Read Psalm 119 at Bible Gateway.
psalm 119 chiastic structure, part one 2014 nov 05
psalm 119 chiastic structure, part two 2014 nov 06
psalm 119 chiastic structure, part three 2014 nov 07
psalm 119 chiastic structure, part four 2014 nov 08
psalm 119 chiastic structure, part five 2014 nov 11
introduction) Psa 119:1, Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!
1a) Psa 119:1-3 + 1-16 central axis, aleph + beth Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart; With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
1b) Psa 119:7 + 14, I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments; I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches;
1c) Psa 119:18-23 (repeated in 25-31), gimel + daleth My soul longs to understand Your wonderful law / Princes also sit and speak against me;
1d) Psa 119:33-48, hey + vav I shall keep Your law forever / Your mercies + salvation;
1e) Psa 119:53, zayin Indignation has taken hold of me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law;
1f) Psa 119:55-64, zayin + heth I remember Your name / cords of the wicked + Your law / teach me Your statutes:
1) Psa 119:55, I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, and I keep Your law;
2) Psa 119:61, The cords of the wicked have bound me, but I have not forgotten Your law;
3) Psa 119:64, The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy; teach me Your statutes; {p}
1g) Psa 119:65-68, teth Teach me good judgment / Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word;
1h) Psa 119:69-80, teth + yod Priceless value of Law /Give me understanding / Fear God + His right judgments / Have mercy that I may live unashamed:
1) Psa 119:72, The law of Your mouth is better to me; than thousands of coins of gold and silver; {p}
2) Psa 119:73, yod Your hands have made + fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments;
3) Psa 119:74-75, Those who fear You / Your judgments are right;
4) Psa 119:77-80, Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live / that I may not be ashamed;
2h) Psa 119:113-128, samech + ayin Uphold me that I may live unashamed / Fear God + His right judgments / Give me understanding / Priceless value of Law:
4) Psa 119:116, Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope;
3) Psa 119:120, My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments; {p}
2) Psa 119:125, I am Your servant; Give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies;
1) Psa 119:127, Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold!
2g) Psa 119:129-131, pey The entrance of Your words gives light + understanding to the simple / I long for Your commandments;
2f) Psa 119:132-135, pey Those who love Your name / oppression of man + Your precepts / teach me Your statutes:
1) Psa 119:132, Look upon me and be merciful to me, as Your custom is toward those who love Your name;
2) Psa 119:134, Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts;
3) Psa 119:135, Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes;
2e) Psa 119:139, tsadde My zeal has consumed me, because my enemies have forgotten Your words;
2d) Psa 119:145-160, qoph + resh Truth + eternity of God’s word / Salvation + Your tender mercies;
2c) Psa 119:161, shin + tau Princes persecute me without a cause; but my heart stands in awe of Your word;
2b) Psa 119:162 + 164 (repeated in 171-175), I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure; Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments;
2a) Psa 119:176a, tau I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant; {n}
conclusion) Psa 119:176b, For I do not forget Your commandments. {p}
The G pair struck me today.
Teach me good judgment / Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word (vs. 65-68);
The entrance of Your words gives light , it gives understanding to the simple / I long for Your commandments (vs. 129-131).
If you read Proverbs, you realize that the simple and the foolish are synonymous, who both ignore the Lord’s word and have little fear of Him. They do whatever impulse strikes them at the moment, whatever seems good to them, whether good or ill. The end of that path is destruction. They destroy themselves for lack of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. The enemy rarely bothers with them, because they don’t need help to hurt themselves, the natural consequences of their choices will do it for them.
David is telling us that before he was afflicted, he went astray too. He acted simply and foolishly. But this is why the Lord was good to him to let the natural consequences of his choices afflict him – he learned, by living through difficult pain, to pay attention to wisdom that was greater than his own meager supply. Now, he pays attention to the Lord’s word, and keeps His commandments. When His words finally penetrated and entered David’s soul, he received light, he received understanding, and he received good judgment.
Anyone of us can bypass years of foolish choices and painful natural consequences, by setting our hearts on the Lord’s commandments early rather than late (but late is better than never). This is one reason why I believe the church is making a mistake by preaching grace exclusively to children (and anyone else) and neglecting the Law of the Lord. The Law, besides imparting knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and good judgment, is our tutor to bring us to Christ. If we neglect the tutor, then how can they come?
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