Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5:1

Introduction

The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. Psalms 119 is the heart of the fifth book of Psalms. We hear in this psalm the heartbeat of the faithful remnant of Israel. This psalm points to the Word and prophetically it points to the time when the remnant will return to the LORD and to His Word.

The hallmark of the psalm is that through the Spirit’s ministry the law is written in the heart of the remnant (2 Corinthians 3:8; cf. Psalms 40:8; Ezekiel 36:27). This is by virtue of the blood of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The law is mentioned in almost every verse, using names other than ‘law’ as well. Only in Psalms 119:84; 121; 122; 132 there is no reference to the law.

Synonyms are also used for the term ‘law’. The Jews speak of eight different synonyms for ‘law’, which shows the richness of the law and of the Word of God as a whole. This allows the psalmist to elaborate on the versatility of the Word, and it helps us to see and appreciate more of the multicolored nature of the Word of God. Five of these eight synonyms are already used in the description of God’s Word in Psalms 19 (Psalms 19:7-10).

The eight words used by the psalmist are: 1. Law (Torah, 25 times) = teaching, instruction – the law as the teaching of the will of the LORD, Yahweh: “He who keeps the law (teaching) is a discerning son” (Proverbs 28:7a). Furthermore, the law also means: - ‘the whole of the Old Testament’, - ‘the five books of Moses’ - ‘the requirements of the old covenant necessary to receive life’ (see, for example, the letter to the Romans and the letter to the Galatians). 2. Word (Dabar, 24 times) = orderly exposition in a speech – the form or means by which Yahweh communicates His will. It is every word that goes out through the mouth of God. 3. Promise (Imrah, 19 times) = proverb, saying, statement – expression of the will of Yahweh in what He says. 4.

Commandment (Mitzvah, 22 times) – precept that demands obedience; imposed duty or responsibility. It emphasizes God’s right to determine the basis of our relationship with Him 5. Statute, institution (Chukkim, 21 times) = engraving, chiseling – the permanent testimony of the will of Yahweh, as if engraved in stone and therefore indelible. It represents the binding and continuing power of God’s law. 6. Precepts (Piqqudim, 21 times) = to commission – meticulous regulations that closely examine our lives and accurately define or describe them. 7. Judgment (Mishpat, 22 times) = law, court, administer justice – the will of Yahweh as Judge in legal matters.

They are also the rules God has given to govern relationships between people. 8. Testimony (Edut, 23 times) – testifies to the relationship (covenant) with Yahweh and the responsibility attached to it; the word is derived from repeat, testify or say something emphatically; the law is also called ‘the testimony’ (Exodus 25:16; 21). These are practical principles that govern the behavior. The Word of God gives ‘testimony’ of righteousness and against our sinfulness.

The number ‘eight’ also ties in well with the whole of Psalm 119, in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears eight times at the beginning of a verse. The number ‘eight’ in Hebrew is shmoneh, which is derived from shaman meaning to make fat, abundant. Seven in enough, eight is ‘more than enough’. Seven is a complete whole, eight is a new beginning. ‘Eight’ in this psalm points to the new covenant, through which the law is written in the hearts of the born-again believing remnant (Hebrews 8:8-10).

This psalm is an acrostic, that is, each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as is the case with Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145. The difference is that these psalms show a singular acrostic – and are not always complete either, for a letter is sometimes missing – while in Psalms 119 we have an eightfold acrostic.

Psalms 119 has twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each. Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of the stanza begins with the letter of the verse. For example, each verse of the first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter aleph; each verse of the second stanza begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter beth; and so on.

An acrostic functions as a mnemonic device; it is a tool for remembering a text. Psalms 119 has both an acrostic and a rhythm for remembering the text, in the head and in the heart (cf. Psalms 119:11).

Each letter of the Hebrew alephbeth – to us: alphabet – is a pictogram with a meaning. Each letter also has a name with a backstory. [Those interested we refer to, for example, Gesenius, Lexicon of Hebrew.] Both aspects are woven into the message of the Word of God. The message and the letters as bearers of the message are closely intertwined. The word alephbeth is a composite of the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet – aleph and beth – which represent the word ‘father’. This underscores the importance of the concept of ‘father’ in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus is called “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8; 11; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, these are the aleph and the tav. It speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Word, the speaking from God to men (Hebrews 1:1).

This psalm is the longest of all the psalms and of all the chapters in the Bible. It is a song of praise about the Word of God. A portion of God’s Word that uses all the letters of human language to present us a topic, determines us by the value of the topic of that portion. Here it is about the Word of God which has an immeasurable value. By using all the letters of the alphabet, it is presented to us in a complete way.

This does not mean that we know the inexhaustible value of the Word of God if we have understood the psalm correctly. Using a variant of what Spurgeon once said, after years of studying the Word, we want to put it this way: A long life is just enough to stand on the beach with our feet in the water of the endless ocean of the Word, which, as we go further and further into the water, becomes more and more endless.

This psalm is about the Word of God as the only means of getting to know God Himself better. The psalmist values the Word because it comes from Him. With the exception of Psa 119:1; 2; 3; 9 he speaks in all verses to the “LORD”, the God of the covenant with His people. He speaks to Him of “Your precepts”, “Your ordinances”, “Your statutes”, and so on. The psalmist is not glorifying the Book, but the God Who reveals Himself in and through this Book and with Whom he has a personal relationship.

The psalm shows the richness of God’s Word. It is impossible to describe its richness in a single sentence or a few phrases. Even the alphabet is not long enough. The psalmist goes through the alphabet eight times without repeating a single thing. Each time we see a new aspect of the richness of God’s Word. As mentioned, the number eight indicates a new beginning. The Word of God works a new beginning.

Being busy with God’s Word is an activity that gives true happiness, true blessing. The first word of the psalm is “blessed” (Psalms 119:1). It truly blesses one in the sense that it gives one a peaceful heart and a joyful spirit. We hear something similar from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in the ‘beatitudes’ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). The true servant of God will not be satisfied with a cursory reading of God’s Word. His desire is that it governs his whole life.

A division of the psalm, which describes the Word of God as written in the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), is the following: 1. 1st-7th stanza – the letters aleph-zayin: focused on yourself; 2. 8th-14th stanza – the letters heth-nun: focused on your fellow man; 3. 15th-21st stanza – the letters samekh-shin: focused on God; 4. 22nd stanza – the letter tav: summary.

/aleph/ The Beginning

The aleph is the first letter. We can say that this letter speaks of God as the origin of all things. This letter was originally depicted as (the head of) a bull or an ox, the largest sacrificial animal for the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1-5). The burnt offering speaks of Christ’s offering to glorify God as the basis of God’s speaking to man.

A bull also speaks of strength, power and of service. This too applies to Christ, Who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). His life of service and His death are immediately revealed by this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which also represents the numerical value one.

In this aleph stanza about the Word of God, it becomes clear that the center of the Word is the Person of God Himself (Psalms 119:2). The Word is about Him. The Word is about Him Who revealed Himself in Jesus: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

A division of this stanza is: Psalms 119:1-3 the teaching: third person plural. Psalms 119:4 the Teacher: second person singular. Psalms 119:5-8 the student, the remnant: first person singular. This division makes it clear that the general truth of Psa 119:1-4 must be applied personally in Psalms 119:5-8.

Psalms 119:1, and in fact the entire stanza of eight verses is an introduction to the whole of Psalm 119. The psalm begins by saying “blessed”. The book of Psalms begins with a “blessed” to the righteous and his way (Psalms 1:1). The ‘way’ means not only that a believer has found the way, but that, like Enoch, he walks and lives in that way. In Psalms 1, that way is characterized by three negative things in which the righteous does not walk. Here in Psalms 119, we find a positive “blessed” for the upright in their way. Their way is characterized by walking in the law of the LORD. This is emphasized in Psalms 119:2 with another positive “blessed”.

‘Blessed’ is not a wish or a command, but a fact. It is the naming of a fact, a spiritual law, passed on to us as teaching. Its first condition is ‘blameless, literally ‘perfect’. The walk of the upright is not a learned, superficial behavior, but a walk with a whole heart.

Teaching is not a subject, like theology, for example, but literally “a way” to walk, a path of life. It is a walk in the law of the LORD (Psalms 119:1b). Such a walk is possible for the believing remnant through the new covenant, whereby the law is written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; 27).

There is only one way through the world for the God-fearing Jew and that is the way of the law. It is not wealth and possessions that lead to happiness, but going the way of obedience to the law. Those who go that way with a sincere heart are in the right relationship with God. The result is blessing (Luke 11:28).

Then another “blessed” is added. That is for “those who observe His testimonies” (Psalms 119:2). God’s law here is called “His testimonies” because the law contains the testimonies of Who He is and what He wants. This connects the remnant directly to Himself. His testimonies are observed by those “who seek Him with all [their] heart”. ‘Observe’ is literally ‘keep’. It implies first ‘accepting’ and then ‘obeying’. This speaks of a living relationship with Him, which is evident from the fact that the whole heart seeks Him (cf. Psalms 119:10; 34; 58; 69; 145; Jeremiah 29:13).

When the things just mentioned are present, “they also do no unrighteousness” (Psalms 119:3). To commit unrighteousness means to continue to commit wickedness, falsehood. This is completely foreign to Who God is (cf. Zephaniah 3:5) and therefore also to those who are born of God (cf. 1 John 3:9). In the heart that goes out to Him are the highways (Psalms 84:5). Such a person will “walk in His ways”, that is, in the ways of God.

Then the psalmist – and in him the remnant – turns to the LORD and says emphatically to Him: “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep [them] diligently” (Psalms 119:4). Keeping God’s precepts is not optional; it is not a matter of politeness, but of obedience. It is also more than formal obedience. It is about its quality: it is obedience of a dedicated heart which can only be there if there is a renewed heart.

Obedience here is the result of teaching about the law as the basis of a truly happy life. The remnant learns the will of the LORD and is eager to live by it. The law is written in their heart. Therefore, it is a joy to their heart to be obedient to what the LORD asks.

In Psalms 119:1-4 we have received spiritual teaching. In the next four verses we read about the wisdom of applying this teaching to the practice of life. The psalmist expects, to put it with the apostle Paul, that the LORD will not only work the will, but also work the work in his life (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).

As it comes down to practice now, we get a glimpse into the heart and state of mind of the psalmist. He senses that he falls short. A sigh, which is a prayer, comes over his lips: “Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psalms 119:5). He sees that his ways are not established when it comes to observing the statutes of the LORD. It is not just about inwardly acknowledging what God has commanded, but that in the practice of life it is also acted upon. We recognize here the sigh: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24b).

He knows that he shall not be ashamed as long as he “looks upon all Your commandments” (Psalms 119:6). If he constantly keeps his eye on “all Your commandments”, that is, the whole will of God (cf. Colossians 4:12), he will be preserved from wrong expectations or wrong actions and thus from shame (cf. 1 Peter 2:6). To look upon all the commandments without exception means to look upon the LORD. Through the Word our eye is turned to Him.

The psalmist resolves that he will give thanks to the LORD “with uprightness of heart” when he has learned all His “righteous judgments” (Psalms 119:7). He is ready to learn God’s judgments, which he calls righteous. He also realizes that those judgments make his heart upright, that is without twists and turns. He can and will give thanks to God in a way that is pleasing to Him, not with mere lip language, but from a heart that is upright.

The psalmist now learns a new lesson. He learns that the judgment of the LORD is righteous. He learns to see himself in the light of God. That alone enables him to praise the LORD with an upright heart, a heart cleansed by self-judgment.

We can apply this to ourselves. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we will learn His righteous judgment on all our life. As a result, we will be able to give thanks to Him and worship Him in eternity with a perfectly upright heart.

When the remnant is taught by God, they resolve to keep God’s statutes (Psalms 119:8). In dealing with Him and with His Word, they have come to love the LORD (cf. John 14:15). At the same time, there is the prayer to God not to “forsake” him “utterly” – this expression means: in no way (cf. Psalms 119:43). This is not a prayer that the New Testament believer prays, just as he does not pray that God will not take His Holy Spirit away from him, as David did pray (Psalms 51:11b).

Proverbs 5:2

Introduction

The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. Psalms 119 is the heart of the fifth book of Psalms. We hear in this psalm the heartbeat of the faithful remnant of Israel. This psalm points to the Word and prophetically it points to the time when the remnant will return to the LORD and to His Word.

The hallmark of the psalm is that through the Spirit’s ministry the law is written in the heart of the remnant (2 Corinthians 3:8; cf. Psalms 40:8; Ezekiel 36:27). This is by virtue of the blood of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The law is mentioned in almost every verse, using names other than ‘law’ as well. Only in Psalms 119:84; 121; 122; 132 there is no reference to the law.

Synonyms are also used for the term ‘law’. The Jews speak of eight different synonyms for ‘law’, which shows the richness of the law and of the Word of God as a whole. This allows the psalmist to elaborate on the versatility of the Word, and it helps us to see and appreciate more of the multicolored nature of the Word of God. Five of these eight synonyms are already used in the description of God’s Word in Psalms 19 (Psalms 19:7-10).

The eight words used by the psalmist are: 1. Law (Torah, 25 times) = teaching, instruction – the law as the teaching of the will of the LORD, Yahweh: “He who keeps the law (teaching) is a discerning son” (Proverbs 28:7a). Furthermore, the law also means: - ‘the whole of the Old Testament’, - ‘the five books of Moses’ - ‘the requirements of the old covenant necessary to receive life’ (see, for example, the letter to the Romans and the letter to the Galatians). 2. Word (Dabar, 24 times) = orderly exposition in a speech – the form or means by which Yahweh communicates His will. It is every word that goes out through the mouth of God. 3. Promise (Imrah, 19 times) = proverb, saying, statement – expression of the will of Yahweh in what He says. 4.

Commandment (Mitzvah, 22 times) – precept that demands obedience; imposed duty or responsibility. It emphasizes God’s right to determine the basis of our relationship with Him 5. Statute, institution (Chukkim, 21 times) = engraving, chiseling – the permanent testimony of the will of Yahweh, as if engraved in stone and therefore indelible. It represents the binding and continuing power of God’s law. 6. Precepts (Piqqudim, 21 times) = to commission – meticulous regulations that closely examine our lives and accurately define or describe them. 7. Judgment (Mishpat, 22 times) = law, court, administer justice – the will of Yahweh as Judge in legal matters.

They are also the rules God has given to govern relationships between people. 8. Testimony (Edut, 23 times) – testifies to the relationship (covenant) with Yahweh and the responsibility attached to it; the word is derived from repeat, testify or say something emphatically; the law is also called ‘the testimony’ (Exodus 25:16; 21). These are practical principles that govern the behavior. The Word of God gives ‘testimony’ of righteousness and against our sinfulness.

The number ‘eight’ also ties in well with the whole of Psalm 119, in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears eight times at the beginning of a verse. The number ‘eight’ in Hebrew is shmoneh, which is derived from shaman meaning to make fat, abundant. Seven in enough, eight is ‘more than enough’. Seven is a complete whole, eight is a new beginning. ‘Eight’ in this psalm points to the new covenant, through which the law is written in the hearts of the born-again believing remnant (Hebrews 8:8-10).

This psalm is an acrostic, that is, each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as is the case with Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145. The difference is that these psalms show a singular acrostic – and are not always complete either, for a letter is sometimes missing – while in Psalms 119 we have an eightfold acrostic.

Psalms 119 has twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each. Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of the stanza begins with the letter of the verse. For example, each verse of the first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter aleph; each verse of the second stanza begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter beth; and so on.

An acrostic functions as a mnemonic device; it is a tool for remembering a text. Psalms 119 has both an acrostic and a rhythm for remembering the text, in the head and in the heart (cf. Psalms 119:11).

Each letter of the Hebrew alephbeth – to us: alphabet – is a pictogram with a meaning. Each letter also has a name with a backstory. [Those interested we refer to, for example, Gesenius, Lexicon of Hebrew.] Both aspects are woven into the message of the Word of God. The message and the letters as bearers of the message are closely intertwined. The word alephbeth is a composite of the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet – aleph and beth – which represent the word ‘father’. This underscores the importance of the concept of ‘father’ in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus is called “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8; 11; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, these are the aleph and the tav. It speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Word, the speaking from God to men (Hebrews 1:1).

This psalm is the longest of all the psalms and of all the chapters in the Bible. It is a song of praise about the Word of God. A portion of God’s Word that uses all the letters of human language to present us a topic, determines us by the value of the topic of that portion. Here it is about the Word of God which has an immeasurable value. By using all the letters of the alphabet, it is presented to us in a complete way.

This does not mean that we know the inexhaustible value of the Word of God if we have understood the psalm correctly. Using a variant of what Spurgeon once said, after years of studying the Word, we want to put it this way: A long life is just enough to stand on the beach with our feet in the water of the endless ocean of the Word, which, as we go further and further into the water, becomes more and more endless.

This psalm is about the Word of God as the only means of getting to know God Himself better. The psalmist values the Word because it comes from Him. With the exception of Psa 119:1; 2; 3; 9 he speaks in all verses to the “LORD”, the God of the covenant with His people. He speaks to Him of “Your precepts”, “Your ordinances”, “Your statutes”, and so on. The psalmist is not glorifying the Book, but the God Who reveals Himself in and through this Book and with Whom he has a personal relationship.

The psalm shows the richness of God’s Word. It is impossible to describe its richness in a single sentence or a few phrases. Even the alphabet is not long enough. The psalmist goes through the alphabet eight times without repeating a single thing. Each time we see a new aspect of the richness of God’s Word. As mentioned, the number eight indicates a new beginning. The Word of God works a new beginning.

Being busy with God’s Word is an activity that gives true happiness, true blessing. The first word of the psalm is “blessed” (Psalms 119:1). It truly blesses one in the sense that it gives one a peaceful heart and a joyful spirit. We hear something similar from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in the ‘beatitudes’ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). The true servant of God will not be satisfied with a cursory reading of God’s Word. His desire is that it governs his whole life.

A division of the psalm, which describes the Word of God as written in the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), is the following: 1. 1st-7th stanza – the letters aleph-zayin: focused on yourself; 2. 8th-14th stanza – the letters heth-nun: focused on your fellow man; 3. 15th-21st stanza – the letters samekh-shin: focused on God; 4. 22nd stanza – the letter tav: summary.

/aleph/ The Beginning

The aleph is the first letter. We can say that this letter speaks of God as the origin of all things. This letter was originally depicted as (the head of) a bull or an ox, the largest sacrificial animal for the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1-5). The burnt offering speaks of Christ’s offering to glorify God as the basis of God’s speaking to man.

A bull also speaks of strength, power and of service. This too applies to Christ, Who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). His life of service and His death are immediately revealed by this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which also represents the numerical value one.

In this aleph stanza about the Word of God, it becomes clear that the center of the Word is the Person of God Himself (Psalms 119:2). The Word is about Him. The Word is about Him Who revealed Himself in Jesus: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

A division of this stanza is: Psalms 119:1-3 the teaching: third person plural. Psalms 119:4 the Teacher: second person singular. Psalms 119:5-8 the student, the remnant: first person singular. This division makes it clear that the general truth of Psa 119:1-4 must be applied personally in Psalms 119:5-8.

Psalms 119:1, and in fact the entire stanza of eight verses is an introduction to the whole of Psalm 119. The psalm begins by saying “blessed”. The book of Psalms begins with a “blessed” to the righteous and his way (Psalms 1:1). The ‘way’ means not only that a believer has found the way, but that, like Enoch, he walks and lives in that way. In Psalms 1, that way is characterized by three negative things in which the righteous does not walk. Here in Psalms 119, we find a positive “blessed” for the upright in their way. Their way is characterized by walking in the law of the LORD. This is emphasized in Psalms 119:2 with another positive “blessed”.

‘Blessed’ is not a wish or a command, but a fact. It is the naming of a fact, a spiritual law, passed on to us as teaching. Its first condition is ‘blameless, literally ‘perfect’. The walk of the upright is not a learned, superficial behavior, but a walk with a whole heart.

Teaching is not a subject, like theology, for example, but literally “a way” to walk, a path of life. It is a walk in the law of the LORD (Psalms 119:1b). Such a walk is possible for the believing remnant through the new covenant, whereby the law is written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; 27).

There is only one way through the world for the God-fearing Jew and that is the way of the law. It is not wealth and possessions that lead to happiness, but going the way of obedience to the law. Those who go that way with a sincere heart are in the right relationship with God. The result is blessing (Luke 11:28).

Then another “blessed” is added. That is for “those who observe His testimonies” (Psalms 119:2). God’s law here is called “His testimonies” because the law contains the testimonies of Who He is and what He wants. This connects the remnant directly to Himself. His testimonies are observed by those “who seek Him with all [their] heart”. ‘Observe’ is literally ‘keep’. It implies first ‘accepting’ and then ‘obeying’. This speaks of a living relationship with Him, which is evident from the fact that the whole heart seeks Him (cf. Psalms 119:10; 34; 58; 69; 145; Jeremiah 29:13).

When the things just mentioned are present, “they also do no unrighteousness” (Psalms 119:3). To commit unrighteousness means to continue to commit wickedness, falsehood. This is completely foreign to Who God is (cf. Zephaniah 3:5) and therefore also to those who are born of God (cf. 1 John 3:9). In the heart that goes out to Him are the highways (Psalms 84:5). Such a person will “walk in His ways”, that is, in the ways of God.

Then the psalmist – and in him the remnant – turns to the LORD and says emphatically to Him: “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep [them] diligently” (Psalms 119:4). Keeping God’s precepts is not optional; it is not a matter of politeness, but of obedience. It is also more than formal obedience. It is about its quality: it is obedience of a dedicated heart which can only be there if there is a renewed heart.

Obedience here is the result of teaching about the law as the basis of a truly happy life. The remnant learns the will of the LORD and is eager to live by it. The law is written in their heart. Therefore, it is a joy to their heart to be obedient to what the LORD asks.

In Psalms 119:1-4 we have received spiritual teaching. In the next four verses we read about the wisdom of applying this teaching to the practice of life. The psalmist expects, to put it with the apostle Paul, that the LORD will not only work the will, but also work the work in his life (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).

As it comes down to practice now, we get a glimpse into the heart and state of mind of the psalmist. He senses that he falls short. A sigh, which is a prayer, comes over his lips: “Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psalms 119:5). He sees that his ways are not established when it comes to observing the statutes of the LORD. It is not just about inwardly acknowledging what God has commanded, but that in the practice of life it is also acted upon. We recognize here the sigh: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24b).

He knows that he shall not be ashamed as long as he “looks upon all Your commandments” (Psalms 119:6). If he constantly keeps his eye on “all Your commandments”, that is, the whole will of God (cf. Colossians 4:12), he will be preserved from wrong expectations or wrong actions and thus from shame (cf. 1 Peter 2:6). To look upon all the commandments without exception means to look upon the LORD. Through the Word our eye is turned to Him.

The psalmist resolves that he will give thanks to the LORD “with uprightness of heart” when he has learned all His “righteous judgments” (Psalms 119:7). He is ready to learn God’s judgments, which he calls righteous. He also realizes that those judgments make his heart upright, that is without twists and turns. He can and will give thanks to God in a way that is pleasing to Him, not with mere lip language, but from a heart that is upright.

The psalmist now learns a new lesson. He learns that the judgment of the LORD is righteous. He learns to see himself in the light of God. That alone enables him to praise the LORD with an upright heart, a heart cleansed by self-judgment.

We can apply this to ourselves. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we will learn His righteous judgment on all our life. As a result, we will be able to give thanks to Him and worship Him in eternity with a perfectly upright heart.

When the remnant is taught by God, they resolve to keep God’s statutes (Psalms 119:8). In dealing with Him and with His Word, they have come to love the LORD (cf. John 14:15). At the same time, there is the prayer to God not to “forsake” him “utterly” – this expression means: in no way (cf. Psalms 119:43). This is not a prayer that the New Testament believer prays, just as he does not pray that God will not take His Holy Spirit away from him, as David did pray (Psalms 51:11b).

Proverbs 5:3

Introduction

The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. Psalms 119 is the heart of the fifth book of Psalms. We hear in this psalm the heartbeat of the faithful remnant of Israel. This psalm points to the Word and prophetically it points to the time when the remnant will return to the LORD and to His Word.

The hallmark of the psalm is that through the Spirit’s ministry the law is written in the heart of the remnant (2 Corinthians 3:8; cf. Psalms 40:8; Ezekiel 36:27). This is by virtue of the blood of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The law is mentioned in almost every verse, using names other than ‘law’ as well. Only in Psalms 119:84; 121; 122; 132 there is no reference to the law.

