Christianity

I’m currently reading Tim Muldoon’s Ignatian Workout which seems to be a modern interpretation or application of Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises. The centrepiece seems to be a practice called ’examen'

I don’t have a good grasp in the concepts, purposes or practice of examen; but it strikes me that there are similarities between it (focussing on prayer) and lectio divina (focussing on Bible reading).

The connection and interrelationship is something that I’d like to consider (albeit briefly) in the near future.

Back in mid-January I wrote about my intentions for Bible reading in 2024.

The basic plan was to read three chapters of the Old Testament a day and one chapter from the New Testament. At that pace I would finish the OT in mid-October and the New Testament in latish September. Furthermore, the plan was to read the Bible in a different order to how it appears in modern western Bibles. Lastly, I was going to read from the Revised Standard Version.

I’ve been reflecting a little on the different Bible versions I’ve bought, tried, used, read, given away or filed away over the years.

The first Bible I ever had or was given was the Gideon’s red public high school edition I received in my first year in high school in the mid-1970s. It was, I believe, the Revised Berkeley Edition. I still have this Bible.

The second Bible I got was a Good News for Modern Man New Testament received, again from memory, for being the ‘prayer monitor’ in my year 8/second form Scripture class. I guess I had to read or recite a prayer at the beginning or end of each weekly Scripture class. I have since disposed on this Bible, but did keep the commemorative insert.

Most years I try something different with regard to my Bible reading plans and/or devotional reading. Late last year I came across a website that suggested reading the Old Testament in the order as it exists in the Hebrew Bible. The site provides reasons why this approach makes sense.

In essence the Hebrew Bible divides Scripture into three components: Law/Torah, Prophets, Writings.

The above books contain 929 chapters. I’m currently reading at a pace of three chapters a day so this should take around 10 months to complete. I did start a week into the New Year, and there may be days I read less or nothing.

One quote I have appreciated for many years was penned by Jim Elliot on 28th October 1949. He wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

I think I first came across that quote in the early 1980s. Shortly afterwards I bought a copy of The Journals of Jim Elliot compiled by his widow Elisabeth Elliot but have only managed to read a relatively small portion of that work.

My wife and I currently read the daily devotional The Lord My Portion by Watchman Nee after dinner. The devotionals have been extracted from some of his later writings. Of the 280+ entries so far this year a few have raised our eyebrows, most are pretty good and helpful, and a few are extraordinary for their incisiveness and clarity. One of the later is from October 2nd. We first heard this read out at a church we were attending last year and it prompted me to buy the book.

I’m currently reading a book entitled The Holy Spirit of Promise by J.Oswald Sanders first published in 1940.

Oswald Sanders was New Zealand-born and served as the general director of the China Inland Mission (later renamed to Overseas Missionary Fellowship). He was born in 1902 and died in 1992. He was a prolific author between the 1930s and the 1990s. One of his better-known works is Spiritual Leadership (1967).

One chapter (chapter 12 of 16) in The Holy Spirit of Promise is entitled “The Administrator of the Church”. A story that Oswald Sanders relates in the early part of this chapter struck me and so I reproduce it in full:

What follows is my assembling of a number of outlines of the book of Isaiah from a variety of sources. The point is that there are many variations between these sources. The only real commonality is that chapters 1 through 39 are pre-Babylonian exile and chapters 40-66 are post-exilic.

From Executable Outlines

• I. The Assyrian Period - Conflict And Victory (1-39)
  • A. Prophecies Concerning Judah And Jerusalem (1-12)
  • B. Prophecies Concerning The Nations (13-27)
  • C. The Source Of True Deliverance (28-35)
  • D. Historical Interlude (36-39)
• II. The Babylonian Period - Hope For Troubled Times (40-66)
  • A. The One True God Versus Idols (40-48)
  • B. Salvation Through The Suffering Servant (49-53)
  • C. The Future Glory For God’S People (54-66)

From ESV Study Bible

• a. Introduction: “Ah, Sinful Nation!” (1:1–5:30)
• b. God Redefines the Future of His People: “Your Guilt Is Taken Away” (6:1–12:6)
• c. God’s Judgment and Grace for the World: “We Have a Strong City” (13:1–27:13)
• d. God’s Sovereign Word Spoken into the World: “Ah!” (28:1–35:10)
• e. Historical Transition: “In Whom Do You Now Trust?” (36:1–39:8)
• f. Encouragement for God’s Exiles: “The Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed” (40:1–55:13)
• g. How to Prepare for the Coming Glory: “Hold Fast My Covenant” (56:1–66:24)

New Bible Commentary

• 1:1-31 A situation of crisis
• 2:1-4:6 God’s Ferusalem and man’s
• 5:1-30 The bitter vintage
• 6:1-13 The prophet’s call
• 7:1-12:6 Storm and sun: Assyria and Immanuel
• 13:1-23:18 Messages for the nations
• 24:1-27:13 God’s final victory
• 28:1-31:9 The Assyrian crisis: God’s help or man’s?
• 32:1-35:10 Salvation and its dark prelude
• 36:1-39:8 The supreme test for Hezekiah
• 40:1-48:22 Night far spent in Babylon
• 49:1-55:13 The dawn on redemption
• 56:1-66:24 The glory and shame of Zion

Search the Scriptures

• 1 Introductory. God’s controversy with his people.
• 2-4 Prophecies of judgment, lying between two Messianic oracles.
• 5 The Song of the Vineyard. A series of woes. Vision of an invading army.
• 6 Isaiah’s call.
• 7:1-10:4 Events connected with the alliance of Ephraim (i.e., northern Israel) and Syria against Judah, and prophecies arising out of them, some Messianic.
• 10:5-34 Assyrian invasion of Judah, and its results: (a) for Assyria, (b) for Judah.
• 11-12 Messianic prophecies.
• 13-23 Prophecies against the nations, except 22:1–14 (Jerusalem) and 22:15–25 (Shebna and Eliakim).
• 24-27 Prophecies of the Day of the Lord, in its twofold aspect of world judgment, and deliverance for Israel.
• 28-33 Prophecies connected with a proposed alliance with Egypt. Some speak of judgment, others of deliverance and of Messiah’s coming.
• 34-35 Vengeance upon Edom, contrasted with the salvation of the redeemed of the Lord, as they return from exile.
• 36-39 Historical.
• 40-48 The glad tidings of Israel’s redemption from captivity through the agency of Cyrus. The supremacy of Jehovah over the nations and their gods. 42:1–7 The first of the ‘Servant’ passages.
• 49-57 Messages of encouragement and comfort, with rebuke of those who practise evil.
• 58-66 Rebuke of sin. Visions of Zion’s glory. Prayer for God’s intervention, and God’s answer, that the people will be sifted. The true Israel will inherit ‘the new heavens and the new earth’, and those who refuse to turn to God will be destroyed.

Thompson Chain Reference NKJV

• I. Refers chiefly to events leading up to the Captivity, 1–39
  • (1) Exhortations and warnings of Divine Judgments, mingled with predictions of better days and the coming of the Messiah, 1-12
  • (2) Prophecies respecting surrounding nations,-Assyria, Babylonia, Moab, Egypt, Philistia, Syria, Edom, and Tyre, 13-23
  • (3) Writings concerning the sins and misery of the people, promises of salvation, a song of Confidence in God, and his care over his vineyard, 24-27
  • (4) Chiefly woes pronounced upon Ephraim and Jerusalem, especially for trusting in foreign alliances, 28-31
  • (5) Promises of a Righteous King, and the outpouring of the Spirit, the exaltation of the Righteous, and the turning of the wilderness into a Garden of the Lord, 32-35
  • (6) Hezekiah’s deliverance from the Assyrians, and the lengthening of his life, 36-39
• II. The second part of the book contains predictions, warnings, and promises which refer to events beyond the Captivity, and reach on down the centuries through the Christian dispensation. This portion of the prophecy is especially rich in messianic references, 40-66.

A couple of years ago I wrote about using Search the Scriptures (StS) as a part of my daily Bible reading regimen.

Between April and June 2021 I used StS when reading the first nine chapters of Luke across 25 daily studies, and the first 26 chapters of Genesis across 19 studies.

At the time I quite appreciated the discipline of answering specific questions based on the passage. I will often make notes on passages I read but this may take the form of observations about the text, or some historical or contextual information. It may be some reflections on how I see the passage relating to or affecting me, or (rarely) a prayer that forms in response to my reading. The point is my discipline of writing in response to the passage is variable and not always intentional or focused. StS offers an alternative because if I seek to answer the two or three questions more than superficially then I need to reread parts of the passage and give some thought to the issues that the questions seek to raise.

For the last two weeks I’ve been reading Isaiah in my daily bible reading. And at my current rate of a chapter a day, I’ll still be reading Isaiah for another seven-or-so weeks.

As I’ve read I’ve been a little confused trying to follow the line of narrative or prophecy from chapter to chapter or even within chapters. My normal bible only contains paragraph headings but nothing in the way of cross references or study notes I can readily refer to.

Last month I came across the following statement from CS Lewis quoted on the Tolle Lege website.

For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hands.

A couple of months ago I was reading a book that made reference to a couple of parables found in Matthew 13. The first, found in Matthew 13:44 from the ESV reads:

[Jesus said] The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

I have always identified and understood that the believer is the person who finds the treasure; and that the treasure is the gospel message of salvation through belief and faith in Jesus.

Something Bill Muehlenberg quoted on his site yesterday from CH Spurgeon has got me thinking.

Bill quotes Spurgeon as follows:

Master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you. Read and reread them, masticate and digest them. Let them go into your very self. Peruse a good book several times and make notes and analysis of it. A student will find that his mental constitution is more affected by one book thoroughly mastered than by twenty books he has merely skimmed. Little learning and much pride come of hasty reading. Some men are disabled from thinking by their putting meditation away for the sake of much reading. In reading let your motto be, ‘much not many’.

This is a copy of the first sermon I preached. The year was around 1992. I have done some very light editing. Reading back over this sermon thirty years after its appearing, I would be happy to preach it today. That can’t be said for all of my sermons!

Exodus 3:1-20 “What’s in a Name?”

Introduction

Read through the newspaper…

Watch the television…

Listen to the radio…

Within a short time you’ll discover (if you haven’t already) that Australia is in a recession¹ – the world is in a recession.

Around six years ago I bought a copy of The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers. It was on special–reduced by around $20. It contains something-like 40 books either on biblical topics, Bible books, or daily devotional readings.

