Psalm 119 KAPH

 "My soul faints with longing for your salvation,   

    but I have put my hope in your word.

My eyes fail, looking for your promise;

        I say, 'When will you comfort me?'

Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,                             

    I do not forget your decrees.

How long must your servant wait?

        When will you punish my persecutors?

The arrogant dig pits to trap me,

        contrary to your law.

All your commands are trustworthy;

        help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.

They almost wiped me from the earth,

     but I have not forsaken your precepts.

In your unfailing love preserve my life,

        that I may obey the statutes of your mouth."

                                Psalm 119:81-88

        The coolest part about the longest chapter in Psalm is not only that it is split into 22 sections, each with 8 verses a section, or that the sections are split by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The coolest part is that the sections themselves follow what is called an acrostic pattern. According to the blog God's Growing Garden, the author describes an acrostic pattern as a poem that is arranged to  is a poem where certain letters in each line spell out a word or phrase. We see in this section KAPH split like this

                 Keep me 

               SAfe,

                  Preserve my life;

I place my Hope in your Word.

        The main theme of this section is the truth that even when we feel at our weakest, God, in all of his strength, has a plan, and it is through this that we find the greatest strength, despite our weakness. An underlying concept that continues to show up in this psalm are the people who are simply termed "the pride" or "the prideful". Sometimes, they accuse the righteous of false unrighteousness, or they belittle the righteous because of their belief, but this instance shows the heart of the psalmist. "How long will your servant wait, when will you punish your persecutors? The arrogant dig pits to trap me, contrary to your law. All your commands are trustworthy, help me for I am being persecuted without cause."- vs 84-86. 

        What the psalmist is saying is that although he knows God has redeemed him and saved him, his enemies still rise up against him, many times without any truth in their accusations. Unfortunately for the writer, he probably couldn't see the fulfillment of his hopes. Fortunately for us, we have been given the gift of the completed Bible. The book of Revelation reveals God's plan for exactly what will happen to the prideful and arrogant, as well as the blessings and fulfillments of promises to the people who are written in the Lamb's book of Life. 

        I believe their have been times in all of our lives where we hit this same stance as Christians. We serve God faithfully, obeying his rules and following his commandments, yet we tend to get looked over and pushed around, simply because we desire to act in kindness instead of hate. Despite all this, the proud succeed and become the objects of desire for the world to admire. We wonder when will the universe shift in our favor and the arrogant finally get what is coming to them. We tell God all the reasons why our life should be in a better position then it is and clearly He must have messed up somewhere along the way. If the commands we follow are truly for our good, why is our life seemingly in shambles. "When will they get what you said they deserve?" This section KAPH reminds us that in times of emotional distress, God's strength will make us strong to overcome the weakness of the flesh and to allow God's plan to fall into place as he has designed and planned it to go. 

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey Through the Psalms 

Psalm 119 Yodh

"Your hands made me and formed me;

      give me understanding to learn your commands.

May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,

      for I have put my hope in your word.

I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,

      and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

 May your unfailing love be my comfort,

      according to your promise to your servant.

Let your compassion come to me that I may live,

     for your law is my delight.

May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;

     but I will meditate on your precepts.

May those who fear you turn to me,

     those who understand your statutes.

May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,

     that I may not be put to shame."- Psalm 119:73-80

    The tenth section of the psalms conveys the Hebrew letter Yodh, which represents creation and humility, and this section beautifully represents both of these concepts. It starts with the psalmist acknowledging that God has made him, and formed him, and that everything that comes up in life is ordained by God, both the good and the bad. I love in verse 75, the psalmist comes to the realization that even when afflictions come our way, God, in all his faithfulness, has orchestrated all things to work out for our life. "May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to the promise to your servant." This verse reminds us that we should never lose faith when trials come our way, rather God's love will always be with us, giving us peace and comfort. As hard as that sounds, God's love and righteousness is infinite and unfailing, and nothing we do or nothing that happens to us comes as a surprise to Him. He is forever in control and knows how these tribulations will shape our testimony down the road.

    The passage ends with the psalmist asking God to condemn the wicked for the things they have gotten away with, while at the same time asking God to keep them from falling into the same traps. "Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight." "May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees, that I may be put to shame." Here is where the psalmist addresses the humility of what this letter represents. 

    YODH is the shortest letter in the Hebrew Alphabet, and is sometimes skipped over when studying the Hebrew language. That should not stop us from realizing the beauty of God's creation and the humility of his creation as we marvel at the character of God and understand that we can do nothing on our own. It is only because of God's faithfulness and love that we have the desire to do anything that God has set before us. 

Adam Semple- A Young Man reading through the Psalms.