Synonyms are also used for the term ‘law’. The Jews speak of eight different synonyms for ‘law’, which shows the richness of the law and of the Word of God as a whole. This allows the psalmist to elaborate on the versatility of the Word, and it helps us to see and appreciate more of the multicolored nature of the Word of God. Five of these eight synonyms are already used in the description of God’s Word in Psalms 19 (Psalms 19:7-10).

The eight words used by the psalmist are: 1. Law (Torah, 25 times) = teaching, instruction – the law as the teaching of the will of the LORD, Yahweh: “He who keeps the law (teaching) is a discerning son” (Proverbs 28:7a). Furthermore, the law also means: - ‘the whole of the Old Testament’, - ‘the five books of Moses’ - ‘the requirements of the old covenant necessary to receive life’ (see, for example, the letter to the Romans and the letter to the Galatians). 2. Word (Dabar, 24 times) = orderly exposition in a speech – the form or means by which Yahweh communicates His will. It is every word that goes out through the mouth of God. 3. Promise (Imrah, 19 times) = proverb, saying, statement – expression of the will of Yahweh in what He says. 4.

Commandment (Mitzvah, 22 times) – precept that demands obedience; imposed duty or responsibility. It emphasizes God’s right to determine the basis of our relationship with Him 5. Statute, institution (Chukkim, 21 times) = engraving, chiseling – the permanent testimony of the will of Yahweh, as if engraved in stone and therefore indelible. It represents the binding and continuing power of God’s law. 6. Precepts (Piqqudim, 21 times) = to commission – meticulous regulations that closely examine our lives and accurately define or describe them. 7. Judgment (Mishpat, 22 times) = law, court, administer justice – the will of Yahweh as Judge in legal matters.

They are also the rules God has given to govern relationships between people. 8. Testimony (Edut, 23 times) – testifies to the relationship (covenant) with Yahweh and the responsibility attached to it; the word is derived from repeat, testify or say something emphatically; the law is also called ‘the testimony’ (Exodus 25:16; 21). These are practical principles that govern the behavior. The Word of God gives ‘testimony’ of righteousness and against our sinfulness.

The number ‘eight’ also ties in well with the whole of Psalm 119, in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears eight times at the beginning of a verse. The number ‘eight’ in Hebrew is shmoneh, which is derived from shaman meaning to make fat, abundant. Seven in enough, eight is ‘more than enough’. Seven is a complete whole, eight is a new beginning. ‘Eight’ in this psalm points to the new covenant, through which the law is written in the hearts of the born-again believing remnant (Hebrews 8:8-10).

This psalm is an acrostic, that is, each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as is the case with Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145. The difference is that these psalms show a singular acrostic – and are not always complete either, for a letter is sometimes missing – while in Psalms 119 we have an eightfold acrostic.

Psalms 119 has twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each. Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of the stanza begins with the letter of the verse. For example, each verse of the first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter aleph; each verse of the second stanza begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter beth; and so on.

An acrostic functions as a mnemonic device; it is a tool for remembering a text. Psalms 119 has both an acrostic and a rhythm for remembering the text, in the head and in the heart (cf. Psalms 119:11).

Each letter of the Hebrew alephbeth – to us: alphabet – is a pictogram with a meaning. Each letter also has a name with a backstory. [Those interested we refer to, for example, Gesenius, Lexicon of Hebrew.] Both aspects are woven into the message of the Word of God. The message and the letters as bearers of the message are closely intertwined. The word alephbeth is a composite of the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet – aleph and beth – which represent the word ‘father’. This underscores the importance of the concept of ‘father’ in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus is called “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8; 11; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, these are the aleph and the tav. It speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Word, the speaking from God to men (Hebrews 1:1).

This psalm is the longest of all the psalms and of all the chapters in the Bible. It is a song of praise about the Word of God. A portion of God’s Word that uses all the letters of human language to present us a topic, determines us by the value of the topic of that portion. Here it is about the Word of God which has an immeasurable value. By using all the letters of the alphabet, it is presented to us in a complete way.

This does not mean that we know the inexhaustible value of the Word of God if we have understood the psalm correctly. Using a variant of what Spurgeon once said, after years of studying the Word, we want to put it this way: A long life is just enough to stand on the beach with our feet in the water of the endless ocean of the Word, which, as we go further and further into the water, becomes more and more endless.

This psalm is about the Word of God as the only means of getting to know God Himself better. The psalmist values the Word because it comes from Him. With the exception of Psa 119:1; 2; 3; 9 he speaks in all verses to the “LORD”, the God of the covenant with His people. He speaks to Him of “Your precepts”, “Your ordinances”, “Your statutes”, and so on. The psalmist is not glorifying the Book, but the God Who reveals Himself in and through this Book and with Whom he has a personal relationship.

The psalm shows the richness of God’s Word. It is impossible to describe its richness in a single sentence or a few phrases. Even the alphabet is not long enough. The psalmist goes through the alphabet eight times without repeating a single thing. Each time we see a new aspect of the richness of God’s Word. As mentioned, the number eight indicates a new beginning. The Word of God works a new beginning.

Being busy with God’s Word is an activity that gives true happiness, true blessing. The first word of the psalm is “blessed” (Psalms 119:1). It truly blesses one in the sense that it gives one a peaceful heart and a joyful spirit. We hear something similar from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in the ‘beatitudes’ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). The true servant of God will not be satisfied with a cursory reading of God’s Word. His desire is that it governs his whole life.

A division of the psalm, which describes the Word of God as written in the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), is the following: 1. 1st-7th stanza – the letters aleph-zayin: focused on yourself; 2. 8th-14th stanza – the letters heth-nun: focused on your fellow man; 3. 15th-21st stanza – the letters samekh-shin: focused on God; 4. 22nd stanza – the letter tav: summary.

/aleph/ The Beginning

The aleph is the first letter. We can say that this letter speaks of God as the origin of all things. This letter was originally depicted as (the head of) a bull or an ox, the largest sacrificial animal for the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1-5). The burnt offering speaks of Christ’s offering to glorify God as the basis of God’s speaking to man.

A bull also speaks of strength, power and of service. This too applies to Christ, Who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). His life of service and His death are immediately revealed by this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which also represents the numerical value one.

In this aleph stanza about the Word of God, it becomes clear that the center of the Word is the Person of God Himself (Psalms 119:2). The Word is about Him. The Word is about Him Who revealed Himself in Jesus: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

A division of this stanza is: Psalms 119:1-3 the teaching: third person plural. Psalms 119:4 the Teacher: second person singular. Psalms 119:5-8 the student, the remnant: first person singular. This division makes it clear that the general truth of Psa 119:1-4 must be applied personally in Psalms 119:5-8.

Psalms 119:1, and in fact the entire stanza of eight verses is an introduction to the whole of Psalm 119. The psalm begins by saying “blessed”. The book of Psalms begins with a “blessed” to the righteous and his way (Psalms 1:1). The ‘way’ means not only that a believer has found the way, but that, like Enoch, he walks and lives in that way. In Psalms 1, that way is characterized by three negative things in which the righteous does not walk. Here in Psalms 119, we find a positive “blessed” for the upright in their way. Their way is characterized by walking in the law of the LORD. This is emphasized in Psalms 119:2 with another positive “blessed”.

‘Blessed’ is not a wish or a command, but a fact. It is the naming of a fact, a spiritual law, passed on to us as teaching. Its first condition is ‘blameless, literally ‘perfect’. The walk of the upright is not a learned, superficial behavior, but a walk with a whole heart.

Teaching is not a subject, like theology, for example, but literally “a way” to walk, a path of life. It is a walk in the law of the LORD (Psalms 119:1b). Such a walk is possible for the believing remnant through the new covenant, whereby the law is written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; 27).

There is only one way through the world for the God-fearing Jew and that is the way of the law. It is not wealth and possessions that lead to happiness, but going the way of obedience to the law. Those who go that way with a sincere heart are in the right relationship with God. The result is blessing (Luke 11:28).

Then another “blessed” is added. That is for “those who observe His testimonies” (Psalms 119:2). God’s law here is called “His testimonies” because the law contains the testimonies of Who He is and what He wants. This connects the remnant directly to Himself. His testimonies are observed by those “who seek Him with all [their] heart”. ‘Observe’ is literally ‘keep’. It implies first ‘accepting’ and then ‘obeying’. This speaks of a living relationship with Him, which is evident from the fact that the whole heart seeks Him (cf. Psalms 119:10; 34; 58; 69; 145; Jeremiah 29:13).

When the things just mentioned are present, “they also do no unrighteousness” (Psalms 119:3). To commit unrighteousness means to continue to commit wickedness, falsehood. This is completely foreign to Who God is (cf. Zephaniah 3:5) and therefore also to those who are born of God (cf. 1 John 3:9). In the heart that goes out to Him are the highways (Psalms 84:5). Such a person will “walk in His ways”, that is, in the ways of God.

Then the psalmist – and in him the remnant – turns to the LORD and says emphatically to Him: “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep [them] diligently” (Psalms 119:4). Keeping God’s precepts is not optional; it is not a matter of politeness, but of obedience. It is also more than formal obedience. It is about its quality: it is obedience of a dedicated heart which can only be there if there is a renewed heart.

Obedience here is the result of teaching about the law as the basis of a truly happy life. The remnant learns the will of the LORD and is eager to live by it. The law is written in their heart. Therefore, it is a joy to their heart to be obedient to what the LORD asks.

In Psalms 119:1-4 we have received spiritual teaching. In the next four verses we read about the wisdom of applying this teaching to the practice of life. The psalmist expects, to put it with the apostle Paul, that the LORD will not only work the will, but also work the work in his life (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).

As it comes down to practice now, we get a glimpse into the heart and state of mind of the psalmist. He senses that he falls short. A sigh, which is a prayer, comes over his lips: “Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psalms 119:5). He sees that his ways are not established when it comes to observing the statutes of the LORD. It is not just about inwardly acknowledging what God has commanded, but that in the practice of life it is also acted upon. We recognize here the sigh: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24b).

He knows that he shall not be ashamed as long as he “looks upon all Your commandments” (Psalms 119:6). If he constantly keeps his eye on “all Your commandments”, that is, the whole will of God (cf. Colossians 4:12), he will be preserved from wrong expectations or wrong actions and thus from shame (cf. 1 Peter 2:6). To look upon all the commandments without exception means to look upon the LORD. Through the Word our eye is turned to Him.

The psalmist resolves that he will give thanks to the LORD “with uprightness of heart” when he has learned all His “righteous judgments” (Psalms 119:7). He is ready to learn God’s judgments, which he calls righteous. He also realizes that those judgments make his heart upright, that is without twists and turns. He can and will give thanks to God in a way that is pleasing to Him, not with mere lip language, but from a heart that is upright.

The psalmist now learns a new lesson. He learns that the judgment of the LORD is righteous. He learns to see himself in the light of God. That alone enables him to praise the LORD with an upright heart, a heart cleansed by self-judgment.

We can apply this to ourselves. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we will learn His righteous judgment on all our life. As a result, we will be able to give thanks to Him and worship Him in eternity with a perfectly upright heart.

When the remnant is taught by God, they resolve to keep God’s statutes (Psalms 119:8). In dealing with Him and with His Word, they have come to love the LORD (cf. John 14:15). At the same time, there is the prayer to God not to “forsake” him “utterly” – this expression means: in no way (cf. Psalms 119:43). This is not a prayer that the New Testament believer prays, just as he does not pray that God will not take His Holy Spirit away from him, as David did pray (Psalms 51:11b).

Proverbs 5:4

Introduction

The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. Psalms 119 is the heart of the fifth book of Psalms. We hear in this psalm the heartbeat of the faithful remnant of Israel. This psalm points to the Word and prophetically it points to the time when the remnant will return to the LORD and to His Word.

The hallmark of the psalm is that through the Spirit’s ministry the law is written in the heart of the remnant (2 Corinthians 3:8; cf. Psalms 40:8; Ezekiel 36:27). This is by virtue of the blood of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The law is mentioned in almost every verse, using names other than ‘law’ as well. Only in Psalms 119:84; 121; 122; 132 there is no reference to the law.

Synonyms are also used for the term ‘law’. The Jews speak of eight different synonyms for ‘law’, which shows the richness of the law and of the Word of God as a whole. This allows the psalmist to elaborate on the versatility of the Word, and it helps us to see and appreciate more of the multicolored nature of the Word of God. Five of these eight synonyms are already used in the description of God’s Word in Psalms 19 (Psalms 19:7-10).

The eight words used by the psalmist are: 1. Law (Torah, 25 times) = teaching, instruction – the law as the teaching of the will of the LORD, Yahweh: “He who keeps the law (teaching) is a discerning son” (Proverbs 28:7a). Furthermore, the law also means: - ‘the whole of the Old Testament’, - ‘the five books of Moses’ - ‘the requirements of the old covenant necessary to receive life’ (see, for example, the letter to the Romans and the letter to the Galatians). 2. Word (Dabar, 24 times) = orderly exposition in a speech – the form or means by which Yahweh communicates His will. It is every word that goes out through the mouth of God. 3. Promise (Imrah, 19 times) = proverb, saying, statement – expression of the will of Yahweh in what He says. 4.

Commandment (Mitzvah, 22 times) – precept that demands obedience; imposed duty or responsibility. It emphasizes God’s right to determine the basis of our relationship with Him 5. Statute, institution (Chukkim, 21 times) = engraving, chiseling – the permanent testimony of the will of Yahweh, as if engraved in stone and therefore indelible. It represents the binding and continuing power of God’s law. 6. Precepts (Piqqudim, 21 times) = to commission – meticulous regulations that closely examine our lives and accurately define or describe them. 7. Judgment (Mishpat, 22 times) = law, court, administer justice – the will of Yahweh as Judge in legal matters.

They are also the rules God has given to govern relationships between people. 8. Testimony (Edut, 23 times) – testifies to the relationship (covenant) with Yahweh and the responsibility attached to it; the word is derived from repeat, testify or say something emphatically; the law is also called ‘the testimony’ (Exodus 25:16; 21). These are practical principles that govern the behavior. The Word of God gives ‘testimony’ of righteousness and against our sinfulness.

The number ‘eight’ also ties in well with the whole of Psalm 119, in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears eight times at the beginning of a verse. The number ‘eight’ in Hebrew is shmoneh, which is derived from shaman meaning to make fat, abundant. Seven in enough, eight is ‘more than enough’. Seven is a complete whole, eight is a new beginning. ‘Eight’ in this psalm points to the new covenant, through which the law is written in the hearts of the born-again believing remnant (Hebrews 8:8-10).

This psalm is an acrostic, that is, each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as is the case with Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145. The difference is that these psalms show a singular acrostic – and are not always complete either, for a letter is sometimes missing – while in Psalms 119 we have an eightfold acrostic.

Psalms 119 has twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each. Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of the stanza begins with the letter of the verse. For example, each verse of the first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter aleph; each verse of the second stanza begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter beth; and so on.

An acrostic functions as a mnemonic device; it is a tool for remembering a text. Psalms 119 has both an acrostic and a rhythm for remembering the text, in the head and in the heart (cf. Psalms 119:11).

Each letter of the Hebrew alephbeth – to us: alphabet – is a pictogram with a meaning. Each letter also has a name with a backstory. [Those interested we refer to, for example, Gesenius, Lexicon of Hebrew.] Both aspects are woven into the message of the Word of God. The message and the letters as bearers of the message are closely intertwined. The word alephbeth is a composite of the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet – aleph and beth – which represent the word ‘father’. This underscores the importance of the concept of ‘father’ in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus is called “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8; 11; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, these are the aleph and the tav. It speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Word, the speaking from God to men (Hebrews 1:1).

This psalm is the longest of all the psalms and of all the chapters in the Bible. It is a song of praise about the Word of God. A portion of God’s Word that uses all the letters of human language to present us a topic, determines us by the value of the topic of that portion. Here it is about the Word of God which has an immeasurable value. By using all the letters of the alphabet, it is presented to us in a complete way.

This does not mean that we know the inexhaustible value of the Word of God if we have understood the psalm correctly. Using a variant of what Spurgeon once said, after years of studying the Word, we want to put it this way: A long life is just enough to stand on the beach with our feet in the water of the endless ocean of the Word, which, as we go further and further into the water, becomes more and more endless.

This psalm is about the Word of God as the only means of getting to know God Himself better. The psalmist values the Word because it comes from Him. With the exception of Psa 119:1; 2; 3; 9 he speaks in all verses to the “LORD”, the God of the covenant with His people. He speaks to Him of “Your precepts”, “Your ordinances”, “Your statutes”, and so on. The psalmist is not glorifying the Book, but the God Who reveals Himself in and through this Book and with Whom he has a personal relationship.

The psalm shows the richness of God’s Word. It is impossible to describe its richness in a single sentence or a few phrases. Even the alphabet is not long enough. The psalmist goes through the alphabet eight times without repeating a single thing. Each time we see a new aspect of the richness of God’s Word. As mentioned, the number eight indicates a new beginning. The Word of God works a new beginning.

Being busy with God’s Word is an activity that gives true happiness, true blessing. The first word of the psalm is “blessed” (Psalms 119:1). It truly blesses one in the sense that it gives one a peaceful heart and a joyful spirit. We hear something similar from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in the ‘beatitudes’ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). The true servant of God will not be satisfied with a cursory reading of God’s Word. His desire is that it governs his whole life.

A division of the psalm, which describes the Word of God as written in the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), is the following: 1. 1st-7th stanza – the letters aleph-zayin: focused on yourself; 2. 8th-14th stanza – the letters heth-nun: focused on your fellow man; 3. 15th-21st stanza – the letters samekh-shin: focused on God; 4. 22nd stanza – the letter tav: summary.

/aleph/ The Beginning

The aleph is the first letter. We can say that this letter speaks of God as the origin of all things. This letter was originally depicted as (the head of) a bull or an ox, the largest sacrificial animal for the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1-5). The burnt offering speaks of Christ’s offering to glorify God as the basis of God’s speaking to man.

A bull also speaks of strength, power and of service. This too applies to Christ, Who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). His life of service and His death are immediately revealed by this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which also represents the numerical value one.

In this aleph stanza about the Word of God, it becomes clear that the center of the Word is the Person of God Himself (Psalms 119:2). The Word is about Him. The Word is about Him Who revealed Himself in Jesus: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

A division of this stanza is: Psalms 119:1-3 the teaching: third person plural. Psalms 119:4 the Teacher: second person singular. Psalms 119:5-8 the student, the remnant: first person singular. This division makes it clear that the general truth of Psa 119:1-4 must be applied personally in Psalms 119:5-8.

Psalms 119:1, and in fact the entire stanza of eight verses is an introduction to the whole of Psalm 119. The psalm begins by saying “blessed”. The book of Psalms begins with a “blessed” to the righteous and his way (Psalms 1:1). The ‘way’ means not only that a believer has found the way, but that, like Enoch, he walks and lives in that way. In Psalms 1, that way is characterized by three negative things in which the righteous does not walk. Here in Psalms 119, we find a positive “blessed” for the upright in their way. Their way is characterized by walking in the law of the LORD. This is emphasized in Psalms 119:2 with another positive “blessed”.

‘Blessed’ is not a wish or a command, but a fact. It is the naming of a fact, a spiritual law, passed on to us as teaching. Its first condition is ‘blameless, literally ‘perfect’. The walk of the upright is not a learned, superficial behavior, but a walk with a whole heart.

Teaching is not a subject, like theology, for example, but literally “a way” to walk, a path of life. It is a walk in the law of the LORD (Psalms 119:1b). Such a walk is possible for the believing remnant through the new covenant, whereby the law is written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; 27).

There is only one way through the world for the God-fearing Jew and that is the way of the law. It is not wealth and possessions that lead to happiness, but going the way of obedience to the law. Those who go that way with a sincere heart are in the right relationship with God. The result is blessing (Luke 11:28).

Then another “blessed” is added. That is for “those who observe His testimonies” (Psalms 119:2). God’s law here is called “His testimonies” because the law contains the testimonies of Who He is and what He wants. This connects the remnant directly to Himself. His testimonies are observed by those “who seek Him with all [their] heart”. ‘Observe’ is literally ‘keep’. It implies first ‘accepting’ and then ‘obeying’. This speaks of a living relationship with Him, which is evident from the fact that the whole heart seeks Him (cf. Psalms 119:10; 34; 58; 69; 145; Jeremiah 29:13).

When the things just mentioned are present, “they also do no unrighteousness” (Psalms 119:3). To commit unrighteousness means to continue to commit wickedness, falsehood. This is completely foreign to Who God is (cf. Zephaniah 3:5) and therefore also to those who are born of God (cf. 1 John 3:9). In the heart that goes out to Him are the highways (Psalms 84:5). Such a person will “walk in His ways”, that is, in the ways of God.

Then the psalmist – and in him the remnant – turns to the LORD and says emphatically to Him: “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep [them] diligently” (Psalms 119:4). Keeping God’s precepts is not optional; it is not a matter of politeness, but of obedience. It is also more than formal obedience. It is about its quality: it is obedience of a dedicated heart which can only be there if there is a renewed heart.

Obedience here is the result of teaching about the law as the basis of a truly happy life. The remnant learns the will of the LORD and is eager to live by it. The law is written in their heart. Therefore, it is a joy to their heart to be obedient to what the LORD asks.

In Psalms 119:1-4 we have received spiritual teaching. In the next four verses we read about the wisdom of applying this teaching to the practice of life. The psalmist expects, to put it with the apostle Paul, that the LORD will not only work the will, but also work the work in his life (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).

As it comes down to practice now, we get a glimpse into the heart and state of mind of the psalmist. He senses that he falls short. A sigh, which is a prayer, comes over his lips: “Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psalms 119:5). He sees that his ways are not established when it comes to observing the statutes of the LORD. It is not just about inwardly acknowledging what God has commanded, but that in the practice of life it is also acted upon. We recognize here the sigh: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24b).

He knows that he shall not be ashamed as long as he “looks upon all Your commandments” (Psalms 119:6). If he constantly keeps his eye on “all Your commandments”, that is, the whole will of God (cf. Colossians 4:12), he will be preserved from wrong expectations or wrong actions and thus from shame (cf. 1 Peter 2:6). To look upon all the commandments without exception means to look upon the LORD. Through the Word our eye is turned to Him.

The psalmist resolves that he will give thanks to the LORD “with uprightness of heart” when he has learned all His “righteous judgments” (Psalms 119:7). He is ready to learn God’s judgments, which he calls righteous. He also realizes that those judgments make his heart upright, that is without twists and turns. He can and will give thanks to God in a way that is pleasing to Him, not with mere lip language, but from a heart that is upright.

The psalmist now learns a new lesson. He learns that the judgment of the LORD is righteous. He learns to see himself in the light of God. That alone enables him to praise the LORD with an upright heart, a heart cleansed by self-judgment.

We can apply this to ourselves. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we will learn His righteous judgment on all our life. As a result, we will be able to give thanks to Him and worship Him in eternity with a perfectly upright heart.

When the remnant is taught by God, they resolve to keep God’s statutes (Psalms 119:8). In dealing with Him and with His Word, they have come to love the LORD (cf. John 14:15). At the same time, there is the prayer to God not to “forsake” him “utterly” – this expression means: in no way (cf. Psalms 119:43). This is not a prayer that the New Testament believer prays, just as he does not pray that God will not take His Holy Spirit away from him, as David did pray (Psalms 51:11b).

Proverbs 5:5

Introduction

The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. Psalms 119 is the heart of the fifth book of Psalms. We hear in this psalm the heartbeat of the faithful remnant of Israel. This psalm points to the Word and prophetically it points to the time when the remnant will return to the LORD and to His Word.

The hallmark of the psalm is that through the Spirit’s ministry the law is written in the heart of the remnant (2 Corinthians 3:8; cf. Psalms 40:8; Ezekiel 36:27). This is by virtue of the blood of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The law is mentioned in almost every verse, using names other than ‘law’ as well. Only in Psalms 119:84; 121; 122; 132 there is no reference to the law.

Synonyms are also used for the term ‘law’. The Jews speak of eight different synonyms for ‘law’, which shows the richness of the law and of the Word of God as a whole. This allows the psalmist to elaborate on the versatility of the Word, and it helps us to see and appreciate more of the multicolored nature of the Word of God. Five of these eight synonyms are already used in the description of God’s Word in Psalms 19 (Psalms 19:7-10).

