Yod -- Psalm 119:73-80 -- Advent Blog Day 10

The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is the letter "Yod".  This letter is a consonant that operates as a vowel in that it takes the sound of the vowel assigned to it.  It does have a "Y" sound but the sound changes with its associated vowel.  In other words, it may make a "ya", "yo", "yi", "ye" sound etc.  It is a very weak letter and will often disappear depending on the morphology of the word.  Conceptually, it represents the hand of a human being.  Metaphorically, the hand represents strength, power, authority, or right of possession.  This passage reads:
         Your hands made me and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments.
         Those who fear You will see me and rejoice, for I have put my hope in Your word.
         I know, O LORD, that Your rulings are just; rightly have You humbled me.
         May Your steadfast love comfort me in accordance with Your promise to Your servant.
         May Your mercy reach me, that I might live, for Your teaching is my delight.
         Let the insolent be dismayed, for they have wronged me without cause; I will study Your precepts.
         May those who fear You, those who know Your decrees, turn again to me.
         May I wholeheartedly follow Your laws so that I do not come to grief.
     The concept of the hand is carried right into this stanza from the get-go.  The Psalmist notes that the very hands of God Himself, "made me and fashioned me" and then the Psalmist goes on to make a petition for understanding and the ability to learn God's commandments.  This sentiment is echoed in Psalm 100:3 "Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is he who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture." (NASB)  Especially we Americans determine ourselves to be self-made individuals.  We all too often feign humility and state that we need things from outside our own selves and then act as if we are our own creators, sustainers, and self-propagators.  I know how I live and think and I fit into this category all too well.  And yet the Biblical view is that this is not so!  Everything about our lives comes from the hand of God Himself and our whole being is who it is due to His foreknowledge and predetermination.  I am 5'9'', approximately 180 lbs, live in Melbourne Florida, am married to Shannon Sexton, have a daughter named Emily, a passion for cars and for music, etc all due to His unique shaping.  He has the right to do these things because He is God and there is no other!  O LORD, give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments!  There can be no other right pathway in life.
     Have you ever thought of the refreshment, rejoicing, and recommittal that comes from spending time with other Believers?  I realize that often this may not be the case due to our self-imposed divisions and dis-unity; however, fellowship among like minded Believers is sweet indeed and you can see this thought right here in this passage in verse 74.  When was the last time you took the effort to encourage someone for following God's commandments?  When was the last time you felt a sense of recommittment yourself when you heard how God's Word has been applied in the life of one of your brothers and sisters in Christ?  If it has been a while I would urge you to seek out the solace and strengthening one has with the Body of Christ.  James 5, Proverbs, etc all speak of the value of mutually edifying one another in the Lord.
     Verses 76 through 80 begin in the Hebrew text with the word "Let" or "May".  These verses are all requests of God based on the reality of His Lordship and the reality of verse 73.  What is it that you desire of the Lord?  What is it that I desire of the Lord?  The Psalmist elsewhere states, "One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I sek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple.  for He will hide me in His shelter i nthe day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; he will lift me high upon a rock." (Psalm 27:4-5, ESV)  I confess to you that I do not desire this very often at all.  I am mostly desirous of income, the ability to pay my debts, some new toy, time off, a nap, time to read a book, more time to sleep, etc, etc, etc.  Look what the Psalmist desires in this passage: comfort in accordance with the promise of God, mercy in order to live and keep God's commandments, freedom from reproach in order to focus on the study of God's precepts, friendship and fellowship for strengthening, and again a steadfast ability to follow God's laws in order to stave off grief.  We pray for many things; why not pray for something that God is compelled to answer on account of the promise of His very Word: for His teaching to become our delight and for the understanding we need to apply and follow it?  This alone will displace our love of the world and the things of the world and the sin which so easily entangles us!
     Let Your kingdom come Lord, let Your will be done Lord, on earth and in my life as it is done in the heavens and will be throughout eternity! 
Here is a song I hope you will find to be a blessing!

Jewish Publication Society, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985), Ps 119:73–80.