In the Bible study last night, Garry started looking at Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the Bible. In it, the psalmist extols the delights of God’s word. In Hebrew, this is an acrostic poem, with each stanza of 8 verses beginning with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet – a very useful memory tool in an age when the word was memorised and spoken aloud rather than being read. The tone of the psalm is set in the opening two verses, when those who walk according to the law of the Lord and keep His statutes are termed ‘blessed’ – happy, fortunate, people whose lives are secure.
There are different words translated ‘word’, ‘law’, ‘statutes’, ‘commands’ and ‘precepts’ in this psalm which look at different aspects of God’s word. First of all, there is reverence for the written word (the ‘Torah’, Ps 119:9, which is effectively the Old Testament books), but also a knowledge that God’s spoken word to us matters and must be hidden in our hearts (Ps 119:11). Obedience to God’s commands is the key to blessing. and far from viewing these commands as burdensome and heavy, the psalmist delights and rejoices in them, finding freedom and understanding. (Ps 119: 20,24, 47)
All through the psalm, the way of the righteous is contrasted with those who have no regard for God’s word (Ps 119:53, 61, 69-70) and the psalmist finds that God’s word has the power to strengthen in suffering and adversity (Ps 119:50, 76), bringing comfort because it reveals God’s goodness and love (Ps 119:68, 76). No one enjoys affliction, but the psalmist is able to see God’s good purposes even in this (Ps 119:75)
All around us, we may see limits and restrictions, but God’s commands are boundless (Ps 119:96) and in His ways are freedom.