The eight words used by the psalmist are: 1. Law (Torah, 25 times) = teaching, instruction – the law as the teaching of the will of the LORD, Yahweh: “He who keeps the law (teaching) is a discerning son” (Proverbs 28:7a). Furthermore, the law also means: - ‘the whole of the Old Testament’, - ‘the five books of Moses’ - ‘the requirements of the old covenant necessary to receive life’ (see, for example, the letter to the Romans and the letter to the Galatians). 2. Word (Dabar, 24 times) = orderly exposition in a speech – the form or means by which Yahweh communicates His will. It is every word that goes out through the mouth of God. 3. Promise (Imrah, 19 times) = proverb, saying, statement – expression of the will of Yahweh in what He says. 4.

Commandment (Mitzvah, 22 times) – precept that demands obedience; imposed duty or responsibility. It emphasizes God’s right to determine the basis of our relationship with Him 5. Statute, institution (Chukkim, 21 times) = engraving, chiseling – the permanent testimony of the will of Yahweh, as if engraved in stone and therefore indelible. It represents the binding and continuing power of God’s law. 6. Precepts (Piqqudim, 21 times) = to commission – meticulous regulations that closely examine our lives and accurately define or describe them. 7. Judgment (Mishpat, 22 times) = law, court, administer justice – the will of Yahweh as Judge in legal matters.

They are also the rules God has given to govern relationships between people. 8. Testimony (Edut, 23 times) – testifies to the relationship (covenant) with Yahweh and the responsibility attached to it; the word is derived from repeat, testify or say something emphatically; the law is also called ‘the testimony’ (Exodus 25:16; 21). These are practical principles that govern the behavior. The Word of God gives ‘testimony’ of righteousness and against our sinfulness.

The number ‘eight’ also ties in well with the whole of Psalm 119, in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears eight times at the beginning of a verse. The number ‘eight’ in Hebrew is shmoneh, which is derived from shaman meaning to make fat, abundant. Seven in enough, eight is ‘more than enough’. Seven is a complete whole, eight is a new beginning. ‘Eight’ in this psalm points to the new covenant, through which the law is written in the hearts of the born-again believing remnant (Hebrews 8:8-10).

This psalm is an acrostic, that is, each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as is the case with Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145. The difference is that these psalms show a singular acrostic – and are not always complete either, for a letter is sometimes missing – while in Psalms 119 we have an eightfold acrostic.

Psalms 119 has twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each. Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of the stanza begins with the letter of the verse. For example, each verse of the first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter aleph; each verse of the second stanza begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter beth; and so on.

An acrostic functions as a mnemonic device; it is a tool for remembering a text. Psalms 119 has both an acrostic and a rhythm for remembering the text, in the head and in the heart (cf. Psalms 119:11).

Each letter of the Hebrew alephbeth – to us: alphabet – is a pictogram with a meaning. Each letter also has a name with a backstory. [Those interested we refer to, for example, Gesenius, Lexicon of Hebrew.] Both aspects are woven into the message of the Word of God. The message and the letters as bearers of the message are closely intertwined. The word alephbeth is a composite of the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet – aleph and beth – which represent the word ‘father’. This underscores the importance of the concept of ‘father’ in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus is called “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8; 11; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, these are the aleph and the tav. It speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Word, the speaking from God to men (Hebrews 1:1).

This psalm is the longest of all the psalms and of all the chapters in the Bible. It is a song of praise about the Word of God. A portion of God’s Word that uses all the letters of human language to present us a topic, determines us by the value of the topic of that portion. Here it is about the Word of God which has an immeasurable value. By using all the letters of the alphabet, it is presented to us in a complete way.

This does not mean that we know the inexhaustible value of the Word of God if we have understood the psalm correctly. Using a variant of what Spurgeon once said, after years of studying the Word, we want to put it this way: A long life is just enough to stand on the beach with our feet in the water of the endless ocean of the Word, which, as we go further and further into the water, becomes more and more endless.

This psalm is about the Word of God as the only means of getting to know God Himself better. The psalmist values the Word because it comes from Him. With the exception of Psa 119:1; 2; 3; 9 he speaks in all verses to the “LORD”, the God of the covenant with His people. He speaks to Him of “Your precepts”, “Your ordinances”, “Your statutes”, and so on. The psalmist is not glorifying the Book, but the God Who reveals Himself in and through this Book and with Whom he has a personal relationship.

The psalm shows the richness of God’s Word. It is impossible to describe its richness in a single sentence or a few phrases. Even the alphabet is not long enough. The psalmist goes through the alphabet eight times without repeating a single thing. Each time we see a new aspect of the richness of God’s Word. As mentioned, the number eight indicates a new beginning. The Word of God works a new beginning.

Being busy with God’s Word is an activity that gives true happiness, true blessing. The first word of the psalm is “blessed” (Psalms 119:1). It truly blesses one in the sense that it gives one a peaceful heart and a joyful spirit. We hear something similar from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in the ‘beatitudes’ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). The true servant of God will not be satisfied with a cursory reading of God’s Word. His desire is that it governs his whole life.

A division of the psalm, which describes the Word of God as written in the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), is the following: 1. 1st-7th stanza – the letters aleph-zayin: focused on yourself; 2. 8th-14th stanza – the letters heth-nun: focused on your fellow man; 3. 15th-21st stanza – the letters samekh-shin: focused on God; 4. 22nd stanza – the letter tav: summary.

/aleph/ The Beginning

The aleph is the first letter. We can say that this letter speaks of God as the origin of all things. This letter was originally depicted as (the head of) a bull or an ox, the largest sacrificial animal for the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1-5). The burnt offering speaks of Christ’s offering to glorify God as the basis of God’s speaking to man.

A bull also speaks of strength, power and of service. This too applies to Christ, Who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). His life of service and His death are immediately revealed by this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which also represents the numerical value one.

In this aleph stanza about the Word of God, it becomes clear that the center of the Word is the Person of God Himself (Psalms 119:2). The Word is about Him. The Word is about Him Who revealed Himself in Jesus: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

A division of this stanza is: Psalms 119:1-3 the teaching: third person plural. Psalms 119:4 the Teacher: second person singular. Psalms 119:5-8 the student, the remnant: first person singular. This division makes it clear that the general truth of Psa 119:1-4 must be applied personally in Psalms 119:5-8.

Psalms 119:1, and in fact the entire stanza of eight verses is an introduction to the whole of Psalm 119. The psalm begins by saying “blessed”. The book of Psalms begins with a “blessed” to the righteous and his way (Psalms 1:1). The ‘way’ means not only that a believer has found the way, but that, like Enoch, he walks and lives in that way. In Psalms 1, that way is characterized by three negative things in which the righteous does not walk. Here in Psalms 119, we find a positive “blessed” for the upright in their way. Their way is characterized by walking in the law of the LORD. This is emphasized in Psalms 119:2 with another positive “blessed”.

‘Blessed’ is not a wish or a command, but a fact. It is the naming of a fact, a spiritual law, passed on to us as teaching. Its first condition is ‘blameless, literally ‘perfect’. The walk of the upright is not a learned, superficial behavior, but a walk with a whole heart.

Teaching is not a subject, like theology, for example, but literally “a way” to walk, a path of life. It is a walk in the law of the LORD (Psalms 119:1b). Such a walk is possible for the believing remnant through the new covenant, whereby the law is written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; 27).

There is only one way through the world for the God-fearing Jew and that is the way of the law. It is not wealth and possessions that lead to happiness, but going the way of obedience to the law. Those who go that way with a sincere heart are in the right relationship with God. The result is blessing (Luke 11:28).

Then another “blessed” is added. That is for “those who observe His testimonies” (Psalms 119:2). God’s law here is called “His testimonies” because the law contains the testimonies of Who He is and what He wants. This connects the remnant directly to Himself. His testimonies are observed by those “who seek Him with all [their] heart”. ‘Observe’ is literally ‘keep’. It implies first ‘accepting’ and then ‘obeying’. This speaks of a living relationship with Him, which is evident from the fact that the whole heart seeks Him (cf. Psalms 119:10; 34; 58; 69; 145; Jeremiah 29:13).

When the things just mentioned are present, “they also do no unrighteousness” (Psalms 119:3). To commit unrighteousness means to continue to commit wickedness, falsehood. This is completely foreign to Who God is (cf. Zephaniah 3:5) and therefore also to those who are born of God (cf. 1 John 3:9). In the heart that goes out to Him are the highways (Psalms 84:5). Such a person will “walk in His ways”, that is, in the ways of God.

Then the psalmist – and in him the remnant – turns to the LORD and says emphatically to Him: “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep [them] diligently” (Psalms 119:4). Keeping God’s precepts is not optional; it is not a matter of politeness, but of obedience. It is also more than formal obedience. It is about its quality: it is obedience of a dedicated heart which can only be there if there is a renewed heart.

Obedience here is the result of teaching about the law as the basis of a truly happy life. The remnant learns the will of the LORD and is eager to live by it. The law is written in their heart. Therefore, it is a joy to their heart to be obedient to what the LORD asks.

In Psalms 119:1-4 we have received spiritual teaching. In the next four verses we read about the wisdom of applying this teaching to the practice of life. The psalmist expects, to put it with the apostle Paul, that the LORD will not only work the will, but also work the work in his life (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).

As it comes down to practice now, we get a glimpse into the heart and state of mind of the psalmist. He senses that he falls short. A sigh, which is a prayer, comes over his lips: “Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psalms 119:5). He sees that his ways are not established when it comes to observing the statutes of the LORD. It is not just about inwardly acknowledging what God has commanded, but that in the practice of life it is also acted upon. We recognize here the sigh: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24b).

He knows that he shall not be ashamed as long as he “looks upon all Your commandments” (Psalms 119:6). If he constantly keeps his eye on “all Your commandments”, that is, the whole will of God (cf. Colossians 4:12), he will be preserved from wrong expectations or wrong actions and thus from shame (cf. 1 Peter 2:6). To look upon all the commandments without exception means to look upon the LORD. Through the Word our eye is turned to Him.

The psalmist resolves that he will give thanks to the LORD “with uprightness of heart” when he has learned all His “righteous judgments” (Psalms 119:7). He is ready to learn God’s judgments, which he calls righteous. He also realizes that those judgments make his heart upright, that is without twists and turns. He can and will give thanks to God in a way that is pleasing to Him, not with mere lip language, but from a heart that is upright.

The psalmist now learns a new lesson. He learns that the judgment of the LORD is righteous. He learns to see himself in the light of God. That alone enables him to praise the LORD with an upright heart, a heart cleansed by self-judgment.

We can apply this to ourselves. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we will learn His righteous judgment on all our life. As a result, we will be able to give thanks to Him and worship Him in eternity with a perfectly upright heart.

When the remnant is taught by God, they resolve to keep God’s statutes (Psalms 119:8). In dealing with Him and with His Word, they have come to love the LORD (cf. John 14:15). At the same time, there is the prayer to God not to “forsake” him “utterly” – this expression means: in no way (cf. Psalms 119:43). This is not a prayer that the New Testament believer prays, just as he does not pray that God will not take His Holy Spirit away from him, as David did pray (Psalms 51:11b).

Proverbs 5:6

Introduction

The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. Psalms 119 is the heart of the fifth book of Psalms. We hear in this psalm the heartbeat of the faithful remnant of Israel. This psalm points to the Word and prophetically it points to the time when the remnant will return to the LORD and to His Word.

The hallmark of the psalm is that through the Spirit’s ministry the law is written in the heart of the remnant (2 Corinthians 3:8; cf. Psalms 40:8; Ezekiel 36:27). This is by virtue of the blood of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The law is mentioned in almost every verse, using names other than ‘law’ as well. Only in Psalms 119:84; 121; 122; 132 there is no reference to the law.

Synonyms are also used for the term ‘law’. The Jews speak of eight different synonyms for ‘law’, which shows the richness of the law and of the Word of God as a whole. This allows the psalmist to elaborate on the versatility of the Word, and it helps us to see and appreciate more of the multicolored nature of the Word of God. Five of these eight synonyms are already used in the description of God’s Word in Psalms 19 (Psalms 19:7-10).

The eight words used by the psalmist are: 1. Law (Torah, 25 times) = teaching, instruction – the law as the teaching of the will of the LORD, Yahweh: “He who keeps the law (teaching) is a discerning son” (Proverbs 28:7a). Furthermore, the law also means: - ‘the whole of the Old Testament’, - ‘the five books of Moses’ - ‘the requirements of the old covenant necessary to receive life’ (see, for example, the letter to the Romans and the letter to the Galatians). 2. Word (Dabar, 24 times) = orderly exposition in a speech – the form or means by which Yahweh communicates His will. It is every word that goes out through the mouth of God. 3. Promise (Imrah, 19 times) = proverb, saying, statement – expression of the will of Yahweh in what He says. 4.

Commandment (Mitzvah, 22 times) – precept that demands obedience; imposed duty or responsibility. It emphasizes God’s right to determine the basis of our relationship with Him 5. Statute, institution (Chukkim, 21 times) = engraving, chiseling – the permanent testimony of the will of Yahweh, as if engraved in stone and therefore indelible. It represents the binding and continuing power of God’s law. 6. Precepts (Piqqudim, 21 times) = to commission – meticulous regulations that closely examine our lives and accurately define or describe them. 7. Judgment (Mishpat, 22 times) = law, court, administer justice – the will of Yahweh as Judge in legal matters.

They are also the rules God has given to govern relationships between people. 8. Testimony (Edut, 23 times) – testifies to the relationship (covenant) with Yahweh and the responsibility attached to it; the word is derived from repeat, testify or say something emphatically; the law is also called ‘the testimony’ (Exodus 25:16; 21). These are practical principles that govern the behavior. The Word of God gives ‘testimony’ of righteousness and against our sinfulness.

The number ‘eight’ also ties in well with the whole of Psalm 119, in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears eight times at the beginning of a verse. The number ‘eight’ in Hebrew is shmoneh, which is derived from shaman meaning to make fat, abundant. Seven in enough, eight is ‘more than enough’. Seven is a complete whole, eight is a new beginning. ‘Eight’ in this psalm points to the new covenant, through which the law is written in the hearts of the born-again believing remnant (Hebrews 8:8-10).

This psalm is an acrostic, that is, each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as is the case with Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145. The difference is that these psalms show a singular acrostic – and are not always complete either, for a letter is sometimes missing – while in Psalms 119 we have an eightfold acrostic.

Psalms 119 has twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each. Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of the stanza begins with the letter of the verse. For example, each verse of the first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter aleph; each verse of the second stanza begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter beth; and so on.

An acrostic functions as a mnemonic device; it is a tool for remembering a text. Psalms 119 has both an acrostic and a rhythm for remembering the text, in the head and in the heart (cf. Psalms 119:11).

Each letter of the Hebrew alephbeth – to us: alphabet – is a pictogram with a meaning. Each letter also has a name with a backstory. [Those interested we refer to, for example, Gesenius, Lexicon of Hebrew.] Both aspects are woven into the message of the Word of God. The message and the letters as bearers of the message are closely intertwined. The word alephbeth is a composite of the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet – aleph and beth – which represent the word ‘father’. This underscores the importance of the concept of ‘father’ in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus is called “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8; 11; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, these are the aleph and the tav. It speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Word, the speaking from God to men (Hebrews 1:1).

This psalm is the longest of all the psalms and of all the chapters in the Bible. It is a song of praise about the Word of God. A portion of God’s Word that uses all the letters of human language to present us a topic, determines us by the value of the topic of that portion. Here it is about the Word of God which has an immeasurable value. By using all the letters of the alphabet, it is presented to us in a complete way.

This does not mean that we know the inexhaustible value of the Word of God if we have understood the psalm correctly. Using a variant of what Spurgeon once said, after years of studying the Word, we want to put it this way: A long life is just enough to stand on the beach with our feet in the water of the endless ocean of the Word, which, as we go further and further into the water, becomes more and more endless.

This psalm is about the Word of God as the only means of getting to know God Himself better. The psalmist values the Word because it comes from Him. With the exception of Psa 119:1; 2; 3; 9 he speaks in all verses to the “LORD”, the God of the covenant with His people. He speaks to Him of “Your precepts”, “Your ordinances”, “Your statutes”, and so on. The psalmist is not glorifying the Book, but the God Who reveals Himself in and through this Book and with Whom he has a personal relationship.

The psalm shows the richness of God’s Word. It is impossible to describe its richness in a single sentence or a few phrases. Even the alphabet is not long enough. The psalmist goes through the alphabet eight times without repeating a single thing. Each time we see a new aspect of the richness of God’s Word. As mentioned, the number eight indicates a new beginning. The Word of God works a new beginning.

Being busy with God’s Word is an activity that gives true happiness, true blessing. The first word of the psalm is “blessed” (Psalms 119:1). It truly blesses one in the sense that it gives one a peaceful heart and a joyful spirit. We hear something similar from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in the ‘beatitudes’ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). The true servant of God will not be satisfied with a cursory reading of God’s Word. His desire is that it governs his whole life.

A division of the psalm, which describes the Word of God as written in the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), is the following: 1. 1st-7th stanza – the letters aleph-zayin: focused on yourself; 2. 8th-14th stanza – the letters heth-nun: focused on your fellow man; 3. 15th-21st stanza – the letters samekh-shin: focused on God; 4. 22nd stanza – the letter tav: summary.

/aleph/ The Beginning

The aleph is the first letter. We can say that this letter speaks of God as the origin of all things. This letter was originally depicted as (the head of) a bull or an ox, the largest sacrificial animal for the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1-5). The burnt offering speaks of Christ’s offering to glorify God as the basis of God’s speaking to man.

A bull also speaks of strength, power and of service. This too applies to Christ, Who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). His life of service and His death are immediately revealed by this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which also represents the numerical value one.

In this aleph stanza about the Word of God, it becomes clear that the center of the Word is the Person of God Himself (Psalms 119:2). The Word is about Him. The Word is about Him Who revealed Himself in Jesus: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

A division of this stanza is: Psalms 119:1-3 the teaching: third person plural. Psalms 119:4 the Teacher: second person singular. Psalms 119:5-8 the student, the remnant: first person singular. This division makes it clear that the general truth of Psa 119:1-4 must be applied personally in Psalms 119:5-8.

Psalms 119:1, and in fact the entire stanza of eight verses is an introduction to the whole of Psalm 119. The psalm begins by saying “blessed”. The book of Psalms begins with a “blessed” to the righteous and his way (Psalms 1:1). The ‘way’ means not only that a believer has found the way, but that, like Enoch, he walks and lives in that way. In Psalms 1, that way is characterized by three negative things in which the righteous does not walk. Here in Psalms 119, we find a positive “blessed” for the upright in their way. Their way is characterized by walking in the law of the LORD. This is emphasized in Psalms 119:2 with another positive “blessed”.

‘Blessed’ is not a wish or a command, but a fact. It is the naming of a fact, a spiritual law, passed on to us as teaching. Its first condition is ‘blameless, literally ‘perfect’. The walk of the upright is not a learned, superficial behavior, but a walk with a whole heart.

Teaching is not a subject, like theology, for example, but literally “a way” to walk, a path of life. It is a walk in the law of the LORD (Psalms 119:1b). Such a walk is possible for the believing remnant through the new covenant, whereby the law is written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; 27).

There is only one way through the world for the God-fearing Jew and that is the way of the law. It is not wealth and possessions that lead to happiness, but going the way of obedience to the law. Those who go that way with a sincere heart are in the right relationship with God. The result is blessing (Luke 11:28).

Then another “blessed” is added. That is for “those who observe His testimonies” (Psalms 119:2). God’s law here is called “His testimonies” because the law contains the testimonies of Who He is and what He wants. This connects the remnant directly to Himself. His testimonies are observed by those “who seek Him with all [their] heart”. ‘Observe’ is literally ‘keep’. It implies first ‘accepting’ and then ‘obeying’. This speaks of a living relationship with Him, which is evident from the fact that the whole heart seeks Him (cf. Psalms 119:10; 34; 58; 69; 145; Jeremiah 29:13).

When the things just mentioned are present, “they also do no unrighteousness” (Psalms 119:3). To commit unrighteousness means to continue to commit wickedness, falsehood. This is completely foreign to Who God is (cf. Zephaniah 3:5) and therefore also to those who are born of God (cf. 1 John 3:9). In the heart that goes out to Him are the highways (Psalms 84:5). Such a person will “walk in His ways”, that is, in the ways of God.

Then the psalmist – and in him the remnant – turns to the LORD and says emphatically to Him: “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep [them] diligently” (Psalms 119:4). Keeping God’s precepts is not optional; it is not a matter of politeness, but of obedience. It is also more than formal obedience. It is about its quality: it is obedience of a dedicated heart which can only be there if there is a renewed heart.

Obedience here is the result of teaching about the law as the basis of a truly happy life. The remnant learns the will of the LORD and is eager to live by it. The law is written in their heart. Therefore, it is a joy to their heart to be obedient to what the LORD asks.

In Psalms 119:1-4 we have received spiritual teaching. In the next four verses we read about the wisdom of applying this teaching to the practice of life. The psalmist expects, to put it with the apostle Paul, that the LORD will not only work the will, but also work the work in his life (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).

As it comes down to practice now, we get a glimpse into the heart and state of mind of the psalmist. He senses that he falls short. A sigh, which is a prayer, comes over his lips: “Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psalms 119:5). He sees that his ways are not established when it comes to observing the statutes of the LORD. It is not just about inwardly acknowledging what God has commanded, but that in the practice of life it is also acted upon. We recognize here the sigh: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24b).

He knows that he shall not be ashamed as long as he “looks upon all Your commandments” (Psalms 119:6). If he constantly keeps his eye on “all Your commandments”, that is, the whole will of God (cf. Colossians 4:12), he will be preserved from wrong expectations or wrong actions and thus from shame (cf. 1 Peter 2:6). To look upon all the commandments without exception means to look upon the LORD. Through the Word our eye is turned to Him.

The psalmist resolves that he will give thanks to the LORD “with uprightness of heart” when he has learned all His “righteous judgments” (Psalms 119:7). He is ready to learn God’s judgments, which he calls righteous. He also realizes that those judgments make his heart upright, that is without twists and turns. He can and will give thanks to God in a way that is pleasing to Him, not with mere lip language, but from a heart that is upright.

The psalmist now learns a new lesson. He learns that the judgment of the LORD is righteous. He learns to see himself in the light of God. That alone enables him to praise the LORD with an upright heart, a heart cleansed by self-judgment.

We can apply this to ourselves. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we will learn His righteous judgment on all our life. As a result, we will be able to give thanks to Him and worship Him in eternity with a perfectly upright heart.

When the remnant is taught by God, they resolve to keep God’s statutes (Psalms 119:8). In dealing with Him and with His Word, they have come to love the LORD (cf. John 14:15). At the same time, there is the prayer to God not to “forsake” him “utterly” – this expression means: in no way (cf. Psalms 119:43). This is not a prayer that the New Testament believer prays, just as he does not pray that God will not take His Holy Spirit away from him, as David did pray (Psalms 51:11b).

Proverbs 5:7

Introduction

The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. Psalms 119 is the heart of the fifth book of Psalms. We hear in this psalm the heartbeat of the faithful remnant of Israel. This psalm points to the Word and prophetically it points to the time when the remnant will return to the LORD and to His Word.

The hallmark of the psalm is that through the Spirit’s ministry the law is written in the heart of the remnant (2 Corinthians 3:8; cf. Psalms 40:8; Ezekiel 36:27). This is by virtue of the blood of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The law is mentioned in almost every verse, using names other than ‘law’ as well. Only in Psalms 119:84; 121; 122; 132 there is no reference to the law.

Synonyms are also used for the term ‘law’. The Jews speak of eight different synonyms for ‘law’, which shows the richness of the law and of the Word of God as a whole. This allows the psalmist to elaborate on the versatility of the Word, and it helps us to see and appreciate more of the multicolored nature of the Word of God. Five of these eight synonyms are already used in the description of God’s Word in Psalms 19 (Psalms 19:7-10).

The eight words used by the psalmist are: 1. Law (Torah, 25 times) = teaching, instruction – the law as the teaching of the will of the LORD, Yahweh: “He who keeps the law (teaching) is a discerning son” (Proverbs 28:7a). Furthermore, the law also means: - ‘the whole of the Old Testament’, - ‘the five books of Moses’ - ‘the requirements of the old covenant necessary to receive life’ (see, for example, the letter to the Romans and the letter to the Galatians). 2. Word (Dabar, 24 times) = orderly exposition in a speech – the form or means by which Yahweh communicates His will. It is every word that goes out through the mouth of God. 3. Promise (Imrah, 19 times) = proverb, saying, statement – expression of the will of Yahweh in what He says. 4.