I’ve dipped into the volume sporadically since–though not for several years now. Until that point the only book of Oswald’s that I had read was My Utmost For His Highest. The fascinating backstory is that Oswald didn’t write ‘My Utmost’. True, he spoke or taught the words that appear in it, but it was compiled by his wife (widow), Gertrude or ‘Biddy’ from her shorthand notes typed up of his sermons and talks taken verbatim during his time running the Bible Training College in London between 1911 and 1915, and later as a YMCA chaplain to British, Australian and New Zealand troops in Egypt between 1915 and 1917 during World War I.

In my previous post I discussed some of the rationale and methodology for writing in your Bible. I made reference to a method for making more extensive notes than will fit in the margin of a Bible. Several methods exist including two developed or certainly implemented by the New England pastor and teacher, Jonathan Edwards in the mid-1700s.

Firstly, Edwards had a Bible especially made comprising the Bible text on small pages interleaved with larger blank pages so he could make notes on pages that contained three times as much blank space as Bible text. Several publishers produce Bibles with wide margins, some even called journalling Bibles. One even produces a Bible with text on every second page.

On 6th January 2022 I recommenced something I hadn’t done in over 30 years–marking my Bible.

I used to make marks in Bibles–underlining or highlighting significant verses; very occasionally making a brief note next to a verse; making a copy of the ‘Bridge to Life’ diagram and verses in the back pages, etc.

I stopped making notes or underlining in my Bibles, as I said, something like 30 years ago¹. The reason I stopped was because I didn’t want to be distracted the next time I read a passage by something I had underlined or noted on a previous occasion. I wanted each time I opened my Bible to be an opportunity to see new, fresh things in the text.

I undertook a Bible ‘stocktake’ the other day to ascertain just how many paper Bibles I have. The predominant purpose was to see if I could donate some to a local op-shop.

The Bibles in my collection include:

1. Revised Standard Version pew edition
2. New Living Translation Bible Study for Men hardback
3. English Standard Version 2001 centre column reference hardback
4. English Standard Version 2011 Single column legacy trutone
5. New Revised Standard Version pew edition
6. New King James Version Thompson Chain Reference leather
7. New King James Version pew edition
8. New King James Version Spirit-filled Life Bible hardback
9. Christian Standard Bible pew edition
10. English Standard Version Study Bible trutone

Of these I have decided to donate the ESV centre column reference Bible and the NKJV pew edition to the op shop. My wife has contributed another ESV centre column reference Bible to donate as well.

Every few years I give some thought (and prayer) to what sort of material I should use for devotional reading. I would class much of Andrew Murray’s and AW Tozer’s works as ‘devotional’, but this is not what I have in mind.

Some call is a quiet time, some a devotional, others call it spending time with the Lord. What I mean is some form or structure or intent of daily guided reading of Scripture with or without some additional commentary.

In this post I want to develop some thoughts regarding 2 Peter 1:8-11. The ESV¹ text reads:

[8] For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. [10] Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. [11] For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I’m intending to cover a little more territory in this post than the previous couple in 2 Peter 1. The verses I want to comment on are 2 Peter 1:5-11. the ESV¹ text reads:

[5] For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. [8] For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. [10] Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. [11] For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Continuing my look at 2 Peter. The verses under consideration in this post are the same that were the subject of my alliteration the other day, viz. 1 Peter 1:3-4 from the ESV¹

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

As I wrote the other day in my alliterative post on 2 Peter 1:3-4 I’ve been spending time in 2 Peter. I’ll post some thoughts on my reading in 2 Peter as I progress.

The first two verses of 2 Peter 1 in the ESV¹ read, ‘[1] Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: [2] May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.’

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve spent some time reading in and meditating on Peter’s second epistle. 2 Peter 1:3-4 from the ESV¹ reads:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Here are some thoughts regarding Psalm 119:

The central theme is the word of God. Some of the sub-themes are how obedience to and knowledge of the word of God leads to deliverance and salvation. The Psalmist recognises that much of the word contains God’s promises which flow from God’s goodness and faithfulness. There is a deep understanding and reliance by the Psalmist on the Lord’s goodness and sovereignty.

Some of the verses are in the form of prayers, others are statement or declarations of intent. The modern-day believer can benefit from meditating on and echoing these prayers and declarations. They refer to many contemporary situations–difficulties, persecution, praise, temple (church) attendance and participation.

The last stanza! After spending nearly 6 months of daily considering a verse from Psalm 119, we’re at the end. This last stanza covers verses 169 to 176 and all begin in the Hebrew with the letter tav. It can also be transliterated as tau or taw.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

169. Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word!

• Are these two clauses related? Not necessarily for they can be viewed as independent prayers or requests, but they can be viewed together.
• In the first clause the Psalmist is pleading for a hearing–that the Lord will hear and respond to his prayer.
• And the apparent prayer being made is that the Psalmist be given understanding according to God’s word. Anyone can read the Bible, but it is equally clear that many can read it and have no read idea or understanding of what it is saying. I’ve done it myself too often–read a passage of Scripture and had no idea what it’s about. It is only the Holy Spirit that can give us the revelation of understanding.

170. Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word.

• One of a few verses in the Psalm which is directly related to an adjacent verse. In this case the verse echoes or parallels the prior one.
• In verse 169 the Psalmist asked that his cry come before the Lord, and here it is his plea that he is seeking to have heard. In the Hebrew a cry is a call or shout whereas a plea is an entreaty or supplication.
• Here the Psalmist is seeking deliverance in accordance with the Lord’s word. Deliverance from what? We don’t know, but have seen repeatedly in both the Psalm and the life of David that people pursued him to destroy his life, his kingdom, his legacy and his reputation.

171. My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes.

• The Psalmist identifies praise as one of the results of knowing, understanding and obeying the Lord’s word.
• Praise hasn’t been widely mentioned in the Psalm, though we did see a reference to it in the reflections on the previous stanza at verse 164 (and it appears again in verses 172 and 175).
• The word rendered as ‘praise’ is the Hebrew thillah (H8416) and specifically refers to a hymn of praise–played and/or sung rather than spoken words. Interestingly many of the Psalms were written to be sung.
• Praise, whether spoken, thought or sung is an obvious consequence of knowing God–we respond with thanksgiving when we realise how the Lord loves us, what He has done to redeem us, and how He continues to sustain us.

172. My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.

• A further declaration of praise. This is in line with our previous verse’s use of the Hebrew thillah indicating musical praise rather than spoken. Here the Psalmist declares he will sing of God’s word.
• The word translated as ‘sing’ is the Hebrew anah (H6030) and refers to the idea of heeding or responding generally with speech and more specifically with singing.
• And the basis for this response of (sung) praise is the rightness of the Lord’s commandments. God’s word spoken to us calls for a response and the most appropriate one is of thanks and praise.

173. Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.

• A verse seeking the Lord’s help in light of the fact that the Psalmist has chosen to follow the Lord’s precepts.
• It sounds like presumption or bargaining–help me because I follow You–but it is the Lord’s desire that we obey His words and He has promised care and grace to those who put their faith in Him. Isaiah 26:3-4 reads, ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.’
• Matthew Henry makes an interesting observation on the second clause. He writes, ‘I took [Your precepts] for my rule, not because I knew no other, but because, upon trial, I knew no better.’

174. I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.

• The Psalmist expresses a desire for the Lord’s salvation. What is the nature of this salvation? Is it deliverance from persecution, is it the final redemption when he leaves this earth? Yes.
• The Hebrew rendered as ‘salvation’ is yshuah (H3444) and refers to something saved or delivered so David may be referring to deliverance from persecution or to the salvation of his soul or to both.
• In any case he declares that the law is his delight. As Matthew Henry observes, ‘Those that are cheerful in their obedience may in faith beg help of God to carry them on in their obedience; and those that expect God’s salvation must take delight in his law and their hopes must increase their delight.’

175. Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me.

• Both clauses use the verb ’let’ as the basis of these two requests of the Lord. The realisation or recognition that we can (and should) make these types of requests of the Lord demonstrates an understanding of the sovereignty of the Lord.
• We rely daily, hourly on the Lord for our lives–not only for our own bodily functions but also for suitable conditions in which to live and praise.
• But we also need to Lord’s help (through the instruction, guidance and revelation of the Holy Spirit) of God’s word or ‘rules’.

176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.

• The last verse of Psalm 119!
• The Psalmist recognises he has gone astray. He also recognises that he needs help to find his way back to the flock and the shepherd so he asks the Lord to seek him out.
• The last word is Matthew Henry’s, ‘Observe here, (1) It is the character of good people that they do not forget God’s commandments, being well pleased with their convictions and well settled in their resolutions. (2) Even those who, through grace, are mindful of their duty, cannot but own that they have in many instances wandered from it. (3) Those that have wandered from their duty, if they continue mindful of it, may with a humble confidence commit themselves to the care of God’s grace.’

In the next few days I intend to post some concluding thoughts and something of a summary of Psalm 119.

Second last stanza. In this post we’re considering the twenty-first stanza - verses 161 to 168 prefixed in the Hebrew with the letter shin.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

161. Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.

• Persecution comes to all believers in some form or another. In the Psalmist’s case his pursuers wanted to kill him and destroy his reputation and legacy. Some of that was because he was a Hebrew, a Jew. Other reasons were that he was King of Israel. Another reason was because of his dysfunctional and divided family.
• There is a difference between ‘cause’ and ‘reason’. Above lists three ‘reasons’ why he was persecuted, but that doesn’t mean he had given his pursuers ‘cause’. To me cause is to give someone else reason, without cause means they arrive at their reasons themselves.
• Despite the reasons (with or without cause) we, too, need to be able to echo the Psalmist’s words–that our hearts stand in awe of God’s words.

162. I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.

• In these days² many kingdoms were founded on a large city and smaller satellite towns. The riches of the kingdom would be concealed in a treasury and only discovered once the city had been successfully captured. One exception here was Hezekiah who showed off his treasury to Babylonian envoys–only to have them invade not long after (see 2 Kings 20:12-19 or Isaiah 39).
• I cam imagine delight at coming across a much larger treasury than one had envisaged. I’m sure there would have been plenty of times where the treasury was much smaller than expected.
• But the simile is in rejoicing to find much more value and benefit in the word of the Lord than one had envisaged.

163. I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law.

• The Psalmist describes the passionate feelings and thoughts he has towards falsehood–hatred and abhorrence. The word ‘abhor’ doesn’t get much use these days, but it’s worth dusting off.
• The word ‘abhor’ is from the Hebrew taab (H8581) and is to loathe or morally detest, to find something abominable.
• In contrast, the Psalmist loves the Lord’s word. There is no falsehood or deceit in God’s word. It is utterly trustworthy and the Psalmist has found that to be the case by experience.

164. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.

