Psalm 119 Part 2 Psalm 119:25-56

Review The psalm is divided into 22 8-verse groups Each verse in a group begins with the same Hebrew letter for which the group is named The groups are arranged in alphabetical order The names of the groups not only tell us the letter which begins each verse They also are Hebrew words The meaning(s) of those words help us to understand the group And will help us remember each group

Review The psalm is about the word of God Aleph (vv1-8) “ox, mighty, to learn” Picture an ox being trained by a strong hand to follow a given path Representing us being trained by God to walk the path of His word Beth (vv9-16) “house” Picture a child at home studying in preparation for growing up and going forth Representing us being sheltered and taught by God’s word before facing the world Gimel (vv17-24) “camel, to treat well” Picture yourself riding a camel through a desert Representing us riding upon God’s word through the dangers of sin

Daleth The next 8 verses are grouped under the word “daleth” and each verse begins with the letter daleth, ד “Daleth” is the Hebrew word for “something that dangles” most commonly used for a door Can refer to anything that is barely hanging on, swinging freely

Clinging to God’s word Psalm 119:25-32 Beaten down by sorrows, struggles, tribulation We lay in the dirt, debris, rubble and turn to God for strength and life found in His word We repent (“declare our ways”) and God forgives We learn His way, His laws, His works As we learn more, we change (“my soul melts”) We replace what’s wrong with what’s right No longer clinging to the ruins of our lives, now we cling to God’s word We can trust Him to keep us safe We can now “run” to keep His commandments, knowing God will help us and strengthen us To remember this group: picture yourself lifted from ruins and clinging to God’s word

He The next 8 verses are grouped under the word “he” and each verse begins with the letter he, ה “He” is the Hebrew noun for “window” and the verb for “to see, to look”

Seeing the right way Psalm 119:33-40 Starting with a desire to see life’s choices the way God sees them (Rom 7:22-24) The problem is the desire to see things the way man sees them (Jms 1:22-25) We study God’s word and seek His help to keep our eyes looking through God’s window (Bible) And if we stumble (sin), we ask Him to revive us in His righteousness To remember this group: picture yourself looking at the world through the window of God’s word

Vav / Waw The next 8 verses are grouped under the word “vav” or “waw” and each verse begins with the letter vav or waw, ו The difference in vav and waw is merely one of pronunciation European Jews say “vav” Oriental Jews say “waw” “Vav” is the Hebrew noun for “hook” Generally something that can support something else Like a nail in the wall holding a picture

Hang your hope upon God’s word Psalm 119:41-48 There is a progression: wait (v41-42), keep (v43-44), walk (v45), speak (v46), delight (v47), uplift hands (v48a), and meditate (v48b) We start by waiting (study and learn God’s word) Otherwise we won’t know what to say (Col 4:6) We learn, we keep the word, and then we begin to move forward and tell others (1Pet 3:14-16) As we become more confident, we learn to love keeping His commands and we are thankful, worshipful (1Jn 5:2-3) And that causes us to return to His word and spend more time studying and meditating To remember this group: picture gradually hanging upon the hook of God’s word as your confidence grows that it will hold you

Zayin The next 8 verses are grouped under the word “zayin” and each verse begins with the letter zayin, ז “Zayin” is the Hebrew noun for “weapon” and the verb for “to arm” Can refer to any weapon, spear arrow, sword or to taking up the full set of arms

Armed with God’s word Ps 119:49-56 We are pressed in by enemies on every side But we have confidence because God has given us His word Our weapon is spiritual because our warfare is spiritual (2 Cor 10:3-6) God has supplied us with the arms and armor we need to prevail (Eph 6:10-18) God’s word is our defense (vv49-52) God’s word has been our weapon (vv53-56) To remember this group: picture being armed in the word of God, and the word as your weapon to fight against sin

Conclusion God’s word is Are you ready to obey His word? What we cling to when we are in despair What we use to view the world What we can have complete confidence in What we use to protect ourselves and to defeat God’s enemies Are you ready to obey His word?