Come Fill Your Cup

Equipping Women For Study and Service

  • Our Team
  • Fall Retreat
  • Bookstore
  • Printables

Psalm 119 (Aleph)

February 8, 2017 by Kristy Huntsman Leave a Comment

This year at Come Fill Your Cup we have decided to focus on the theme “A Tree Planted by the Water: Rooted in God’s Word.” Throughout the year we have so many fun things planned that focus on really writing God’s word on our hearts. Already we have introduced you to our Psalm Bible reading plan and our new Bible journaling feature, Illuminations, but that is just the beginning. Each month we will be delving deep into the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, which just so happens to be focused on the importance and benefits of God’s word. This chapter is divided into 22 sections, each corresponding to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We will begin our study today with Psalm 119 (Aleph).

How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.
How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.
They also do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
You have ordained Your precepts,
That we should keep them diligently.
Oh that my ways may be established
To keep Your statutes!
Then I shall not be ashamed
When I look upon all Your commandments.
I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not forsake me utterly!   

-Psalm 119 (Aleph)

Hebrew poetry often uses a technique called parallelism, the writer will state a truth in one line and then restate it in a different way in the following line. This gives added emphasis to a particular point and also clarifies the issue being discussed.  In Psalm 119 (Aleph) we see 8 lines of poetry all using Hebrew parallelism, so when breaking the text down, it is often easier to take two lines at a time (which also happens to be one verse).

The first three verses describe people who are “blessed.” In the Hebrew, this word means happy or fortunate. So according to the passage who is it that is blessed? Let’s take a look at these verses to find out. Verse 1 tells us it is those who walk in the blameless way, which in the second line of the verse is specified to be the law of the Lord. According to verse 2, the blessed are those who observe God’s testimonies (literally meaning laws) and seek him with their whole heart. Finally, in verse 3, the blessed person avoids unrighteousness and walks in God’s ways.

This is the main idea that will carry all the way through Psalm 119: Those who seek and follow God’s path will be blessed. It is often true that those who follow God’s precepts live very happy lives. When we avoid sinful behavior we also remove ourselves from the consequences of that behavior. However, it is not universally true that those who live godly lives will inherently have a life filled with earthly happiness. The blessing and joy come when we are able to look at things from a spiritual perspective and know that we have eternal life.

The remainder of Psalm 119 (Aleph) is spent making a request of God. This request isn’t that of prosperity or health, it is the simple request for strength to keep God’s commandments.  The word used in Psalm 119:5 for “established” literally means to be firmly rooted in place. This is reminiscent of the tree in Psalm 1 (if you haven’t read it lately go do that now, I’ll wait). I cannot imagine a prayer that God would be more pleased to hear than that of someone requesting strength to keep His law.

Like the Psalmist did, we must continually keep our eyes focused on the importance of God’s law. Are you taking every opportunity to write God’s word on your heart? Do you view it as a blessing to be able to follow God’s commands or a burden? Do you pray daily for God to give you the strength to walk in His ways? Let us all strive to be the tree of Psalm 1 together this year so that we may strengthen ourselves and serve others!

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Kristy Huntsman
Kristy Huntsman
Kristy is Come Fill Your Cup's Editor-in-Chief. She is the author of Sanctified (A Study of 1st and 2nd Peter) , Redeemed (A Study of Hosea), and Appointed (A Study of Judges & Ruth) . Kristy and her husband, Lance live in Stonewall, OK where they attend the Stonewall Church of Christ. Kristy is a stay-at-home-mom who homeschools their two daughters Taylor and Makayla.
Kristy Huntsman
Latest posts by Kristy Huntsman (see all)
  • Prayer Series Lesson 9: Praying Like Job - May 9, 2025
  • Prayer Series Lesson 5: Praying Like Ezekiel - April 2, 2025
  • Prayer Series Lesson 1: Praying Like Paul - March 17, 2025
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: Bible Study Tagged With: aleph, Kristy Huntsman, psalm, psalm 119

About Kristy Huntsman

Kristy is Come Fill Your Cup's Editor-in-Chief. She is the author of Sanctified (A Study of 1st and 2nd Peter) , Redeemed (A Study of Hosea), and Appointed (A Study of Judges & Ruth) . Kristy and her husband, Lance live in Stonewall, OK where they attend the Stonewall Church of Christ. Kristy is a stay-at-home-mom who homeschools their two daughters Taylor and Makayla.

« Seen in 3D
Nehemiah 3-4 »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Looking for Something?

CFYC About Image Welcome! We are so glad you stopped by. Come Fill Your Cup is a group of Christian ladies dedicated to equipping women for study and service. Our goal is to reach you in the midst of your busy day and give you encouragement, education, and fellowship as you strive to live the life God has laid before you.

Featured Posts

Prayer Journal Tutorial

Maybe some of these common prayer problems seem familiar: I know somebody asked me to pray for

Overcoming the Guilt of Depression

Secrets. We all have them. We live with them and hide them under layers of life. This is my purging

A Letter To My Friends & Family Who Support Gay Marriage

Let me start by saying that you know me, and I know you. You know that I am not a hateful person and

Join us on Instagram

Follow on Instagram
  • Read Our Blog
  • Submit an article
  • Contact Us
  • Features
  • What We Offer
  • About Us
  • Bookstore

Welcome to Come Fill Your Cup!

CFYC About Image Welcome! We are so glad you stopped by. Come Fill Your Cup is a group of Christian ladies dedicated to equipping women for study and service. We know you are busy and that life’s hectic pace pulls you in so many directions, but you can’t truly be the woman God desires unless you take time to fill your own cup…not with spa days (though we love a good spa!) or the latest novel…but with God’s Holy Word. We want to help you with that! Our goal is to reach you in the midst of your busy day and give you encouragement, education, and fellowship as you strive to live the life God has laid before you. Our prayer is that we can help fill your cup so that you, in turn, can overflow to all those around you. So, as we like to say…come fill your cup, and let it overflow!

Copyright © 2025 · Blossom theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2025 · Blossom Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in