119: Beth

It’s one thing to intellectually acknowledge the benefits of regular Bible reading and meditation. It’s another to actually do it day in and day out. That requires a consistent application of the will. Those who make the word of God their daily companion will reap the benefits of it. Dabblers, dilettantes and occasional readers will not.

On to section 2 of 22 in Psalm 119, where each line begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which looks like this: בּ. It is pronounced “bet” rather than “beth”. Put it together with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and you get “aleph-beth”, from which we get “alphabet”.

The influence of Hebrew on the individual units of the English language is not profound, but its overall impact is considerably greater, as discussed here.

Psalm 119:9-11

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Purity

The Hebrew word translated “pure” refers to something so clean it shines. Strong’s uses the word “translucent” to describe it. In its moral aspect, it is not so much childish innocence as fully mature blamelessness under scrutiny. In Psalm 51, David writes concerning God, “that you might be justified in your words and blameless [same word as ‘pure’] in your judgment”. A person whose way is pure, then, is someone whose thoughts, deeds and actions can stand up and shine under the most stringent examination.

Purity is not a quality our society finds particularly commendable, especially in the sexual realm, comparing it to naivety or lack of experience. However, as the psalmist tells us in these verses, purity is not simply a default condition or something that happens by accident. Purity needs to be actively defended by constant reference to the moral precepts of the word of God. This is what Joseph did when enticed by Potiphar’s wife: he kept his way pure. It’s not that he lacked insight into what he was being offered, or did not realize the potential negative consequences of refusing a woman with the power to wreck his life at her disposal. It’s more like he recognized the eyes of God were on him. “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

This response must have baffled Potiphar’s wife. The world cannot conceive of the idea that God might have an opinion or preference about what happens or doesn’t happen between two consenting individuals in a bedroom. And yet he most certainly does. Purity is never losing sight of that reality.

The Heart

The psalmist says guarding one’s way and keeping it pure requires knowledge of God’s word, and one can only acquire and retain that knowledge by seeking after it with all one’s energy. When he speaks of seeking God with his whole heart, we should not think of the psalmist waiting around hoping for some powerful emotion to seize and motivate him. The Hebrew word translated “heart” twice here really means the inner man, the sincere self, and it includes not only emotions but also the intellect and will. Seeking after God with a whole heart may start with the will, but the entire person eventually comes into play. If you don’t enjoy daily Bible reading, I say fake it ’til you make it. Develop the habit, and your emotions will learn to play along.

The heart is also where the word of God is stored. Again, the psalmist is not simply talking about having strong feelings about God, though he clearly does. The word is stored in the mind and memory, and understood through meditation and practice.

It’s often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Joseph could have succumbed to the temptation he was offered, then subsequently have repented, been forgiven and cleansed. Those who have taken that route back into fellowship with God are grateful it exists. Surely, however, the better option was the one he took: he kept his way pure, his testimony clear and his conscience unsullied. It came at a great cost, but I’m sure the Lord prized it.

Psalm 119:12-14

“Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.”

Blessed Are You

Last week we pointed out that blessing flows three ways: from God to man, from man to man, and from man to God. When we speak of God blessing men, we are referring to the benefits of heavenly generosity that produce happiness. When we speak of men blessing other men, they are asking God to favor the object of their appreciation.

Here, the psalmist is blessing the Lord, which is not quite the same thing. The Hebrew word translated “blessed” in this section is different from the word used for it in verses 1 and 2 of the Aleph section of the psalm, which simply means “happy”. Here, the Hebrew is bāraḵ. The psalmist is not calling God “happy” in the same way as the men who keep God’s testimonies and walk blamelessly, and thus have the favor of God.

When we speak of blessing God, it is clear we cannot provide benefits to him in the same way he provides benefits to humanity. God is self-existent and self-sufficient. Paul says he is not “served by human hands, as though he needed anything”. He is entirely independent of us. Because he exists in three persons, he has endless happy fellowship among peers. Thus, man has nothing God needs with which he might bless him.

Except words, and when words are inappropriate, God-centered thoughts. When a man blesses God, he confesses that the Lord is worthy of adoration, praise and worship. He publicly or privately acknowledges his rightful, humble place before God. Blessing the Lord is associated with being thankful, bowing in homage, expressing praise in the congregation, speaking well of God at every opportunity and with the Israelite custom of lifting up hands to heaven.

Compared to the many blessings of God to us, this may seem very little, but it’s really all we’ve got to give. So, when the psalmist writes, “Blessed are you, O Lord”, he is simply expressing the truth that God is appropriately and eternally praised by all right-thinking people everywhere.

From Student to Teacher

Old or New Covenant, normal spiritual growth demands the student eventually learn to teach. The writer to the Hebrews chides his Jewish readers — presumably from all walks of life, and blessed with a variety of spiritual gifts that did not necessarily include teaching in every case — with the sobering criticism that “by this time you ought to be teachers”. Literally, “you owe it”. Vocalizing your faith is a reasonable expectation of every believer. Not all his readers would be great orators or stump fellow Jews with their apologetics, but he did expect them to understand the truths they had received and be able to share them clearly with others as each new situation might demand.

Here, the psalmist goes from “teach me” to “I declare” as naturally as a child goes from milk to meat. He is doing what is normal for believers. The devout Israelite who hoarded up information about the scripture without enthusiastically passing it on would have been as abnormal as an eight-year old who still lived on breast milk.

Delighting in the Way of the Testimonies

The word “delight” is used ten times in the psalm. At different times and places, the psalmist says he delights in the “statutes”, “testimonies”, “commandments” and “law”.

Here, he delights in “the way of your testimonies”, which is to say not just in the testimonies themselves, but in reflecting on what those testimonies produce when they are followed. Their intrinsic excellence is easiest to measure through their effects on other people’s lives. I often look at my sister’s family, raised in obedience to the Lord, and compare that outcome to the children of parents who did not follow the principles of scripture in raising them, whether because they did not know what the Bible teaches or simply didn’t make the effort to apply it in their home. There is a consistent pattern observable in the world if you are willing to accept it. The word of God simply … works! People invariably do better when they follow it. They are happier, healthier, wiser, more productive, stabler, more sensible, shrewder and more faithful to their friends.

This is the “way of your testimonies”. What it produces it better than a fortune. I would rather watch my children glorify God in their lives than have them succeed by every other measure.

Psalm 119:15-16

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”

Resolution

In English there are three explicit “I wills” (and one implicit one) in two verses, reflecting the psalmist’s resolve to pay attention, meditate on, memorize and delight in the word, precepts, ways and statutes of God.

Attention to the word of God doesn’t happen by itself, and the benefits of living it out will not come unless we purpose to put it into action and then follow through.