Aleph
Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!
Beth
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
We come now to the remarkable 'long Psalm', comprising 176 verses. We shall try to study it and gather its message by taking two or three stanzas (or even more) together, in order to gather some general themes from the various groupings of verses. Some commentators seem to see a unifying theme throughout the Psalm, others see none, and speak in terms of a series of disconnected thoughts and statements. There is, however, one basic and fundamental focal point around which everything that is said in the Psalm revolves, and that is the Word of God. There are some eight different terms used in the Psalm for the Word, the law (torah), the revelation from God. It reminds us that revelation is not for our interest but for obedience. The testimonies - God's witness to His own faithfulness; precepts - particular instructions of the Lord; statutes, emphasising the bind- ing force and permanence of Scripture; commandments, underlining the authority of what is said; ordinances, 'judgments', decisions of the all-wise Judge about common human situations, and hence the revealed 'rights and duties' appropriate to them; the Word, God's truth in any form, stated, promised or commanded; promise, sometimes translated 'word' (so Kidner in his commentary on the Psalms).
Why this tremendous, almost monotonous, emphasis and insistence on the Word? There is a historical reason for this, relating to the time when the Psalm was written - the scholars tell us that it is post-exilic and this has significance in our understanding of the emphasis that the Psalm makes. That significance we shall discuss in the next note.