Commandment (Mitzvah, 22 times) – precept that demands obedience; imposed duty or responsibility. It emphasizes God’s right to determine the basis of our relationship with Him 5. Statute, institution (Chukkim, 21 times) = engraving, chiseling – the permanent testimony of the will of Yahweh, as if engraved in stone and therefore indelible. It represents the binding and continuing power of God’s law. 6. Precepts (Piqqudim, 21 times) = to commission – meticulous regulations that closely examine our lives and accurately define or describe them. 7. Judgment (Mishpat, 22 times) = law, court, administer justice – the will of Yahweh as Judge in legal matters.

They are also the rules God has given to govern relationships between people. 8. Testimony (Edut, 23 times) – testifies to the relationship (covenant) with Yahweh and the responsibility attached to it; the word is derived from repeat, testify or say something emphatically; the law is also called ‘the testimony’ (Exodus 25:16; 21). These are practical principles that govern the behavior. The Word of God gives ‘testimony’ of righteousness and against our sinfulness.

The number ‘eight’ also ties in well with the whole of Psalm 119, in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears eight times at the beginning of a verse. The number ‘eight’ in Hebrew is shmoneh, which is derived from shaman meaning to make fat, abundant. Seven in enough, eight is ‘more than enough’. Seven is a complete whole, eight is a new beginning. ‘Eight’ in this psalm points to the new covenant, through which the law is written in the hearts of the born-again believing remnant (Hebrews 8:8-10).

This psalm is an acrostic, that is, each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as is the case with Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145. The difference is that these psalms show a singular acrostic – and are not always complete either, for a letter is sometimes missing – while in Psalms 119 we have an eightfold acrostic.

Psalms 119 has twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each. Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of the stanza begins with the letter of the verse. For example, each verse of the first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter aleph; each verse of the second stanza begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter beth; and so on.

An acrostic functions as a mnemonic device; it is a tool for remembering a text. Psalms 119 has both an acrostic and a rhythm for remembering the text, in the head and in the heart (cf. Psalms 119:11).

Each letter of the Hebrew alephbeth – to us: alphabet – is a pictogram with a meaning. Each letter also has a name with a backstory. [Those interested we refer to, for example, Gesenius, Lexicon of Hebrew.] Both aspects are woven into the message of the Word of God. The message and the letters as bearers of the message are closely intertwined. The word alephbeth is a composite of the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet – aleph and beth – which represent the word ‘father’. This underscores the importance of the concept of ‘father’ in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus is called “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8; 11; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, these are the aleph and the tav. It speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Word, the speaking from God to men (Hebrews 1:1).

This psalm is the longest of all the psalms and of all the chapters in the Bible. It is a song of praise about the Word of God. A portion of God’s Word that uses all the letters of human language to present us a topic, determines us by the value of the topic of that portion. Here it is about the Word of God which has an immeasurable value. By using all the letters of the alphabet, it is presented to us in a complete way.

This does not mean that we know the inexhaustible value of the Word of God if we have understood the psalm correctly. Using a variant of what Spurgeon once said, after years of studying the Word, we want to put it this way: A long life is just enough to stand on the beach with our feet in the water of the endless ocean of the Word, which, as we go further and further into the water, becomes more and more endless.

This psalm is about the Word of God as the only means of getting to know God Himself better. The psalmist values the Word because it comes from Him. With the exception of Psa 119:1; 2; 3; 9 he speaks in all verses to the “LORD”, the God of the covenant with His people. He speaks to Him of “Your precepts”, “Your ordinances”, “Your statutes”, and so on. The psalmist is not glorifying the Book, but the God Who reveals Himself in and through this Book and with Whom he has a personal relationship.

The psalm shows the richness of God’s Word. It is impossible to describe its richness in a single sentence or a few phrases. Even the alphabet is not long enough. The psalmist goes through the alphabet eight times without repeating a single thing. Each time we see a new aspect of the richness of God’s Word. As mentioned, the number eight indicates a new beginning. The Word of God works a new beginning.

Being busy with God’s Word is an activity that gives true happiness, true blessing. The first word of the psalm is “blessed” (Psalms 119:1). It truly blesses one in the sense that it gives one a peaceful heart and a joyful spirit. We hear something similar from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in the ‘beatitudes’ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). The true servant of God will not be satisfied with a cursory reading of God’s Word. His desire is that it governs his whole life.

A division of the psalm, which describes the Word of God as written in the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), is the following: 1. 1st-7th stanza – the letters aleph-zayin: focused on yourself; 2. 8th-14th stanza – the letters heth-nun: focused on your fellow man; 3. 15th-21st stanza – the letters samekh-shin: focused on God; 4. 22nd stanza – the letter tav: summary.

/aleph/ The Beginning

The aleph is the first letter. We can say that this letter speaks of God as the origin of all things. This letter was originally depicted as (the head of) a bull or an ox, the largest sacrificial animal for the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1-5). The burnt offering speaks of Christ’s offering to glorify God as the basis of God’s speaking to man.

A bull also speaks of strength, power and of service. This too applies to Christ, Who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). His life of service and His death are immediately revealed by this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which also represents the numerical value one.

In this aleph stanza about the Word of God, it becomes clear that the center of the Word is the Person of God Himself (Psalms 119:2). The Word is about Him. The Word is about Him Who revealed Himself in Jesus: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

A division of this stanza is: Psalms 119:1-3 the teaching: third person plural. Psalms 119:4 the Teacher: second person singular. Psalms 119:5-8 the student, the remnant: first person singular. This division makes it clear that the general truth of Psa 119:1-4 must be applied personally in Psalms 119:5-8.

Psalms 119:1, and in fact the entire stanza of eight verses is an introduction to the whole of Psalm 119. The psalm begins by saying “blessed”. The book of Psalms begins with a “blessed” to the righteous and his way (Psalms 1:1). The ‘way’ means not only that a believer has found the way, but that, like Enoch, he walks and lives in that way. In Psalms 1, that way is characterized by three negative things in which the righteous does not walk. Here in Psalms 119, we find a positive “blessed” for the upright in their way. Their way is characterized by walking in the law of the LORD. This is emphasized in Psalms 119:2 with another positive “blessed”.

‘Blessed’ is not a wish or a command, but a fact. It is the naming of a fact, a spiritual law, passed on to us as teaching. Its first condition is ‘blameless, literally ‘perfect’. The walk of the upright is not a learned, superficial behavior, but a walk with a whole heart.

Teaching is not a subject, like theology, for example, but literally “a way” to walk, a path of life. It is a walk in the law of the LORD (Psalms 119:1b). Such a walk is possible for the believing remnant through the new covenant, whereby the law is written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; 27).

There is only one way through the world for the God-fearing Jew and that is the way of the law. It is not wealth and possessions that lead to happiness, but going the way of obedience to the law. Those who go that way with a sincere heart are in the right relationship with God. The result is blessing (Luke 11:28).

Then another “blessed” is added. That is for “those who observe His testimonies” (Psalms 119:2). God’s law here is called “His testimonies” because the law contains the testimonies of Who He is and what He wants. This connects the remnant directly to Himself. His testimonies are observed by those “who seek Him with all [their] heart”. ‘Observe’ is literally ‘keep’. It implies first ‘accepting’ and then ‘obeying’. This speaks of a living relationship with Him, which is evident from the fact that the whole heart seeks Him (cf. Psalms 119:10; 34; 58; 69; 145; Jeremiah 29:13).

When the things just mentioned are present, “they also do no unrighteousness” (Psalms 119:3). To commit unrighteousness means to continue to commit wickedness, falsehood. This is completely foreign to Who God is (cf. Zephaniah 3:5) and therefore also to those who are born of God (cf. 1 John 3:9). In the heart that goes out to Him are the highways (Psalms 84:5). Such a person will “walk in His ways”, that is, in the ways of God.

Then the psalmist – and in him the remnant – turns to the LORD and says emphatically to Him: “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep [them] diligently” (Psalms 119:4). Keeping God’s precepts is not optional; it is not a matter of politeness, but of obedience. It is also more than formal obedience. It is about its quality: it is obedience of a dedicated heart which can only be there if there is a renewed heart.

Obedience here is the result of teaching about the law as the basis of a truly happy life. The remnant learns the will of the LORD and is eager to live by it. The law is written in their heart. Therefore, it is a joy to their heart to be obedient to what the LORD asks.

In Psalms 119:1-4 we have received spiritual teaching. In the next four verses we read about the wisdom of applying this teaching to the practice of life. The psalmist expects, to put it with the apostle Paul, that the LORD will not only work the will, but also work the work in his life (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).

As it comes down to practice now, we get a glimpse into the heart and state of mind of the psalmist. He senses that he falls short. A sigh, which is a prayer, comes over his lips: “Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psalms 119:5). He sees that his ways are not established when it comes to observing the statutes of the LORD. It is not just about inwardly acknowledging what God has commanded, but that in the practice of life it is also acted upon. We recognize here the sigh: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24b).

He knows that he shall not be ashamed as long as he “looks upon all Your commandments” (Psalms 119:6). If he constantly keeps his eye on “all Your commandments”, that is, the whole will of God (cf. Colossians 4:12), he will be preserved from wrong expectations or wrong actions and thus from shame (cf. 1 Peter 2:6). To look upon all the commandments without exception means to look upon the LORD. Through the Word our eye is turned to Him.

The psalmist resolves that he will give thanks to the LORD “with uprightness of heart” when he has learned all His “righteous judgments” (Psalms 119:7). He is ready to learn God’s judgments, which he calls righteous. He also realizes that those judgments make his heart upright, that is without twists and turns. He can and will give thanks to God in a way that is pleasing to Him, not with mere lip language, but from a heart that is upright.

The psalmist now learns a new lesson. He learns that the judgment of the LORD is righteous. He learns to see himself in the light of God. That alone enables him to praise the LORD with an upright heart, a heart cleansed by self-judgment.

We can apply this to ourselves. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we will learn His righteous judgment on all our life. As a result, we will be able to give thanks to Him and worship Him in eternity with a perfectly upright heart.

When the remnant is taught by God, they resolve to keep God’s statutes (Psalms 119:8). In dealing with Him and with His Word, they have come to love the LORD (cf. John 14:15). At the same time, there is the prayer to God not to “forsake” him “utterly” – this expression means: in no way (cf. Psalms 119:43). This is not a prayer that the New Testament believer prays, just as he does not pray that God will not take His Holy Spirit away from him, as David did pray (Psalms 51:11b).

Proverbs 5:8

/beth/ Dwelling With the LORD

The second letter, beth, means “house”. Associated with this is the idea that God has household members. These house members are those who are characterized by seeking, clinging to, longing for the LORD with all their heart (Psalms 119:10), with praising the LORD as a result (Psalms 119:12).

This beth stanza begins with the question how a young man can keep his way pure (Psalms 119:9). The question is posed to the LORD and comes from the awareness of a young man who longs to walk with the LORD (Psalms 119:7-8) in a world that is full of impurity, or uncleanness. The psalmist is teaching here. The young man is the student who listens. He represents the faithful remnant (cf. Proverbs 1:4). He wants to teach them the fear of the LORD, knowledge and thoughtfulness (cf. Psalms 34:11).

The young man is in great danger of being sucked along by the lure of sin. He who does not know this question does not realize this and will certainly not keep his path pure.

The psalmist himself gives the answer to Him to Whom He has asked the question. He says to Him: “By keeping [it] according to Your word”, which is the Word of God in its most comprehensive sense. ‘Keep’ means that the Word of God is not just a dogma that we need to know, but that it permeates every fiber of our being, governs every aspect of our lives, filling all our heart, all our mind, and all our feelings.

Then he will experience the effect of the Word of God in his heart, namely its cleansing effect (cf. Ephesians 5:25; 26). It is also emphatically “Your” word. This includes the acknowledgment that we receive the teaching of the Word not from a man, but from God Himself (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The whole Word has a cleansing effect. Obedience to the Word in all its aspects and its application to all areas of life preserve from uncleanness. The Word that commands is also the Word that enables one to do what it commands.

The psalmist, and with him the remnant, can say to the LORD: “With all my heart I have sought You” (Psalms 119:10; cf. Psalms 119:2). Contemplating and feeding on the Word of God had the effect that the psalmist sought the LORD with all his heart. The effect of the Word in our lives is that our heart is strengthened to be dedicated to the Lord with resolute heart and with all our heart.

Seeking the LORD to know Him and His will is a way of life. The psalmist’s heart goes out undivided to Him, to His Person. There is no other object to which his heart goes out. It is not possible to enter into a marriage part-time and with a divided heart. Likewise, it is not possible to seek the LORD with a divided heart.

He does not boast of this. Just because all his heart goes out to the LORD – meaning that he takes time to be busy with the Word – he sees that he is dependent on Him not to wander from His commandments. Therefore, he asks Him not to let him wander from His commandments, but to be led by them in his way. Here we see that Word and prayer go together. One cannot do without the other.

In the aleph stanza, we saw in Psalms 119:5 the psalmist’s acknowledgment that he is weak and longs to stand firm. We find the same thing here in this beth stanza. Here we have the acknowledgment that his heart is capable of wandering and his desire that the LORD will keep him from doing so.

The Word is a telescope through which we see Who God is; the Word is also a mirror in which we see who we are. The Word teaches us that we possess this treasure in an earthen vessel, which portrays our weakness, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Practically, it means that we consciously take enough time each day for the Word through which our heart is cleansed (Psalms 119:9) and strengthened (Psalms 119:10) to be devoted to Him.

Once more the psalmist tells the LORD that his heart goes out to Him. For he has treasured His word in his heart (Psalms 119:11). Now that the psalmist has come to know the working of the Word, he resolves to treasure the Word in the depths of his inner being, namely in his heart.

This goes much further and deeper than knowing the Word with the mind. It is useful to study and memorize the Word. However, it must not stop there. The Word must be ruminated on, as it were; it must descend deeper into the inner self, into the heart, and be kept there like a precious treasure that you love.

The purpose of treasuring the Word is, he tells the LORD “that I may not sin against You”. As long as the believer lives on earth, the possibility of sinning remains open. God gives His Word, so there is no excuse to sin. Those who treasures God’s Word in their heart are able to answer the fiery arrows of the enemy with “it is written” (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

The psalmist is aware that man was created for the glory of God and that therefore any sin in his life is sinning against God. The word “sin” means “to miss the mark”, that is, to miss the purpose the Creator has for our life, which is that we glorify God (Romans 3:23).

If the Word of God is in the heart, to govern life from there, it refrains the righteous from sin. If sin is present in the heart, the opposite happens, sin refrains the righteous from the Word of God.

A person, including a believer, sins most quickly and easily with words (James 3:1-2). With a word salted with the spoilage repelling words of God (Colossians 4:6), we can give each the right answer and speak words of grace without missing the mark. Thanks to the Word of God that is in the believer, he can also be himself a spoilage repelling salt in this world (Matthew 5:13).

When God’s Word is in the heart, when it is abundantly present there, the God-fearing, instead of sinning, will bless the LORD (Psalms 119:12; Colossians 3:16). To do this, he turns directly to Him and says: “Blessed are You, O LORD” (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). Even for the writers of this commentary, it is not possible to ponder the Word and make comments without our heart becoming full of praise for our blessed Lord.

Such expressions are especially pleasing to Him. From that attitude of praise, the question to the LORD sounds: “Teach me Your statutes.” The psalmist longs to learn God’s statutes in such a way that His will is engraved on his heart, so that he will not depart from them.

The love of the psalmist and of the remnant for God’s Word is evident in the ordinances he told with his lips (Psalms 119:13). What he heard he did not keep to himself, but passed on to others in a public testimony. What the heart is full of, the mouth overflows with (cf. Psalms 116:10).

To him the Word of God does not consist merely of words, truths he has learned by heart. To him the Word of God is “all the ordinances of Your mouth”. Each ordinance has touched his heart because God’s mouth has spoken it. The voice of the Beloved resounds in his heart and his lips speak of it.

This verse begins with “my lips” and ends with “Your mouth”. The psalmist speaks only what he has heard from God. Thus the Lord Jesus can testify: “The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world” (John 8:26b) and: “The things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me” (John 12:50b). Peter says something similar to us in his first letter (1 Peter 4:11a).

The joy he has over the Word of God is much greater than “all riches” (Psalms 119:14) [according to Dutch Translation]. He says to the LORD that the joy that all the riches of the world could give does not outweigh for him going “in the way of Your testimonies”. Joy in riches is by definition temporary and limited and never gives full satisfaction to the heart (cf. Psalms 4:7). Whoever goes in the way of the testimonies of God, whoever let himself be led by them in his life’s journey, experiences its imperishable value.

The believer who has an eye for this is meditating on God’s “precepts” (Psalms 119:15; cf. Psalms 1:2). Meditating on the Word of God, examining it, gives deep satisfaction. As a result, the believer gains an eye for God’s ways. Meditating on God’s Word is never just intellectual activity, but opens one’s eyes to the practice of life. It brings to doing what the Word says.

Being engaged with God’s Word in this way gives delight in God’s “statutes”, which are the inscribed, indelible words of God (Psalms 119:16; cf. Jeremiah 15:16). It gives stability to the life of faith, for nothing in it is uncertain. Those who rejoice in God’s decrees can say with boldness: “I shall not forget Your word.” After all, it is chiseled into the heart.

Proverbs 5:9

/beth/ Dwelling With the LORD

The second letter, beth, means “house”. Associated with this is the idea that God has household members. These house members are those who are characterized by seeking, clinging to, longing for the LORD with all their heart (Psalms 119:10), with praising the LORD as a result (Psalms 119:12).

This beth stanza begins with the question how a young man can keep his way pure (Psalms 119:9). The question is posed to the LORD and comes from the awareness of a young man who longs to walk with the LORD (Psalms 119:7-8) in a world that is full of impurity, or uncleanness. The psalmist is teaching here. The young man is the student who listens. He represents the faithful remnant (cf. Proverbs 1:4). He wants to teach them the fear of the LORD, knowledge and thoughtfulness (cf. Psalms 34:11).

The young man is in great danger of being sucked along by the lure of sin. He who does not know this question does not realize this and will certainly not keep his path pure.

The psalmist himself gives the answer to Him to Whom He has asked the question. He says to Him: “By keeping [it] according to Your word”, which is the Word of God in its most comprehensive sense. ‘Keep’ means that the Word of God is not just a dogma that we need to know, but that it permeates every fiber of our being, governs every aspect of our lives, filling all our heart, all our mind, and all our feelings.

Then he will experience the effect of the Word of God in his heart, namely its cleansing effect (cf. Ephesians 5:25; 26). It is also emphatically “Your” word. This includes the acknowledgment that we receive the teaching of the Word not from a man, but from God Himself (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The whole Word has a cleansing effect. Obedience to the Word in all its aspects and its application to all areas of life preserve from uncleanness. The Word that commands is also the Word that enables one to do what it commands.

The psalmist, and with him the remnant, can say to the LORD: “With all my heart I have sought You” (Psalms 119:10; cf. Psalms 119:2). Contemplating and feeding on the Word of God had the effect that the psalmist sought the LORD with all his heart. The effect of the Word in our lives is that our heart is strengthened to be dedicated to the Lord with resolute heart and with all our heart.

Seeking the LORD to know Him and His will is a way of life. The psalmist’s heart goes out undivided to Him, to His Person. There is no other object to which his heart goes out. It is not possible to enter into a marriage part-time and with a divided heart. Likewise, it is not possible to seek the LORD with a divided heart.

He does not boast of this. Just because all his heart goes out to the LORD – meaning that he takes time to be busy with the Word – he sees that he is dependent on Him not to wander from His commandments. Therefore, he asks Him not to let him wander from His commandments, but to be led by them in his way. Here we see that Word and prayer go together. One cannot do without the other.

In the aleph stanza, we saw in Psalms 119:5 the psalmist’s acknowledgment that he is weak and longs to stand firm. We find the same thing here in this beth stanza. Here we have the acknowledgment that his heart is capable of wandering and his desire that the LORD will keep him from doing so.

The Word is a telescope through which we see Who God is; the Word is also a mirror in which we see who we are. The Word teaches us that we possess this treasure in an earthen vessel, which portrays our weakness, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Practically, it means that we consciously take enough time each day for the Word through which our heart is cleansed (Psalms 119:9) and strengthened (Psalms 119:10) to be devoted to Him.

Once more the psalmist tells the LORD that his heart goes out to Him. For he has treasured His word in his heart (Psalms 119:11). Now that the psalmist has come to know the working of the Word, he resolves to treasure the Word in the depths of his inner being, namely in his heart.

This goes much further and deeper than knowing the Word with the mind. It is useful to study and memorize the Word. However, it must not stop there. The Word must be ruminated on, as it were; it must descend deeper into the inner self, into the heart, and be kept there like a precious treasure that you love.

The purpose of treasuring the Word is, he tells the LORD “that I may not sin against You”. As long as the believer lives on earth, the possibility of sinning remains open. God gives His Word, so there is no excuse to sin. Those who treasures God’s Word in their heart are able to answer the fiery arrows of the enemy with “it is written” (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

The psalmist is aware that man was created for the glory of God and that therefore any sin in his life is sinning against God. The word “sin” means “to miss the mark”, that is, to miss the purpose the Creator has for our life, which is that we glorify God (Romans 3:23).

If the Word of God is in the heart, to govern life from there, it refrains the righteous from sin. If sin is present in the heart, the opposite happens, sin refrains the righteous from the Word of God.

A person, including a believer, sins most quickly and easily with words (James 3:1-2). With a word salted with the spoilage repelling words of God (Colossians 4:6), we can give each the right answer and speak words of grace without missing the mark. Thanks to the Word of God that is in the believer, he can also be himself a spoilage repelling salt in this world (Matthew 5:13).

When God’s Word is in the heart, when it is abundantly present there, the God-fearing, instead of sinning, will bless the LORD (Psalms 119:12; Colossians 3:16). To do this, he turns directly to Him and says: “Blessed are You, O LORD” (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). Even for the writers of this commentary, it is not possible to ponder the Word and make comments without our heart becoming full of praise for our blessed Lord.

Such expressions are especially pleasing to Him. From that attitude of praise, the question to the LORD sounds: “Teach me Your statutes.” The psalmist longs to learn God’s statutes in such a way that His will is engraved on his heart, so that he will not depart from them.

The love of the psalmist and of the remnant for God’s Word is evident in the ordinances he told with his lips (Psalms 119:13). What he heard he did not keep to himself, but passed on to others in a public testimony. What the heart is full of, the mouth overflows with (cf. Psalms 116:10).

To him the Word of God does not consist merely of words, truths he has learned by heart. To him the Word of God is “all the ordinances of Your mouth”. Each ordinance has touched his heart because God’s mouth has spoken it. The voice of the Beloved resounds in his heart and his lips speak of it.

This verse begins with “my lips” and ends with “Your mouth”. The psalmist speaks only what he has heard from God. Thus the Lord Jesus can testify: “The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world” (John 8:26b) and: “The things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me” (John 12:50b). Peter says something similar to us in his first letter (1 Peter 4:11a).

The joy he has over the Word of God is much greater than “all riches” (Psalms 119:14) [according to Dutch Translation]. He says to the LORD that the joy that all the riches of the world could give does not outweigh for him going “in the way of Your testimonies”. Joy in riches is by definition temporary and limited and never gives full satisfaction to the heart (cf. Psalms 4:7). Whoever goes in the way of the testimonies of God, whoever let himself be led by them in his life’s journey, experiences its imperishable value.

The believer who has an eye for this is meditating on God’s “precepts” (Psalms 119:15; cf. Psalms 1:2). Meditating on the Word of God, examining it, gives deep satisfaction. As a result, the believer gains an eye for God’s ways. Meditating on God’s Word is never just intellectual activity, but opens one’s eyes to the practice of life. It brings to doing what the Word says.

Being engaged with God’s Word in this way gives delight in God’s “statutes”, which are the inscribed, indelible words of God (Psalms 119:16; cf. Jeremiah 15:16). It gives stability to the life of faith, for nothing in it is uncertain. Those who rejoice in God’s decrees can say with boldness: “I shall not forget Your word.” After all, it is chiseled into the heart.

Proverbs 5:10

/beth/ Dwelling With the LORD

The second letter, beth, means “house”. Associated with this is the idea that God has household members. These house members are those who are characterized by seeking, clinging to, longing for the LORD with all their heart (Psalms 119:10), with praising the LORD as a result (Psalms 119:12).

