It was a few days ago that I reached that part of Psalm 119 in which each line begins with the Hebrew letter "mem" - marked in my Bible as vs.97-104. The whole psalm, as previously mentioned, has to do with the Word of God - which, for the psalmist was, of course, predominantly the Torah as recorded by Moses: the first five books of our 'Old' Testament.
In the margin of the copy of the Bible that I use for my personal devotions, I have noted four particular steps that the psalmist followed, and that we would do well to follow today.
The first step is to love the Word. The psalmist writes: "Oh, how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day." (v.97). What a wonderful attitude to God's Word. To be able to say that we actually love it! Not just read it because we feel that it is expected of us. Not just to read it because it is a 'good habit'. Not just to read it so that we may boast about how clever we are. But to read it because we love it! And to have it at the forefront of my mind throughout the day! I think of other things, and people, that are the objects of my love - and then I have to ask where God's Word fits into my life? Last month, my wife was back in Scotland for two weeks. I was still here in SW France. Because I love my wife, I missed her, and thought of her constantly - but would I have missed my Bible as much if it had been taken away from me for even just those two weeks; do I think of God's Word all day? These are questions that only I can answer for me - and that you may wish to answer for yourself, in your own situation.
Of course, if we love the Word, then we will wish to learn from it. That's what the psalmist did. "Thy commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers; for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged,for I keep Thy precepts" (vs.98-100). At first sight, this might appear to be a boast by the psalmist - but that is not the case. He is merely saying, in a different way, what the writer of Psalm 111 (possibly David) wrote: "The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom;"(v.10). There is a great difference between knowledge and wisdom! I read an amusing explanation recently - "Knowledge is being aware that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not serving it with custard"! The psalmist may not have held as much knowledge as his elders and teachers, or even his enemies - but his love for the Word ensured that he had reverence for its Author, and that gave him true wisdom.
Loving the Word, and learning from it, leads to obedience. "I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep Thy word. I do not turn aside from Thine ordinances, for Thou hast taught me." (vs. 101-102). James reminds us that "... if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing." (1:23-25). How easy it is to rush through our 'set passage' for the day - and then go off and forget what we had read! That, by the way, is why this psalmist refers to meditation! That simply means giving some meaningful thought to what we have read; seeking to discover what the Lord is saying to us, personally!
All of this has an inevitable conclusion: "How sweet are Thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." (vs. 103-104). The word that I have written in the margin of my Bible here is "Enjoyment". It is when we love the Word; learn from the Word; and obey the Word; that we will enjoy the Word. The prophet Ezekiel had a similar experience. In his prophetic book he records that YHWH spoke to him and said "... eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and He gave me the scroll to eat. And He said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it." Then I ate it; and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey." (3:1-3). Honey, of course, is not just something that is beautifully sweet. It is the "instant energy" food. And our reading, and loving, and learning from, and obeying, the Word of God will not only be sweetness in our lives, but will also provide us with spiritual energy in our constant battle against the enemy.
May all who read this post, be also found reading His Word - for your good, and for His glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment