Psalm 119 is the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. At first it seems redundant, but a careful study turns up different emphases in each of the 22 sections on how Believers should reflect on God and His word while living a life for Him. Since reflection on God needs to be part of a Believers’ every day activity, I thought I would highlight Psalm 119.
Each section of the Psalm is headed by one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew consonantal alphabet. Wait, but 23 letters are shown. That’s because in this representation the letters shin and sin are shown as two separate letters. Actually, they are the same phoneme underlyingly, but are pronounced differently depending on where the dot above the letter is located. When the dot is over the left “pillar” the letter is sin with /s/. When the dot is over the right “pillar” the letter is a shin with /∫/ (sh). In other words, there really are only 22 letters.
The fascinating thing about the Hebrew alphabet is that each letter has its own meaning, or group of meanings, and its own number. For example, the letter א alep means chief, teacher or school, and wonderous. It also denotes the number 1. This is a system which is very different from the English concept of a letter only denoting a particular sound like /m/.
So what does all this have to do with reflecting on God? Psalm 119 used each letter of the Hebrew alphabet as a mnemonic in order to help Believers remember how one is to meditate on and come to God. Each section has 8 lines that teach us how to trust in God and His ways. When we do, our lives will be filled with joy, even when life gets difficult. Using the letters as a mnemonic was helpful because when the Psalms were written, most people did not know how to read and did not have access to a “book”. By using the alphabet, the writer helped the learners memorize God’s word.
The author of this particular psalm is unknown. Scholars have given credit to Ezra, David or Daniel. No matter who wrote it, it seems that he was under distress, and looks to God’s word for comfort and truth.
No one goes through life without stressful times. I think Psalm 119 is a source of help and comfort for all of us. It also helps us reflect on God, His word and His character. Because it is so long, it rarely is preached on or taught in Sunday school. I know I personally have never heard any teaching on it. However, I feel it is a Psalm that we can use to deepen our relationship with God, especially when we also look to the Hebrew letters themselves from a Jewish understanding. Therefore, I am using not only the Bible and Bible commentaries to delve into this Psalm, but also the book, Letters of Light by Rabbi Aaron Raskin, which goes into depth concerning the Hebrew alphabet.
For the next 22 weeks, I will be blogging about one section of Psalm 119 per week, starting with alep. I encourage comments and insights from my readers. I hope we can journey together through Psalm 119.
Resources:
Raskin, A. 2003: Letters of Light. Sichos Publishers.