This beth stanza begins with the question how a young man can keep his way pure (Psalms 119:9). The question is posed to the LORD and comes from the awareness of a young man who longs to walk with the LORD (Psalms 119:7-8) in a world that is full of impurity, or uncleanness. The psalmist is teaching here. The young man is the student who listens. He represents the faithful remnant (cf. Proverbs 1:4). He wants to teach them the fear of the LORD, knowledge and thoughtfulness (cf. Psalms 34:11).

The young man is in great danger of being sucked along by the lure of sin. He who does not know this question does not realize this and will certainly not keep his path pure.

The psalmist himself gives the answer to Him to Whom He has asked the question. He says to Him: “By keeping [it] according to Your word”, which is the Word of God in its most comprehensive sense. ‘Keep’ means that the Word of God is not just a dogma that we need to know, but that it permeates every fiber of our being, governs every aspect of our lives, filling all our heart, all our mind, and all our feelings.

Then he will experience the effect of the Word of God in his heart, namely its cleansing effect (cf. Ephesians 5:25; 26). It is also emphatically “Your” word. This includes the acknowledgment that we receive the teaching of the Word not from a man, but from God Himself (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The whole Word has a cleansing effect. Obedience to the Word in all its aspects and its application to all areas of life preserve from uncleanness. The Word that commands is also the Word that enables one to do what it commands.

The psalmist, and with him the remnant, can say to the LORD: “With all my heart I have sought You” (Psalms 119:10; cf. Psalms 119:2). Contemplating and feeding on the Word of God had the effect that the psalmist sought the LORD with all his heart. The effect of the Word in our lives is that our heart is strengthened to be dedicated to the Lord with resolute heart and with all our heart.

Seeking the LORD to know Him and His will is a way of life. The psalmist’s heart goes out undivided to Him, to His Person. There is no other object to which his heart goes out. It is not possible to enter into a marriage part-time and with a divided heart. Likewise, it is not possible to seek the LORD with a divided heart.

He does not boast of this. Just because all his heart goes out to the LORD – meaning that he takes time to be busy with the Word – he sees that he is dependent on Him not to wander from His commandments. Therefore, he asks Him not to let him wander from His commandments, but to be led by them in his way. Here we see that Word and prayer go together. One cannot do without the other.

In the aleph stanza, we saw in Psalms 119:5 the psalmist’s acknowledgment that he is weak and longs to stand firm. We find the same thing here in this beth stanza. Here we have the acknowledgment that his heart is capable of wandering and his desire that the LORD will keep him from doing so.

The Word is a telescope through which we see Who God is; the Word is also a mirror in which we see who we are. The Word teaches us that we possess this treasure in an earthen vessel, which portrays our weakness, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Practically, it means that we consciously take enough time each day for the Word through which our heart is cleansed (Psalms 119:9) and strengthened (Psalms 119:10) to be devoted to Him.

Once more the psalmist tells the LORD that his heart goes out to Him. For he has treasured His word in his heart (Psalms 119:11). Now that the psalmist has come to know the working of the Word, he resolves to treasure the Word in the depths of his inner being, namely in his heart.

This goes much further and deeper than knowing the Word with the mind. It is useful to study and memorize the Word. However, it must not stop there. The Word must be ruminated on, as it were; it must descend deeper into the inner self, into the heart, and be kept there like a precious treasure that you love.

The purpose of treasuring the Word is, he tells the LORD “that I may not sin against You”. As long as the believer lives on earth, the possibility of sinning remains open. God gives His Word, so there is no excuse to sin. Those who treasures God’s Word in their heart are able to answer the fiery arrows of the enemy with “it is written” (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

The psalmist is aware that man was created for the glory of God and that therefore any sin in his life is sinning against God. The word “sin” means “to miss the mark”, that is, to miss the purpose the Creator has for our life, which is that we glorify God (Romans 3:23).

If the Word of God is in the heart, to govern life from there, it refrains the righteous from sin. If sin is present in the heart, the opposite happens, sin refrains the righteous from the Word of God.

A person, including a believer, sins most quickly and easily with words (James 3:1-2). With a word salted with the spoilage repelling words of God (Colossians 4:6), we can give each the right answer and speak words of grace without missing the mark. Thanks to the Word of God that is in the believer, he can also be himself a spoilage repelling salt in this world (Matthew 5:13).

When God’s Word is in the heart, when it is abundantly present there, the God-fearing, instead of sinning, will bless the LORD (Psalms 119:12; Colossians 3:16). To do this, he turns directly to Him and says: “Blessed are You, O LORD” (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). Even for the writers of this commentary, it is not possible to ponder the Word and make comments without our heart becoming full of praise for our blessed Lord.

Such expressions are especially pleasing to Him. From that attitude of praise, the question to the LORD sounds: “Teach me Your statutes.” The psalmist longs to learn God’s statutes in such a way that His will is engraved on his heart, so that he will not depart from them.

The love of the psalmist and of the remnant for God’s Word is evident in the ordinances he told with his lips (Psalms 119:13). What he heard he did not keep to himself, but passed on to others in a public testimony. What the heart is full of, the mouth overflows with (cf. Psalms 116:10).

To him the Word of God does not consist merely of words, truths he has learned by heart. To him the Word of God is “all the ordinances of Your mouth”. Each ordinance has touched his heart because God’s mouth has spoken it. The voice of the Beloved resounds in his heart and his lips speak of it.

This verse begins with “my lips” and ends with “Your mouth”. The psalmist speaks only what he has heard from God. Thus the Lord Jesus can testify: “The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world” (John 8:26b) and: “The things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me” (John 12:50b). Peter says something similar to us in his first letter (1 Peter 4:11a).

The joy he has over the Word of God is much greater than “all riches” (Psalms 119:14) [according to Dutch Translation]. He says to the LORD that the joy that all the riches of the world could give does not outweigh for him going “in the way of Your testimonies”. Joy in riches is by definition temporary and limited and never gives full satisfaction to the heart (cf. Psalms 4:7). Whoever goes in the way of the testimonies of God, whoever let himself be led by them in his life’s journey, experiences its imperishable value.

The believer who has an eye for this is meditating on God’s “precepts” (Psalms 119:15; cf. Psalms 1:2). Meditating on the Word of God, examining it, gives deep satisfaction. As a result, the believer gains an eye for God’s ways. Meditating on God’s Word is never just intellectual activity, but opens one’s eyes to the practice of life. It brings to doing what the Word says.

Being engaged with God’s Word in this way gives delight in God’s “statutes”, which are the inscribed, indelible words of God (Psalms 119:16; cf. Jeremiah 15:16). It gives stability to the life of faith, for nothing in it is uncertain. Those who rejoice in God’s decrees can say with boldness: “I shall not forget Your word.” After all, it is chiseled into the heart.

Proverbs 5:11

/beth/ Dwelling With the LORD

The second letter, beth, means “house”. Associated with this is the idea that God has household members. These house members are those who are characterized by seeking, clinging to, longing for the LORD with all their heart (Psalms 119:10), with praising the LORD as a result (Psalms 119:12).

This beth stanza begins with the question how a young man can keep his way pure (Psalms 119:9). The question is posed to the LORD and comes from the awareness of a young man who longs to walk with the LORD (Psalms 119:7-8) in a world that is full of impurity, or uncleanness. The psalmist is teaching here. The young man is the student who listens. He represents the faithful remnant (cf. Proverbs 1:4). He wants to teach them the fear of the LORD, knowledge and thoughtfulness (cf. Psalms 34:11).

The young man is in great danger of being sucked along by the lure of sin. He who does not know this question does not realize this and will certainly not keep his path pure.

The psalmist himself gives the answer to Him to Whom He has asked the question. He says to Him: “By keeping [it] according to Your word”, which is the Word of God in its most comprehensive sense. ‘Keep’ means that the Word of God is not just a dogma that we need to know, but that it permeates every fiber of our being, governs every aspect of our lives, filling all our heart, all our mind, and all our feelings.

Then he will experience the effect of the Word of God in his heart, namely its cleansing effect (cf. Ephesians 5:25; 26). It is also emphatically “Your” word. This includes the acknowledgment that we receive the teaching of the Word not from a man, but from God Himself (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The whole Word has a cleansing effect. Obedience to the Word in all its aspects and its application to all areas of life preserve from uncleanness. The Word that commands is also the Word that enables one to do what it commands.

The psalmist, and with him the remnant, can say to the LORD: “With all my heart I have sought You” (Psalms 119:10; cf. Psalms 119:2). Contemplating and feeding on the Word of God had the effect that the psalmist sought the LORD with all his heart. The effect of the Word in our lives is that our heart is strengthened to be dedicated to the Lord with resolute heart and with all our heart.

Seeking the LORD to know Him and His will is a way of life. The psalmist’s heart goes out undivided to Him, to His Person. There is no other object to which his heart goes out. It is not possible to enter into a marriage part-time and with a divided heart. Likewise, it is not possible to seek the LORD with a divided heart.

He does not boast of this. Just because all his heart goes out to the LORD – meaning that he takes time to be busy with the Word – he sees that he is dependent on Him not to wander from His commandments. Therefore, he asks Him not to let him wander from His commandments, but to be led by them in his way. Here we see that Word and prayer go together. One cannot do without the other.

In the aleph stanza, we saw in Psalms 119:5 the psalmist’s acknowledgment that he is weak and longs to stand firm. We find the same thing here in this beth stanza. Here we have the acknowledgment that his heart is capable of wandering and his desire that the LORD will keep him from doing so.

The Word is a telescope through which we see Who God is; the Word is also a mirror in which we see who we are. The Word teaches us that we possess this treasure in an earthen vessel, which portrays our weakness, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Practically, it means that we consciously take enough time each day for the Word through which our heart is cleansed (Psalms 119:9) and strengthened (Psalms 119:10) to be devoted to Him.

Once more the psalmist tells the LORD that his heart goes out to Him. For he has treasured His word in his heart (Psalms 119:11). Now that the psalmist has come to know the working of the Word, he resolves to treasure the Word in the depths of his inner being, namely in his heart.

This goes much further and deeper than knowing the Word with the mind. It is useful to study and memorize the Word. However, it must not stop there. The Word must be ruminated on, as it were; it must descend deeper into the inner self, into the heart, and be kept there like a precious treasure that you love.

The purpose of treasuring the Word is, he tells the LORD “that I may not sin against You”. As long as the believer lives on earth, the possibility of sinning remains open. God gives His Word, so there is no excuse to sin. Those who treasures God’s Word in their heart are able to answer the fiery arrows of the enemy with “it is written” (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

The psalmist is aware that man was created for the glory of God and that therefore any sin in his life is sinning against God. The word “sin” means “to miss the mark”, that is, to miss the purpose the Creator has for our life, which is that we glorify God (Romans 3:23).

If the Word of God is in the heart, to govern life from there, it refrains the righteous from sin. If sin is present in the heart, the opposite happens, sin refrains the righteous from the Word of God.

A person, including a believer, sins most quickly and easily with words (James 3:1-2). With a word salted with the spoilage repelling words of God (Colossians 4:6), we can give each the right answer and speak words of grace without missing the mark. Thanks to the Word of God that is in the believer, he can also be himself a spoilage repelling salt in this world (Matthew 5:13).

When God’s Word is in the heart, when it is abundantly present there, the God-fearing, instead of sinning, will bless the LORD (Psalms 119:12; Colossians 3:16). To do this, he turns directly to Him and says: “Blessed are You, O LORD” (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). Even for the writers of this commentary, it is not possible to ponder the Word and make comments without our heart becoming full of praise for our blessed Lord.

Such expressions are especially pleasing to Him. From that attitude of praise, the question to the LORD sounds: “Teach me Your statutes.” The psalmist longs to learn God’s statutes in such a way that His will is engraved on his heart, so that he will not depart from them.

The love of the psalmist and of the remnant for God’s Word is evident in the ordinances he told with his lips (Psalms 119:13). What he heard he did not keep to himself, but passed on to others in a public testimony. What the heart is full of, the mouth overflows with (cf. Psalms 116:10).

To him the Word of God does not consist merely of words, truths he has learned by heart. To him the Word of God is “all the ordinances of Your mouth”. Each ordinance has touched his heart because God’s mouth has spoken it. The voice of the Beloved resounds in his heart and his lips speak of it.

This verse begins with “my lips” and ends with “Your mouth”. The psalmist speaks only what he has heard from God. Thus the Lord Jesus can testify: “The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world” (John 8:26b) and: “The things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me” (John 12:50b). Peter says something similar to us in his first letter (1 Peter 4:11a).

The joy he has over the Word of God is much greater than “all riches” (Psalms 119:14) [according to Dutch Translation]. He says to the LORD that the joy that all the riches of the world could give does not outweigh for him going “in the way of Your testimonies”. Joy in riches is by definition temporary and limited and never gives full satisfaction to the heart (cf. Psalms 4:7). Whoever goes in the way of the testimonies of God, whoever let himself be led by them in his life’s journey, experiences its imperishable value.

The believer who has an eye for this is meditating on God’s “precepts” (Psalms 119:15; cf. Psalms 1:2). Meditating on the Word of God, examining it, gives deep satisfaction. As a result, the believer gains an eye for God’s ways. Meditating on God’s Word is never just intellectual activity, but opens one’s eyes to the practice of life. It brings to doing what the Word says.

Being engaged with God’s Word in this way gives delight in God’s “statutes”, which are the inscribed, indelible words of God (Psalms 119:16; cf. Jeremiah 15:16). It gives stability to the life of faith, for nothing in it is uncertain. Those who rejoice in God’s decrees can say with boldness: “I shall not forget Your word.” After all, it is chiseled into the heart.

Proverbs 5:12

/beth/ Dwelling With the LORD

The second letter, beth, means “house”. Associated with this is the idea that God has household members. These house members are those who are characterized by seeking, clinging to, longing for the LORD with all their heart (Psalms 119:10), with praising the LORD as a result (Psalms 119:12).

This beth stanza begins with the question how a young man can keep his way pure (Psalms 119:9). The question is posed to the LORD and comes from the awareness of a young man who longs to walk with the LORD (Psalms 119:7-8) in a world that is full of impurity, or uncleanness. The psalmist is teaching here. The young man is the student who listens. He represents the faithful remnant (cf. Proverbs 1:4). He wants to teach them the fear of the LORD, knowledge and thoughtfulness (cf. Psalms 34:11).

The young man is in great danger of being sucked along by the lure of sin. He who does not know this question does not realize this and will certainly not keep his path pure.

The psalmist himself gives the answer to Him to Whom He has asked the question. He says to Him: “By keeping [it] according to Your word”, which is the Word of God in its most comprehensive sense. ‘Keep’ means that the Word of God is not just a dogma that we need to know, but that it permeates every fiber of our being, governs every aspect of our lives, filling all our heart, all our mind, and all our feelings.

Then he will experience the effect of the Word of God in his heart, namely its cleansing effect (cf. Ephesians 5:25; 26). It is also emphatically “Your” word. This includes the acknowledgment that we receive the teaching of the Word not from a man, but from God Himself (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The whole Word has a cleansing effect. Obedience to the Word in all its aspects and its application to all areas of life preserve from uncleanness. The Word that commands is also the Word that enables one to do what it commands.

The psalmist, and with him the remnant, can say to the LORD: “With all my heart I have sought You” (Psalms 119:10; cf. Psalms 119:2). Contemplating and feeding on the Word of God had the effect that the psalmist sought the LORD with all his heart. The effect of the Word in our lives is that our heart is strengthened to be dedicated to the Lord with resolute heart and with all our heart.

Seeking the LORD to know Him and His will is a way of life. The psalmist’s heart goes out undivided to Him, to His Person. There is no other object to which his heart goes out. It is not possible to enter into a marriage part-time and with a divided heart. Likewise, it is not possible to seek the LORD with a divided heart.

He does not boast of this. Just because all his heart goes out to the LORD – meaning that he takes time to be busy with the Word – he sees that he is dependent on Him not to wander from His commandments. Therefore, he asks Him not to let him wander from His commandments, but to be led by them in his way. Here we see that Word and prayer go together. One cannot do without the other.

In the aleph stanza, we saw in Psalms 119:5 the psalmist’s acknowledgment that he is weak and longs to stand firm. We find the same thing here in this beth stanza. Here we have the acknowledgment that his heart is capable of wandering and his desire that the LORD will keep him from doing so.

The Word is a telescope through which we see Who God is; the Word is also a mirror in which we see who we are. The Word teaches us that we possess this treasure in an earthen vessel, which portrays our weakness, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Practically, it means that we consciously take enough time each day for the Word through which our heart is cleansed (Psalms 119:9) and strengthened (Psalms 119:10) to be devoted to Him.

Once more the psalmist tells the LORD that his heart goes out to Him. For he has treasured His word in his heart (Psalms 119:11). Now that the psalmist has come to know the working of the Word, he resolves to treasure the Word in the depths of his inner being, namely in his heart.

This goes much further and deeper than knowing the Word with the mind. It is useful to study and memorize the Word. However, it must not stop there. The Word must be ruminated on, as it were; it must descend deeper into the inner self, into the heart, and be kept there like a precious treasure that you love.

The purpose of treasuring the Word is, he tells the LORD “that I may not sin against You”. As long as the believer lives on earth, the possibility of sinning remains open. God gives His Word, so there is no excuse to sin. Those who treasures God’s Word in their heart are able to answer the fiery arrows of the enemy with “it is written” (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

The psalmist is aware that man was created for the glory of God and that therefore any sin in his life is sinning against God. The word “sin” means “to miss the mark”, that is, to miss the purpose the Creator has for our life, which is that we glorify God (Romans 3:23).

If the Word of God is in the heart, to govern life from there, it refrains the righteous from sin. If sin is present in the heart, the opposite happens, sin refrains the righteous from the Word of God.

A person, including a believer, sins most quickly and easily with words (James 3:1-2). With a word salted with the spoilage repelling words of God (Colossians 4:6), we can give each the right answer and speak words of grace without missing the mark. Thanks to the Word of God that is in the believer, he can also be himself a spoilage repelling salt in this world (Matthew 5:13).

When God’s Word is in the heart, when it is abundantly present there, the God-fearing, instead of sinning, will bless the LORD (Psalms 119:12; Colossians 3:16). To do this, he turns directly to Him and says: “Blessed are You, O LORD” (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). Even for the writers of this commentary, it is not possible to ponder the Word and make comments without our heart becoming full of praise for our blessed Lord.

Such expressions are especially pleasing to Him. From that attitude of praise, the question to the LORD sounds: “Teach me Your statutes.” The psalmist longs to learn God’s statutes in such a way that His will is engraved on his heart, so that he will not depart from them.

The love of the psalmist and of the remnant for God’s Word is evident in the ordinances he told with his lips (Psalms 119:13). What he heard he did not keep to himself, but passed on to others in a public testimony. What the heart is full of, the mouth overflows with (cf. Psalms 116:10).

To him the Word of God does not consist merely of words, truths he has learned by heart. To him the Word of God is “all the ordinances of Your mouth”. Each ordinance has touched his heart because God’s mouth has spoken it. The voice of the Beloved resounds in his heart and his lips speak of it.

This verse begins with “my lips” and ends with “Your mouth”. The psalmist speaks only what he has heard from God. Thus the Lord Jesus can testify: “The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world” (John 8:26b) and: “The things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me” (John 12:50b). Peter says something similar to us in his first letter (1 Peter 4:11a).

The joy he has over the Word of God is much greater than “all riches” (Psalms 119:14) [according to Dutch Translation]. He says to the LORD that the joy that all the riches of the world could give does not outweigh for him going “in the way of Your testimonies”. Joy in riches is by definition temporary and limited and never gives full satisfaction to the heart (cf. Psalms 4:7). Whoever goes in the way of the testimonies of God, whoever let himself be led by them in his life’s journey, experiences its imperishable value.

The believer who has an eye for this is meditating on God’s “precepts” (Psalms 119:15; cf. Psalms 1:2). Meditating on the Word of God, examining it, gives deep satisfaction. As a result, the believer gains an eye for God’s ways. Meditating on God’s Word is never just intellectual activity, but opens one’s eyes to the practice of life. It brings to doing what the Word says.

Being engaged with God’s Word in this way gives delight in God’s “statutes”, which are the inscribed, indelible words of God (Psalms 119:16; cf. Jeremiah 15:16). It gives stability to the life of faith, for nothing in it is uncertain. Those who rejoice in God’s decrees can say with boldness: “I shall not forget Your word.” After all, it is chiseled into the heart.

Proverbs 5:13

/beth/ Dwelling With the LORD

The second letter, beth, means “house”. Associated with this is the idea that God has household members. These house members are those who are characterized by seeking, clinging to, longing for the LORD with all their heart (Psalms 119:10), with praising the LORD as a result (Psalms 119:12).

This beth stanza begins with the question how a young man can keep his way pure (Psalms 119:9). The question is posed to the LORD and comes from the awareness of a young man who longs to walk with the LORD (Psalms 119:7-8) in a world that is full of impurity, or uncleanness. The psalmist is teaching here. The young man is the student who listens. He represents the faithful remnant (cf. Proverbs 1:4). He wants to teach them the fear of the LORD, knowledge and thoughtfulness (cf. Psalms 34:11).

The young man is in great danger of being sucked along by the lure of sin. He who does not know this question does not realize this and will certainly not keep his path pure.

The psalmist himself gives the answer to Him to Whom He has asked the question. He says to Him: “By keeping [it] according to Your word”, which is the Word of God in its most comprehensive sense. ‘Keep’ means that the Word of God is not just a dogma that we need to know, but that it permeates every fiber of our being, governs every aspect of our lives, filling all our heart, all our mind, and all our feelings.

Then he will experience the effect of the Word of God in his heart, namely its cleansing effect (cf. Ephesians 5:25; 26). It is also emphatically “Your” word. This includes the acknowledgment that we receive the teaching of the Word not from a man, but from God Himself (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The whole Word has a cleansing effect. Obedience to the Word in all its aspects and its application to all areas of life preserve from uncleanness. The Word that commands is also the Word that enables one to do what it commands.

The psalmist, and with him the remnant, can say to the LORD: “With all my heart I have sought You” (Psalms 119:10; cf. Psalms 119:2). Contemplating and feeding on the Word of God had the effect that the psalmist sought the LORD with all his heart. The effect of the Word in our lives is that our heart is strengthened to be dedicated to the Lord with resolute heart and with all our heart.

Seeking the LORD to know Him and His will is a way of life. The psalmist’s heart goes out undivided to Him, to His Person. There is no other object to which his heart goes out. It is not possible to enter into a marriage part-time and with a divided heart. Likewise, it is not possible to seek the LORD with a divided heart.

He does not boast of this. Just because all his heart goes out to the LORD – meaning that he takes time to be busy with the Word – he sees that he is dependent on Him not to wander from His commandments. Therefore, he asks Him not to let him wander from His commandments, but to be led by them in his way. Here we see that Word and prayer go together. One cannot do without the other.

In the aleph stanza, we saw in Psalms 119:5 the psalmist’s acknowledgment that he is weak and longs to stand firm. We find the same thing here in this beth stanza. Here we have the acknowledgment that his heart is capable of wandering and his desire that the LORD will keep him from doing so.

The Word is a telescope through which we see Who God is; the Word is also a mirror in which we see who we are. The Word teaches us that we possess this treasure in an earthen vessel, which portrays our weakness, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Practically, it means that we consciously take enough time each day for the Word through which our heart is cleansed (Psalms 119:9) and strengthened (Psalms 119:10) to be devoted to Him.

Once more the psalmist tells the LORD that his heart goes out to Him. For he has treasured His word in his heart (Psalms 119:11). Now that the psalmist has come to know the working of the Word, he resolves to treasure the Word in the depths of his inner being, namely in his heart.

This goes much further and deeper than knowing the Word with the mind. It is useful to study and memorize the Word. However, it must not stop there. The Word must be ruminated on, as it were; it must descend deeper into the inner self, into the heart, and be kept there like a precious treasure that you love.

The purpose of treasuring the Word is, he tells the LORD “that I may not sin against You”. As long as the believer lives on earth, the possibility of sinning remains open. God gives His Word, so there is no excuse to sin. Those who treasures God’s Word in their heart are able to answer the fiery arrows of the enemy with “it is written” (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

The psalmist is aware that man was created for the glory of God and that therefore any sin in his life is sinning against God. The word “sin” means “to miss the mark”, that is, to miss the purpose the Creator has for our life, which is that we glorify God (Romans 3:23).

