BOYHOOD KNOWLEDGE

The composition of this psalm is a perfect and regular alphabetical acrostic employing the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 stanzas of 8 verses each, giving a total of 176 verses. Stating it in English, it is the “A B C” of God’s Word, and what better place to start to appreciate God’s Word than this psalm!

Luke 2. 46, 47, 49 and 52 highlight the boyhood knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ: “hearing … and asking questions”, v. 46; “astonished at his understanding and answers”, v. 47; “about my Father’s business”, v. 49; and “increased in wisdom”, v. 52. Christ was a student of Scripture! He used the Scriptures for both defence and attack, and His use of the Word can help us understand how He studied the Scriptures.

In Psalm 119, the Scriptures are referred to in many ways, and the whole psalm is taken up with this theme. For instance, we find:

The Motive, “O how I love thy law”, v. 97. The construction of this sentence is emphatic, and stresses the measure of His love for the Word. How much better can we study the Word when we love it!

The Means. There are too many references in this psalm to table here, but the Word is described thus:

Statutes means “to engrave on a stone”, and are the decrees of a king; commandment is the will of a father; judgments refer to the decisions of a judge; law means “to point out”, showing the will of God; testimonies are God’s witness to what He is; precepts are directions from God, as from a master to a pupil;word is that which is spoken, and way represents a principle of action. In the life of Christ we can trace these various avenues through which the Word of life came from His lips.

The Mission was to be about His Father’s business, and these words in Luke 2 were His first recorded words, whilst His last recorded words before He died were “It is finished”, John 19. 30. “My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words”, Psa. 119. 139; “It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law”, v. 126. Let us ponder well these verses when associated with Christ.