Devotion on Psalm 119, Aleph Part 1

א (ALEPH) – Verses 1-8
  1   Absolutely blessed are those whose way is blameless,
       who walk in the law† of the LORD.
  2        Altogether blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
     who seek Him with their whole heart.
  3        Also they do no wickedness,
     but walk in His ways.
  4        Appointed have You, Your precepts
     to be kept diligently.
  5        Ah, that my ways may be steadfast
     in keeping Your statutes!
  6        As a result I would not be put to shame,
     having my eyes fixed on all Your commandments.
  7        Acclaim You with an upright heart, I will
     as I learn Your righteous ordinances.
  8        Attend to Your statutes I will;
     do not forsake me beyond enduring!
 
א (ALEPH) – Part 1
“Blessed”
 
     Psalm 119 begins with one simple idea, held in the one word “blessed.”  Although it is not the first word of the first verse, it is the word that is the head and the beginning of all that is in the psalm.  And we are followers of someone who began the first great sermon of the New Testament with that same word, “Blessed,” nine times pronouncing the blessing.  (Matthew 5:3-12)  Remember also that at the beginning the Bible says, “And God blessed them and said . . . “
 
     When it comes from the mouth of God, pronouncing the blessing is a beginning and creating.  And then it is a re-beginning and re-creating thing.  All the good things we are given, and every good thing we are created with comes through the first blessing – including the gift of being created in the image of God.
 
     And then when it came time to redeem and save, the blessing came from Jesus to claim us back from where we had fallen.  It is a re-creating that stands in sharp contrast to what we see and experience all around us.  That’s why the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount can sound so out of place in our world.  They are true because He says them, not because they are a part of a hidden truth or a hidden wisdom.  God speaks them and begins to re-make the truths of life.  As the old Jewish saying goes, “When Messiah comes He will speak the Law new.”  And that saying is a foreshadowing of the end when He who sits on the throne says, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)
 
Psalm 119 begins with the idea “blessed” as the word of God calls to us and invites us to come along and see how the Word of God – Jesus – changes every part of every thing.
 
     How does He do this?
     The blessings of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) are not just spoken by God into the void or into the stuff of the universe.  Jesus the Son of God makes them true first in Himself.  He is the Savior who brings His truth and His salvation into our world and into our lives.  These “blessed are . . .” statements can only be true in us and for us if they are true first in and about Jesus:
     He is the poor in spirit taking on Himself my sins and yours so we may have the kingdom of heaven. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
     He is the One who mourns, so we may be comforted. (Isaiah 53:3)
     He is the meek, taking the lower place so we may be exalted and inherit heaven and earth. (John 13:3-5)
     He is the One hungering and thirsting for righteousness, but it is for us to be made righteous through His blood. (Matthew 4:2 and following; John 19:28)
     He is the merciful, so that in Him all who believe receive mercy. (John 8:2-11)
     He is the peacemaker, bringing us into His peace, calling us sons of God, and sending us to others with His word of peace. (John 14:27). 
     He is the One persecuted for righteousness sake, who has the keys of the kingdom and opens up eternal life for us. (John 10:32)
 
And He is the One still reviled and talked against, so that when the time comes we may hear His voice before the Father and all the angels speaking for us and claiming us as His own.
 
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, may I find my blessings always and only in You.  Call me into the walk of faith and the walk of discipleship that I may learn wondrous things from Your word.  Help me in the middle of the changes and chances of this life to set my eyes on the true joys and true treasure that is found only in You.  Amen.
​