Interpreting Psalm 119:97-104 - Parallelism, Picture, and Pattern.

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Psalm 119:97–104

 

97Oh how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,

For they are mine forever.

99 I have more insight than all my teachers,

For Your testimonies are my meditation.

100 I perceive more than the aged,

Because I have observed Your precepts.

101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way,

That I may keep Your word.

102 I have not turned aside from Your judgments,

For You Yourself have taught me.

103 How sweet is Your word to my taste!

Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 From Your precepts I get perception;

Therefore, I hate every false way.

 

Theme: God’s Word/Law – loving God’s word with meditation, making wiser, more insightful than teachers, perceiving more than aged, restraint from evil preserve living by it, it is direct instruction from God, it is sweeter than honey, it gives discernment.

 

Main Point: God’s Word should be loved with continual meditation and be deeply delighted.

Or

The love for God’s Word with constant meditation leads into wisdom, obedience, delight, and discernment.

 

1.   Parallelism:

Verse 97- Synthetic Parallelism

Love for the Law → meditation all the day

Love for the law leads to its meditation

Verse 98 – Synthetic Parallelism

wiser than my enemies →Commandments are mine forever

The continual present of Commandments makes one wiser (than one’s enemies)

Verse 99 – Synthetic Parallelism

more insight than all my teachers → Testimonies are my meditation

The meditation of the law makes more insightful than teachers

Verse 100 – Synthetic Parallelism

perceiving more than the aged → Observing your precepts

Obedience to God’s precepts makes greater perceptions.

Verse 101 – Synthetic parallelism

Restraint my feet → keeping the Word

Restraint from evil preserves the living by God’s Word.

Verse 102- Synthetic Parallelism

Not turn aside from your judgment → you taught me

Obedience flows from God’s personal instruction

Verse 103- Synonymous parallelism

Your word = honey

To my taste = to my mouth

God’s word is sweeter than honey

Verse 104- Synthetic parallelism

Perception → hate every false way

God’s precepts (word) give discernment to reject every false way.

 

2.   Picture:

a.   Restrained my feet from evil way

b.   Honey to my mouth

 

3.   Patterns

a.   Cause and effect (verses 98, 99, 100, 102)

b.   Purposive (verse 101)

c.   Intensification (verse 103)

d.   Consequential (verse 104)

e.   Exclamation (verse 97 and verse 103)

 

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