• Why seven? Is that suggestive of fullness, of completion; or were there seven times of set prayer per day in Jewish religious practice? Matthew Henry suggests that it is frequently–not only daily but many times daily.
• The Psalmist doesn’t view God’s laws as restrictive or harsh, but live-giving and life-enabling. They are righteous borne of righteousness.
• I, too, should frequently praise God for His word.

165. Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.

• A verse that has the capacity to impart great comfort.
• When David wrote this, he was referring to the first five books of the Old Testament whereas his words have now become part of God’s word for us. Not strictly part of God’s ’law’, but an integral part of God’s word.
• Not just ‘peace’, but ‘great peace’. And part of that peace is because of the surety of the foundation God’s word provides. As Matthew Henry writes, ‘No event of providence shall be either an invincible temptation or an intolerable affliction to them, but their love to the word of God shall enable them both to hold fast their integrity and to preserve their tranquility.’

166. I hope for your salvation, O LORD, and I do your commandments.

• This verse bundles together the great Biblical themes of hope, salvation and obedience.
• In this case hope comes first holding out the possibility of salvation through belief in the word of God. Salvation is not so much an event as a process (see Romans 8:29-30) which culminates with standing righteous before God not because of our obedience but because of our belief in Jesus. Of the three the last is obedience to the word.
• In the words of Matthew Henry, ‘The more lively the hope is the more lively the obedience will be.’

167. My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly.

• Is there a difference between saying ‘my soul keeps Your testimonies’ and ‘I keep Your testimonies’? There can be. I think the Psalmist’s reference to his soul is speaking of his mind, his will, his emotions. He thinks about obedience. He is intent on obedience. He feels connected to God such that he wants to obey and when he is living obediently.
• And as a result of that desire (emotions), that intent (the mind), that bending of the will towards the things of God, he loves the Lord’s testimonies.
• But he doesn’t just love God’s word. He loves it ’exceedingly’. How many people can honestly say that?

168. I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you.

• An interesting observation about God’s omniscience³–‘all my ways are before you’. The Lord knows all of our ways (thoughts, behaviours, motivations, deeds).
• Because all of our ways are known to the Lord, the Psalmist declares that he keeps all of the Lord’s precepts and testimonies. This is not some proud boast or wishful thinking because the Lord knows if it is not true. It is instead a declaration that the Psalmist wilfully keeps the Lord’s commands as far as he understands them.
• I can recall Derek Prince once saying that as far as he is aware, he does not wilfully sin. It wasn’t coming from a place of pride or ignorance, but from obedience and humility to his understanding of the revealed will of God.

There are a couple of standout verses in this stanza–verses 164 and 165. They describe aspects of God’s word or characteristics that should be evident in believers: praise and peace.

Third last stanza. In this post we’re considering the twentieth stanza–verses 153 to 160 prefixed in the Hebrew with the letter resh.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

153. Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law.

• Further prayers for relief–for ‘deliverance’ which is the Hebrew chalats (H2502). Its root meaning is to pull something off or strip something away.
• He is not seeking reinforcements or resilience, but instead the removal of the cause of the affliction. It reminds me of Pau who prayed that the Lord would remove the thorn from his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
• On the last clause Matthew Henry writes, ‘The more closely we cleave to the word of God, both as our rule and as our stay, the more assurance we may have of deliverance in due time.’ But can we know when it is due time?

154. Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise!

• It’s interesting to read the Psalmist asking the Lord to plead his case. A much more common expression or analogy is of the Lord as a judge (and indeed the Lord is a judge and will judge, but with absolute fairness and with all the facts).
• Here the Lord is approached to be an advocate–one who supports and defends our case. John 14:21 and 1 John 2:1 speak of both Jesus and the Holy Spirit being advocates for believers.
• The cause the Psalmist is seeking justice for is the freedom to exercise his faith in accordance with the Lord’s word.

155. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.

• The Psalmist makes a point here whose subtlety may be lost. He doesn’t say ‘for they do not keep your statutes’, but ‘for they do not seek your statutes’.
• The emphasis is on the seeking rather than the keeping. No one was begin to try to keep the law without seeking the law; but it is possible to begin seeking the law and not manage to keep it.
• No one can keep the Lord’s statutes in their entirety. The purpose of the Law was to point people to the need for a redeemer (see Galatians 3 and particularly verses 10-11, 21-24).

156. Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to your rules.

• We see a number of key characteristics of the Lord reflected in this one verse: mercy, Lordship, sovereignty, redemption.
• The Lord’s mercy is only relevant if He has the power and ability to redeem or rescue. Without these, mercy is empty for it cannot change the situation.
• Sovereignty is of benefit to those who are subject to it with the presence of mercy. A tyrannical ruler is to be feared, but a ruler who exercises mercy where there is repentance is above all.
• The Psalmist seeks the Lord’s mercy and redemption in acknowledgement of the Lord’s capacity to extend both.

157. Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies.

• The Psalmist here acknowledges tat he has many persecutors and adversaries. I would distinguish between the two by suggesting a persecutor is attacking someone because of their faith whereas an adversary is attacking for another reason–personal or political gain–for example.
• The Hebrew words indicate different usage. ‘Persecutors’ is the Hebrew radaph (H7291) and means to run after, so this is to follow or pursue with hostile intent. ‘Adversary’ is the Hebrew tsar (H6862)which means narrow or a tight spot. The former expresses what the opponent is doing–pursuing; whereas the latter is the consequence–feeling confined or trapped.
• In this state of pursuit and entrapment, the Psalmist declares that he does not swerve from the Lord’s testimonies. It is a statement of intent to continue to follow the Lord and of faith in the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness.

158. I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands.

• Strong language here where the Psalmist feels ‘disgust’. It is the Hebrew qut (H6962) and literally means to cut off, so figuratively it is used of someone or something that you want to be kept away from. Figuratively it conveys the ideas of detesting, loathing or grieving.
• Other translations use the word loathe (NASB), disgust (NKJV) or hate (NLT). The KJV uses the somewhat milder-sounding ‘grieved’.
• Interestingly the Psalmist’s grief or disgust is not because he is bearing the brunt of these evil acts, but he grieves from the Lord’s perspective for they ‘do not keep your commands’. He is aggrieved because they are provoking the Lord to anger and judgement.

159. Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love.

• Is ‘consider how I love Your precepts’ something we can genuinely say and pray to the Lord?
• Then, in the light of his stated love for the word of the Lord, the Psalmist prays for life that flows from and is in accordance with the Lord’s steadfast love. As we’ve seen before, this ’life’ that the Psalmist speaks of is life, revival, restoration, wholeness.
• And the Lord’s ‘steadfast love’ is the Hebrew chesed (H2617) and refers to kindness, mercy and favour. It is a gracious love and favour, not earned, but granted.

160. The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

• An interesting expression on the source and nature of truth. The word translated as ‘sum’ is the Hebrew rosh (H7218) and means the head or principal or top. It is the primary purpose or aim. Some other versions (NKJV and CSB) use the word ’entirety’. The Amplified explains the verse as ’the total of the full meaning of all Your individual precepts’–clunky, but helpful.
• And each of the individual verses (all 31,102 per the KJV) has enduring effect and relevance.
• Each verse reflects some aspect or fragment of truth, but it is when they are taken as a whole and in context that the full counsel of God is seen.

We’re closing in on the end of the Psalm. These reflections below are on the nineteenth stanza which covers verses 145 to 152. Each verse in the Hebrew begins with the letter qof.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

145. With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD! I will keep your statutes.

• This verse continues the dominating sub-theme of the Psalm seeking to be obedient in the face of pursuit and persecution.
• The Psalmist is so desirous of a response from the Lord that he cries out with his ‘whole heart’. His request of the Lord is not half-hearted, but whole-hearted.
• Why is the Lord sometimes silent, or apparently slow to respond? I think it comes down in part to the Lord’s love and the Lord’s discipline. He disciplines those He loves, and, as a loving Father He certainly doesn’t answer all requests immediately and in the affirmative.
• The Psalmist makes the declaration that he will keep the Lord’s statutes. And I think we know enough about the Psalmist to indicate he did continue to keep the Lord’s statutes.

146. I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies.

• Similar concepts to the previous verse, but with slightly different emphases.
• Here the Psalmist is calling out for salvation. The Hebrew word here is yasha (H3467) and, as we saw with verse 94, means to be in wide spaces–free, preserved, rescued.
• The Psalmist then declares that he will be able to observe the Lord’s testimonies when he has been freed. It strikes me that the particular testimonies he has in mind relate to different observances and festivals that require attendance at the temple. We saw similar in my reflection upon verse 134.

147. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.

• Sometimes this is all you can do.
• Presumably the Psalmist hasn’t woken from a fitful night’s sleep, but has tossed and turned, eventually realising that further sleep will not come. So he arises when it is still dark and prays for protection, freedom, revelation, further understanding and manifestation of the promises of God.
• The Psalmist’s declaration that ‘I hope in your words’ is a cry of confidence and desperation at the same time. It reminds me of some of the final words of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 33:27a: ‘The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.’ The Lord is the best resort.

148. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.

• A quick Duck Duck Go reveals that at this time in Hebrew history there were three watches during the evening–from 6:00pm until 10:00pm, 10:00pm until 2:00am and from 2:00am until dawn.
• One commentator, Kingcomments indicates dawn was one of the formal times of Jewish prayer, but that the Psalmist had already been prying and meditating during one of the night watches and also before the conclusion of the last watch of the night.
• Interestingly, in Mark 11:35 Jesus makes specific reference to each of the watches succeeded by the morning.

149. Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life.

• There is an interesting mix of ideas in this verse–calling upon the Lord to act in both love and justice.
• Whilst they may seem contradictory, they are not. The Lord can act with love and justice simultaneously. The key, I think, is found in the fact that whilst the Lord is holy and demands perfection, He recognises that we can’t obtain that on our own so needed to provide the satisfying sacrifice in the form of Jesus.
• He is holy and so true justice sees condemnation; but in His love, He has provided the sacrifice so any and all who come to Him in faith will be accepted.

150. They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law.

• We are seeing more of this in western society every day. One of the buzzwords (are there buzzphrases?) is cultural Marxism which is basically a social construction based around the idea of secular humanism–an approach rejecting religion or the supernatural in favour of reason, naturalism and humanism.
• In the Psalmist’s case the persecution was much more personal and targeted–people wanted to kill David. He describes their intent as ‘with evil purpose’.
• Many situations are not as clear cut, but in cases of persecution with the intent of evil demonstrates a lack of understanding and obedience to God’s law.

