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Thoughts On Psalms 119 ALEPH


Psalms 119:1-8                                         Sep. 5 - Oct. 2, 2019
1 ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

The following verse stood out to me...

5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

At first glance it seemed to me this person’s soul is poured out with intense desire to have God’s direction in keeping His Word.

I made a small wood fire in our backyard for my granddaughter, Julia, since she would be staying overnight with us. My wife and Julia stayed outside at the fire for about half an hour. Then, I found myself alone to watch the fire die out on a particularly lovely evening. So I took my verse from above and began to repeat it for memorization. As I repeated the verse, I tried to contemplate the words and apply them to what I was seeing around me. 

The moon and stars were out now peering through the scattered clouds above.

[Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, Genesis 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.]

Thought 1         
The moon has stayed his course since the day God created him, also the stars, obeying the statutes directed by God from the first day they were created. Can you imagine God’s direction to the Moon and stars, “moon you will have a path through the sky above the earth, stars you will occupy the firmament above the moon and be clearly visible in the cloudless night sky.”

Then, the trees, grass, even the air we breathe obey the statues God gave them from the beginning. None of these creations have souls, none have hearts, none have intelligence, but they all observe God’s statutes, His instructions for their limited time on earth.

Thought 2
What if we were like the moon, stars, trees, grass, or the other creations which have no soul? We would be directed to keep God’s statutes without choosing to keep them. This is not the image of God, there would be no dominion over other creatures, or over the earth. We would not be capable of experiencing the joy and peace of learning the love of God

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Thought 3 (October 2, 2019)
Is the psalmist pleading God to force God’s statutes to become the man’s ways? No, he is speaking of his own failure in keeping God’s statutes and his desire to keep them, very much like Paul in Romans 7:14-25.

God doesn’t work through force to turn men from their ways that they would desire His statutes or desire God Himself. Men must reject (repent) put aside his own ways and voluntarily seek God and His statutes.

11 Comments


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Alan

Posted

Thank you for the fine devotion. I enjoyed your illustration and thoughts. King David further said, "The earth, O LORD; is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes." Psalm 119:64

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1Timothy115

Posted

Some were much shorter and some were longer. Here is the next, quite short.
Psalms 119:9-16                                         Sep. 13 - Oct. 2, 2019

9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
12 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

Psalms 119:9-16

12 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

The Lord is the giver of His words for our benefit, of wisdom through His word for discernment, of precepts to guide us past corruption brought on by our own self will and pride. The Lord has these blessing available and given freely to those who praise Him in spirit and in truth. To learn these words, gain wisdom, and understand precepts we must humble ourselves before Him with praise and desire to receive of Him.

Humble praise of God in hope of instruction from God in His Word.

The above captured my thoughts but, what spoke to you from verses 9-16?

  • Members
Alan

Posted

King David, from a child, realized that the testimonies, the statutes, the commandments,  the law of God, the judgments of God, the word of God as written and as spoken by the prophets, were good and just. Therefore, King David delighted, from a child, in the word of God more than he did in riches and the things of this life.

It seems to me that we need to meditate, to love, to delight, and to follow the scriptures with all of our heart.

 

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Martyr_4_FutureJoy

Posted

1 ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.


==========.

King David, from a child, realized that the testimonies, the statutes, the commandments,  the law of God, the judgments of God, the word of God as written and as spoken by the prophets, were good and just. Therefore, King David delighted, from a child, in the word of God more than he did in riches and the things of this life.

It seems to me that we need to meditate, to love, to delight, and to follow the scriptures with all of our heart.

============

no iniquity

==========. no masks mandates, no pharmakeia, no oppression, no making sick.

==========. no profit-mongering, no greed,  no raising rents, or prices, no polluting.

==========. no need left unmet 

"...  on earth <just> as it is in heaven..." 

  • Members
1Timothy115

Posted

On 4/30/2021 at 2:09 PM, jeff_student_of_Jesus said:

1 ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.


==========.

