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.
It has been easy to misunderstand this emphasis on the Word, and see dangers in it and maintain that it displaces God Himself as the object of worship; but as Kidner points out, every reference to Scripture without exception relates it explicitly to its Author, and that every verse is a prayer or affirmation addressed to God. Of course this is always a danger; but there is danger in anything living, but it need not be. The recovery of the Word, in reality, is worth any risk and any danger.
The first two sections seem to belong naturally together: the first has as its subject matter the law, and the need to observe it, and the second underlines the careful study of the self. One thinks readily of Paul's word to Timothy: 'Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them' (1 Timothy 4:16). Here, 1-8 gives the doctrine to which we are to take heed; 9-16 gives the inward look to the self. The opening stanza, then, depicts the blessedness of the doers of the law and of the undivided heart, the joy of walking in the precepts of the Lord. But the Psalm goes even deeper, praising the advantage that the law of God gives to those who walk in it. It is only because they walk in the law of the Lord that they become the subject of this beatitude.
The first section stands in some ways as an introductory one to the whole Psalm stating the main thesis, as it were, which will be elaborated in various ways and in different aspects in the stanzas that follow. The elements of the blessedness are given in 1-3. To walk in the law (1) is to order one's life in conformity to its teaching. It is this that ensures 'perfectness' or 'undefilement'. In 2 'keeping the testimonies' is the conse- quence and the proof of seeking Him with wholehearted devotion and examination. In 3, to 'walk in His ways' is the preservative against evildoing. Then, in 4, comes the command of God, and the Psalmist, conscious of his weakness and waywardness of heart (5) prays longingly for grace to enable him to fulfil it. For, apart from divine help and grace, he must inevitably fail (6-8).