If the Word of God is in the heart, to govern life from there, it refrains the righteous from sin. If sin is present in the heart, the opposite happens, sin refrains the righteous from the Word of God.

A person, including a believer, sins most quickly and easily with words (James 3:1-2). With a word salted with the spoilage repelling words of God (Colossians 4:6), we can give each the right answer and speak words of grace without missing the mark. Thanks to the Word of God that is in the believer, he can also be himself a spoilage repelling salt in this world (Matthew 5:13).

When God’s Word is in the heart, when it is abundantly present there, the God-fearing, instead of sinning, will bless the LORD (Psalms 119:12; Colossians 3:16). To do this, he turns directly to Him and says: “Blessed are You, O LORD” (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). Even for the writers of this commentary, it is not possible to ponder the Word and make comments without our heart becoming full of praise for our blessed Lord.

Such expressions are especially pleasing to Him. From that attitude of praise, the question to the LORD sounds: “Teach me Your statutes.” The psalmist longs to learn God’s statutes in such a way that His will is engraved on his heart, so that he will not depart from them.

The love of the psalmist and of the remnant for God’s Word is evident in the ordinances he told with his lips (Psalms 119:13). What he heard he did not keep to himself, but passed on to others in a public testimony. What the heart is full of, the mouth overflows with (cf. Psalms 116:10).

To him the Word of God does not consist merely of words, truths he has learned by heart. To him the Word of God is “all the ordinances of Your mouth”. Each ordinance has touched his heart because God’s mouth has spoken it. The voice of the Beloved resounds in his heart and his lips speak of it.

This verse begins with “my lips” and ends with “Your mouth”. The psalmist speaks only what he has heard from God. Thus the Lord Jesus can testify: “The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world” (John 8:26b) and: “The things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me” (John 12:50b). Peter says something similar to us in his first letter (1 Peter 4:11a).

The joy he has over the Word of God is much greater than “all riches” (Psalms 119:14) [according to Dutch Translation]. He says to the LORD that the joy that all the riches of the world could give does not outweigh for him going “in the way of Your testimonies”. Joy in riches is by definition temporary and limited and never gives full satisfaction to the heart (cf. Psalms 4:7). Whoever goes in the way of the testimonies of God, whoever let himself be led by them in his life’s journey, experiences its imperishable value.

The believer who has an eye for this is meditating on God’s “precepts” (Psalms 119:15; cf. Psalms 1:2). Meditating on the Word of God, examining it, gives deep satisfaction. As a result, the believer gains an eye for God’s ways. Meditating on God’s Word is never just intellectual activity, but opens one’s eyes to the practice of life. It brings to doing what the Word says.

Being engaged with God’s Word in this way gives delight in God’s “statutes”, which are the inscribed, indelible words of God (Psalms 119:16; cf. Jeremiah 15:16). It gives stability to the life of faith, for nothing in it is uncertain. Those who rejoice in God’s decrees can say with boldness: “I shall not forget Your word.” After all, it is chiseled into the heart.

Proverbs 5:14

/beth/ Dwelling With the LORD

The second letter, beth, means “house”. Associated with this is the idea that God has household members. These house members are those who are characterized by seeking, clinging to, longing for the LORD with all their heart (Psalms 119:10), with praising the LORD as a result (Psalms 119:12).

This beth stanza begins with the question how a young man can keep his way pure (Psalms 119:9). The question is posed to the LORD and comes from the awareness of a young man who longs to walk with the LORD (Psalms 119:7-8) in a world that is full of impurity, or uncleanness. The psalmist is teaching here. The young man is the student who listens. He represents the faithful remnant (cf. Proverbs 1:4). He wants to teach them the fear of the LORD, knowledge and thoughtfulness (cf. Psalms 34:11).

The young man is in great danger of being sucked along by the lure of sin. He who does not know this question does not realize this and will certainly not keep his path pure.

The psalmist himself gives the answer to Him to Whom He has asked the question. He says to Him: “By keeping [it] according to Your word”, which is the Word of God in its most comprehensive sense. ‘Keep’ means that the Word of God is not just a dogma that we need to know, but that it permeates every fiber of our being, governs every aspect of our lives, filling all our heart, all our mind, and all our feelings.

Then he will experience the effect of the Word of God in his heart, namely its cleansing effect (cf. Ephesians 5:25; 26). It is also emphatically “Your” word. This includes the acknowledgment that we receive the teaching of the Word not from a man, but from God Himself (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The whole Word has a cleansing effect. Obedience to the Word in all its aspects and its application to all areas of life preserve from uncleanness. The Word that commands is also the Word that enables one to do what it commands.

The psalmist, and with him the remnant, can say to the LORD: “With all my heart I have sought You” (Psalms 119:10; cf. Psalms 119:2). Contemplating and feeding on the Word of God had the effect that the psalmist sought the LORD with all his heart. The effect of the Word in our lives is that our heart is strengthened to be dedicated to the Lord with resolute heart and with all our heart.

Seeking the LORD to know Him and His will is a way of life. The psalmist’s heart goes out undivided to Him, to His Person. There is no other object to which his heart goes out. It is not possible to enter into a marriage part-time and with a divided heart. Likewise, it is not possible to seek the LORD with a divided heart.

He does not boast of this. Just because all his heart goes out to the LORD – meaning that he takes time to be busy with the Word – he sees that he is dependent on Him not to wander from His commandments. Therefore, he asks Him not to let him wander from His commandments, but to be led by them in his way. Here we see that Word and prayer go together. One cannot do without the other.

In the aleph stanza, we saw in Psalms 119:5 the psalmist’s acknowledgment that he is weak and longs to stand firm. We find the same thing here in this beth stanza. Here we have the acknowledgment that his heart is capable of wandering and his desire that the LORD will keep him from doing so.

The Word is a telescope through which we see Who God is; the Word is also a mirror in which we see who we are. The Word teaches us that we possess this treasure in an earthen vessel, which portrays our weakness, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Practically, it means that we consciously take enough time each day for the Word through which our heart is cleansed (Psalms 119:9) and strengthened (Psalms 119:10) to be devoted to Him.

Once more the psalmist tells the LORD that his heart goes out to Him. For he has treasured His word in his heart (Psalms 119:11). Now that the psalmist has come to know the working of the Word, he resolves to treasure the Word in the depths of his inner being, namely in his heart.

This goes much further and deeper than knowing the Word with the mind. It is useful to study and memorize the Word. However, it must not stop there. The Word must be ruminated on, as it were; it must descend deeper into the inner self, into the heart, and be kept there like a precious treasure that you love.

The purpose of treasuring the Word is, he tells the LORD “that I may not sin against You”. As long as the believer lives on earth, the possibility of sinning remains open. God gives His Word, so there is no excuse to sin. Those who treasures God’s Word in their heart are able to answer the fiery arrows of the enemy with “it is written” (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

The psalmist is aware that man was created for the glory of God and that therefore any sin in his life is sinning against God. The word “sin” means “to miss the mark”, that is, to miss the purpose the Creator has for our life, which is that we glorify God (Romans 3:23).

If the Word of God is in the heart, to govern life from there, it refrains the righteous from sin. If sin is present in the heart, the opposite happens, sin refrains the righteous from the Word of God.

A person, including a believer, sins most quickly and easily with words (James 3:1-2). With a word salted with the spoilage repelling words of God (Colossians 4:6), we can give each the right answer and speak words of grace without missing the mark. Thanks to the Word of God that is in the believer, he can also be himself a spoilage repelling salt in this world (Matthew 5:13).

When God’s Word is in the heart, when it is abundantly present there, the God-fearing, instead of sinning, will bless the LORD (Psalms 119:12; Colossians 3:16). To do this, he turns directly to Him and says: “Blessed are You, O LORD” (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). Even for the writers of this commentary, it is not possible to ponder the Word and make comments without our heart becoming full of praise for our blessed Lord.

Such expressions are especially pleasing to Him. From that attitude of praise, the question to the LORD sounds: “Teach me Your statutes.” The psalmist longs to learn God’s statutes in such a way that His will is engraved on his heart, so that he will not depart from them.

The love of the psalmist and of the remnant for God’s Word is evident in the ordinances he told with his lips (Psalms 119:13). What he heard he did not keep to himself, but passed on to others in a public testimony. What the heart is full of, the mouth overflows with (cf. Psalms 116:10).

To him the Word of God does not consist merely of words, truths he has learned by heart. To him the Word of God is “all the ordinances of Your mouth”. Each ordinance has touched his heart because God’s mouth has spoken it. The voice of the Beloved resounds in his heart and his lips speak of it.

This verse begins with “my lips” and ends with “Your mouth”. The psalmist speaks only what he has heard from God. Thus the Lord Jesus can testify: “The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world” (John 8:26b) and: “The things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me” (John 12:50b). Peter says something similar to us in his first letter (1 Peter 4:11a).

The joy he has over the Word of God is much greater than “all riches” (Psalms 119:14) [according to Dutch Translation]. He says to the LORD that the joy that all the riches of the world could give does not outweigh for him going “in the way of Your testimonies”. Joy in riches is by definition temporary and limited and never gives full satisfaction to the heart (cf. Psalms 4:7). Whoever goes in the way of the testimonies of God, whoever let himself be led by them in his life’s journey, experiences its imperishable value.

The believer who has an eye for this is meditating on God’s “precepts” (Psalms 119:15; cf. Psalms 1:2). Meditating on the Word of God, examining it, gives deep satisfaction. As a result, the believer gains an eye for God’s ways. Meditating on God’s Word is never just intellectual activity, but opens one’s eyes to the practice of life. It brings to doing what the Word says.

Being engaged with God’s Word in this way gives delight in God’s “statutes”, which are the inscribed, indelible words of God (Psalms 119:16; cf. Jeremiah 15:16). It gives stability to the life of faith, for nothing in it is uncertain. Those who rejoice in God’s decrees can say with boldness: “I shall not forget Your word.” After all, it is chiseled into the heart.

Proverbs 5:15

/beth/ Dwelling With the LORD

The second letter, beth, means “house”. Associated with this is the idea that God has household members. These house members are those who are characterized by seeking, clinging to, longing for the LORD with all their heart (Psalms 119:10), with praising the LORD as a result (Psalms 119:12).

This beth stanza begins with the question how a young man can keep his way pure (Psalms 119:9). The question is posed to the LORD and comes from the awareness of a young man who longs to walk with the LORD (Psalms 119:7-8) in a world that is full of impurity, or uncleanness. The psalmist is teaching here. The young man is the student who listens. He represents the faithful remnant (cf. Proverbs 1:4). He wants to teach them the fear of the LORD, knowledge and thoughtfulness (cf. Psalms 34:11).

The young man is in great danger of being sucked along by the lure of sin. He who does not know this question does not realize this and will certainly not keep his path pure.

The psalmist himself gives the answer to Him to Whom He has asked the question. He says to Him: “By keeping [it] according to Your word”, which is the Word of God in its most comprehensive sense. ‘Keep’ means that the Word of God is not just a dogma that we need to know, but that it permeates every fiber of our being, governs every aspect of our lives, filling all our heart, all our mind, and all our feelings.

Then he will experience the effect of the Word of God in his heart, namely its cleansing effect (cf. Ephesians 5:25; 26). It is also emphatically “Your” word. This includes the acknowledgment that we receive the teaching of the Word not from a man, but from God Himself (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The whole Word has a cleansing effect. Obedience to the Word in all its aspects and its application to all areas of life preserve from uncleanness. The Word that commands is also the Word that enables one to do what it commands.

The psalmist, and with him the remnant, can say to the LORD: “With all my heart I have sought You” (Psalms 119:10; cf. Psalms 119:2). Contemplating and feeding on the Word of God had the effect that the psalmist sought the LORD with all his heart. The effect of the Word in our lives is that our heart is strengthened to be dedicated to the Lord with resolute heart and with all our heart.

Seeking the LORD to know Him and His will is a way of life. The psalmist’s heart goes out undivided to Him, to His Person. There is no other object to which his heart goes out. It is not possible to enter into a marriage part-time and with a divided heart. Likewise, it is not possible to seek the LORD with a divided heart.

He does not boast of this. Just because all his heart goes out to the LORD – meaning that he takes time to be busy with the Word – he sees that he is dependent on Him not to wander from His commandments. Therefore, he asks Him not to let him wander from His commandments, but to be led by them in his way. Here we see that Word and prayer go together. One cannot do without the other.

In the aleph stanza, we saw in Psalms 119:5 the psalmist’s acknowledgment that he is weak and longs to stand firm. We find the same thing here in this beth stanza. Here we have the acknowledgment that his heart is capable of wandering and his desire that the LORD will keep him from doing so.

The Word is a telescope through which we see Who God is; the Word is also a mirror in which we see who we are. The Word teaches us that we possess this treasure in an earthen vessel, which portrays our weakness, “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Practically, it means that we consciously take enough time each day for the Word through which our heart is cleansed (Psalms 119:9) and strengthened (Psalms 119:10) to be devoted to Him.

Once more the psalmist tells the LORD that his heart goes out to Him. For he has treasured His word in his heart (Psalms 119:11). Now that the psalmist has come to know the working of the Word, he resolves to treasure the Word in the depths of his inner being, namely in his heart.

This goes much further and deeper than knowing the Word with the mind. It is useful to study and memorize the Word. However, it must not stop there. The Word must be ruminated on, as it were; it must descend deeper into the inner self, into the heart, and be kept there like a precious treasure that you love.

The purpose of treasuring the Word is, he tells the LORD “that I may not sin against You”. As long as the believer lives on earth, the possibility of sinning remains open. God gives His Word, so there is no excuse to sin. Those who treasures God’s Word in their heart are able to answer the fiery arrows of the enemy with “it is written” (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

The psalmist is aware that man was created for the glory of God and that therefore any sin in his life is sinning against God. The word “sin” means “to miss the mark”, that is, to miss the purpose the Creator has for our life, which is that we glorify God (Romans 3:23).

If the Word of God is in the heart, to govern life from there, it refrains the righteous from sin. If sin is present in the heart, the opposite happens, sin refrains the righteous from the Word of God.

A person, including a believer, sins most quickly and easily with words (James 3:1-2). With a word salted with the spoilage repelling words of God (Colossians 4:6), we can give each the right answer and speak words of grace without missing the mark. Thanks to the Word of God that is in the believer, he can also be himself a spoilage repelling salt in this world (Matthew 5:13).

When God’s Word is in the heart, when it is abundantly present there, the God-fearing, instead of sinning, will bless the LORD (Psalms 119:12; Colossians 3:16). To do this, he turns directly to Him and says: “Blessed are You, O LORD” (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). Even for the writers of this commentary, it is not possible to ponder the Word and make comments without our heart becoming full of praise for our blessed Lord.

Such expressions are especially pleasing to Him. From that attitude of praise, the question to the LORD sounds: “Teach me Your statutes.” The psalmist longs to learn God’s statutes in such a way that His will is engraved on his heart, so that he will not depart from them.

The love of the psalmist and of the remnant for God’s Word is evident in the ordinances he told with his lips (Psalms 119:13). What he heard he did not keep to himself, but passed on to others in a public testimony. What the heart is full of, the mouth overflows with (cf. Psalms 116:10).

To him the Word of God does not consist merely of words, truths he has learned by heart. To him the Word of God is “all the ordinances of Your mouth”. Each ordinance has touched his heart because God’s mouth has spoken it. The voice of the Beloved resounds in his heart and his lips speak of it.

This verse begins with “my lips” and ends with “Your mouth”. The psalmist speaks only what he has heard from God. Thus the Lord Jesus can testify: “The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world” (John 8:26b) and: “The things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me” (John 12:50b). Peter says something similar to us in his first letter (1 Peter 4:11a).

The joy he has over the Word of God is much greater than “all riches” (Psalms 119:14) [according to Dutch Translation]. He says to the LORD that the joy that all the riches of the world could give does not outweigh for him going “in the way of Your testimonies”. Joy in riches is by definition temporary and limited and never gives full satisfaction to the heart (cf. Psalms 4:7). Whoever goes in the way of the testimonies of God, whoever let himself be led by them in his life’s journey, experiences its imperishable value.

The believer who has an eye for this is meditating on God’s “precepts” (Psalms 119:15; cf. Psalms 1:2). Meditating on the Word of God, examining it, gives deep satisfaction. As a result, the believer gains an eye for God’s ways. Meditating on God’s Word is never just intellectual activity, but opens one’s eyes to the practice of life. It brings to doing what the Word says.

Being engaged with God’s Word in this way gives delight in God’s “statutes”, which are the inscribed, indelible words of God (Psalms 119:16; cf. Jeremiah 15:16). It gives stability to the life of faith, for nothing in it is uncertain. Those who rejoice in God’s decrees can say with boldness: “I shall not forget Your word.” After all, it is chiseled into the heart.

Proverbs 5:16

/gimel/ Walking as a Stranger

The acronym for gimel is derived from ‘foot in motion’. It is an indication of the believer’s walk in life, living as a stranger in the earth (Psalms 119:19), in the midst of hostile persons (Psalms 119:21-23).

The word gimel is also related to the word gamal, which means camel, the animal that is the preferred means of transportation for the pilgrim’s journey through the wilderness. It also means to transport goods or good things. ‘To do good’ is also a meaning (Psalms 119:17). The Word of God is the counselor (Psalms 119:24) for the believer in his walk in the wilderness of this world. The believer’s walk in the world is illustrated in the life of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8).

The psalmist is not asking the LORD to help him to deal bountifully, but whether the LORD will deal bountifully with him (Psalms 119:17). He does not expect abundance from himself, but from the LORD. Thus, one who lacks wisdom on his way through the world can ask it of the LORD. In His abundance He will give, generously and without reproach (James 1:5). It is not a question of someone who wants to benefit from the abundance of God and then continue his own way. The psalmist asks as a “servant” of the LORD, acknowledging Him as his Lord and Master.

The psalmist calls himself a servant of the LORD. This title is also used in the book of Isaiah for the faithful remnant, following the perfect Servant of the LORD, the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew word ebed is translated here and in Isaiah as “servant”.

The psalmist appeals to the abundance of the LORD because it is the only way he will be able to live. This is about living in fellowship with God in a hostile world. The phrase “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), is translated in Hebrews 11 as “Enoch was pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5). The verb “walk” has a form that means “to walk for pleasure” and is a synonym for having fellowship with God.

This is the life the psalmist desires, in the midst of a world corrupt and full of violence: living in fellowship with God, as Enoch did just before the flood. That is the subject of this gimel stanza. To walk in this way may also be our desire (cf. Philippians 2:15-16).

It does not mean that the psalmist only wants to get pleasant things from God. He motivates his demand for life: it is, that he may then “keep Your word”. This is true life. Man will not live by bread alone, but by all the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

In order to keep God’s Word, the eyes must be opened to it (Psalms 119:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14). It is something that must come from God (cf. Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:18). The psalmist longs to “behold wonderful things from Your law”. The Word of God is full of wonderful things that are not noticeable to us at first glance. All who love the Bible long to see more and more of those wonderful things.

In this respect, believers resemble the blind man in the Gospel according to Mark, whose eyes the Lord has opened, but who at first still sees people walking around like trees, that is, as impressive figures (Mark 8:24). The Lord must continue to work with him so that he can see sharply. So it is also here with the psalmist. To know the wonderful things and depths of the Word of God, God must open our eyes (Ephesians 1:18).

“The wonderful things from Your law” begin with the wonderful things of creation in all its variety. When sin has entered into creation, the wonderful thing of the sacrifice for sin is shown. This is followed by countless wonderful things, first only for individual people, then also for a whole people, God’s people. The creation alone is an unparalleled wonderful thing. And so it continues throughout the history of God’s people. It is all recorded in the Old Testament.

The believer’s way in the earth is that of “a stranger” (Psalms 119:19; cf. 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). To know what this means, the believer must first come to understand who he is and what he is doing on earth. We were first as sinners strangers to the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). Now that we belong to the Lord Jesus, we no longer belong to the world and are strangers there. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

In order to know his way on earth to his homeland, heaven, the believer needs signposts. He finds these in the commandments of Word of God. To discover those commandments, those signposts, he is dependent on God. He does not ask God to show them to him, but to not hide them from him. Sometimes it looks like that to him. He then has no sense of direction, he does not know which way to go.

The pilgrim turns to the LORD and says to Him: “My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times” (Psalms 119:20). He has an intense desire for what the LORD has determined, what He has recorded in His Word for the life of His own. This desire he has not just occasionally, but “at all times”. He constantly longs to know the will of God for his life and for the way he must go.

The mind of longing for the Word gives a right view of the worldly person. Opposite that mind are “the arrogant, the cursed” (Psalms 119:21), the people who act from themselves and are focused on themselves. They often seem to be successful and able to exalt themselves in pride against God with impunity.

The righteous knows that the LORD rebukes them. He says that to the LORD. The curse comes upon the arrogant because, he says to the LORD, they “wander from Your commandments”. They know God’s commandments, but they wander from them. They deliberately choose their own way. This acting against their better judgment, that is, against the express will of God, is arrogance. It is the sin of satan (Ezekiel 28:17; cf. Isaiah 14:13-14).

This is also the greatest enemy of a believer who wants to walk the way with the Lord. Arrogance is the most serious aberration from the way with the Lord. This is why the Lord tells us to learn from Him, for He is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). Great knowledge of the Bible is not without danger, for it can lead to pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). Only fellowship with the Lord Jesus and sitting and learning at His feet can keep us from this.

The curse comes upon the arrogant in accordance with the covenant of the LORD with Israel. An Israelite who violates the covenant comes under the curse (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15; 45). The end of the cursed is “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

The righteous is showered with “reproach and contempt” because he does observe God’s testimonies (Psalms 119:22; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Unlike the antichrist and his followers, the psalmist – and the remnant – do want to observe God’s testimonies. After all, the testimonies, for example the two tablets of the law, are a source of joy to him (Psalms 119:24).

He has observed God’s “testimonies” and on that basis asks that God turns away the reproach and contempt loaded on him. Those who heed God’s Word must count on the world’s scorn. But he may go to God with that and ask for the defamation to be turned away. God’s assessment of his life is the only thing that matters to him.

He even encounters the contradiction of “princes” (Psalms 119:23). He has been indicted by the accursed arrogant, and instead of acquitting the righteous, the high-ranking lords vindicate the accusers. He is not troubled by it, however, for, he tells the LORD, when they speak thus, “Your servant meditates on Your statutes”.

As in the first verse of this stanza (Psalms 119:17), here, opposite the “princes” he calls himself “Your servant”, a servant of the LORD. Servant of the LORD is an honorary title of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, it is also a privilege for the psalmist, and for us, to be called servant of the Lord. Princes may be of nobility, but to be a servant of the Lord is far preferable to the nobility of a prince.

The psalmist’s life is a life of service to the LORD. That is what has brought him this opposition. His protection from their false charges and condemnation lies in meditating God’s statutes. That keeps him standing in the midst of all the enmity. We see the fulfillment of this verse in the life of the Lord Jesus, Who during His whole life and especially in the ‘trial’ against Him “has endured so great contradiction from sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3, Darby Translation).

For the psalmist, and for the believing remnant, and especially for the Lord Jesus, God’s testimonies are their personal, “my”, “delight” (Psalms 119:24). “[They are] my counselors”, the psalmist says to the LORD. This is a wonderful personification of God’s Word. Everything God says in His Word is good counsel for anyone who wants to listen to it.

This applies to the believer as a servant and as a stranger, and to situations where defamation, contempt and opposition are experienced. Then the believer knows what to do, what way to take, and how to respond to anything that comes his way or is done to him.

This stanza begins and ends with the psalmist as a servant of the LORD. Serving is the hallmark of the walk, gimel, of this righteous in the midst of a world that is corrupt (the antichrist) and full of violence (the king of the North) (cf. Genesis 6:11).

Proverbs 5:17

/gimel/ Walking as a Stranger

The acronym for gimel is derived from ‘foot in motion’. It is an indication of the believer’s walk in life, living as a stranger in the earth (Psalms 119:19), in the midst of hostile persons (Psalms 119:21-23).

The word gimel is also related to the word gamal, which means camel, the animal that is the preferred means of transportation for the pilgrim’s journey through the wilderness. It also means to transport goods or good things. ‘To do good’ is also a meaning (Psalms 119:17). The Word of God is the counselor (Psalms 119:24) for the believer in his walk in the wilderness of this world. The believer’s walk in the world is illustrated in the life of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8).

