Friday 20 November 2009

Background

Psalm 119 is probably the finest example of an acrostic poem.Not only do each of the 22 stanzas start with successive letters ofthe Hebrew alphabet (alef, bet etc), but each of the 7 lines ofthat stanza start with the same letter. This was both a creativeway of praising God, and a way of aiding the memory for worshipperssinging the psalm.

The psalm is large and diverse, but there is a common threadrunning through it. God's law and word are central to life in itsrichness and variety.

In the lines that form the ninth stanza, the writer recollects atime when he stopped following God's laws and, as a consequence,was afflicted in some unspecified way. However, this illness orhardship became the impetus for him to return to God and re-learnthe enduring significance of God's word. When later in life thewriter experiences persecution his deep understanding of God's wordand its application in his life gives him comfort and protectionfrom his persecutors. He seems to be celebrating his affliction, asit resulted in a rich relationship with God and the divineword.

Similar writing can be found in the New Testament. Paul in 2Corinthians speaks of the "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians12:7), an unspecified affliction that is given to Paul so that thegrace and power of God may be revealed in Paul's weakness.

To Ponder

Looking back on your life, how have any periodsof hardship/illness affected your relationship with God?

To what extent is it be possible to welcomeaffliction as a way of deepening your relationship with God?