Imagine my delight when the pastor began talking about The Longest Psalm at mid-week Bible study. If you’re having trouble with anything in life, God’s Word can help. And Psalm 119 is a good place to start looking for answers.
In the acrostic poem, there are twenty-two divisions. That’s one for every letter in the Hebrew alphabet. In the Hebrew, each stanza of eight verses begins with that letter.
Some things get lost in translation, it’s true.
We discussed the first stanza. It’s ALEPH for the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
Psalm 119: 1-8
Notice that each verse refers to the Word of God in a different way. This is part of the pattern that continues for 176 verses.
Our pastor pointed out that each verse tells us how we should respond to God’s Word. Can you pick out the word that refers to the bible and the response from the passage?
I spoke briefly about verse six at the study (volunteers took individual verses to pick out the word that referred to the bible and the reaction or response attached to it). My word: commandments. The appropriate reaction: respect them.
Do you walk in his law? Do you keep his testimonies? Walk in his ways? Keep the precepts and statutes? Learn the judgments? I know I need to work on it.
If this portion of scripture is true, I’ll be blessed, undefiled, not ashamed and never forsaken by the Lord. I’d say that is four steps closer to finding a solution to what troubles ail me.
Can you do this exercise for the BETH stanza?
A Pew Perspective 