Aleph

Aleph

Psalm 119:1-8

Psalms 119 sets forth the joy and happiness that comes to those who takes the law of the Lord as their counsel and guide. The psalm is also divided into 22 sections, each containing 8 verse and each section of eight verses starts of with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  The first section is Aleph, the second “Beth” and so on until all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet is used.

Over the next few weeks we will explore an aspect of Psalms 119.  These will be posted each Saturday Morning

¹ Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD!

² Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the Whole Heart!

³ They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.

⁴ You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently.

⁵ Oh that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!

⁶ Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments

⁷ I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgements

⁸ I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly! Psalm 119:1-8

The first section is known as the Aleph section has the following aspects associated with it.  “Law,” “testimonies,” “ways,” Precepts, “statutes,” “commandments,” and “Judgments.”

Blessed be the person who is undefiled in there way, Who walks in the law of the Lord. By being blameless before the Lord, obedient to His law, and wholehearted in our relationship to Him. But some of the words that follow – law, precepts, statutes, decrees, commands – have a way of frightening us and almost paralyzing us with despair. When we think of law, we usually think of “cursing” and not “blessing” (see Deuteronomy 27:1-28:68; Joshua 8:30-35), but we must remember that Jesus bore the curse of the law for us on the cross (Galatians 3:10-13).  The law is not a weapon in the hands of an angry judge but a tool in the hands of a loving Father, used by the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus Christ.  The Word enables us to know God better and draw closer to Him.  “Blameless” does not mean sinless but wholehearted devotion to the Lord, sincerity, and integrity.  Only Jesus Christ was totally blameless in His relationship to God and His law, but because believers are “in Christ,” we are “holy and without blame before Him: (Ephesians 1:4).  His love is in our hearts (Romans 5:5) and His Spirit enables us (Galatians 5:16-26), so His law is not a heavy yoke that crushes us, for “His commandments are not burdensome” (I John 5:3).

Seeking God means much more than reading the Bible or even studying the Bible. It means hearing God’s voice in His Word, loving Him more, and wanting to delight His heart and please Him.  It means wholehearted surrender to Him and an unwillingness to permit any rival love to enter. 

We often think that because we seek a relationship with God and want to serve Him, that our life will be easy.  But the Psalms make it clear that this kind of life is not without its dangers and disappointments, for we often fail.  Often like the writer of this Psalm we find ourselves in the dust and crying out for revival and for help. 

As we cultivate an appetite for the Word and feed upon it, we give the Spirit something to work with in our hearts, and He enables us to walk in God’s paths.  If we feel ashamed when we read the Word then we have to stop and find out why and then confess it to the Lord.  If we are ashamed because of our disobedience, then we cannot witness to others and we will be ashamed of our hope.   Better to be ashamed now and confess it than to be ashamed when we meet the Lord (I John 2:28).

Praise is good preparation for learning about God and His word, it is so important the Psalmist repeats in other section of the 119^th Psalm.   Our ways may not yet be God’s ways, but as we press on by faith, He will help us and not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  Jacob was far from being a spiritual man when he ran away from home, but the Lord promised not to forsake him, and Jacob believed that promise and became a godly man. God even agrees to be called “the God of Jacob.”

Does this then sound like a God you would want to become friends with, to get to know on a personal and even intimate level.  The writer of Psalms 119 invites each of us to form a deeper relationship with God allowing the Holy Spirit to create in us the likeness of Christ, who showed us the character of God.