The psalmist is not asking the LORD to help him to deal bountifully, but whether the LORD will deal bountifully with him (Psalms 119:17). He does not expect abundance from himself, but from the LORD. Thus, one who lacks wisdom on his way through the world can ask it of the LORD. In His abundance He will give, generously and without reproach (James 1:5). It is not a question of someone who wants to benefit from the abundance of God and then continue his own way. The psalmist asks as a “servant” of the LORD, acknowledging Him as his Lord and Master.

The psalmist calls himself a servant of the LORD. This title is also used in the book of Isaiah for the faithful remnant, following the perfect Servant of the LORD, the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew word ebed is translated here and in Isaiah as “servant”.

The psalmist appeals to the abundance of the LORD because it is the only way he will be able to live. This is about living in fellowship with God in a hostile world. The phrase “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), is translated in Hebrews 11 as “Enoch was pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5). The verb “walk” has a form that means “to walk for pleasure” and is a synonym for having fellowship with God.

This is the life the psalmist desires, in the midst of a world corrupt and full of violence: living in fellowship with God, as Enoch did just before the flood. That is the subject of this gimel stanza. To walk in this way may also be our desire (cf. Philippians 2:15-16).

It does not mean that the psalmist only wants to get pleasant things from God. He motivates his demand for life: it is, that he may then “keep Your word”. This is true life. Man will not live by bread alone, but by all the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

In order to keep God’s Word, the eyes must be opened to it (Psalms 119:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14). It is something that must come from God (cf. Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:18). The psalmist longs to “behold wonderful things from Your law”. The Word of God is full of wonderful things that are not noticeable to us at first glance. All who love the Bible long to see more and more of those wonderful things.

In this respect, believers resemble the blind man in the Gospel according to Mark, whose eyes the Lord has opened, but who at first still sees people walking around like trees, that is, as impressive figures (Mark 8:24). The Lord must continue to work with him so that he can see sharply. So it is also here with the psalmist. To know the wonderful things and depths of the Word of God, God must open our eyes (Ephesians 1:18).

“The wonderful things from Your law” begin with the wonderful things of creation in all its variety. When sin has entered into creation, the wonderful thing of the sacrifice for sin is shown. This is followed by countless wonderful things, first only for individual people, then also for a whole people, God’s people. The creation alone is an unparalleled wonderful thing. And so it continues throughout the history of God’s people. It is all recorded in the Old Testament.

The believer’s way in the earth is that of “a stranger” (Psalms 119:19; cf. 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). To know what this means, the believer must first come to understand who he is and what he is doing on earth. We were first as sinners strangers to the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). Now that we belong to the Lord Jesus, we no longer belong to the world and are strangers there. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

In order to know his way on earth to his homeland, heaven, the believer needs signposts. He finds these in the commandments of Word of God. To discover those commandments, those signposts, he is dependent on God. He does not ask God to show them to him, but to not hide them from him. Sometimes it looks like that to him. He then has no sense of direction, he does not know which way to go.

The pilgrim turns to the LORD and says to Him: “My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times” (Psalms 119:20). He has an intense desire for what the LORD has determined, what He has recorded in His Word for the life of His own. This desire he has not just occasionally, but “at all times”. He constantly longs to know the will of God for his life and for the way he must go.

The mind of longing for the Word gives a right view of the worldly person. Opposite that mind are “the arrogant, the cursed” (Psalms 119:21), the people who act from themselves and are focused on themselves. They often seem to be successful and able to exalt themselves in pride against God with impunity.

The righteous knows that the LORD rebukes them. He says that to the LORD. The curse comes upon the arrogant because, he says to the LORD, they “wander from Your commandments”. They know God’s commandments, but they wander from them. They deliberately choose their own way. This acting against their better judgment, that is, against the express will of God, is arrogance. It is the sin of satan (Ezekiel 28:17; cf. Isaiah 14:13-14).

This is also the greatest enemy of a believer who wants to walk the way with the Lord. Arrogance is the most serious aberration from the way with the Lord. This is why the Lord tells us to learn from Him, for He is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). Great knowledge of the Bible is not without danger, for it can lead to pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). Only fellowship with the Lord Jesus and sitting and learning at His feet can keep us from this.

The curse comes upon the arrogant in accordance with the covenant of the LORD with Israel. An Israelite who violates the covenant comes under the curse (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15; 45). The end of the cursed is “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

The righteous is showered with “reproach and contempt” because he does observe God’s testimonies (Psalms 119:22; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Unlike the antichrist and his followers, the psalmist – and the remnant – do want to observe God’s testimonies. After all, the testimonies, for example the two tablets of the law, are a source of joy to him (Psalms 119:24).

He has observed God’s “testimonies” and on that basis asks that God turns away the reproach and contempt loaded on him. Those who heed God’s Word must count on the world’s scorn. But he may go to God with that and ask for the defamation to be turned away. God’s assessment of his life is the only thing that matters to him.

He even encounters the contradiction of “princes” (Psalms 119:23). He has been indicted by the accursed arrogant, and instead of acquitting the righteous, the high-ranking lords vindicate the accusers. He is not troubled by it, however, for, he tells the LORD, when they speak thus, “Your servant meditates on Your statutes”.

As in the first verse of this stanza (Psalms 119:17), here, opposite the “princes” he calls himself “Your servant”, a servant of the LORD. Servant of the LORD is an honorary title of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, it is also a privilege for the psalmist, and for us, to be called servant of the Lord. Princes may be of nobility, but to be a servant of the Lord is far preferable to the nobility of a prince.

The psalmist’s life is a life of service to the LORD. That is what has brought him this opposition. His protection from their false charges and condemnation lies in meditating God’s statutes. That keeps him standing in the midst of all the enmity. We see the fulfillment of this verse in the life of the Lord Jesus, Who during His whole life and especially in the ‘trial’ against Him “has endured so great contradiction from sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3, Darby Translation).

For the psalmist, and for the believing remnant, and especially for the Lord Jesus, God’s testimonies are their personal, “my”, “delight” (Psalms 119:24). “[They are] my counselors”, the psalmist says to the LORD. This is a wonderful personification of God’s Word. Everything God says in His Word is good counsel for anyone who wants to listen to it.

This applies to the believer as a servant and as a stranger, and to situations where defamation, contempt and opposition are experienced. Then the believer knows what to do, what way to take, and how to respond to anything that comes his way or is done to him.

This stanza begins and ends with the psalmist as a servant of the LORD. Serving is the hallmark of the walk, gimel, of this righteous in the midst of a world that is corrupt (the antichrist) and full of violence (the king of the North) (cf. Genesis 6:11).

Proverbs 5:18

/gimel/ Walking as a Stranger

The acronym for gimel is derived from ‘foot in motion’. It is an indication of the believer’s walk in life, living as a stranger in the earth (Psalms 119:19), in the midst of hostile persons (Psalms 119:21-23).

The word gimel is also related to the word gamal, which means camel, the animal that is the preferred means of transportation for the pilgrim’s journey through the wilderness. It also means to transport goods or good things. ‘To do good’ is also a meaning (Psalms 119:17). The Word of God is the counselor (Psalms 119:24) for the believer in his walk in the wilderness of this world. The believer’s walk in the world is illustrated in the life of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8).

The psalmist is not asking the LORD to help him to deal bountifully, but whether the LORD will deal bountifully with him (Psalms 119:17). He does not expect abundance from himself, but from the LORD. Thus, one who lacks wisdom on his way through the world can ask it of the LORD. In His abundance He will give, generously and without reproach (James 1:5). It is not a question of someone who wants to benefit from the abundance of God and then continue his own way. The psalmist asks as a “servant” of the LORD, acknowledging Him as his Lord and Master.

The psalmist calls himself a servant of the LORD. This title is also used in the book of Isaiah for the faithful remnant, following the perfect Servant of the LORD, the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew word ebed is translated here and in Isaiah as “servant”.

The psalmist appeals to the abundance of the LORD because it is the only way he will be able to live. This is about living in fellowship with God in a hostile world. The phrase “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), is translated in Hebrews 11 as “Enoch was pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5). The verb “walk” has a form that means “to walk for pleasure” and is a synonym for having fellowship with God.

This is the life the psalmist desires, in the midst of a world corrupt and full of violence: living in fellowship with God, as Enoch did just before the flood. That is the subject of this gimel stanza. To walk in this way may also be our desire (cf. Philippians 2:15-16).

It does not mean that the psalmist only wants to get pleasant things from God. He motivates his demand for life: it is, that he may then “keep Your word”. This is true life. Man will not live by bread alone, but by all the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

In order to keep God’s Word, the eyes must be opened to it (Psalms 119:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14). It is something that must come from God (cf. Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:18). The psalmist longs to “behold wonderful things from Your law”. The Word of God is full of wonderful things that are not noticeable to us at first glance. All who love the Bible long to see more and more of those wonderful things.

In this respect, believers resemble the blind man in the Gospel according to Mark, whose eyes the Lord has opened, but who at first still sees people walking around like trees, that is, as impressive figures (Mark 8:24). The Lord must continue to work with him so that he can see sharply. So it is also here with the psalmist. To know the wonderful things and depths of the Word of God, God must open our eyes (Ephesians 1:18).

“The wonderful things from Your law” begin with the wonderful things of creation in all its variety. When sin has entered into creation, the wonderful thing of the sacrifice for sin is shown. This is followed by countless wonderful things, first only for individual people, then also for a whole people, God’s people. The creation alone is an unparalleled wonderful thing. And so it continues throughout the history of God’s people. It is all recorded in the Old Testament.

The believer’s way in the earth is that of “a stranger” (Psalms 119:19; cf. 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). To know what this means, the believer must first come to understand who he is and what he is doing on earth. We were first as sinners strangers to the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). Now that we belong to the Lord Jesus, we no longer belong to the world and are strangers there. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

In order to know his way on earth to his homeland, heaven, the believer needs signposts. He finds these in the commandments of Word of God. To discover those commandments, those signposts, he is dependent on God. He does not ask God to show them to him, but to not hide them from him. Sometimes it looks like that to him. He then has no sense of direction, he does not know which way to go.

The pilgrim turns to the LORD and says to Him: “My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times” (Psalms 119:20). He has an intense desire for what the LORD has determined, what He has recorded in His Word for the life of His own. This desire he has not just occasionally, but “at all times”. He constantly longs to know the will of God for his life and for the way he must go.

The mind of longing for the Word gives a right view of the worldly person. Opposite that mind are “the arrogant, the cursed” (Psalms 119:21), the people who act from themselves and are focused on themselves. They often seem to be successful and able to exalt themselves in pride against God with impunity.

The righteous knows that the LORD rebukes them. He says that to the LORD. The curse comes upon the arrogant because, he says to the LORD, they “wander from Your commandments”. They know God’s commandments, but they wander from them. They deliberately choose their own way. This acting against their better judgment, that is, against the express will of God, is arrogance. It is the sin of satan (Ezekiel 28:17; cf. Isaiah 14:13-14).

This is also the greatest enemy of a believer who wants to walk the way with the Lord. Arrogance is the most serious aberration from the way with the Lord. This is why the Lord tells us to learn from Him, for He is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). Great knowledge of the Bible is not without danger, for it can lead to pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). Only fellowship with the Lord Jesus and sitting and learning at His feet can keep us from this.

The curse comes upon the arrogant in accordance with the covenant of the LORD with Israel. An Israelite who violates the covenant comes under the curse (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15; 45). The end of the cursed is “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

The righteous is showered with “reproach and contempt” because he does observe God’s testimonies (Psalms 119:22; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Unlike the antichrist and his followers, the psalmist – and the remnant – do want to observe God’s testimonies. After all, the testimonies, for example the two tablets of the law, are a source of joy to him (Psalms 119:24).

He has observed God’s “testimonies” and on that basis asks that God turns away the reproach and contempt loaded on him. Those who heed God’s Word must count on the world’s scorn. But he may go to God with that and ask for the defamation to be turned away. God’s assessment of his life is the only thing that matters to him.

He even encounters the contradiction of “princes” (Psalms 119:23). He has been indicted by the accursed arrogant, and instead of acquitting the righteous, the high-ranking lords vindicate the accusers. He is not troubled by it, however, for, he tells the LORD, when they speak thus, “Your servant meditates on Your statutes”.

As in the first verse of this stanza (Psalms 119:17), here, opposite the “princes” he calls himself “Your servant”, a servant of the LORD. Servant of the LORD is an honorary title of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, it is also a privilege for the psalmist, and for us, to be called servant of the Lord. Princes may be of nobility, but to be a servant of the Lord is far preferable to the nobility of a prince.

The psalmist’s life is a life of service to the LORD. That is what has brought him this opposition. His protection from their false charges and condemnation lies in meditating God’s statutes. That keeps him standing in the midst of all the enmity. We see the fulfillment of this verse in the life of the Lord Jesus, Who during His whole life and especially in the ‘trial’ against Him “has endured so great contradiction from sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3, Darby Translation).

For the psalmist, and for the believing remnant, and especially for the Lord Jesus, God’s testimonies are their personal, “my”, “delight” (Psalms 119:24). “[They are] my counselors”, the psalmist says to the LORD. This is a wonderful personification of God’s Word. Everything God says in His Word is good counsel for anyone who wants to listen to it.

This applies to the believer as a servant and as a stranger, and to situations where defamation, contempt and opposition are experienced. Then the believer knows what to do, what way to take, and how to respond to anything that comes his way or is done to him.

This stanza begins and ends with the psalmist as a servant of the LORD. Serving is the hallmark of the walk, gimel, of this righteous in the midst of a world that is corrupt (the antichrist) and full of violence (the king of the North) (cf. Genesis 6:11).

Proverbs 5:19

/gimel/ Walking as a Stranger

The acronym for gimel is derived from ‘foot in motion’. It is an indication of the believer’s walk in life, living as a stranger in the earth (Psalms 119:19), in the midst of hostile persons (Psalms 119:21-23).

The word gimel is also related to the word gamal, which means camel, the animal that is the preferred means of transportation for the pilgrim’s journey through the wilderness. It also means to transport goods or good things. ‘To do good’ is also a meaning (Psalms 119:17). The Word of God is the counselor (Psalms 119:24) for the believer in his walk in the wilderness of this world. The believer’s walk in the world is illustrated in the life of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8).

The psalmist is not asking the LORD to help him to deal bountifully, but whether the LORD will deal bountifully with him (Psalms 119:17). He does not expect abundance from himself, but from the LORD. Thus, one who lacks wisdom on his way through the world can ask it of the LORD. In His abundance He will give, generously and without reproach (James 1:5). It is not a question of someone who wants to benefit from the abundance of God and then continue his own way. The psalmist asks as a “servant” of the LORD, acknowledging Him as his Lord and Master.

The psalmist calls himself a servant of the LORD. This title is also used in the book of Isaiah for the faithful remnant, following the perfect Servant of the LORD, the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew word ebed is translated here and in Isaiah as “servant”.

The psalmist appeals to the abundance of the LORD because it is the only way he will be able to live. This is about living in fellowship with God in a hostile world. The phrase “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), is translated in Hebrews 11 as “Enoch was pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5). The verb “walk” has a form that means “to walk for pleasure” and is a synonym for having fellowship with God.

This is the life the psalmist desires, in the midst of a world corrupt and full of violence: living in fellowship with God, as Enoch did just before the flood. That is the subject of this gimel stanza. To walk in this way may also be our desire (cf. Philippians 2:15-16).

It does not mean that the psalmist only wants to get pleasant things from God. He motivates his demand for life: it is, that he may then “keep Your word”. This is true life. Man will not live by bread alone, but by all the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

In order to keep God’s Word, the eyes must be opened to it (Psalms 119:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14). It is something that must come from God (cf. Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:18). The psalmist longs to “behold wonderful things from Your law”. The Word of God is full of wonderful things that are not noticeable to us at first glance. All who love the Bible long to see more and more of those wonderful things.

In this respect, believers resemble the blind man in the Gospel according to Mark, whose eyes the Lord has opened, but who at first still sees people walking around like trees, that is, as impressive figures (Mark 8:24). The Lord must continue to work with him so that he can see sharply. So it is also here with the psalmist. To know the wonderful things and depths of the Word of God, God must open our eyes (Ephesians 1:18).

“The wonderful things from Your law” begin with the wonderful things of creation in all its variety. When sin has entered into creation, the wonderful thing of the sacrifice for sin is shown. This is followed by countless wonderful things, first only for individual people, then also for a whole people, God’s people. The creation alone is an unparalleled wonderful thing. And so it continues throughout the history of God’s people. It is all recorded in the Old Testament.

The believer’s way in the earth is that of “a stranger” (Psalms 119:19; cf. 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). To know what this means, the believer must first come to understand who he is and what he is doing on earth. We were first as sinners strangers to the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). Now that we belong to the Lord Jesus, we no longer belong to the world and are strangers there. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

In order to know his way on earth to his homeland, heaven, the believer needs signposts. He finds these in the commandments of Word of God. To discover those commandments, those signposts, he is dependent on God. He does not ask God to show them to him, but to not hide them from him. Sometimes it looks like that to him. He then has no sense of direction, he does not know which way to go.

The pilgrim turns to the LORD and says to Him: “My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times” (Psalms 119:20). He has an intense desire for what the LORD has determined, what He has recorded in His Word for the life of His own. This desire he has not just occasionally, but “at all times”. He constantly longs to know the will of God for his life and for the way he must go.

The mind of longing for the Word gives a right view of the worldly person. Opposite that mind are “the arrogant, the cursed” (Psalms 119:21), the people who act from themselves and are focused on themselves. They often seem to be successful and able to exalt themselves in pride against God with impunity.

The righteous knows that the LORD rebukes them. He says that to the LORD. The curse comes upon the arrogant because, he says to the LORD, they “wander from Your commandments”. They know God’s commandments, but they wander from them. They deliberately choose their own way. This acting against their better judgment, that is, against the express will of God, is arrogance. It is the sin of satan (Ezekiel 28:17; cf. Isaiah 14:13-14).

This is also the greatest enemy of a believer who wants to walk the way with the Lord. Arrogance is the most serious aberration from the way with the Lord. This is why the Lord tells us to learn from Him, for He is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). Great knowledge of the Bible is not without danger, for it can lead to pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). Only fellowship with the Lord Jesus and sitting and learning at His feet can keep us from this.

The curse comes upon the arrogant in accordance with the covenant of the LORD with Israel. An Israelite who violates the covenant comes under the curse (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15; 45). The end of the cursed is “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

The righteous is showered with “reproach and contempt” because he does observe God’s testimonies (Psalms 119:22; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Unlike the antichrist and his followers, the psalmist – and the remnant – do want to observe God’s testimonies. After all, the testimonies, for example the two tablets of the law, are a source of joy to him (Psalms 119:24).

He has observed God’s “testimonies” and on that basis asks that God turns away the reproach and contempt loaded on him. Those who heed God’s Word must count on the world’s scorn. But he may go to God with that and ask for the defamation to be turned away. God’s assessment of his life is the only thing that matters to him.

He even encounters the contradiction of “princes” (Psalms 119:23). He has been indicted by the accursed arrogant, and instead of acquitting the righteous, the high-ranking lords vindicate the accusers. He is not troubled by it, however, for, he tells the LORD, when they speak thus, “Your servant meditates on Your statutes”.

As in the first verse of this stanza (Psalms 119:17), here, opposite the “princes” he calls himself “Your servant”, a servant of the LORD. Servant of the LORD is an honorary title of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, it is also a privilege for the psalmist, and for us, to be called servant of the Lord. Princes may be of nobility, but to be a servant of the Lord is far preferable to the nobility of a prince.

The psalmist’s life is a life of service to the LORD. That is what has brought him this opposition. His protection from their false charges and condemnation lies in meditating God’s statutes. That keeps him standing in the midst of all the enmity. We see the fulfillment of this verse in the life of the Lord Jesus, Who during His whole life and especially in the ‘trial’ against Him “has endured so great contradiction from sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3, Darby Translation).

For the psalmist, and for the believing remnant, and especially for the Lord Jesus, God’s testimonies are their personal, “my”, “delight” (Psalms 119:24). “[They are] my counselors”, the psalmist says to the LORD. This is a wonderful personification of God’s Word. Everything God says in His Word is good counsel for anyone who wants to listen to it.

This applies to the believer as a servant and as a stranger, and to situations where defamation, contempt and opposition are experienced. Then the believer knows what to do, what way to take, and how to respond to anything that comes his way or is done to him.

This stanza begins and ends with the psalmist as a servant of the LORD. Serving is the hallmark of the walk, gimel, of this righteous in the midst of a world that is corrupt (the antichrist) and full of violence (the king of the North) (cf. Genesis 6:11).

Proverbs 5:20

/gimel/ Walking as a Stranger

The acronym for gimel is derived from ‘foot in motion’. It is an indication of the believer’s walk in life, living as a stranger in the earth (Psalms 119:19), in the midst of hostile persons (Psalms 119:21-23).

The word gimel is also related to the word gamal, which means camel, the animal that is the preferred means of transportation for the pilgrim’s journey through the wilderness. It also means to transport goods or good things. ‘To do good’ is also a meaning (Psalms 119:17). The Word of God is the counselor (Psalms 119:24) for the believer in his walk in the wilderness of this world. The believer’s walk in the world is illustrated in the life of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8).

The psalmist is not asking the LORD to help him to deal bountifully, but whether the LORD will deal bountifully with him (Psalms 119:17). He does not expect abundance from himself, but from the LORD. Thus, one who lacks wisdom on his way through the world can ask it of the LORD. In His abundance He will give, generously and without reproach (James 1:5). It is not a question of someone who wants to benefit from the abundance of God and then continue his own way. The psalmist asks as a “servant” of the LORD, acknowledging Him as his Lord and Master.

The psalmist calls himself a servant of the LORD. This title is also used in the book of Isaiah for the faithful remnant, following the perfect Servant of the LORD, the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew word ebed is translated here and in Isaiah as “servant”.

The psalmist appeals to the abundance of the LORD because it is the only way he will be able to live. This is about living in fellowship with God in a hostile world. The phrase “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), is translated in Hebrews 11 as “Enoch was pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5). The verb “walk” has a form that means “to walk for pleasure” and is a synonym for having fellowship with God.

This is the life the psalmist desires, in the midst of a world corrupt and full of violence: living in fellowship with God, as Enoch did just before the flood. That is the subject of this gimel stanza. To walk in this way may also be our desire (cf. Philippians 2:15-16).

It does not mean that the psalmist only wants to get pleasant things from God. He motivates his demand for life: it is, that he may then “keep Your word”. This is true life. Man will not live by bread alone, but by all the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

In order to keep God’s Word, the eyes must be opened to it (Psalms 119:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14). It is something that must come from God (cf. Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:18). The psalmist longs to “behold wonderful things from Your law”. The Word of God is full of wonderful things that are not noticeable to us at first glance. All who love the Bible long to see more and more of those wonderful things.

In this respect, believers resemble the blind man in the Gospel according to Mark, whose eyes the Lord has opened, but who at first still sees people walking around like trees, that is, as impressive figures (Mark 8:24). The Lord must continue to work with him so that he can see sharply. So it is also here with the psalmist. To know the wonderful things and depths of the Word of God, God must open our eyes (Ephesians 1:18).

“The wonderful things from Your law” begin with the wonderful things of creation in all its variety. When sin has entered into creation, the wonderful thing of the sacrifice for sin is shown. This is followed by countless wonderful things, first only for individual people, then also for a whole people, God’s people. The creation alone is an unparalleled wonderful thing. And so it continues throughout the history of God’s people. It is all recorded in the Old Testament.

The believer’s way in the earth is that of “a stranger” (Psalms 119:19; cf. 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). To know what this means, the believer must first come to understand who he is and what he is doing on earth. We were first as sinners strangers to the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). Now that we belong to the Lord Jesus, we no longer belong to the world and are strangers there. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

In order to know his way on earth to his homeland, heaven, the believer needs signposts. He finds these in the commandments of Word of God. To discover those commandments, those signposts, he is dependent on God. He does not ask God to show them to him, but to not hide them from him. Sometimes it looks like that to him. He then has no sense of direction, he does not know which way to go.

The pilgrim turns to the LORD and says to Him: “My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times” (Psalms 119:20). He has an intense desire for what the LORD has determined, what He has recorded in His Word for the life of His own. This desire he has not just occasionally, but “at all times”. He constantly longs to know the will of God for his life and for the way he must go.