King David, from a child, realized that the testimonies, the statutes, the commandments,  the law of God, the judgments of God, the word of God as written and as spoken by the prophets, were good and just. Therefore, King David delighted, from a child, in the word of God more than he did in riches and the things of this life.

It seems to me that we need to meditate, to love, to delight, and to follow the scriptures with all of our heart.

============

no iniquity

==========. no masks mandates, no pharmakeia, no oppression, no making sick.

==========. no profit-mongering, no greed,  no raising rents, or prices, no polluting.

==========. no need left unmet 

"...  on earth <just> as it is in heaven..." 

I believe the prophet, I say prophet because the psalm had no author named, was speaking in regard to the law given to Israel. I also believe we see in the verses that follow...
  4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
  5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
  6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
  7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
  8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
...the prophet explaining mankind cannot keep the law and the "righteous judgments" was speaking of "the judgement seat of Christ" [2 Corinthians 5:10]. RIghteous judgments of Jesus Christ were in the future for this author and his resolve "I will keep thy statutes" although commendable will fall short as we can all attest. [see Romans 3:23] and again I mention [see Romans 7:14-25]

  • Members
Martyr_4_FutureJoy

Posted

See who in the OT and in the NT, Ekklesia,  were called by God the Creator "blameless",  "holy", "perfect",  and so on.

As Jesus says:  "Few are chosen".  So it may only be in the Bible that most people are able to find His chosen ones.   Seek, and keep seeking,  with God's Promise to find them.

i.e. not by man's word. - only and always by God's Own Word.

 

 

  • Members
1Timothy115

Posted

On 5/2/2021 at 10:39 PM, jeff_student_of_Jesus said:

See who in the OT and in the NT, Ekklesia,  were called by God the Creator "blameless",  "holy", "perfect",  and so on.

As Jesus says:  "Few are chosen".  So it may only be in the Bible that most people are able to find His chosen ones.   Seek, and keep seeking,  with God's Promise to find them.

i.e. not by man's word. - only and always by God's Own Word.

 

 

Keep working on it you'll grasp it yet.

  • Members
Martyr_4_FutureJoy

Posted

On 5/2/2021 at 2:41 PM, 1Timothy115 said:

although commendable will fall short as we can all attest.

Most fall short, but that is not what the Scripture says concerning what I quoted and underlined.    

Don't keep working on it in the wrong direction,  or it cannot be grasped.

On 5/2/2021 at 2:41 PM, 1Timothy115 said:

3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

 

This is not saying that they do anything "commendable",  see ?  No man can claim that they are "commendable" according to any Scripture, I think (as far as anyone's posted, nor as far as I know).

 

Doing no iniquity,  walking in His ways,  is not something a man can be "commended" for,  as far as I know, according to any Scripture.

Yet,  as written,  that is what they do anyway - without being "commendable".

"They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways."  as written.   Simply in line with all of KJV Scripture, God's Own Plan, God's Own Purpose.

  • Members
1Timothy115

Posted

On 5/7/2021 at 9:09 PM, jeff_student_of_Jesus said:

Most fall short, but that is not what the Scripture says concerning what I quoted and underlined.    

Don't keep working on it in the wrong direction,  or it cannot be grasped.

This is not saying that they do anything "commendable",  see ?  No man can claim that they are "commendable" according to any Scripture, I think (as far as anyone's posted, nor as far as I know).

 

Doing no iniquity,  walking in His ways,  is not something a man can be "commended" for,  as far as I know, according to any Scripture.

Yet,  as written,  that is what they do anyway - without being "commendable".

"They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways."  as written.   Simply in line with all of KJV Scripture, God's Own Plan, God's Own Purpose.

"commendable" is not in the KJV Bible this is a perspective from fallen mankind. Yes, the scripture I gave would tell us that no matter what glory we receive from the world "commendable" our hope [Titus 2:13] and portion [Psalms 73:26] is only in Jesus Christ.  

  "our sufficiency is of God" "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:" [2 Corinthians 3:4-12]

  • Members
farouk

Posted

I love the Psalms; my wife and I are going through some Psalms together these days.

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