Part 1: Aleph/Alef verses 1-8
Commonplace –
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly” (Psalm 119:1-8).
In my previous post, I quoted Matthew Henry’s comment related to Divine Revelation. He noted that there were ten words synonymous with Divine Revelation that were used throughout Psalm 119: law, ways, testimonies, commandments, precepts, word, judgments, righteousness, statutes, truth. In the first eight verses of the psalm, we find references to way, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, and statutes. In Psalm 119, David begins by pointing out the rewards of attending to God’s divine revelation. Those that diligently seek God will be blessed, will do no iniquity, will not be ashamed, and will offer praise with an upright heart. May we earnestly seek Him with our whole heart knowing that the effort is worthwhile, and the reward we receive is great.
In regard to 119:1, it is important to note the following reflection by Henry on religion, specifically discussing religion versus living a religious life.
“It will not serve us to make religion the subject of our discourse, but we must make it the rule of our walk; we must walk in his ways, not in the way of the world, or of our own hearts” (Henry 560).
Our walk is of most importance. Simply discussing religion without living our faith is empty.
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 119.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
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