151. But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true.

• Drawing a contrast to the Psalmist’s persecutors from the previous verse. In verse 150 his persecutors ‘draw near’, but the Lord ‘is near’.
• If we love the Lord then no matter how near our enemies, persecutors or difficulties are, the Lord is nearer.
• In the second clause the NASB reads slightly differently to the ESV. The NASB reads ‘and all Your commandments are truth’. Truth has a more imperative and and emphatic ring to it than true. Something may be ’true’ but that sounds less pressing than ’truth’.

152. Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever.

• Something of a rarity in this Psalm–the verse is a single clause.
• The Psalmist is saying not only does God’s word declare that it has power and effect for all time, but that he has personally discovered and experienced the same.
• And this knowledge or experience is not a recent discovery for him, but something he has long known.

We’re up to the eighteenth stanza of Psalm 119–looking at verses 137 to 144 where each line in the Hebrew begins with the letter tsade.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

137. Righteous are you, O LORD, and right are your rules.

• Here we see the necessary connection or relationship between a righteous God and His laws. If the Lord is wholly righteous, then His decrees (and acts) will also be right.
• If any of God’s laws were flawed or not right then God’s character can also be seen as flawed. Unlike humanity which can act altruistically one moment and from selfishness the next, or perform noble acts one moment and evil acts the next, this is not the same case with the Lord.
• The holiness and therefore rightness of God can be a sticking point for some because if God is holy and righteous and makes the rules then we, as created beings have no choice but to live within this framework or risk the wrath of the rule-maker.
• And that brings us to the whole point of Jesus. Because we can’t keep the rules, and don’t want to, then the wrath of God can be averted by faith in Jesus because He willingly accepted that wrath so we can live in God’s presence.

138. You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness.

• This verse continues a theme introduced in the previous verse, and extends it further.
• The word ‘appointed’ in the Hebrew is tsavah (H6680) and has the meaning to convey or enjoin or charge. So the Lord’s testimonies have been charged to carry and promote God’s righteousness. They are to promote His righteous character and purposes.
• And in addition to righteousness, they also carry the Lord’s faithfulness. The Hebrew here is emunah (H0530) and refers to moral fidelity and stability.
• So the word of the Lord is divinely charged to uphold truth and moral stability.

139. My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words.

• The Psalmist makes (to me) an unusual connection between the practice of his faith and the behaviour and obedience of his enemies.
• The first clause ‘my zeal consumes me’ indicates he is zealous and eager to uphold God’s law. The second clause informs us that this zealousness is, in part, fuelled or prompted by the lack of faith and lack of obedience of those who are pursuing him.
• Matthew Henry suggests, ‘Zeal against sin should constrain us to do what we can against it in our places, at least to do so much the more in religion ourselves. The worse others are the better we should be.’

140. Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it.

• This verse speaks of the reliability and trustworthiness of God’s word. This extends what we saw in verse 138 concerning righteousness and faithfulness.
• God’s character, being holy, must also be evident in His pronouncements. His words written and verbal must reflect that same holiness and moral truth.
• The idea of God’s promise being well tried means it has stood the test of time. It has been trusted and relied upon for something like a millennium (at the time of David’s writing) and it has not failed through a thousand years if use by millions and millions of Hebrews.
• The same applies to the New Testament. The truths or promises contained in it have stood similar tests. Like David, we should love it, too.

141. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts.

• The Psalmist’s description of himself as ‘small and despised’ goes against much modern-day pop psychology where healthy self esteem is god. But in whose eyes is he of small stature and worthy only of scorn? Matthew Henry suggests David was king at this stage and had been described as ‘a man after God’s own heart’ so it was not the Lord’s view of him, but the view of David himself or some surrounding him.
• Matthew Henry also points out that the Lord often chooses the weak and foolish to achieve His purposes (1 Corinthians 1:27) and ‘it has been the common lot of his people to be a despised people.’
• Whatever the Psalmist’s view of himself, or the view of those around him, he declares he does not forget the Lord’s precepts. Perhaps that is the real lesson here–regardless of our ‘station’ we not forget the Lord’s promises to us and purposes for us.

142. Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true.

• The Psalmist speaks of the Lord’s righteousness–continuing one of the themes in this stanza (verses 137 and 138).
• Here the Lord’s righteousness is referred to as eternal or ‘forever’. Not only is the Lord righteous, but He has been from the beginning and will continue to be for all eternity.
• Again we see a connection being made between the Lord’s righteousness and the truth of His words. They must go hand-in-hand. If the Lord is truly righteous then it for eternity, and His words must be true.

143. Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight.

• The first clause contains an interesting turn of phrase. He doesn’t say trouble and anguish have ‘found me’ but that they have ‘found me out’. It’s not just that trouble and anguish are his current experience, but that his resilience an internal resources have been found lacking.
• The one resource he has found, which is external to him are the commandments of God. And in these he has found delight.
• There can be no doubt that the Psalmist’s use of the word of God as a source of reading, study, meditation and obedience are more than a simple distraction from his problems, but provide resilience and build faith in and through the trouble and anguish.

144. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.

• Further mention of righteousness. Once again we cannot legitimately separate the righteousness of the Lord from the righteousness of His pronouncements.
• In this case the Psalmist declares the Lord’s testimonies to be righteous forever–such a long time.
• And the Psalmist is seeking wisdom and revelation into these testimonies such that he will live. He seeks to live in accordance with the Lord’s decrees and in the light of the Lord’s promises both on earth and for eternity.

I have enjoyed this stanza more than some of the previous ones because there has been a theme or thread running through many of the verses–righteousness–of both the Lord and His word.

We’re considering the seventeenth stanza of Psalm 119 - from verses 129 to 136 prefixed with the letter pe.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

129. Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.

• The Psalmist recognises the beneficial character and purpose of God’s word. The word translated as ‘wonderful’ reflects the miraculous and marvellous.
• The use of the word ‘soul’ is interesting. It is the Hebrew nephesh (H5315) and literally refers to a breathing creature, but can be read as a man, a person, the self or soul. The CSB avoids any confusion by rendering the clause as ’therefore I obey them’. Neat.
• The Amplified amplifies (!) the keeping of God’s law as ‘hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying’. It is a package deal and a process.

130. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

• This verse touches on something rarely discussed - progressive revelation. It encompasses the idea that the more deeply and more frequently we read and study and meditate on God’s word, the greater the revelation we receive. We see a sense of this when we read a Bible verse we’ve read many times in the past and suddenly see new meaning or application.
• And the purpose of this revelation (divinely inspired understanding) is quite simply light (see verse 105).
• This divine guidance and instruction provides understanding, and it is accessible to the simple - those who approach God and His word with humility and openness.

131. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.

• Some slightly disturbing imagery today! The word translated as ‘pant’ is the Hebrew shaaph (H760) and literally means to inhale eagerly. Figuratively it is to covet or desire.
• All of the major translations I consult (ESV, NASB, NKJV, CSB, Amplified and CSB) all use the word pant.
• And the Psalmists desire is for the commandments of God. Matthew Henry suggests it would be like holding our breath and then the desire (and need) to inhale quickly.

132. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.

• Arguably one of those few verses in this Psalm that contain no specific reference to God’s law. The ESV does use the word ‘way’, but that is more accurately rendered as ‘manner’ per the NASB.
• The Psalmist is asking the Lord to, firstly, turn to him - to give attention to him. Secondly, to ‘be gracious’. In my mind I generally associate grace with the phrase ‘grace and mercy’ and indeed the Hebrew word here chanan (H2603) translated as ‘gracious’ means to stoop down and, by implication, show favour or be merciful.
• The basis for this prayer or request is the Lord’s character or nature demonstrated to those who love the Lord’s name. Clearly the Psalmist is placing himself in this category and seeks the Lord’s favour.
• Whilst this may sound like the initiative is ours, Romans 5:8 is clear that it is God who took the initiative and we have opportunity (called ’life’) to respond to this grace and mercy.

133. Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

• A prayer to stand firm and remain that way.
• The New Testament contain numerous references to standing firm or remaining firm (1 Corinthians 16:13, Ephesians 6:10-11, 1 Peter 5:12). This is not in our own strength or willpower, but by the Spirit of God to stand firm in the truth of God.
• The New Testament also speaks warning about letting sin have dominion over us (Romans 6:14, 2 Corinthians 10:4, Ephesians 4:27, 1 Peter 5:8). We need to be aware of temptation and sin and flee from it - giving evil no foothold from which it can become a stronghold.

134. Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts.

• This is another of David’s many prayers for relief from pursuit. He is seeking to be redeemed from man’s oppression and, like previously, we don’t know if the threat was to his physical being or reputation or legacy - maybe all three.
• The word ’that’ sticks out to me. Why is David’s capacity or ability to keep the Lord’s precepts conditional upon the Lord redeeming him from human oppression? What aspect of faith and obedience is being thwarted? Perhaps being able to worship in the temple? Perhaps David had missed some feast days in Jerusalem?
• It raises similar questions for us in our current Covid-19 ‘pandemic’ and lockdowns. What expressions of our faith are being thwarted or ignored? Corporate worship? Corporate prayer? Communion? These are not insurmountable but may need to be scaled back.

135. Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.

• The first clause echoes the Psalmist’s sentiments from verse 132 - that he seeks the favour of the Lord.
• New Testament believers (‘Christians’) already have the favour of the Lord, but clearly we may want to experience or savour the favour (!) during times of stress or spiritual darkness or oppression.
• There doesn’t need to be a direct link between the clauses in this verse, but one link would be that knowing and understanding the statutes of the Lord is a form of the Lord’s favour.

136. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.

• A one-verse lament.
• The ‘people’ would be the Hebrew nation as they were the ones tasked with keeping God’s law at this stage.
• It is a lament expressing deep sorrow and regret at the general lack of awareness of and adherence to God’s word. As always knowledge is one thing, but obedience is another.
• We could well lament the lack of biblical knowledge and obedience amongst those who call themselves Christians today.

We’ve made it as far as the sixteenth stanza of Psalm 119 - from verses 121 to 128 prefixed with the letter ayin.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

121. I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.

• One of the very few verses in the Psalm that doesn’t make specific reference to God’s word, testimonies, precepts, law, way, etc. The next verse is in the same league.
• A prayer or plea to the Lord for protection or escape from David’s oppressors.
• Interestingly the basis for David’s appeal is that he has ‘done what is just and right’. We tend to think in relative terms - that I am more just and right than … (insert name of more evil person here), but God looks at absolutes. Any lack of justice or righteousness incurs God’s judgement because of His absolute holiness, but our righteousness is imputed or acquired by faith in Jesus.

