Psalms Chapter 119-ayin (16) |
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Psalms 119-ayin
To Hear a Talk based on the Text below: |
This section of 8-verses in the Hebrew original belongs to the letter "Ayin".
Every first word of each verse begins with "ayin".
"Ayin" has no exact equivalent in English. It is usually transliterated as "a" or as "e".
The word "Ayin" can mean both "eye" and "spring of water".
From the word "ayin" meaning "eye" we get the very "ei-yun" meaning to study careful and the verb "Oy-yen" meaning to be hostile.
Both share the principle of "putting one's eye to a task".
This seems to be the theme of the present section.
The Psalmist asks the Almighty to pay attention to him, to judge him carefully, to be dealt with according to fair measurement not of the psalmist but of the Almighty Himself.
Every verse in this section is concerned with a weighing up and measuring out and a request for closer examination in some way or other.
We have in fact discovered a key for this whole Psalm.
It took us a while to wake up but we appear to have done so.
Each 8-verse section is named after a letter in the Hebrew Alphabet and every verse in the section begins with that letter.
Each letter has a name with a meaning of its own. The letters themselves imply certain qualities and attributes. Define the characteristic in question and it will be found that each verse is concerned with it!
Many of you have probably seen the slogan printed on T-shirts:
"TALK SLOWLY.
I AM A NATURAL BLOND!"
I empathize with this slogan. I too am a natural blond and sometimes I can be very slow.
But we get there.
Not only do we think slowly but sometimes we have trouble even thinking.
We just seem to let things permeate through to us.
But we get there in the end.
Somehow or other we usually manage to reach the place we were supposed to be headed for from the beginning.
It takes all kinds and we are one of them.
What would the world do without us?
[Psalms 119:121] I HAVE DONE JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE: LEAVE ME NOT TO MINE OPPRESSORS.
Help me. I was fair to others so let me not be treated unfairly.
[Psalms 119:122] BE SURETY FOR THY SERVANT FOR GOOD: LET NOT THE PROUD OPPRESS ME.
God uphold me since you know me and can guarantee my sincerity.
[Psalms 119:123] MINE EYES FAIL FOR THY SALVATION, AND FOR THE WORD OF THY RIGHTEOUSNESS.
I am looking out for YOU to save me and for YOUR word to sustain me. So fair my hope has not been fulfilled.
[Psalms 119:124] DEAL WITH THY SERVANT ACCORDING UNTO THY MERCY, AND TEACH ME THY STATUTES.
Judge me by YOUR own mercies. Teach my YOUR demands of me so that I may merit YOUR mercy.
[Psalms 119:125] I AM THY SERVANT; GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING, THAT I MAY KNOW THY TESTIMONIES.
I am a servant of YOU, God. I serve YOU. I therefore need understanding in order to serve YOU better.
[Psalms 119:126] IT IS TIME FOR THEE, LORD, TO WORK: FOR THEY HAVE MADE VOID THY LAW.
##IT IS TIME FOR THEE, LORD, TO WORK##. In Hebrew this is more correctly interpreted as saying,
IT IS TIME TO ACT ON BEHALF OF THE ALMIGHTY.
##THEY HAVE MADE VOID THY LAW##. Also interpretable as saying, LET THEM BREAK YOUR LAW. This has been understood to say that in very exceptional circumstances minor commandments may be broken in order to keep major ones and preserve the Torah.
For example it was originally forbidden to write down the Oral Law. Then due to persecutions etc there was a danger that the Oral Law would be forgotten or that people would no longer remember it correctly and mistaken interpretations be applied. It was therefore decided that in order to preserve the Law the prohibition against writing it should be broken. The result was the Mishna. The Mishna gives a very concise summary of the Oral Tradition. It was written down by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (Yehudah the Prince) in ca. 200 CE. Later even the correct interpretation of the Mishna became problematic. Discussions on the Mishna ensued. These are called Gemorah. The Mishna and the Gemora were afterwards written down together. This is called the Talmud.
[Psalms 119:127] THEREFORE I LOVE THY COMMANDMENTS ABOVE GOLD; YEA, ABOVE FINE GOLD.
Because I serve God and HE requites me by giving me understanding of HIS will and HIS law and therefore I love his commandments and directives. I had to work to receive this understanding. It tells me what to do, how to help myself, my family, my nation and the whole world. This is better than gold.
[Psalms 119:128] THEREFORE I ESTEEM ALL THY PRECEPTS CONCERNING ALL THINGS TO BE RIGHT; AND I HATE EVERY FALSE WAY.
##CONCERNING ALL THINGS TO BE RIGHT## Hebrew "col"(all) "Yesharti" literally "that lead us in the right way".
Psalms Chapter 119-Ayin |
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