The mind of longing for the Word gives a right view of the worldly person. Opposite that mind are “the arrogant, the cursed” (Psalms 119:21), the people who act from themselves and are focused on themselves. They often seem to be successful and able to exalt themselves in pride against God with impunity.

The righteous knows that the LORD rebukes them. He says that to the LORD. The curse comes upon the arrogant because, he says to the LORD, they “wander from Your commandments”. They know God’s commandments, but they wander from them. They deliberately choose their own way. This acting against their better judgment, that is, against the express will of God, is arrogance. It is the sin of satan (Ezekiel 28:17; cf. Isaiah 14:13-14).

This is also the greatest enemy of a believer who wants to walk the way with the Lord. Arrogance is the most serious aberration from the way with the Lord. This is why the Lord tells us to learn from Him, for He is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). Great knowledge of the Bible is not without danger, for it can lead to pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). Only fellowship with the Lord Jesus and sitting and learning at His feet can keep us from this.

The curse comes upon the arrogant in accordance with the covenant of the LORD with Israel. An Israelite who violates the covenant comes under the curse (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15; 45). The end of the cursed is “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

The righteous is showered with “reproach and contempt” because he does observe God’s testimonies (Psalms 119:22; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Unlike the antichrist and his followers, the psalmist – and the remnant – do want to observe God’s testimonies. After all, the testimonies, for example the two tablets of the law, are a source of joy to him (Psalms 119:24).

He has observed God’s “testimonies” and on that basis asks that God turns away the reproach and contempt loaded on him. Those who heed God’s Word must count on the world’s scorn. But he may go to God with that and ask for the defamation to be turned away. God’s assessment of his life is the only thing that matters to him.

He even encounters the contradiction of “princes” (Psalms 119:23). He has been indicted by the accursed arrogant, and instead of acquitting the righteous, the high-ranking lords vindicate the accusers. He is not troubled by it, however, for, he tells the LORD, when they speak thus, “Your servant meditates on Your statutes”.

As in the first verse of this stanza (Psalms 119:17), here, opposite the “princes” he calls himself “Your servant”, a servant of the LORD. Servant of the LORD is an honorary title of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, it is also a privilege for the psalmist, and for us, to be called servant of the Lord. Princes may be of nobility, but to be a servant of the Lord is far preferable to the nobility of a prince.

The psalmist’s life is a life of service to the LORD. That is what has brought him this opposition. His protection from their false charges and condemnation lies in meditating God’s statutes. That keeps him standing in the midst of all the enmity. We see the fulfillment of this verse in the life of the Lord Jesus, Who during His whole life and especially in the ‘trial’ against Him “has endured so great contradiction from sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3, Darby Translation).

For the psalmist, and for the believing remnant, and especially for the Lord Jesus, God’s testimonies are their personal, “my”, “delight” (Psalms 119:24). “[They are] my counselors”, the psalmist says to the LORD. This is a wonderful personification of God’s Word. Everything God says in His Word is good counsel for anyone who wants to listen to it.

This applies to the believer as a servant and as a stranger, and to situations where defamation, contempt and opposition are experienced. Then the believer knows what to do, what way to take, and how to respond to anything that comes his way or is done to him.

This stanza begins and ends with the psalmist as a servant of the LORD. Serving is the hallmark of the walk, gimel, of this righteous in the midst of a world that is corrupt (the antichrist) and full of violence (the king of the North) (cf. Genesis 6:11).

Proverbs 5:21

/gimel/ Walking as a Stranger

The acronym for gimel is derived from ‘foot in motion’. It is an indication of the believer’s walk in life, living as a stranger in the earth (Psalms 119:19), in the midst of hostile persons (Psalms 119:21-23).

The word gimel is also related to the word gamal, which means camel, the animal that is the preferred means of transportation for the pilgrim’s journey through the wilderness. It also means to transport goods or good things. ‘To do good’ is also a meaning (Psalms 119:17). The Word of God is the counselor (Psalms 119:24) for the believer in his walk in the wilderness of this world. The believer’s walk in the world is illustrated in the life of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8).

The psalmist is not asking the LORD to help him to deal bountifully, but whether the LORD will deal bountifully with him (Psalms 119:17). He does not expect abundance from himself, but from the LORD. Thus, one who lacks wisdom on his way through the world can ask it of the LORD. In His abundance He will give, generously and without reproach (James 1:5). It is not a question of someone who wants to benefit from the abundance of God and then continue his own way. The psalmist asks as a “servant” of the LORD, acknowledging Him as his Lord and Master.

The psalmist calls himself a servant of the LORD. This title is also used in the book of Isaiah for the faithful remnant, following the perfect Servant of the LORD, the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew word ebed is translated here and in Isaiah as “servant”.

The psalmist appeals to the abundance of the LORD because it is the only way he will be able to live. This is about living in fellowship with God in a hostile world. The phrase “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), is translated in Hebrews 11 as “Enoch was pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5). The verb “walk” has a form that means “to walk for pleasure” and is a synonym for having fellowship with God.

This is the life the psalmist desires, in the midst of a world corrupt and full of violence: living in fellowship with God, as Enoch did just before the flood. That is the subject of this gimel stanza. To walk in this way may also be our desire (cf. Philippians 2:15-16).

It does not mean that the psalmist only wants to get pleasant things from God. He motivates his demand for life: it is, that he may then “keep Your word”. This is true life. Man will not live by bread alone, but by all the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

In order to keep God’s Word, the eyes must be opened to it (Psalms 119:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14). It is something that must come from God (cf. Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:18). The psalmist longs to “behold wonderful things from Your law”. The Word of God is full of wonderful things that are not noticeable to us at first glance. All who love the Bible long to see more and more of those wonderful things.

In this respect, believers resemble the blind man in the Gospel according to Mark, whose eyes the Lord has opened, but who at first still sees people walking around like trees, that is, as impressive figures (Mark 8:24). The Lord must continue to work with him so that he can see sharply. So it is also here with the psalmist. To know the wonderful things and depths of the Word of God, God must open our eyes (Ephesians 1:18).

“The wonderful things from Your law” begin with the wonderful things of creation in all its variety. When sin has entered into creation, the wonderful thing of the sacrifice for sin is shown. This is followed by countless wonderful things, first only for individual people, then also for a whole people, God’s people. The creation alone is an unparalleled wonderful thing. And so it continues throughout the history of God’s people. It is all recorded in the Old Testament.

The believer’s way in the earth is that of “a stranger” (Psalms 119:19; cf. 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). To know what this means, the believer must first come to understand who he is and what he is doing on earth. We were first as sinners strangers to the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). Now that we belong to the Lord Jesus, we no longer belong to the world and are strangers there. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

In order to know his way on earth to his homeland, heaven, the believer needs signposts. He finds these in the commandments of Word of God. To discover those commandments, those signposts, he is dependent on God. He does not ask God to show them to him, but to not hide them from him. Sometimes it looks like that to him. He then has no sense of direction, he does not know which way to go.

The pilgrim turns to the LORD and says to Him: “My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times” (Psalms 119:20). He has an intense desire for what the LORD has determined, what He has recorded in His Word for the life of His own. This desire he has not just occasionally, but “at all times”. He constantly longs to know the will of God for his life and for the way he must go.

The mind of longing for the Word gives a right view of the worldly person. Opposite that mind are “the arrogant, the cursed” (Psalms 119:21), the people who act from themselves and are focused on themselves. They often seem to be successful and able to exalt themselves in pride against God with impunity.

The righteous knows that the LORD rebukes them. He says that to the LORD. The curse comes upon the arrogant because, he says to the LORD, they “wander from Your commandments”. They know God’s commandments, but they wander from them. They deliberately choose their own way. This acting against their better judgment, that is, against the express will of God, is arrogance. It is the sin of satan (Ezekiel 28:17; cf. Isaiah 14:13-14).

This is also the greatest enemy of a believer who wants to walk the way with the Lord. Arrogance is the most serious aberration from the way with the Lord. This is why the Lord tells us to learn from Him, for He is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). Great knowledge of the Bible is not without danger, for it can lead to pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). Only fellowship with the Lord Jesus and sitting and learning at His feet can keep us from this.

The curse comes upon the arrogant in accordance with the covenant of the LORD with Israel. An Israelite who violates the covenant comes under the curse (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15; 45). The end of the cursed is “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

The righteous is showered with “reproach and contempt” because he does observe God’s testimonies (Psalms 119:22; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Unlike the antichrist and his followers, the psalmist – and the remnant – do want to observe God’s testimonies. After all, the testimonies, for example the two tablets of the law, are a source of joy to him (Psalms 119:24).

He has observed God’s “testimonies” and on that basis asks that God turns away the reproach and contempt loaded on him. Those who heed God’s Word must count on the world’s scorn. But he may go to God with that and ask for the defamation to be turned away. God’s assessment of his life is the only thing that matters to him.

He even encounters the contradiction of “princes” (Psalms 119:23). He has been indicted by the accursed arrogant, and instead of acquitting the righteous, the high-ranking lords vindicate the accusers. He is not troubled by it, however, for, he tells the LORD, when they speak thus, “Your servant meditates on Your statutes”.

As in the first verse of this stanza (Psalms 119:17), here, opposite the “princes” he calls himself “Your servant”, a servant of the LORD. Servant of the LORD is an honorary title of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, it is also a privilege for the psalmist, and for us, to be called servant of the Lord. Princes may be of nobility, but to be a servant of the Lord is far preferable to the nobility of a prince.

The psalmist’s life is a life of service to the LORD. That is what has brought him this opposition. His protection from their false charges and condemnation lies in meditating God’s statutes. That keeps him standing in the midst of all the enmity. We see the fulfillment of this verse in the life of the Lord Jesus, Who during His whole life and especially in the ‘trial’ against Him “has endured so great contradiction from sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3, Darby Translation).

For the psalmist, and for the believing remnant, and especially for the Lord Jesus, God’s testimonies are their personal, “my”, “delight” (Psalms 119:24). “[They are] my counselors”, the psalmist says to the LORD. This is a wonderful personification of God’s Word. Everything God says in His Word is good counsel for anyone who wants to listen to it.

This applies to the believer as a servant and as a stranger, and to situations where defamation, contempt and opposition are experienced. Then the believer knows what to do, what way to take, and how to respond to anything that comes his way or is done to him.

This stanza begins and ends with the psalmist as a servant of the LORD. Serving is the hallmark of the walk, gimel, of this righteous in the midst of a world that is corrupt (the antichrist) and full of violence (the king of the North) (cf. Genesis 6:11).

Proverbs 5:22

/gimel/ Walking as a Stranger

The acronym for gimel is derived from ‘foot in motion’. It is an indication of the believer’s walk in life, living as a stranger in the earth (Psalms 119:19), in the midst of hostile persons (Psalms 119:21-23).

The word gimel is also related to the word gamal, which means camel, the animal that is the preferred means of transportation for the pilgrim’s journey through the wilderness. It also means to transport goods or good things. ‘To do good’ is also a meaning (Psalms 119:17). The Word of God is the counselor (Psalms 119:24) for the believer in his walk in the wilderness of this world. The believer’s walk in the world is illustrated in the life of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8).

The psalmist is not asking the LORD to help him to deal bountifully, but whether the LORD will deal bountifully with him (Psalms 119:17). He does not expect abundance from himself, but from the LORD. Thus, one who lacks wisdom on his way through the world can ask it of the LORD. In His abundance He will give, generously and without reproach (James 1:5). It is not a question of someone who wants to benefit from the abundance of God and then continue his own way. The psalmist asks as a “servant” of the LORD, acknowledging Him as his Lord and Master.

The psalmist calls himself a servant of the LORD. This title is also used in the book of Isaiah for the faithful remnant, following the perfect Servant of the LORD, the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew word ebed is translated here and in Isaiah as “servant”.

The psalmist appeals to the abundance of the LORD because it is the only way he will be able to live. This is about living in fellowship with God in a hostile world. The phrase “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), is translated in Hebrews 11 as “Enoch was pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5). The verb “walk” has a form that means “to walk for pleasure” and is a synonym for having fellowship with God.

This is the life the psalmist desires, in the midst of a world corrupt and full of violence: living in fellowship with God, as Enoch did just before the flood. That is the subject of this gimel stanza. To walk in this way may also be our desire (cf. Philippians 2:15-16).

It does not mean that the psalmist only wants to get pleasant things from God. He motivates his demand for life: it is, that he may then “keep Your word”. This is true life. Man will not live by bread alone, but by all the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

In order to keep God’s Word, the eyes must be opened to it (Psalms 119:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14). It is something that must come from God (cf. Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:18). The psalmist longs to “behold wonderful things from Your law”. The Word of God is full of wonderful things that are not noticeable to us at first glance. All who love the Bible long to see more and more of those wonderful things.

In this respect, believers resemble the blind man in the Gospel according to Mark, whose eyes the Lord has opened, but who at first still sees people walking around like trees, that is, as impressive figures (Mark 8:24). The Lord must continue to work with him so that he can see sharply. So it is also here with the psalmist. To know the wonderful things and depths of the Word of God, God must open our eyes (Ephesians 1:18).

“The wonderful things from Your law” begin with the wonderful things of creation in all its variety. When sin has entered into creation, the wonderful thing of the sacrifice for sin is shown. This is followed by countless wonderful things, first only for individual people, then also for a whole people, God’s people. The creation alone is an unparalleled wonderful thing. And so it continues throughout the history of God’s people. It is all recorded in the Old Testament.

The believer’s way in the earth is that of “a stranger” (Psalms 119:19; cf. 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). To know what this means, the believer must first come to understand who he is and what he is doing on earth. We were first as sinners strangers to the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). Now that we belong to the Lord Jesus, we no longer belong to the world and are strangers there. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

In order to know his way on earth to his homeland, heaven, the believer needs signposts. He finds these in the commandments of Word of God. To discover those commandments, those signposts, he is dependent on God. He does not ask God to show them to him, but to not hide them from him. Sometimes it looks like that to him. He then has no sense of direction, he does not know which way to go.

The pilgrim turns to the LORD and says to Him: “My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times” (Psalms 119:20). He has an intense desire for what the LORD has determined, what He has recorded in His Word for the life of His own. This desire he has not just occasionally, but “at all times”. He constantly longs to know the will of God for his life and for the way he must go.

The mind of longing for the Word gives a right view of the worldly person. Opposite that mind are “the arrogant, the cursed” (Psalms 119:21), the people who act from themselves and are focused on themselves. They often seem to be successful and able to exalt themselves in pride against God with impunity.

The righteous knows that the LORD rebukes them. He says that to the LORD. The curse comes upon the arrogant because, he says to the LORD, they “wander from Your commandments”. They know God’s commandments, but they wander from them. They deliberately choose their own way. This acting against their better judgment, that is, against the express will of God, is arrogance. It is the sin of satan (Ezekiel 28:17; cf. Isaiah 14:13-14).

This is also the greatest enemy of a believer who wants to walk the way with the Lord. Arrogance is the most serious aberration from the way with the Lord. This is why the Lord tells us to learn from Him, for He is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). Great knowledge of the Bible is not without danger, for it can lead to pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). Only fellowship with the Lord Jesus and sitting and learning at His feet can keep us from this.

The curse comes upon the arrogant in accordance with the covenant of the LORD with Israel. An Israelite who violates the covenant comes under the curse (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15; 45). The end of the cursed is “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

The righteous is showered with “reproach and contempt” because he does observe God’s testimonies (Psalms 119:22; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Unlike the antichrist and his followers, the psalmist – and the remnant – do want to observe God’s testimonies. After all, the testimonies, for example the two tablets of the law, are a source of joy to him (Psalms 119:24).

He has observed God’s “testimonies” and on that basis asks that God turns away the reproach and contempt loaded on him. Those who heed God’s Word must count on the world’s scorn. But he may go to God with that and ask for the defamation to be turned away. God’s assessment of his life is the only thing that matters to him.

He even encounters the contradiction of “princes” (Psalms 119:23). He has been indicted by the accursed arrogant, and instead of acquitting the righteous, the high-ranking lords vindicate the accusers. He is not troubled by it, however, for, he tells the LORD, when they speak thus, “Your servant meditates on Your statutes”.

As in the first verse of this stanza (Psalms 119:17), here, opposite the “princes” he calls himself “Your servant”, a servant of the LORD. Servant of the LORD is an honorary title of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, it is also a privilege for the psalmist, and for us, to be called servant of the Lord. Princes may be of nobility, but to be a servant of the Lord is far preferable to the nobility of a prince.

The psalmist’s life is a life of service to the LORD. That is what has brought him this opposition. His protection from their false charges and condemnation lies in meditating God’s statutes. That keeps him standing in the midst of all the enmity. We see the fulfillment of this verse in the life of the Lord Jesus, Who during His whole life and especially in the ‘trial’ against Him “has endured so great contradiction from sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3, Darby Translation).

For the psalmist, and for the believing remnant, and especially for the Lord Jesus, God’s testimonies are their personal, “my”, “delight” (Psalms 119:24). “[They are] my counselors”, the psalmist says to the LORD. This is a wonderful personification of God’s Word. Everything God says in His Word is good counsel for anyone who wants to listen to it.

This applies to the believer as a servant and as a stranger, and to situations where defamation, contempt and opposition are experienced. Then the believer knows what to do, what way to take, and how to respond to anything that comes his way or is done to him.

This stanza begins and ends with the psalmist as a servant of the LORD. Serving is the hallmark of the walk, gimel, of this righteous in the midst of a world that is corrupt (the antichrist) and full of violence (the king of the North) (cf. Genesis 6:11).

Proverbs 5:23

/gimel/ Walking as a Stranger

The acronym for gimel is derived from ‘foot in motion’. It is an indication of the believer’s walk in life, living as a stranger in the earth (Psalms 119:19), in the midst of hostile persons (Psalms 119:21-23).

The word gimel is also related to the word gamal, which means camel, the animal that is the preferred means of transportation for the pilgrim’s journey through the wilderness. It also means to transport goods or good things. ‘To do good’ is also a meaning (Psalms 119:17). The Word of God is the counselor (Psalms 119:24) for the believer in his walk in the wilderness of this world. The believer’s walk in the world is illustrated in the life of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8).

The psalmist is not asking the LORD to help him to deal bountifully, but whether the LORD will deal bountifully with him (Psalms 119:17). He does not expect abundance from himself, but from the LORD. Thus, one who lacks wisdom on his way through the world can ask it of the LORD. In His abundance He will give, generously and without reproach (James 1:5). It is not a question of someone who wants to benefit from the abundance of God and then continue his own way. The psalmist asks as a “servant” of the LORD, acknowledging Him as his Lord and Master.

The psalmist calls himself a servant of the LORD. This title is also used in the book of Isaiah for the faithful remnant, following the perfect Servant of the LORD, the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew word ebed is translated here and in Isaiah as “servant”.

The psalmist appeals to the abundance of the LORD because it is the only way he will be able to live. This is about living in fellowship with God in a hostile world. The phrase “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), is translated in Hebrews 11 as “Enoch was pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5). The verb “walk” has a form that means “to walk for pleasure” and is a synonym for having fellowship with God.

This is the life the psalmist desires, in the midst of a world corrupt and full of violence: living in fellowship with God, as Enoch did just before the flood. That is the subject of this gimel stanza. To walk in this way may also be our desire (cf. Philippians 2:15-16).

It does not mean that the psalmist only wants to get pleasant things from God. He motivates his demand for life: it is, that he may then “keep Your word”. This is true life. Man will not live by bread alone, but by all the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

In order to keep God’s Word, the eyes must be opened to it (Psalms 119:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:14). It is something that must come from God (cf. Luke 24:45; Ephesians 1:18). The psalmist longs to “behold wonderful things from Your law”. The Word of God is full of wonderful things that are not noticeable to us at first glance. All who love the Bible long to see more and more of those wonderful things.

In this respect, believers resemble the blind man in the Gospel according to Mark, whose eyes the Lord has opened, but who at first still sees people walking around like trees, that is, as impressive figures (Mark 8:24). The Lord must continue to work with him so that he can see sharply. So it is also here with the psalmist. To know the wonderful things and depths of the Word of God, God must open our eyes (Ephesians 1:18).

“The wonderful things from Your law” begin with the wonderful things of creation in all its variety. When sin has entered into creation, the wonderful thing of the sacrifice for sin is shown. This is followed by countless wonderful things, first only for individual people, then also for a whole people, God’s people. The creation alone is an unparalleled wonderful thing. And so it continues throughout the history of God’s people. It is all recorded in the Old Testament.

The believer’s way in the earth is that of “a stranger” (Psalms 119:19; cf. 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). To know what this means, the believer must first come to understand who he is and what he is doing on earth. We were first as sinners strangers to the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). Now that we belong to the Lord Jesus, we no longer belong to the world and are strangers there. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

In order to know his way on earth to his homeland, heaven, the believer needs signposts. He finds these in the commandments of Word of God. To discover those commandments, those signposts, he is dependent on God. He does not ask God to show them to him, but to not hide them from him. Sometimes it looks like that to him. He then has no sense of direction, he does not know which way to go.

The pilgrim turns to the LORD and says to Him: “My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times” (Psalms 119:20). He has an intense desire for what the LORD has determined, what He has recorded in His Word for the life of His own. This desire he has not just occasionally, but “at all times”. He constantly longs to know the will of God for his life and for the way he must go.

The mind of longing for the Word gives a right view of the worldly person. Opposite that mind are “the arrogant, the cursed” (Psalms 119:21), the people who act from themselves and are focused on themselves. They often seem to be successful and able to exalt themselves in pride against God with impunity.

The righteous knows that the LORD rebukes them. He says that to the LORD. The curse comes upon the arrogant because, he says to the LORD, they “wander from Your commandments”. They know God’s commandments, but they wander from them. They deliberately choose their own way. This acting against their better judgment, that is, against the express will of God, is arrogance. It is the sin of satan (Ezekiel 28:17; cf. Isaiah 14:13-14).

This is also the greatest enemy of a believer who wants to walk the way with the Lord. Arrogance is the most serious aberration from the way with the Lord. This is why the Lord tells us to learn from Him, for He is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). Great knowledge of the Bible is not without danger, for it can lead to pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). Only fellowship with the Lord Jesus and sitting and learning at His feet can keep us from this.

The curse comes upon the arrogant in accordance with the covenant of the LORD with Israel. An Israelite who violates the covenant comes under the curse (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15; 45). The end of the cursed is “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

The righteous is showered with “reproach and contempt” because he does observe God’s testimonies (Psalms 119:22; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Unlike the antichrist and his followers, the psalmist – and the remnant – do want to observe God’s testimonies. After all, the testimonies, for example the two tablets of the law, are a source of joy to him (Psalms 119:24).

He has observed God’s “testimonies” and on that basis asks that God turns away the reproach and contempt loaded on him. Those who heed God’s Word must count on the world’s scorn. But he may go to God with that and ask for the defamation to be turned away. God’s assessment of his life is the only thing that matters to him.

He even encounters the contradiction of “princes” (Psalms 119:23). He has been indicted by the accursed arrogant, and instead of acquitting the righteous, the high-ranking lords vindicate the accusers. He is not troubled by it, however, for, he tells the LORD, when they speak thus, “Your servant meditates on Your statutes”.

As in the first verse of this stanza (Psalms 119:17), here, opposite the “princes” he calls himself “Your servant”, a servant of the LORD. Servant of the LORD is an honorary title of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, it is also a privilege for the psalmist, and for us, to be called servant of the Lord. Princes may be of nobility, but to be a servant of the Lord is far preferable to the nobility of a prince.

The psalmist’s life is a life of service to the LORD. That is what has brought him this opposition. His protection from their false charges and condemnation lies in meditating God’s statutes. That keeps him standing in the midst of all the enmity. We see the fulfillment of this verse in the life of the Lord Jesus, Who during His whole life and especially in the ‘trial’ against Him “has endured so great contradiction from sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3, Darby Translation).

For the psalmist, and for the believing remnant, and especially for the Lord Jesus, God’s testimonies are their personal, “my”, “delight” (Psalms 119:24). “[They are] my counselors”, the psalmist says to the LORD. This is a wonderful personification of God’s Word. Everything God says in His Word is good counsel for anyone who wants to listen to it.

This applies to the believer as a servant and as a stranger, and to situations where defamation, contempt and opposition are experienced. Then the believer knows what to do, what way to take, and how to respond to anything that comes his way or is done to him.

This stanza begins and ends with the psalmist as a servant of the LORD. Serving is the hallmark of the walk, gimel, of this righteous in the midst of a world that is corrupt (the antichrist) and full of violence (the king of the North) (cf. Genesis 6:11).