Yodh

We continue our journey through Psalm 119 and now we come to Yodh. Today's section continues some with the them of affliction, but expands on it to show how we can use God's word to benefit other people.

⁷³ Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.

⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.

⁷⁵ I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

⁷⁶ May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.

⁷⁷ Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.

⁷⁸ May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.

⁷⁹ May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes.

⁸⁰ May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.

Psalm 119:73-80

Discussion Questions

• We see a little more about affliction in this section. Here, what does the Psalmist say happened? Proud people have treated him badly without any reason (Verse 78)
• What is his response to this? Meditating on God's law (Verse 78)
• Does he blame God for his affliction? No, he know God is being faithful (Verse 75)
• What does he know God's word promises for his comfort and continued life? God's unfailing love and compassion (Verses 76-77)
• Backing up a little bit, why does he want to learn God's commands? Because God created him. (Verse 73)
• When he is around others that love God, what does he want?
• He wants them to be joyful because his hope is in God's word (Vers 74)
• He wants to teach them God's laws (Verse 79)
• How does he expect to remain blameless? By following God's law (Verse 80)
• Do you want to take what you have learned from God's word and share it with others like the Psalmist does?
• How would you like to do so?

Aleph

Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Hebrew is the language that most of the Old Testament was written in. What does this have to do with Bible study? Well, the longest Psalm in the Bible is an acrostic poem. That means that in each section of the Psalm, all of the lines in the original Hebrew start with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We don't see that in the English translation. But, if we read the first part of Psalm 119 (we don't want to read the whole thing it's 176 verses long). But the aleph section (and all of the letters for that matter) is only 8 verses long.

¹ Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.

² Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

³ They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

⁴ You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

⁵ Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

⁶ Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

⁷ I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

⁸ I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

Psalm 119:1-8

We see some themes here that we've seen in other places that we've studied. There's similarities to Psalm 1, Psalm 19, the Beatitudes which we read from Matthew 5, and other places. There's also (like Psalm 19) several different ways of referring to God's law.

• the law of the Lord
• his statutes
• precepts
• decrees
• commands
• righteous laws

Discussion Questions

• Who are the blessed in this Psalm?
• what do they do
• their ways are blameless
• walk according to the law of the Lord
• keep his statutes
• seek him with all their heart
• do nothing wrong
• walk in his ways
• based on what we studied yesterday, would you say they fear the lord?
• does the Psalmist (whoever wrote this Psalm, it's not labeled like some of the other Psalms) want to be like those "whose ways are blameless"?
• do you think the Psalmist thought he was like that?
• how does the Psalmist think he will get that way?
• Do you want to learn God's righteous laws like the Psalmist did?

The Ten Commandments (continued, again)

The last six commandments talk about our duty to other people. When Jesus summarized the ten commandments in two, the second one was

And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Matthew 22:39

Discussion questions

• What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself?
• What are some ways we can love our neighbor?

Now let's look at the last six commandments.

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land
the LORD your God is giving you.

"You shall not murder.

"You shall not commit adultery.

"You shall not steal.

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Discussion questions

• These six commandments show us how to love our neighbors and our fellow man. Who is mentioned first?
• Why do you think your father and mother are mentioned first?
• What does it mean to murder?
• In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus even compares not being angry with someone to the commandment not to murder. Do you find it hard to not to be angry with those around you?
• What does it mean to commit adultery?
• What does it mean to steal?
• Do you ever have problems with taking things that aren't yours?
• What does it mean to give false testimony?
• Do you ever have problems telling things that are not true?
• What does it mean to covet?
• Do you ever want something that belongs to someone else?

The Ten Commandments (continued)

The first four commandments talk about our duty to God. This is much like when we read yesterday how Jesus summarized the ten commandments into just two. The first of these was

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

Matthew 22:37

Do you recall some of the ways you said you could love God?

Let's look at these first four commandments...

"You shall have no other gods before me.

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:2-11

Discussion questions

• What does it mean to not have any other gods?
• Can you think of anything that you sometimes love more than you love God?
• If God is a jealous God, what should you do?
• What are some things in your life that God might be jealous of?
• How do people misuse God's name?
• When are acceptable times to use God's name? (When talking to Him or talking about Him)
• What do Christians celebrate as the Sabbath day?
• What are things we can do to keep the Sabbath day holy?
• What are things we shouldn't do on the Sabbath day?

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments are the rules that God gave to His people through Moses on Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments aren't all of the laws (rules) that God had for His people, but they form the basis for all of God's laws. But, Jesus simplified things even more, summarizing all of the law into just two!

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Matthew 22:36-40

The Ten Commandments neatly fit into the two commandments that Jesus told of. The first set of commandments deal with how we are to love God and the second set deal with how we are to love others.

• Why do you think the command to love God is first?
• What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind?
• What are some ways you can love God?
• What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself?
• How can we love our neighbor?

Let's read the Ten Commandments now. We'll start looking at them in depth later...

And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

"You shall have no other gods before me.

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

"You shall not murder.

"You shall not commit adultery.

"You shall not steal.

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Exodus 20:1-17