Go right ahead. There are a few words missing. JGR
----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry Rayburn" <terryrayburn@...>
To: <soundofgrace@...>
Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2005 9:52 AM
Subject: Re: [soundofgrace] Psalm 119
> Really good, John. Thanks.
>
> Would it be O.K. to reprint in my blog?
>
> Terry
>
> 24jreisinger26@... wrote:
> I was asked the following question; "How do you read Psalm 119 as a
Christian? It refers to the law (the torah? the 10 commandments?) so often,
I can't help but wondering how David can regard it so highly when Paul
called it a "ministration of death."
>
>
>
> First of all, the question makes some dangerous and unwarranted
assumptions. (1) Psalm 119 is not referring to the "Torah," meaning the 10
commandments, and (2) Paul never has Psalm 119 in mind when he speaks of "a
ministraion of death." There is no evidence that Psalm 119 ever refers
exclusively to "the ten commandants." Psalm 119 uses many different words
that all mean "law" in some sense. It is not all certain that any one
specific word or verse is referring exclusively to the ten commandments. The
phrase "ten commandments" only occurs 3 times in all of Scripture and never
in the New Testament Scriptures or in Psalm 119. Likewise Psalm 119, and the
rest of Scriptures, never uses the phrase "the moral law." That is a
theological invention with no textual support. The Psalmist, in Psalm 119
uses the word "law" in v. 1; "testimony" in v. 2; "precepts" in v.4;
"statutes" in v. 5; " commandments" in v. 6; etc. but in Psalm 119 he never
uses the phrase "ten commandments" or "moral law."
>
> The word "law" has many meanings but only two major uses. Its broadest
meaning is "special revelation" as opposed to natural revelation. In other
words, the law, the Torah, means "Scripture." This is how Psalm 19:7 uses
the word. "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." (KJV) The "Law of
the Lord" in Psalm 19:7 cannot possibly mean the ten commandments. "The Law
of the Lord" in this verse is synonymous with the phrase "the testimony" of
the Lord. Unfortunately, many theologians see "ten commandments - moral law"
every time they see the word "law" in Scripture. They then clobber people
with a total wrong view of the law. The "law" in Psalm 19:7 cannot mean the
Ten Commandments, unless those commandments have the power to give life to
sinners. All the Psalmist in Psalm 19:7 is saying is that general
revelation, Psalm 19:1-6, is more than sufficient to condemn all men but is
not enough to brings salvation to any
> man. We need the Law (special revelation) of the Lord, or the Bible, to
accomplish salvation. Likewise, when the Psalmist said, "Oh, how I love thy
precepts" he was saying, "Oh, how I love your word, the Bible." When David
mediated day and night in the law, he was not mediating on the ten
commandments but on the promises of God concerning a Messiah.
>
> The second major use of the word "law" is to speak of the Law covenant
made with Israel at Sinai. It is this law that is a ministration of death
and it of this law that Paul speaks negatively. Romans 6:14 says, "You are
not under the law but under grace." The word "law" cannot possible mean the
same thing as Psalm 19:7. That would mean I am not under the authority of
the Bible. Paul here must mean the Law covenant at Sinai. Christians are not
under a covenant of law. as Israel was, but under a covenant of grace. I am
under the Law (First use of word - special revelation - Bible) but I not
under the Old Covenant.
>
> As mentioned, Psalm 119, and the rest of Scriptures uses the word law in
many ways. It also uses many other words to mean "law" in some sense. We
listed a few above. Here is an interesting fact. In Exodus 34:27-28, God
gave Israel the Ten Commandments as the covenant terms upon which their
national relationship with him existed.
>
> 27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the
tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. 28
And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither
eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the
covenant, the ten commandments. (KJV)
>
> In this text, the words "the covenant," and the words "the ten
commandments," are inter-changeable. Later the whole "Book of the Covenant,"
and finally even the holy feast days, will become part of what will be
called the "old Covenant" or "the Law of Moses." The word translated
"commandment" in Exo. 34:28 is dabar (See Englishman's Greek Concordance #
1697) and clearly is referring to Tables of the covenant (10 commandments)
as a covenant document. Psalm 119 uses the Hebrew word dabar 24 times but
the KJV never once translates it "commandment." It translates the Hebrew
dabar as "word." It is interesting to compare the word dabar and the word
mitisuah in Psalm 119. Let me you one example.
>
> Ps 119:48-50
>
> 48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments (mitsuah), which I
have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes. 49 Remember the word
(dabar) [ The Psalmist cannot use the word "mitsuah," for commandment,
simply because sinners find neither hope nor help in the commandment. ] unto
thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. 50 This is my comfort
in my affliction: for thy word (dabar) hath quickened me. [ Again, no
commandment has the power to quicken or give life. Only the Word of promise,
or Gospel, can do that.] (KJV)
>
> The word dabar (#1697 in Strong's Concordance) is used 24 times in Psalm
119 but is never translated commandment. It is translated "word." The word
mitsuah (# 4687 in Strong's) is used 22 times in Psalm 119. It is translated
"commandment" and never translated "word." Nearly all the "love the law"
passages in the Old Testament Scriptures are referring to the dabar of God,
or word revelation, the Scriptures and not to the Tablets of the Covenant.
Psalm 119 is primarily concerned with extolling the special revelation and
the promises, the Bible, the Word of God. Torah equals Bible in it primary
meaning.
>
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