remember, nor will they come to mind.) 

Under Teth, Yodh and Lamedh in Psalm 119 the word affliction is mentioned several times. It seems as if “affliction” is a good thing if it gets our attention. Just ask Phil!

Under He:
"Turn my eyes away from worthless things;"
Turn away from earthly treasures (money, power, influence, success, etc) and toward heavenly treasure.

Under Waw:
"I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts."
Keeping Go's laws frees us to be what God designed us to be - free from guilt and sin.

Under Mem;
“To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.”
Often we try to put God in a box and limit His power and ability. That word “boundless” means ‘in any and every direction”. He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. There is no need to try to limit Him. It can’t be done!

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Do we as Believers perceive His words as sweet, even those words that convict and rebuke us?

"Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me."
True wisdom comes from God and helps us apply knowledge in a life-changing way (for the better of course).

Under Nun:
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
In this life we walk among evil.  God's Word lights our way so that we can steer clear of evil and stay on the right path.

Under Qoph
"My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises."
When we awake at night and can't go back to sleep, maybe we should try meditating on His promises!

Under Sin and Shin:
"Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble."
Peace comes from obedience and faith in God.

Isn't it ironic?  The theme woven throughout Psalm 119 is a call to obedience to God's laws and the blessings that follow.  And yet, we His people choose so many times to be disobedient and suffer the consequences.  Wouldn't it be better if we just followed His commands in the first place?



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