Old Testament intentionality

The writers of the Old Testament were clever in how they conveyed the narratives and instruction from God.  There is a marked interest in perpetuating the faith to the next generation (Psalms 78:6-7) Its certainly represented in the “teaching” outline of the Old Testament found in Deuteronomy 6:1-9.  Jesus even quoted from it before he added “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39). If you look close enough, you can see another device that illustrates the intention of not just perpetuating the tradition but remembering it. It’s the use of ACROSTIC.  In the longest Psalm in the Bible (Psalm 119:1-176) it is set apart by the characters of the Hebrew alphabet (Aleph-Tov). Each subsequent line begins with the respective letter.  Knowing this, you can appreciate the fact that the content is positive and oriented to the next generation, that they might develop appreciation for the law of the Lord and make decisions in keeping with it.  The acrostic is also used in my favorite Psalm. (Psalm 145:1-21) It’s also positive statements about God and His nature.  The most striking use of acrostic is in the whole book of Lamentations.  On the darkest day in Judah’s history, the prophet Jeremiah wrote a lament of all that was lost in this low experience of exile.  The first chapter reads (Aleph to Tov) through the Hebrew alphabet, as does the second one until it gets to chapter 5.  This way they could always remember.  The intentionality of the authors conveys the intentionality of the Holy Spirit, to declare the truth and wonder of God’s care for His people.  Praise God!