Psalm 119 Series Aleph 1 8

Transcription

1 Psalm 119 Series Aleph 1 8 Psalms 119:1-8 NIV 1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. 2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart-- 3 they do no wrong but follow his ways. 4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. 5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! 6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. 7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. 8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. Bob s Hybrid Version 1. You're Blessed and happy when you stay steadfastly on course living without sin in your ways...following the instructions of the Lord 2. Blessed are those who keep His unchanging Word...seeking Him and following His commands from deep in their hearts. 3. They don't compromise or do anything wrong, they live as He wants them to live...walking straight along the way He set. 4. You have put your instructions for the right way to live in our hearts...now You expect us to carefully obey them. 5. Oh that my actions would consistently reflect my obediently keeping to the course You set. 6. Then I ll never have any shame or regret when I compare my life with Your commands that keep me from doing foolish things. 7. I thank You for speaking straight from Your heart to me...i understand how fair Your laws are...i will thank You sincerely by living as I should. 8. I am going to do what You tell me to do...please don't give up on me! Today we are starting a new series... based on Psalm 119. This is the longest Psalm in the Bible verses. it sits close to the Centre of the Bible... Psalms 118:8 BSV 8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 1

2 People put their trust in all sorts of things...but the one thing that can be depended on is God s Word... The Psalm is an Acrostic Psalm letter of the alphabet...22 letters. 22 x 8 = 176 each section of 8 verses in the original Hebrew starts with a So to keep it simple we will take a section of 8 verses in each session... There is a lot said about The Law in this Psalm...but what do we mean by that? Is it Simply the 10 commandments?...or is it the mass of Jewish Laws expressed by the Torah...the Laws of Moses in first 5 books of the OT.? There are a number of different Hebrew words that are used to express the ideas and concepts behind the The Law and the way is is used. It may be used of commandments or instructions in general, whether given to us by God, or by our civil authorities... including teachers or parents (Gen_26:5; Exo_18:20; Pro_3:1; 6:20; see also GOVERNMENT). Its also frequently it is used of the written Word of God... sometimes meaning the Old Testament as a whole and sometimes to part of the Old Testament, such as the five books of Moses Occasionally it means a principle of operation (Rom_7:21,23; 8:2). The most common use is of law of God given to Israel through Moses at Mt Sinai...The Jewish Laws of Moses. At Mt Sinai God confirmed the covenant made previously with Abraham,...God had chosen Israel to be his people, saved them from slavery in Egypt, and taken them into a close relationship with himself, all in fulfilment of his covenant promise made to Abraham. But if the people were to enjoy the blessings of that covenant, they had to respond to God s grace in faithful obedience. The people understood this and promised to be obedient to all God s commands... (Exo_24:7-8). 2

3 The law that God gave to the people of Israel at Sinai laid down his requirements for them. Through obedience to that law the people would enjoy the life God intended for them... The ten commandments were the principles by which the nation was to live, and formed the basis on which all Israel s other laws were built. The law applied to the whole of their lives and made no distinction between moral, religious and civil laws. Laws were in the form of absolute demands that allowed no exceptions (e.g. You shall not steal...or in the form of guidelines about what to do in various situations... but the two kinds were equally binding. Israel s law-code was suited to the customs of the time and was designed to administer justice within the established culture... Unlike some ancient law-codes, it did not favour the upper classes, but guaranteed a fair hearing for all. It protected the rights of people who were disadvantaged or defenceless, such as orphans, widows, foreigners, slaves and the poor. The penalties it laid down were not brutal or excessive, as in some nations, but were always in proportion to the crime committed. So...as Christians do we have an obligation to keep or obey this OT Law...? That Jesus Fulfilled the Law and changed all that? Doesn't the NT teach Jesus was born under the law and was brought up according to the law. He obeyed the law and he commanded others to obey the law...so clearly Jesus did not oppose the law...though he certainly did oppose the false interpretations of the law that the Jewish leaders of his time taught. Jesus upheld and fulfilled the law by demonstrating its true meaning. Jesus frequently pointed out that the law was good and holy and that God gave it for his people s benefit. By contrast the Jewish leaders used the law to oppress people, adding their own traditions and forcing people to obey them. It was quite profitable... Some Priests got rich! In so doing they forgot, or even opposed, the purpose for which God gave the law. 3

4 Jesus knew that the law, as a set of regulations, was part of a system that was about to pass away... His death and resurrection would mark the end of the old covenant and the beginning of the new... Hebrews 9:15 ERV So Christ brings a new agreement from God to his people. He brings this agreement so that those who are chosen by God can have the blessings God promised, blessings that last forever. This can happen only because Christ died to free people from sins committed against the commands of the first agreement. Under the new covenant people still have to respond to God s covenant grace with obedience, but the expression of that obedience has changed... Instead of being bound by a set of rules, they have inner spiritual power of the Holy Spirit to do God s will...the Holy Spirit lives in the believer...writing God's laws in our hearts... Instead of having to offer sacrifices repeatedly,our sins are taken away once and for all. Instead of having to come to God through priests...or pastors... we have direct fellowship with God. So with that in mind we come to the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet... Aleph. So lets look verse by verse at the key words used here... Verse 1. Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Or... You're Blessed and happy when you stay steadfastly on course living without sin in your ways...following the instructions of the Lord The word used here is Torah...The Law of Moses...all of it! Verse 2. The key word is Ay-daw... Testimony or witness Verse 3... Derek is the Hebrew Word it means Ways a course of life or action...a Lifestyle! Verse 4... piqqud or Pik-kood a mandate...to take notice or care of a thing, to pay attention to, to take notice of & look over & examine every aspect of our life and conversation. Verse 5... Decrees...Statutes is the usual translation... Choq to trace out, describe, and mark out our way... describe the line of conduct we are to pursue... and lay out what we are to observe. This is hands-on how to stuff... 4

5 Verse 6... Mitsvah...the general laws of man or of God...a code of wisdom... the Health & safety regs of the OT era! so we don't do stupid stuff! Verse 7... the psalmist thanks God for his very understandable straight talking! the word here is judgements a judgement may hand down a verdict or sentence...but it will also decide what is fair in a dispute. It gives Justice as well as outlining rights, privileges and responsibilities. 9. Verse 8... I like the way this section ends...i am going to do what You tell me to do...please don't give up on me! The word used is Statute again. as in verse 5 The picture we get is not of some dry stuffy list of rules...do's & don ts.. but of something dynamic and living...a way to live that ensures we are happy l because we a living the way God lovingly designed for us to live... it s God's plan for successful living! and this Guy plainly wants to get it right...join the club! Next week... Beth 5