BETH – THE TRIAL OF YOUTH – Psalm 119:9-16

Johannes Palanterius wrote of Ps 119 in the year 1600.... “The psalm is called the alphabet of divine love, the paradise of all the doctrines, the storehouse of the Holy Spirit, the school of truth, also, the deep mystery of the scriptures, where the whole moral discipline of all the virtues shines brightly. And as all moral instruction is delightsome, therefore this psalm, because (as a result of) excelling in this kind of instruction, should be called delightsome, inasmuch as it surpasses the rest. The other Psalms, truly as lesser stars shine somewhat; But this burns with the meridian heat of its full brightness, and is wholly resplendent with moral loveliness.” Matthew Henry, recalling his own upbringing and speaking of his father said... “Once, pressing the study of the scriptures, he advised us to take a verse of this psalm every morning to meditate upon, and so go over the Psalm twice in the year, and that, saith he, will bring you to be in love with all the rest of the scriptures.” Great advice from the father of a child who would go on to write perhaps the most doctrinally sound while devotionally rich commentary on all the scriptures beloved to this day by countless Christians. If the giving of the law recorded in Deut 4 & 5 provides illuminating context for Ps 119:1-8, then certainly Deut 6:4-9 & 11:18-19 (which exhort the teaching of the Law to the next generation) underscore the value of Ps 119:9-16. The 'Beth' section introduces a pattern of ideas in its structure which will persist throughout the entirety of the psalm and will guide future sermons as well –that theme... The Word of God is sufficient for the tests and trials of youth. The journey continues...