122. Give your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me.

• Prayer for some assurance of protection or relief from oppressors.
• As is common throughout this Psalm, we don’t know if the danger is physical or reputational (perhaps both) and is seeking safety from these insolent oppressors.
• The word ‘insolent’ is the Hebrew zed (H2086) and refers to the proud or arrogant.
• I would suggest the pledge of good the Psalmist is seeking is a specific instance of protection or vindication.

123. My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.

• There is an interesting use of tense in this verse, as well as the use of singular versus plural terms.
• The Psalmist speaks of his salvation as a future event. I don’t know how the Jews perceived salvation, but a lot of it was tied to being a nation physically present in the land of Israel. In this case the Psalmist may be referring to the same protection we’ve seen in the previous two verses.
• Interestingly the Lord’s righteous promise is expressed in the singular - rather than ‘promises’. The Hebrew word is imrah or emrah (H565) and refers to a (spoken) word or commandment.
• I think it likely that the Psalmist is looking forward to the time when the Lord’s promised protection or vindication becomes a reality.

124. Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.

• David refers to himself as ‘your servant’, so he is binding himself to the Lord and His service.
• David seeks to be dealt with on the basis of the Lord’s steadfast love. The Hebrew here is the word chesed (H2617) which means kindness and favour. We could also look upon it as grace.
• In response to this chesed, David asks the Lord to teach him the Lord’s statutes - so he can respond with obedience.

125. I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!

• Here’s a prayer that all believers could use. It recognises three things that I’ll specifically refer to below:
• Firstly, it continues the acknowledgement made by David in verse 124 of servanthood - of being bound or indentured to the Lord having being purchased by Him (Galatians 3:13).
• Secondly, we need the Lord (through the Holy Spirit) to give us spiritual understanding and the ability to see truth (John 14:26).
• Thirdly, the imperative to know the word of the Lord - to be reading, studying and meditating on it (appropriating Paul’s exhortation to Timothy recorded in 2 Timothy 2:15 and the more general exhortation in 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

126. It is time for the LORD to act, for your law has been broken.

• This is a statement that could apply any time of any day, but presumably the Psalmist had something specific in mind relating to those who were seeking to harm him physically or damage his reputation or legacy.
• It is an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty in judgement - that the Lord’s laws have been broken and the Lord must be the one to judge.
• But there is also the suggestion (to my reading) that the Psalmist has done everything he can in his present situation and now realises that restoration or vindication can only be secured by the Lord.

127. Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.

• I’m not quite tracking with the use of ’therefore’ here. This verse (and the next) don’t seem to specifically relate to or flow on from the previous ones.
• Most of the major translations I use begin the verse with ‘Therefore’ - ESV, NASB, NKJV, Amplified. The CSB seems to better capture the flow of the text beginning verse 127 with ‘Since’ and having verse 128 flow on in the light of verse 127.
• We can read verse 127 as a single thought of ‘I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold’. That is the value the Psalmist places on the word of the Lord. Should we value it any less?

128. Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way.

• Another ’therefore’ - this time continuing the idea from verse 127 of the value that the Psalmist places on the Lord’s word.
• Because the Psalmist loves and values the word of the Lord above gold, he considers all of the Lord’s precepts to be right and hates deception and falsehood.
• There is never a day when this is not relevant or important, but perhaps more so in these days when genuine discussion and legitimate questions concerning government responses to the corona virus and the quality and transparency of health authority advice are shut down by government, health departments, mainstream media and tech giants.

There have been some interesting verses in this stanza. The stand out to me is verse 125 ‘I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies’ which is a prayer acknowledging service to the Lord and seeking divine understanding of the Lord’s word.

We’ve made it as far as the fifteenth stanza of Psalm 119 - from verses 113 to 120 prefixed with the letter samech.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

113. I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.

• An interesting comparison/contrast being drawn here. I guess the inference is that if one loves the law of God (and the consequence of seeking to be obedient to it) that double-mindedness is precluded.
• The word rendered ‘double-minded’ is the Hebrew seeph (H5588) and means divided or sceptical so is commonly translated in newer translations as ‘double-minded’ (ESV, NASB, NKJV).
• The KJV renders this verse as ‘I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love’. Matthew Henry suggests the Psalmist hated vain thoughts in himself (for he was not privy to others thoughts) but the more he loved the word of God, the more mastery he had over these vain thoughts.

114. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.

• The Psalmist states his dependence upon the Lord as both his hiding place and shield - protection by concealment and by covering.
• Again we don’t know what specific events have led to these conclusions, but David certainly encountered many situations where he sought concealment and needed a shield - so he recognises the Lord’s providence in keeping him safe.
• The Psalmist connects the Lord’s protection of him with his hope in the word of the Lord.

115. Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God.

• The Psalmist’s prayer is that the evildoers around him will depart so he can keep the Lord’s commandments.
• I presume David is aware that he could react or retaliate in a sinful way.
• It picks up on some of the concepts from Psalm 1 - of not walking in the counsel of the wicked, but instead delighting in the law of the Lord.

116. Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

• A one-line prayer for the Lord to uphold David. But it is based upon some promises and premises from God’s word - that David will live, and that the hope he has in the Lord will not be thwarted.
• David is asking the Lord to fulfil His word to David - presumably a specific, personal revelation about his life or calling or kingship. David can see it slipping away and asks toe Lord to remember His promise.

117. Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!

• Follows on with similar concepts from verse 116.
• The Psalmist seeks support and safety from the Lord so that he can continue to ‘have regard’ to the Lord’s statutes.
• In Matthew Henry’s words, ‘If God’s right hand uphold us, we must, in his strength, go on in our duty both with diligence and pleasure.’
• It reflects the idea that mankind is sustained by the hand of the Lord, and seeks to respond to God’s grace.

118. You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain.

• Here is a verse that speaks of judgement that will befall all who reject God’s word. For us on this side of the cross that means those who reject Jesus for He is God’s final word for salvation.
• This verse is the first part of a trio of verses (including verses 119 and 120) on this theme of judgement.
• The idea that ’their cunning is in vain’ is translated as ’their deceitfulness is useless’ in the NASB and ’their deceit is falsehood’ in the NKJV and ’their deceit is a lie’ in the CSB. However clever or constructive we appear to be, unless it is consistent with God’s word and reflects faith in Jesus then it will ultimately come to nothing.

119. All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies.

• The second verse of the trio making reference to the Lord’s judgement.
• Many people focus on and cling to the fact that ‘God is love’ as justification for their disdain and sin by thinking that God will forgive all unconditionally because God is love. But the reality, first and foremost, is that God is holy and so His love only permanently rests on those who are forgiven and are thus able to stand in His holy presence. And that forgiveness comes through (in the New Testament era) belief and faith in Jesus.
• God’s sovereignty and personal human responsibility stand side by side in the Bible. Both are true and at the same time.

120. My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.

• Completing the trio of verses centred on the judgement of God.
• The ‘fear of the Lord’ is a common theme or refrain in the Old Testament. Generally it refers not to outright fear but instead to a healthy apprehension or cognisance of the Lord - an appreciation of His existence, nature and expectations.
• This fear of the Lord flows to fear of the Lord’s judgements. In the New Testament much of this fear can be replaced by/through faith in Jesus, but there is still the requirement to pursue holiness for, as Hebrews 12:14 says, ‘Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.’ We are seen as righteous through faith in Christ, but we are also to pursue and grow in righteousness.

We’re looking at the fourteenth of twenty-two stanzas of Psalm 119 - verses 105 to 112 prefixed with the letter nun.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

105. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

• Perhaps the best known verse from this Psalm? Inspiration and lyric-source for the song Thy Word by Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.
• An interesting metaphor that indicates the Lord illuminates both the path we should take and the position of our feet.
• Imagine being in the pitch dark then seeing an illuminated pathway some distance away. Knowing where the path is is one thing, but seeing the ground around us as we make our way to that path is another thing entirely. We need both.

106. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.

• The Psalmist here does something that no New Testament believer should consider doing - making or swearing an oath.
• In Old Testament times it was a common event to swear an oath or make a vow to keep or fulfill some promise. Abraham did it (Genesis 21:31, 24:1-9), Hannah did it (1 Samuel 1:11), Ezra did it (Ezra 10:5), likewise Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5:12), David makes reference to it here, etc.
• Jesus takes a different view as expressed in Matthew 5:33-37. Jesus’ words are based on a fuller or more rounded understanding of the nature of God. He takes an Old Testament view and expands it by indicating that all we say should be with honesty, integrity and intent.

107. I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word!

• Here the Psalmist seeks relief from ‘severe affliction’. As has been mentioned before, the nature of the affliction isn’t described here but could relate to people seeking David’s life or damaging his reputation.
• The relief he seeks is ’life’, but that could be physical rescue or escape, or restoration to a previous condition.
• And this relief, this rescue (or redemption or restoration or revival) is in accordance with God’s word. Whether this was a specific word or promise to David, or more general revelation, we don’t know. I would think the former more likely.

108. Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me your rules.

• The Psalmist offers praise to the Lord, or at least has praised the Lord and then offers that to the Lord. Any praise that isn’t of the free will doesn’t seem like it would be of any value anyway.
• The Psalmist also seeks to have the Lord teach him His rules. It’s not in the form of a contract or exchange, but instead indicates a willingness both to praise the Lord and be taught God’s ordinances by the Lord.
• It describes a position of submission to and reverence for the Lord.

109. I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.

• I presume this is a reference to David being on the run from Saul and his men, or under constant threat from potential usurpers or slanderers.
• Despite those constant threats, David maintains his love for and obedience to the word of God. In the words of Matthew Henry, ‘In the multitude of his cares for his own safety he finds room in his head and heart for the word of God’.

110. The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts.

• A continuation of the ideas from the previous verse. David is aware of people pursuing him and laying traps for him but he maintains his confidence in the word of the Lord.
• I don’t think David is considering taking action outside of God’s word, but that he remains obedient to it despite the many pressures he faces.
• It can be easy to let our guards down when under pressure, but David is declaring that he maintains his God-ward focus.

111. Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

• An interesting use or view on the word heritage where the Psalmist declares the Lord’s testimonies are his ‘heritage forever’. The Hebrew is the word nachal (H5157) and means to inherit or to occupy - something that has descended or been distributed.
• It raises the question in my mind as to what part God’s word will play in our lives in eternity. More than I had previously considered, I suspect. There will still be learning and education and growth in heaven. I don’t think we will automatically have perfect or complete knowledge.
• May I be able to echo David’s words that the Lord’s testimonies are ’the joy of my heart’.

112. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.

• David here touches on something important - the role of the will. He inclines his heart to keep the Lord’s commandments. He indicates an intention to do something consistently.
• None of that precludes failures and lapses, but it is an orientation to reading, learning, studying, meditating and obeying the word of the Lord.
• And it is something David sees as being necessary forever. His obedience is based on love, not fear and it is eternal.

