Psalm 119
Open your Bibles to this psalm and you will see it is given in sections, with a small mark above each. These marks are the characters, or alphabet, used in writing the Hebrew language, and the name of each mark is beside it; these marks are used to form words, the same as we use letters in our language. If we could see this psalm printed in the Hebrew, we would see the first word of every sentence of a section begins with the same mark; the first eight sentences begin with the character, Aleph; the next eight, with the character, Beth, and so on. But when translated into our language various letters begin the words.
This psalm has been the reading and spelling lessons of Hebrew children. How careful they would need to be! since seral of the marks seem alike, and to use the wrong one would change their words, as a different letter does ours.
What would the children learn most from this psalm? About God’s words; notice the words in the first verses, “the law of the Lord”, which was what guided; “His testimonies”, which proved; “Thy precepts”, which were separate rules; “Thy statues”, written rules; “Thy commandments”, showed His authority; “Thy judgments”, which were His decisions. These words are found all through this psalm, and, also, “Thy word”, many times.
These verses, written so long ago, are still of help to us for right ways: if we travel in strange places, we watch the signs, or the guide book; and God’s Words are life’s guide book for young or old in all places.
“Where-withal shall a young mart cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.” Verse 9.
“‘Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Verse 11.
Here are verses which help us when there is great trouble in all the world, and it is all like a dark valley:
“Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven” (v. 89).
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (v. 105).
“Thy Word is very pure, therefore thy servant loveth it” (v. 140).
“Thy Word is true from the beginning’’ (v. 160).
You may wonder at this verse:
“For I am become like a bottle in the smoke” (v. 83).
If you remember the bottles then used were of skin, you know such bottles would shrivel in the smoke of a fire; the writer felt drawn and pressed by sorrow, but he said,
“Yet do I not forget Thy statutes”, and he hoped and longed for God’s salvation (v. 174).
But we now know God’s salvation has come in Christ, and we must believe and trust Him. When Simeon saw the child Jesus, he said:
Perhaps you would like to try writing this Hebrew alphabet. You will notice that the 10th mark, Jod is the smallest of all, so you can better think what the Lord Jesus meant when he said:
ML 12/29/1940