Yohd - Psalm 119:73-80 Series

YOHD

January 18, 2012

Oak Park Baptist Church – Wednesday Bible Study Series

Psalm 119:73-80 (ESV) – 10 of 22

Yohd – 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet…

73Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments.

Here we find the Psalmist extolling the power and providence of God as we look at 3 of the Hebrew words in the 1st portion of this verse. Scripture says, “…Your HANDS have made and fashioned me…”

The Hebrew word used here for hands is actually the feminine noun Yawd which represents power and strength. Like the hands of a mother, strong and sure, but loving and caring… God’s strength is what is behind our creation and who we are…

The 2nd word I want us to look at is the Hebrew word used here for ‘made’. “…Your hands have MADE and fashioned me…” This Hebrew word is the verb aw-saw which means to bring to completion or accomplish a task. God is Creator and his involvement within the Creation process is complete.

The 3rd word we need to review here tonight is the Hebrew word used for ‘fashioned’ “…Your hands have made and FASHIONED me…” This is the Hebrew verb Kuwn which means to firmly establish or securely fixed or determined. God is solid in His choices and creates what is firmly established.

This means that our creation is by the very hand of God, we are intentionally created for a purpose, made in His image, by His power, for His purpose… securely fixed and firmly established by His hand. We are no accident, we are NO evolutionary development, we are CREATED by the very powerful hand of God!

The psalmist understood this and understood how awesome it was to have God as his creator… so he desired to KNOW his creator… and so the psalmist cries out, “…give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments…”

Here the psalmist is crying out for an overflow of God’s wisdom in his life so that he can learn God’s commands and discern how they are applicable within his life. So often we LEARN about God but we do NOT seek to apply God’s word into our lives.

The psalmist here wants a complete transformation in his learning and way of life… the word he uses for “understanding” is the Hebrew verb bene which is to gain a higher understanding and vision of something, to know it intimately, to know it so well you can instruct it.

We are called by God to be disciple makers… we need to know God’s word in such a way that we are able to share that knowledge in the making of those disciples, but also so that the new disciples then are able to go out and make disciples and teach them about God’s Word.

Made in His image, BY His power, FOR His purpose, the psalmist rejoices and so should we!

74Those who fear You shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in Your word.

After the psalmist has rejoiced in God’s hand in his creation and God’s plan for his life, he goes on to state that he is willing to serve God in a positive and meaningful manner.

Here the psalmist makes a vow that he will live his life in such a way that those who serve God will look at his life and they will rejoice because they will see God and see what God is doing…

The psalmist is quick to recognize that it is NOT he that will make this happen but it can and will only happen because he has put God’s Word at the forefront of his heart and life. God’s word has transformed him in such a way that people who fear God will notice… and REJOICE!

The word for rejoice here is the Hebrew Saw-machk which means to rejoice, but it also reveals the cause of that rejoicing. These people will rejoice because of what God has done in the life of the psalmist.

Is that NOT what we should strive for as believers… that our lives are an edification and encouragement to our fellow believers? Paul wrote that we should avoid becoming stumbling blocks to our fellow believers and here the Psalmist gives us a template of how we can avoid being that stumbling block to others… we can live out the Word of God in our lives and we will be an encouragement and source of joy for those who fear and follow God.

75I know, O LORD, that Your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

Here the psalmist backs up just a bit and recounts where he has failed God on many occasions and how God has disciplined him when he failed and when he had fallen.