We’re looking at the thirteenth of twenty-two stanzas of Psalm 119 - verses 97 to 104 prefixed with the letter mem.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

97. Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

• This is one of the better known and most frequently quoted verses from this Psalm.
• David’s love for and appreciation of the word of God was so great that he declares that it is the object of his meditation continually.
• I wouldn’t read this that David was meditating on Scripture all the time; but that he did meditate frequently and deeply on God’s word. And this frequency and depth of meditation was such that his thoughts and reflections on Scripture permeated his waking thoughts.

98. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.

• David refers to the word of the Lord in the singular - ‘commandment’ and ‘it’. He sees his knowledge and experience of the entire law of God as a single entity.
• I can see the logic of that because it is rare for us to know how, when and where we gained a particular nugget of wisdom. Sometimes we can recall a specific time or situation when we learned something, but generally we just seem to acquire it (or not).
• In the verse David is saying that his knowledge and understanding of the word of God (mainly acquired through meditation and obedience) gives him wisdom that his attackers and detractors don’t have. And it is an enduring advantage.

99. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.

• The middle of three verses where the Psalmist compares his understanding or wisdom with his enemies (v. 98), his teachers (this verse) and the aged (v. 100).
• David takes no pride in his implicit knowledge or understanding, but only from what he understands from his meditation upon the Lord’s testimonies.

100. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

• David continues to compare his understanding with others. In this case he declares he understands more than the aged because he has kept the Lord’s precepts.
• It’s an interesting comparison. In our society age is often equated with wisdom (until the possible onset of dementia where the equation is no longer made).
• But here David equates understanding with obedience to God’s word - and that can be demonstrated at any age.
• Across these three verses we have seen a progression of how to approach God’s word - David has studied God’s word or law; he has meditated upon it; and he has sought to obey it as he understood it.

101. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.

• Describes how intention and will can play a part in obedience to God’s word.
• In order to keep the Lord’s word, the Psalmist indicates that he holds back his feet. He doesn’t willing go out of his way to join in with evil activities.
• Suggests to me that part of him wants to join with the evil activity - that his feet want to take him there, but his will overrides that desire.

102. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.

• The first clause is a declaration of David’s obedience - that he does not wilfully turn away from the Lord’s ordinances. He had in the past - and had suffered some very painful discipline with significant and enduring consequences.
• The second clause can be read in a couple of ways. Different translations put this as ‘for You Yourself have taught me’ and others ‘for You have taught me well’. The Amplified, NASB and NKJV have the first reading whereas the NLT has the latter. I’d opt for the former.
• David no longer wilfully sins because he has been taught and experienced the word and discipline of the Lord.

103. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

• Another well-known verse from Psalm 119 (though I suspect many who know the verse aren’t sure where it comes from).
• David describes the Lord’s words as ‘sweet’, with the metaphor that it is sweeter than honey. That may be an attractive comparison for those who like honey, but less engaging for those wo don’t. The idea of sweetness and honey is from the Hebrew for smooth, pleasant syrupiness or viscosity.
• David views the Lord’s commands and testimonies as smooth, pleasant and palatable.
• I’m not sure that I view all of the Lord’s word as pleasant and smooth all of the time.

104. Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

• The Psalmist declares his experience - that he gets understanding from the Lord’s precepts. The word translated as ‘understanding’ is the Hebrew biyn (H0995) and means to mentally separate or distinguish.
• The Psalmist then declares that, in light of this, he hates every false way.
• In the verse the psalmist is demonstrating exactly the type of understanding he speaks of - he is separating God’s way from false ways. He is distinguishing between his experience of knowledge and falsehood.
• As we read and meditate on the verse, we, too, can gain understanding of the importance of truth and holiness and Godly wisdom, and a glimpse of how they operate together.

Continuing on to record my reflections on a verse of Psalm 119 each day that began here and left off here.

We’re looking at the twelfth of twenty-two stanzas of Psalm 119 - verses 89 to 96 prefixed with the letter lamed.

These verses, from the ESV®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

89. Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.

• This verse firstly contains the idea that the Lord’s words are for perpetuity - continuing forever.
• They are everlasting decrees - with effect and power and effective and effectual forever. Our laws and codes come and go with changes in technology, demographics, economics, ’enlightenment’, progress (good and bad).
• To be ‘firmly fixed in the heavens’ reinforces this idea of universal application and relevance. They are set over and above us. Visible, yet unchangeable.

90. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

• One of the very few verses in the Psalm that doesn’t make some direct reference to the word of God (or testimony, or precept, or commandment, or law, etc). Verse 37 was the first.
• Continues the ideas of eternal endurance and immutability, but this time ascribing them to the Lord’s faithfulness and His commitment to His creation.
• Across these two verses what is eternal and immutable is both the efficacy of the word of God and His faithfulness.
• God’s faithfulness is seen in and demonstrated by His word.

91. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants.

• It’s not clear to me what ’they’ are. Is it the word of the Lord (from verse 89) or the earth (from verse 90)? I assume from the plural that it is the law or statutes of the Lord that stand?
• Matthew Henry takes a different view - that the ’they’ are the heavens and the earth because ’the stability of the ordinances of the day and night, of heaven and earth, is produced to prove the perpetuity of God’s covenant.’
• He continues that this fulfills the covenant promise to Noah recorded in Genesis 8:22.
• The NASB contains the word ‘ordinances’ fulfilling the concept that the vast majority of verses in this Psalm make reference to God’s law in some way. The first clause reads, ‘They stand this day according to Your ordinances’.

92. If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

• Draws a direct connection or benefit between delighting in the law and being saved or redeemed from affliction. We don’t know what the affliction was or how David was saved from perishing by delighting in the law.
• It raises the question of whether I delight in the Lord’s word.
• Matthew Henry makes the point that, whilst we are not kept from affliction, we can be kept from perishing in it - of being kept through it.
• Matthew Henry finishes his commentary on this verse by saying, ‘His converse with God’s law, and his meditations on it, were his delightful entertainment in solitude and sorrow. A Bible is a pleasant companion at any time if we please.’

93. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.

• A declaration by the Psalmist about the character of God’s word and the impact it has had on his life - the precepts of the Lord have given life to David, and, as a result, he declares to never forget God’s word.
• The word translated as ’life’ is the Hebrew chayah (H2421) usually translated as ‘revive’ and has shades of meaning covering nourishment, restoration or being made whole.
• The words or precepts of the Lord are the means of transmission of this revival or restoration but it is the Lord who is the source.

94. I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts.

• The Psalmist sees and makes a direction connection between belonging to God, God’s word, and redemption or salvation.
• The word ‘save’ is the Hebrew yasha (H3467) and at its root means to be open wide or free. By implication it contains the idea of being made free or preserved.
• I see this idea of seeking the Lord’s precepts to include reading, study, meditation and obedience. There must be both a study of God’s word as well as the desire and intent to apply it.

95. The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies.

• There have been a number of instances in this Psalm where David has lamented those who would seek to destroy his life and/or reputation and/or legacy and/or family and/or kingdom.
• The specific situation here is not known to us, but it may be a physical ambush that David was aware of or anticipating. Certainly there were occasions where Saul pursued David with murderous intent (1 Samuel 22 and 23 records some attempts).
• In the specific case of Saul’s pursuit of David, David’s response was shaped by the Lord’s testimonies (1 Samuel 24:6, 10).
• Our responses when we are suffering/attacked/persecuted must also be shaped by the Lord’s testimonies.

96. I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

• An interesting contrast is drawn between ‘all perfection’ and the Lord’s commandments.
• Matthew Henry says David had seen the strongest (Goliath), the swiftest (Asahel), the wisest (Ahithophel) and fairest (Absalom) all fail and fall; but David had also seen that the word of the Lord is eternal.
• The Amplified Bible puts it this way: ‘I have seen that everything [human] has its limits and end [no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent]; but Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity].’

It’s been good to get back to this Psalm.

A couple of months ago I mentioned that I was reading in the early part of Luke’s gospel using Search the Scriptures to guide my reading and questions. I’ve since completed that, done some reading/studying in 1 Peter using a different method and have recommenced Search the Scriptures reading in Genesis.

In just the second week of readings from Luke I came across three instances where the Bible text didn’t accord with what I been told it meant over the years. It’s my fault because I had blindly accepted and believed what people had told me without checking and without question. These three teachings or statements are:

Over the past week-and-a-half I’ve been spending time reading the early stages of Luke’s gospel. I’m not reading aimlessly or randomly but have begun using Search the Scriptures - which is a book first published in 1934 and revised in 1949 and 1967 that seeks to encourage regular, systematic Bible reading and study.

The material in Search the Scriptures covers the entire Bible and contains studies to take exactly three years if it is used daily. A day’s study involves reading a portion of Scripture and then answering two or three questions about that day’s reading.

We’re looking at the eleventh stanza of Psalm 119 - verses 81 to 88 prefixed with the letter kaf. This will bring us to the half way mark in the Psalm.

These verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

81. My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word.

• Interesting to see the words ’languishes’ and ‘wait’ in this verse. It runs counter to the idea common in Christian (and other) circles that we always need to be doing something.
• The word languishes is from the Hebrew kalah (H3615) and expresses the idea of ending or completing, to faint or to fail. It is more than just lying around and strikes me as the idea of fading away.
• And this languishing soul is looking for the salvation that comes from the Lord. It can only come from the Lord. So David waits hopefully and patiently for the Lord’s word to be fulfilled.

82. My eyes fail with longing for Your word, While I say, “When will You comfort me?”

• Continues this idea from yesterday’s verse of waiting expectantly and hopefully.
• This time David is seeking comfort from the Lord’s word - the fulfilment of the word of the Lord.
• Matthew Henry observes that:
  1. ‘The salvation and consolation of God’s people are secured to them by the word, which will certainly be fulfilled in its season.’
  2. ‘The promised salvation and comfort may be, and often are, long deferred, so that they are ready to faint and fall in the expectation of them.’
  3. ‘Though we think the time long ere the promised salvation and comfort come, yet we must still keep our eye upon that salvation, and resolve to take up with nothing short of it.’

83. Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget Your statutes.

