Psalm 119
Psalm 119
is a very unique psalm. Yes, I know that
it is long. That does make it unique,
but not why I say it is unique. Psalm
119 is a psalm that is written along a very significant pattern. The lines in each stanza of the psalm begin
with the same letter in the Hebrew text.
Since each stanza has 8 verses in this psalm, every 8 verses begin with
the same letter. This is why each stanza
is separated by a Hebrew word. {In Hebrew, there are 22 consonants; thus
there are 22 stanzas to this psalm.}
For example, in the Hebrew text the first 8 verses all begin with an alef
(or aleph). Verses 9-16 all begin with a
bet (or beth). Verses 17-24 all begin
with gimel. This pattern continues
throughout the psalm.
The neat
thing about this psalm is that we can see Hebrew people using mnemonic
devices. This was clearly a psalm with a
built in device to help a person remember the words. Thus, we can see that the memorization of
scripture was taken seriously – at least by some of the people in the land.
In the Bible
Reader’s Commentary, Richard O. Lawrence gives a really great analysis of repeated
terms in Psalm 119. Rather than take his
research and put it in my own words, I’ll simple copy it and give him all the
credit that is due to him:
There are a number of
terms that are repeated in the psalm. These are all synonyms referring back to
the Word of God. They are:
- Torah (Law), 25 times. Usually the word here indicates the whole body of Scripture’s teaching as found in Moses’ writings.
- Miswah (Commands), 21 times. This refers to clear, definite directives issued by God.
- Huqqim (decrees), 21 times. The Heb. means “things inscribed” and thus established in law.
- Mispot (judgments), 19 times. The Heb. means a binding judicial decision that establishes a precedent.
- Piqqudim (precepts), 21 times. This word, found only in poetry, is a synonym for edict or precept.
- ˓edah (statute), 23 times. This is a sober and serious expression of God’s standards for human behavior.
- Dabar (word), 20 times. This means a revelation, but also is used specifically of the Ten Commandments God gave Israel through Moses.
- ˓Imrah (saying), 19 times. Another poetic word, often used instead of dabar.
- Derek (way), 11 times. A metaphor for the way of life believers are to live.
If we take
a moment and analyze these words, we can see something really neat, which is
what Richard O. Lawrence says in the opening paragraph of the quote. Much of this psalm is to remind us about the
significance of God’s Word as we read through it. This makes a ton of sense if we remember that
this psalm contains a mnemonic device.
It is intended to be memorized.
If it is intended to be memorized, by default it is intended to be
studied and recited. What better thing
to memorize than the significance of the Word of God? After all, as Richard O. Lawrence
demonstrates above, there are 180 synonyms to the Word of God used in this
psalm alone! That’s an average of more
than one per verse. That’s pretty cool.
I’m not
going to try and comment in depth on the whole psalm today. That would take far too long. While it would be a worthwhile effort, it
would also be a long read. Instead – just
to keep it interesting – I’m going to summarize each stanza in a single
sentence:
- Aleph – The people who take time to learn God’ commands will not only be blessed, but in doing so they will learn to give God praise with an upright heart.
- Beth – We are to meditate on God’s decrees day and night as a testimony to how much we delight in God’s Word.
- Gimel – Our time on this earth is short and not permanent since we are sojourners here; therefore, we should delight in God’s Word since it is our ever-present counsel.
- Daleth – It is God who enlarges our heart, who puts us away from false ways, and who makes us understand His ways; we should be grateful to Him and rejoice in His Word!
- He – We need to long for God’s commandments, thus we need to begin by asking Him to help us turn from our human ways brought about by our human understanding.
- Waw – When we meditate on God’s Word we will delight in it; when we delight in God’s Word we should speak of it before others.
- Zayin – The wicked, who do not obey the Law, can cause us to be indignant; we must be careful to stay attuned to the Law.
- Heth – The Lord is all we need and we should be considered a blessing in the lives of all those who obey God’s Word.
- Teth – We all have times in our life when we go astray and are disobedient; we should give thanks to God’s Word for being there to help us see God’s deliverance and His promise to save.
- Yodh – It is God who made us and fashioned us, we should therefore delight in His Word so that people who turn to us can know His Word through us.
- Kaph – At times it feels like the world, which does not follow God’s Word, will be victorious over us; we must persevere and know that God will judge over all of us according to His Word.
- Lamedh – God’s Word is eternal, extending even beyond the boundaries of creation.
- Mem – There is no better teacher than God’s Word; there is nobody wiser than the one who is wise in God’s Word.
- Nun – Though the world may seek to ensnare us, God’s Word is a light for our life so that we might avoid being ensnared.
- Samekh – The Word of the Lord is our only hope; even though we fear judgment there is hope in God’s Word.
- Ayin – If we long for salvation, then there should be nothing more valuable to us than God’s Word.
- Pe – God’s Word is wiser than anything else, yet even the simple can understand His ways.
- Tsadhe – We may be small, but if we are living in the promises of God’s Word we shall not be forgotten.
- Qoph – Our hope is in the Word of God; even when we are consumed by worry enough to be unable to sleep we can find joy in the Word of God.
- Resh – God’s Word is true and righteous, and salvation comes to those who listen to it.
- Shin – We should love the Word of God because nothing in this world can cause those who are in God’s Law to stumble. (This one is sometimes called Sin and sometimes referred to as Sin and Shin. Sin, the Hebrew consonant, does not have anything to do with our English word “sin.”)
- Taw – we should call out to God so that we might have a better understanding of God’s Word; we should also take joy in knowing that God can deliver us according to His Word.
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