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Psalm 119 – Day 1

א‎ Aleph

Psalm 119:1-4

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep His statutes, and seek Him with all their heart, they do no wrong but follow His ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

The Thought

This long psalm of David is divided into 22 stanzas each named by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and in its original form, the verses within each stanza all begin with that letter. That must have been quite a challenge!

These first verses at the beginning of our study give us the feeling that David was watching other believers, and how they lived their lives. He came to the conclusion that those who follow the laws of God are blessed, and those who do not are not!

We can imagine that the young David had plenty of time to think, talk to God, and write his songs as he guided the sheep through their pastures. That is when his relationship with and confidence in The Lord developed.

But David was not just singing and writing psalms all day, he also had to keep watch for predators, and fight off lions and bears when protecting his sheep (1 Samuel 17:34-36). He learned a lot about God’s protection in those early days.

Action

Read Exodus 20:1-17 and think today about your obedience to God’s commands. Are there any of those commandments that are difficult for you? Pray for God to help you to obey and if necessary ask a mature christian friend or leader to pray for emotional healing.

What do you suppose inspired the poet to write this psalm this way? A personal challenge? A religious exercise? Boredom?

Think about writing a poem in this form. Which letter of the alphabet would be most difficult for you?

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