• I’m not sure what this simile is pointing to. What are the characteristics of a wineskin in smoke? Wrinkled? Grey? Blotchy? Smelly? Unusable until cleaned? Permanently damaged?
• The reference to not forgetting the Lord’s statutes would point to age or the passing of time.
• Regardless of the cultural transference of the smoky wineskin analogy, the point is that the Psalmist is declaring he doesn’t forget the Lord’s statutes. These are a part of his identity and direction because he has long been reading, memorising, studying, meditating on and seeking to live by and abide in these statutes.
• Matthew Henry suggests that, ‘a leathern bottle, which, if it hung any while in the smoke, was not only blackened with soot, but dried, and parched, and shrivelled up. David was thus wasted by age, and sickness, and sorrow.’ Despite that unattractive picture, he continues, ‘Whatever our outward condition is we must not cool in our affection to the word of God, nor let that slip out of our minds; no care, no grief, must crowd that out.’

84. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?

• There seems to be a a common thread through this and the preceding three verses - that David is getting old and/or frail and he wants to see God’s vindication before he dies.
• David’s soul is languishing (v. 81), his eyes are failing (v. 82), he has become like a wineskin subjected to smoke (v. 83) and now he is asking how many days he has.
• David is seeking justice to be mete out by God on those who persecute David.
• The first clause reminds me of Psalm 90:12, ‘So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.’ They are coming from different places and have different emphases, however.

85. The arrogant have dug pits for me, Men who are not in accord with Your law.

• Continues the theme of affliction by David’s enemies.
• The pit that has been dug is (hopefully) metaphorical. The Hebrew words translated as ‘dug pits’ can also be read as plotting a fall - so it is conspiring to bring about David’s downfall or at least a fall.
• David draws a comparison between those who are digging the pits and those ‘who are not is accord with Your law’.
• This idea of being ‘in accord with Your law’ isn’t referring to those who pay lip service to God and His laws, but to those who are living consistently as God would have them. It’s those who aren’t wilfully sinning but instead intentionally seeking to live holy lives.

86. All Your commandments are faithful; They have persecuted me with a lie; help me!

• Further commentary on those who are persecuting David. The pits they have dug (from verse 85) are lies. The intention is to discredit David.
• There is a strong contrast between the commandments of the Lord - which are faithful, trustworthy and true, and the lies of those seeking to persecute David.
• David seeks the Lord’s help against his persecutors. He anticipates some relief because the Lord’s commandments are faithful.

87. They almost destroyed me on earth, But as for me, I did not forsake Your precepts.

• David lets God know (and us) that the plotting and digging and persecution and affliction against him almost succeeded - ’they almost destroyed me’.
• The qualifier ‘on earth’ is interesting because it points to a knowledge that there is something more. Perhaps it is because his thought or prayer is expressed to God ‘in heaven’, but it strikes me that David has an understanding that his eternal future could not be destroyed.
• And the basis for that confidence is because he did not forsake the Lord’s precepts. David was obedient to the word of God and trusting in God’s revealed character and nature.

88. Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.

• The Psalmist is again seeking/praying for personal revival (not in the sense it was/is used in Christian circles today) - for the Lord to preserve and restore David.
• And this request is consistent with the Lord’s lovingkindness - because of His demonstrated love for His people and His creation.
• David concludes the stanza by stating the reason for his request - so he can keep the testimony of the Lord’s mouth - to be able to attest to the Lord’s goodness and trustworthiness.

This brings us to the end of the first half of Psalm 119. I intend to take a break from meditating on the verses from this Psalm and posting those reflections for the next few months and resume the second half in July.

We’re looking at the tenth stanza of Psalm 119 - verses 73 to 80 prefixed with the letter yod.

These verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments are:

73. Your hands made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.

• Begins (as all sensible thinking should) with an acknowledgement of God’s creatorship² and, therefore, a prayer for understanding.
• Here the understanding is sought to enable the Psalmist to learn the commandments. Usually one would learn the Lord’s commandments to gain understanding (what we may call wisdom for right living), but David asks for understanding to provide the imperative for him to learn.
• In a sense David’s thinking is ‘give me understanding so I may gain even more understanding by learning Your commandments’.
• It is akin to an earlier verse in the Psalm - verse 18 - ‘Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.’ My comments on this earlier verse are here.

74. May those who fear You see me and be glad, Because I wait for Your word.

• An interesting flow of thoughts here. Because David waits for the Lord’s word (we’ll get to this in a moment), he prays that those who cross David’s path with be glad and respond favourably.
• This may be conveying a general gladness when one believer sees/meets another, but it may be more specific because David has been vilified by ungodly people for his faith and the favour God has shown him.
• The idea of ‘waiting’ is from the Hebrew yachal (H3176) which means to wait (no surprise there!) but, by implication picks up the idea of hoping and trusting. It is not a forlorn wait, but an expectant one which will be satisfied.

75. I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

• David returns to the theme of affliction which has been referred to in verses 50, 67 and 71. I would be careful in attributing the affliction in verse 50 to the Lord, but I think it becomes clearer from 67 to 71 to 75 that David identifies the source of the affliction/correction/discipline as the Lord.
• Here David is more explicit about both the Lord’s righteous judgements, and the source/purpose of David’s afflictions.
• The purpose of the affliction is to build faithfulness in the recipient. The source of the affliction is “You” - the Lord. And the basis is God’s righteous judgement/assessment of David’s condition and need.
• This verse sounds like it was written in a clear moment, not a clouded one.

76. O may Your lovingkindness comfort me, According to Your word to Your servant.

• Almost a follow up to the previous verse - that, once afflicted and corrected, David will be comforted by the Lord’s lovingkindness.
• The source or basis for seeking this comfort is the Lord’s word.
• Is the word of the Lord the source of the comfort itself; or the source of the knowledge of where (and why) the comfort will come? Both.

77. May Your compassion come to me that I may live, For Your law is my delight.

• Sounds like David is trying to bargain - ‘have compassion and let me live, because I love your law’. As mercenary as it sounds, it does recognise God’s sovereignty and rule over all things.
• By the same token it also recognises our responsibility (response-ability) to God’s creatorship and authority.
• David also recognises (or verbalises) that the life he wants to live is one that is fuelled by God’s compassion. He wants to live on the right side of God and indicates that faith, humility and obedience are at the core of that.

78. May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie; But I shall meditate on Your precepts.

• The Psalmist returns to the theme of being slandered and maligned by his enemies.
• The idea of ‘subversion’ is the Hebrew avath (H5315) and means to wrest, to deal perversely, to subvert. David’s enemies are attempting to paint a false image or, in today’s parlance, ‘create a false narrative’.
• David’s solution is not to turn to the civil courts, social media or a PR manager, but to the word of the Lord. David will meditate on the Lord’s precepts.

79. May those who fear You turn to me, Even those who know Your testimonies.

• Another somewhat weird verse today (I think, anyway) - that David would seek that people who fear the Lord would turn to David.
• I think David is seeking support or empathy from believers within the Israeli nation. It seems this is tied up with David being afflicted and slandered by his enemies and is seeking some show of support and kindness from other ’true believers’.
• Matthew Henry comments that, “He does not mean so much that they might side with him, and take up arms in his cause, as that they might love him, and pray for him, and associate with him.”

80. May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, So that I will not be ashamed.

• David makes an interesting connection between blamelessness and being subject to shame.
• The blamelessness David is seeking is in or compared to the Lord’s statutes. So he is seeking justification before the law.
• I think the idea of not being ashamed is relative to approaching the Lord. David is seeking purity of heart so that he can approach the Lord with confidence. This is reminiscent of Hebrews 4:16 where the writer speaks of having boldness to approach the throne of grace.

We’re up to the ninth stanza from Psalm 119 - verses 65 to 72 prefixed with the letter tet.

These verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments read as follows:

65. You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.

• An interesting phrase or concept - that God has ‘dealt well’ with David. Equally interesting is David’s observation of this state of affairs.
• We can rely on the fact that God will deal with us is accordance with His word.
• Matthew Henry observes ‘However God has dealt with us, we must own he has dealt well with us, better than we deserve, and all in love and with design to work for our good. In many instances God has done well for us beyond our expectations.’

66. Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Your commandments.

• The Psalmist recognises the need for both good discernment and knowledge. Good discernment strikes me as being akin to judgement (or closely related). The word translated as ‘discernment’ is the Hebrew taam (H2940) and means perception and understanding.
• David seeks both knowledge and the capacity to read and understand people/situations. Knowledge can be seen as knowing what to do; judgement or discernment speaks to knowing if and when to do it.
• The Lord’s commandments and word can provide discernment and knowledge; but these are best provided by and moderated by the Holy Spirit as we apply His wisdom and teaching into situations.

67. Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.

• We need to grasp the relationship between the affliction and the straying. Presumably the straying precipitated the affliction and had the effect of modifying David’s behaviour.
• Matthew Henry puts the cause, effect and timing such that David was going astray, the Lord then afflicted him (or allowed afflictions) to discipline and correct his behaviour. David now keeps the Lord’s word.
• The New Living Translation² seems to put is best: ‘I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word.’
• But how well do we understand affliction? Do we see it as the effects of a fallen world, or as the Lord’s discipline, or as some attack from the evil one, maybe just as bad luck, or do we even think about its source and effects? Some of these viewpoints are not exclusive.

68. You are good and do good; Teach me Your statutes.

• David speaks of the nature and character of God - that the Lord is good, and does good. You can have one without the other, but I would hold that there would be failure and inconsistency in the results.
• Given that the Lord is good and does good, then the words of the Lord as also good and bring about good results or outcomes that are consistent with the character and purposes of God.
• Given that the words of the Lord are good and bring about good, it makes sense that David would want to learn these statutes.
• It also makes sense that any believer should be seeking knowledge and understanding of God’s word for all of those same reasons.

69. The arrogant have forged a lie against me; With all my heart I will observe Your precepts.

• Different versions render the word ‘arrogant’ as insolent (ESV) or proud (NKJV). There is a smear campaign being conducted against David - untruths have been created and spread.
• David’s response is not revenge, or justification or spreading lies in response; but obedience to God’s word.
• Obedience to God’s word doesn’t preclude responding to correct the lies, but it does dictate how we behave - with love and truth in equal measure.

70. Their heart is covered with fat, But I delight in Your law.

• Some ugly imagery in this first clause! Sounds like a continuation from the previous verse about the arrogant who have slandered David with lies.
• The most likely meaning of the verse is that these arrogant people who wrongfully slander David are content and relaxed in their pride, and have grown fat and are unfeeling and unresponsive to the word of God.
• The corollary is to delight in God’s law - to be responsive and obedient to truth rather than content and even prideful in sin.

71. It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.

• This is similar to verse 67 above - that affliction can be a positive experience if it moves us towards God.
• I think we can safely assert that the Lord brought or allowed the afflictions that caused David to learn the Lord’s statutes.
• This idea of ’learning the Lord’s statutes’ doesn’t necessarily mean learning memory verses, but can be that David came to understand and experience the truth of God’s word in his life in a new or deeper way.
• Matthew Henry summaries the teaching as, ‘God visited him with affliction, that he might learn God’s statutes; and the intention was answered: the afflictions had contributed to the improvement of his knowledge and grace.’
• We see similar teaching in Hebrews 16:6 which tells us ‘For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines’.

