Psalm 119:97-104 (NRSV)Psalm 119 is wisdom psalm. The date is around 625-600 BC. A contrary dating places it in post-exilic time when the law had begun to replace the Temple as the focal point of Israelite religion, with a concomitant rise in the influence of wisdom schools on biblical thinking and literature. The psalm is acrostic in form. Each eight verses begin with the same letter of the letter Hebrew alphabet, continuing in such form for 22 segments. The Babylonian Theodicy, composed about 1000 BC, is an acrostic poem that has twenty-seven stanzas of eleven lines each. In that case, the acrostic reads, “I, Saggil-kinam-ubbib, the incantation priest, am an adorer of the god and the king.” Several psalms are structurally acrostic (e.g., Psalms 9-10 [a single psalm originally], 25, 34, 37, 111, 112 and others). Acrostics are elsewhere in the OT (e.g., the opening chapters of the book of Lamentations), and the form appears to have been used as a mnemonic device to assist student scribes in memorizing the poems. Such compositions may have originated in wisdom circles in Israel or ancient scholars may have redacted (edited) them in those circles from earlier sources. It is as though the psalmist is giving his readers the basic ABCs of human life and how to best live from beginning to end. The psalm is the longest in the Hebrew Psalter. While Weiser thinks the psalm repeats similar thoughts in a wearisome way, Dahood sees a richness of expression. The central theme is that the word and law of God are decisive in every sphere of life. Weiser sees this psalm making a shift toward what we know later as Pharisaism. In any case, the psalm is a remarkable example of Israelite devotion to the law. It becomes a hymn in praise of God’s law and a sustained meditation on the role of that law in the life of the person of faith. Reading this long psalm, one gets the impression that it’s very repetitive. It has 167 lines and says the same thing 167 ways. At least eight different words appear throughout that refer to the Torah or law of God: law, decrees, statutes, commandments, ordinances, word, precepts, and promise. According to Old Testament scholar James L. Mays, the use of the Hebrew alphabet as the form of the psalm signals completeness, while the vocabulary represents comprehensiveness. In other words, the repetition in the psalm is really the whole point. The more one engages the repetition of words and concepts, the more they have a chance to influence the imagination. In its exaltation of the law, Psalm 119 is similar in theme to Psalms 1 because of its description of those who “delight” in the law of the Lord and “meditate” upon it day and night (v. 2) and 19 because of its assertion that obedience to the law of God is the key to a successful life. This psalm is an assertion of steadfast devotion to God’s law in the face of affliction. No matter what happens, the psalmist asserts, he will remain devoted to doing what God has instructed. The entire psalm is a paean to God’s law — torah, instruction or teaching — and bears many marks of having influence by the wisdom tradition in Israel. In this psalm, the law is glorious because it gives Israel a direction it is to gladly hear and obey because in it God has revealed divine mercy.[1] If we approach the psalm from the standpoint of what Paul says about the Law, we will miss the point in a profound way. We need to carefully consider its guidance.[2] The psalmist will say that he studies and meditates upon the command, word, and promise of the Lord. His urging of both intellectual understand and prayerful reflection is good guidance in reading the Bible for pastors and laity, but theologians and scholars as well.
In the thirteenth segment (Psalm 119: 97-104), it begins with an affirmation of love for the law and includes regular meditation on the law. The “Great Books” idea has been around a long time. It suggests a canon of literature produced through the ages that are important to read. It became a topic in the public square in the book by Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students (1987). It was an important part of the beginning of the culture wars (Camille Paglia). It was mind-boggling stupid because of its canonistic approach to education (Noam Chomsky). I continue to ponder the gift one of the members of my parish gave me that categorizes historically around two hundred books one should read sometime in their lives. The idea that some books rise above and stand the test of time seems natural to me. We have top ten lists for a reason. We have Academy Awards and other awards for a reason. The key here is the writer of Psalm 119 is clearly saying that the Bible he knew was like that. It rises above other literature and gives him proper guidance in his life. 97 Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long. 98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. 101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word (davar). “Word” has an enormous range of meaning: word, speech, command, message, report, tidings, thing, matter, affair, intention, advice, counsel, complaint, etc. The word commonly refers to divine communication (some 394 times in the OT), which is expressed in such ways as prophetic utterances, oracular pronouncements and oral or written commandments. Modified by the possessive adjective “your,” referring to God, the word occurs only 24 times in the OT, 20 of those in Psalm 119, including this text (vv. 101, 103), making the expression a favorite of this writer. The phrase refers to the totality of divine instruction found not only (or even primarily) in written instruction, but also in oral instruction and commentary. And in this psalm, the writer reiterates that value of “word” observance in developing understanding (v. 104) and wisdom (v. 98). 102 I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me. 103 How sweet are your words (davar) to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.
I came across the dated, little-known, and dubious assertion, “An Englishman’s word is his bond.” A bond in this context is a signed contractual agreement which outlines obligations as well as penalties if the contract is broken. “My word is my bond” is another way of saying, “No written contract is needed. If I make a verbal promise, it is as good as done. My spoken word constitutes and indeed is stronger than a written bond and provides even greater assurance and protection.” An interesting question is: How many people do we know whose word is their bond? Is our word our bond? Of course, in our times, promises are often affected by forces beyond one’s control. That is why we enter into contracts and agreements, and it is also why we carefully consider whether we can meet the obligations the contract describes — no matter what happens. The psalmist says that God’s word is God’s bond. There is no conceivable circumstance in which God would act contrary to his word.
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