Hebrew Treasure - Daleth
Psalm 119:25-32
This is the fourth installment of Hebrew Treasure from Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible. Every other week I will be mining nuggets of gold from the original Hebrew and my goal is to make the riches of God’s Word more accessible to you—even if you don’t know any Hebrew!
25. My soul clings to the dust;
give me life according to your word!
26. When I told of my ways, you answered me;
teach me your statutes!
27. Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28. My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word!
29. Put false ways far from me
and graciously teach me your law!
30. I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your rules before me.
31. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
let me not be put to shame!
32. I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart!
HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY?
If a dear friend invited you to a party, your first question might be, where is it? Secondly, if you wanted to go you would need to decide how to get there. Derech (דֶּרֶךְ) is the Hebrew word meaning “the way, path, or road” and begins with the letter daleth (ד). The treasure here, however, is found not by seeking to answer the "where" or "how" questions, but to prioritize savoring the answer to the question of "who."
Derech is the root of the opening word in five (vv. 26, 27, 29, 30, 32) of the eight verses in this stanza. “The way” typically refers to a person’s manner of living or the path of their life. The psalmist describes telling God the "how" of his living in verse 26 and commits himself to pursuing God's "how" for a faithfully obedient life that is pleasing to Him in the remaining four verses. Thomas, the disciple who needed more explicit revelation to believe (Jn. 20:25), posed the "where" question to Jesus, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (Jn. 14:5) to which, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way'..." (Jn. 14:6). The Messiah is the way. By fixing our eyes on Him, we are led to each "where" God has for us in life whether those circumstances are pleasant or unpleasant. Furthermore, by fixing our eyes on Jesus we continually learn the "how" of faith-fueled obedience. Beloved, keep your eyes on Jesus, the One who alone knows where and how to lead you deeper into the Father's love.
Hebrew Treasure excerpt written by Thomas Boehm.
From The Psalm 119 Journey by Steve Allen, ©2022.
Used with permission.
Also, check out the Parashah Project’s 2024-2025 (5785) Annual Reading Cycle to join in the weekly readings along with links to helpful commentary.
Shalom!
Thomas