WEEK 41 |
psalms this week |
"O holy abstinence wherein the soul, filled with the will of God, no longer feeds upon self-will. It has, like Christ, another meat by which it is fed. Give me, Lord, this bread, greater than any substance, which will appease my heart's hunger forever. The bread that extinguishes every selfish desire. The true manna that takes the place of all things." |
Psalms 119
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introduction to the Series
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Most of what we learn how to do, we learn from other people. Sometimes it is the learning that comes from specific and deliberate instruction. At other times it is the learning that comes by way of example and imitation. During 2023, our endeavor is to learn how to pray from the Psalmist.*
The Book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, and it is mostly a book of prayers. We will spend the year going through the book, beginning to end, and letting the Psalmist teach us by example how to pray. |
In this endeavor, we cannot benefit from his deliberate instruction, of course. What we can do, however, is take full advantage of his example. We will observe how he prays, and we will learn to imitate him.
Our approach will be week by week. The recommended practices and exercises are not daily, but rather suggestions for an individual to implement throughout the whole week. |
Exercises for this week
Psalm 119
Psalm 119 is the longest in the Book of Psalms. Indeed, it is the longest chapter in the entire Bible. In order to do right by it, therefore, we are dividing it into seven smaller sections.
It is important to note that, in the original Hebrew, Psalm 119 was written as an extended acrostic poem. Each of the first eight lines of the Psalm begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Then the next eight lines of the Psalm begin with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And that same, disciplined structure is maintained through all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
As a result of the demanding acrostic structure, the Psalm can sometimes feel like a series of independent statements rather than a traceable flow of thought. Certain themes dominate throughout the Psalm, however, and so our treatment of each section will be similar to the others as we seek to unpack the whole in manageable parts.
It is important to note that, in the original Hebrew, Psalm 119 was written as an extended acrostic poem. Each of the first eight lines of the Psalm begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Then the next eight lines of the Psalm begin with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And that same, disciplined structure is maintained through all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
As a result of the demanding acrostic structure, the Psalm can sometimes feel like a series of independent statements rather than a traceable flow of thought. Certain themes dominate throughout the Psalm, however, and so our treatment of each section will be similar to the others as we seek to unpack the whole in manageable parts.
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Psalm 119
Read Psalm 119:49-72. Focus especially on verse 59. Read it in a variety of translations in order to gain a fuller appreciation for what the Psalmist is saying. Rewrite the verse in your own words. Then make it your prayer as you read and reflect on this next section of Psalm 119.
Psalm 119 is written predominantly as a prayer. Reflect on the individual verses that make up this portion of the prayer:
Within the prayer, we read a number of requests that the Psalmist makes of the Lord. Reflect on those requests.
Consider what the Psalmist says about himself. In addition to what you surmised above about his circumstances...
Central to Psalm 119 is the theme of God's word. A variety of vocabulary is employed -- laws, precepts, commandments, judgments, statutes, testimonies, and more. We will consider it all under the larger rubric of God's word.
To what extent do you experience and cherish the attributes and benefits of God's word as the Psalmist does? Talk to Him about it. To what extent are the identified attributes of God's word also attributes of God? To what extent are the identified benefits of God's word also benefits of God? To what extent does an individual's right response to God's word also express what it is for a person to respond rightly to God? Talk to the Lord about the relationship between Him and His word. Watch for the theme of God's word in relation to matters of time and space. Again, we note that the Psalmist uses picturesque language, and it subtly carries meaning.
Reflect on verse 72. Read it in several different translations.
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* We will refer to the author as “the Psalmist,” though of course not all of the Psalms were written by the same person. A significant number are attributed to David. Others are associated with Asaph, the sons of Korah, and an assortment of other individuals. Also, several dozen Psalms have no name attached to them. For the sake of ease and uniformity, we will simply refer to “the Psalmist.”