Praising God’s Word Through the Alphabet
Psalm 119 is one of the most unique and amazing Psalms in the entire Bible. In addition to being the longest book of the Bible (176 verses), this Psalm is an alphabetic acrostic poem in the original language. It is also the only Psalm that focuses exclusively on the value of God’s sacred word in the lives of His followers.
In the Hebrew language, there are 22 letters. Accordingly, there are 22 sections (or stanzas) in Psalm 119. Each of these 22 sections begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verses 1-8 all start with the first Hebrew letter, aleph (א). Verses 9-16 start with the 2nd letter, beth (ב).This pattern continues down to the last 8 verses, 169-176, which all start with the last Hebrew letter, tav (ת). The resulting Psalm is a compilation of the entire Hebrew alphabet. What an amazing way to praise God's word through the alphabet!
By way of example, here’s a paraphrase* of
verses 1-4 which all start with the English letter “a”:
A blameless one is blessed, who walks according to the law of the Lord.
A person who keeps His statutes and seeks Him with all his heart is blessed.
Also, he does nothing wrong; he walks in His ways.
And You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
One of the reasons this Psalm was designed as
an alphabetic acrostic was to help Jewish children learn their A-B-C’s. Every Jewish
boy was required to memorize Psalm 119 as part of their early childhood education.
By doing so, they would not only learn the “Aleph-Beit” (Hebrew for alphabet),
but they would learn 176 Bible verses rich with meaning for their lives.
The writer of this Psalm uses at least
ten different words all referring to the word of God (“ways” “testimonies” “word”
“truth” “statutes” “commands” “precepts” “promises” “rules” “law”). The theme
of these verses is the prayer of one who delights in and lives by God’s
sacred truth. It describes the greatness and glory and power of God's word. Knowing and reciting these
truths was a means of planting God’s word in the hearts of His little ones. As they
grew up, having these truths embedded in their hearts would help them to experience
God’s promises, comfort, guidance, strength, and protection throughout their
lifetime.
How about you? Have you taken time
to memorize God’s sacred truth? To hide it in your heart? To make it the firm foundation
of your life? If not, it is time for YOU to commit God’s word to memory. Plant
it deep in your heart. It will bring comfort in your affliction and His
promises will give you life.
(*Source: June 25, 2021 in Blog - Alphabet Psalms, Psalm 119)
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