Mindful of our Principles -- Psa 119:5

^©Lightwritingmatters -- 2015

“On these two commandments the whole Law hangs...” –Matt 22:40

“O that my ways were prepared to keep Thy statutes” – Psa 119:5

As promised I will record my thoughts on the entire 119^th chapter of Psalms incrementally.

Breaking it down

This Psalm is broken down A, B, G, D, etc. [Actually, the letters are Hebrew words and separate what would be ‘stanzas’ in our common composition.] This Psalm was written both as a song of praise but also in a creative poetic way. It is meaningful to look over the whole chapter and let the message of the chapter sink in.

Thinking contemporarily:

1.    Would we compose a song with this subject matter as the body of the song?
2.     Would we create poetry with this as the subject matter?
3.     Is nonetheless a beautiful song?

The poetry of course escapes us unless we can read and speak Hebrew and even then the version of Hebrew used to compose this may not be known today. It does stand out as an incredible body of work. It is hypothesized this Psalm is a composite Psalm. It is believed, by some, to embody different times in the life of King David. It is further posited that he composed it during different times which there seems to be the hint of a different writing style. Those who consider this a rational belief say he wrote it during the course of his life and at each time the situation and his collective life experience influenced his writing.

Because there is no attribution in the intro, within the body of the Psalm, nor, as a footnote, the judicious reader must weigh evidence from their own familiarity with those Psalms attributed to having been authored by King David and arrive prayerfully at the conclusion that perhaps absent the attribution it is still reminiscent of King David’s writings, passions, insights, humility and creative praise style. I believe this Psalm most definitely was written from a soul whose lifelong passion was his love and worship of and to his GOD.

The ‘A’leph’ [First letter and consonant of Hebrew language] section, of the Psalm, is comprised of verses 1 through 8. Let’s consider.

The Gist of ‘A’leph section

Words like ‘undefiled’ or ‘pure’ or ‘perfect’ have been used in the opening scripture. It is the reason a person who is walking in GOD’s law -- in the condition of ‘purity’ -- would be happy. We understand that sort of ‘happy’ today as having the peace of a clean conscience when we ‘do the right thing’; or ‘take the high road’; or, ‘with complete integrity’ keep and maintain our GODLY principles.

Please note: Contained within this first [‘A’leph’] section is a deep seated longing even a necessity for the author to not only be ‘good’ but to be most obedient and mindful of each and every word of testimony, statutes, commands and law of the GOD known to him as ‘Jehovah’.

Flexing our Spiritual Muscles  

The Psalmist writes: “They practice no unrighteousness; They walk in his ways.” – Vs 3

Who? Verse 1 says ‘…those who are blameless…who walk in the law of GOD.’

Can we? One can start small. Everyday just remembering vs 3 or vs 5 or vs 8? Thinking upon the sentiment of any one of these verses refocuses our mind, spirit and heart toward GOD and our relationship with GOD. We know we do nothing apart from GOD as HE is all knowing and ever present. There are no secrets. We may think there are but we are absolutely open and vulnerable to GOD’s will. As we focus on the different parts of the 119^th Psalm and make it a work out routine for our spiritual self we will be free to express freedom from ‘practicing unrighteousness’.

Summation:

From the opening verse to the end of this stanza we are looking at a person who works, strives, even creates opportunities to be good because they love and value their personal relationship with GOD. In fact, the stanza closes with this plea: “May you never utterly forsake me.” Or, in an exact way: ‘May you never forsake me altogether.’

When one contemplates just the initial 8 verses of the 119^th Psalm it is abundantly clear the what devotion to being chaste, obedient to law and the depth of longing for GOD’s love and approval means to the writer. If we are not already that person by nature it would be really beneficial to stay focused for a week or two on the first 8 verses. As a closing reminder and a way to box in the thoughts contained herein I will once again provide this innocent pleading: “If only I could remain steadfast So as to observe your regulations!” – Psa 119:5

^©Lightwritingmatters -- 2015