72. The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

• What price truth? David values it more highly than thousands of gold and silver pieces. His valuation is figurative because truth, properly understood and lived is priceless.
• Truth these days isn’t valued highly. Political correctness, mob-mentality ‘cancel culture’, polarisation such that if you’re not 100% with us then you must be 100% against us, absolute black or white, tolerate everything except a Christian worldview. These are the new ’truths’ which aren’t truths at all.

Reflecting briefly on these past eight verses, the idea of affliction and our recognising and understanding value and purpose in it sticks with me.

We’re up to the eighth stanza from Psalm 119 - verses 57 to 64 prefixed with the letter chet.

These verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments read as follows:

57. The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words.

• The word translated as ‘portion’ is the Hebrew cheleq (H2506) which refers to an allotment, inheritance or portion.
• The verse is a declaration of intent. The word translated as ‘promise’ is the Hebrew amar (H559) and can be read as to say or to speak, to call out or declare, to promise.
• So in the light of the Lord’s declarations/relationship with David, David is declaring a desire to be obedient.

58. I sought Your favor with all my heart; Be gracious to me according to Your word.

• An interesting translation here. The word translated as ‘favor/favour’ is the Hebrew paniym (H6440) which can be better read as ‘face’. Literally it means ’the part that turns’. So David is saying he has sought the Lord’s face (or favourable side).
• The second part of that clause reveals the manner of David’s searching - ‘with all my heart’. I could say the same, but I would need to add the qualifier ‘sporadically’.
• And what is David seeking? The Lord’s grace as revealed in the Lord’s word. He is seeking the grace of God which has been promised to all who believe.

59. I considered my ways And turned my feet to Your testimonies.

• David here is indicating one of the steps he has taken on his walk of faith.
• David evaluated his decisions, choices and direction in the light of Scripture and made the conscious, intentional decision to reorient his life.
• Likewise, it is a decision we all need to make (or not make) - whether to choose to follow the ways of God through belief in Jesus, or not.
• For some believers this reorientation to the Lord’s testimonies needs to be done daily; for others it may involve less frequent corrections.

60. I hastened and did not delay To keep Your commandments.

• Something of a continuation from yesterday’s verse. David indicates that he hastened and did not delay to obey the Lord.
• It speaks of two aspects in his obedience - his initial response time, and the speed with which he followed through. He didn’t have to think about obeying for it was immediate; and he followed the Lord’s commands promptly.
• Often we will respond to something slowly if we don’t really want to do it; and we dilly-dally whilst doing it if our heart isn’t in it.

61. The cords of the wicked have encircled me, But I have not forgotten Your law.

• Here’s an ugly image - being encircled by the cords of the wicked. It is suggestive of being ensnared or surrounded, trapped and with the antagonists closing in.
• Whilst we don’t know what the specific circumstances were that David had in mind when he wrote this, there were plenty of times when he was on the run and being pursued by people who had brought false accusations against him.
• The word translated as ’encircled’ is the Hebrew ud (H5749) and means to repeat or duplicate. By implication it means to encompass, to testify and reiterate. So David is being surrounded by false testimony and accusation.
• But David remembers God’s law. That law vindicates the truth and upholds the righteous. David is not responding with lies or threats, but maintaining the Lord’s commands with integrity and trust.

62. At midnight I shall rise to give thanks to You Because of Your righteous ordinances.

• David speaks of getting up at midnight to give thanks to the Lord. There is no commentary as to whether this was a regular practice or a one-off.
• It may form part of what we now call the ‘divine office’ or ‘daily office’ or keeping the ‘hours’ or the ‘office’.
• Daniel 6:10 records Daniel keeping three periods of time each day for prayer. It reads, ‘Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.’

63. I am a companion of all those who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts.

• David is expressing companionship with other believers. ‘Kinship’ may be a better word to convey what David is expressing.
• The basis for this companionship or kinship is twofold: Fear of the Lord, and obedience to the Lord’s precepts.
• Generally this holy/godly fear and obedience are found and bound together.

64. The earth is full of Your lovingkindness, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes.

• The Psalmist takes a broad view of God’s general revelation, and seeks the Lord’s teaching as a result.
• The first clause reminds me of Romans 1:20, ‘For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.’
• David’s response to this general, divine revelation is to ask the Lord to teach him His precepts. He wants to know more of how to live consistent with the God revealing this lovingkindness.

We’re up to the seventh stanza from Psalm 119 - verses 49 to 56 prefixed with the letter zayin.

These verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments read as follows:

49. Remember the word to Your servant, In which You have made me hope.

• An interesting turn-around in this verse where David asks the Lord to remember His word.
• Is this word the general revelation of God’s will to the Jewish people as David would have received it (the Torah or first five books of the Bible)? Is this some specific revelation or ‘word’ that David had received from the Lord and wants upheld?
• David has placed his hope in this word and reminds the Lord of its existence.
• In response to these verses Matthew Henry poses a couple of questions: ‘Has God kindled in us desires towards spiritual blessings more than towards any temporal good things, and will he not be so kind as to satisfy those desires? Has he filled us with hopes of those blessings, and will he not be so just as to accomplish these hopes?’
• He answers those questions with ‘He that did by his Spirit work faith in us will, according to our faith, work for us, and will not disappoint us.’

50. This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me.

• There are some interesting tenses going on here: Firstly, that David is feeling or experiencing comfort at the moment in his affliction, and secondly that it is the word of the Lord that has revived him.
• Note that David can feel comfort even whilst the affliction is still present. This runs contrary to much that we would expect today - that we feel comforted only when the affliction has been removed. Perhaps we don’t really understand the nature of comfort (or the purpose of affliction)?
• The Lord’s word has the capacity or capability to revive. In this case the comfort is the revival the word has brought.
• I think I vastly underestimate the nature and power of the word of the Lord. David didn’t.

51. The arrogant utterly deride me, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.

• The word translated as ‘deride’ is the Hebrew meod (H3966) and means the vehement and the exceedingly loud. Basically it refers to anyone who makes a lot of angry noise. The nature of any discussion and quality of the argument is irrelevant.
• Presumably the derision relates to the Psalmist’s belief and demonstrated faith in the Lord for he will not turn aside from God’s law.
• David is running foul of loud, vehement opposition from some quarters that is at odds with his understanding of God’s word. He chooses the later.
• These words are apropos for Margaret Court and the many others such as Lyle Shelton who continue to proclaim the word of God in the face of derision (and ridicule, and abuse).

52. I have remembered Your ordinances from of old, O LORD, And comfort myself.

• A slightly different take on the themes of revival and deliverance than we’ve seen to date. Here the Psalmist comforts himself through bringing to mind Scripture he has known in the past.
• It’s basically a three step process - firstly, memorise Scripture; secondly, bring it to mind at an appropriate time in the future; thirdly, take comfort from what it declares.
• In many ways the efficacy of this process is not so much in the words of Scripture, but in the faithfulness and steadfastness of God who is the author and keeper of the words.

53. Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked, Who forsake Your law.

• Strong words! The Psalmist is seized by burning indignation because of the actions of the wicked in disobeying the Law.
• How often am we seized by a burning, righteous indignation when we hear of evils being committed, and how do we react?
• It should drive us to prayer in the first instance, and to some other response where appropriate. These other actions could be to speak up and declare truth - to advocate or agitate.

54. Your statutes are my songs In the house of my pilgrimage.

• One of the first verses in the Psalm without any punctuation apart from the concluding full stop.
• I’m intrigued by the phrase ‘house of my pilgrimage’. Is he referring to the Temple, or to his body, or some other place of refuge? Matthew Henry leaves it open suggesting it could be a place of refuge, the world, and could even refer to David’s palace. In each of these places David is a pilgrim.
• The phrase ‘Your statues are my songs’ suggests to me that God’s word is what David dwells on. He may well have set parts of the Torah to music and sung or strummed his way through God’s word that way.
• Clearly many Psalms were both written by David and set to music (then and now) so we can have the Lord’s statutes as songs in our house(s) of pilgrimage, but that’s a circular argument in David’s case as he wrote these parts of Scripture.

55. O LORD, I remember Your name in the night, And keep Your law.

• The word translated as ’night’ is the Hebrew layil (H3915) and means a ’twist away from the light’. Thus it can refer to the night time or to periods of adversity.
• Both Matthew Henry and Paul E Kretzmann speak of the night time when David was reflecting and meditating on the Lord and His word when others were asleep. This doesn’t preclude the idea of affliction or adversity which causes sleeplessness.
• In regard to periods of adversity, David indicates a preference to remember the Lord’s name - to live in the light of God’s word and reputation even in times of darkness.

56. This has become mine, That I observe Your precepts.

• Another interesting turn of phrase! The Psalmist recognises that obedience to the word of the Lord has become part of who he is - ‘it has become mine’.
• It is beyond the idea of a declaration or taking some responsibility - it is a recognition of a change in the way David lives.
• The ESV [2011] translates it a little differently - ‘This blessing has fallen to me’.

Many of the verses in this stanza present different ways of interacting with and living with God’s word - from daytime to night-time; from being revived to being comforted to indignation at evil. I was strongly struck by verse 50 about the nature of affliction and comfort, and the power of the word to bring comfort during affliction.

In the Christian media in recent months there has been something of a back-story about Ravi Zacharias detailing accounts of the sexual exploitation and abuse of women. That back-story came to the front in early February when the Board of Ravi Zacharias’ International Ministries released, in full, an independent report into Ravi’s exploitative and abusive activities.

There can be little doubt that what Ravi is stated to have done over the course of many years is true, and that a number of women who sought to bring this into the open were silenced, ignored and/or bought off.

We’re now looking at the sixth of the 22 stanzas of Psalm 119. This covers verses 41 to 48 under the letter vav (also spelt waw).

These verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments read as follows:

41. May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your word;

• This is the first (and indeed only) verse from the Psalm whose structure per the NASB continues over two verses.
• The Psalmist is seeking a couple of things from the Lord - revival or rescue or salvation through the Lord’s righteousness, and also an experience of the Lord’s lovingkindness.
• Interestingly only some translations include the word ‘also’ in the text. The ESV[2011], for example, says, “Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord”.
• Lovingkindness is variously rendered as mercy and loving-kindness (Amp), steadfast love (ESV), mercies (NKJV) and unfailing love (NLT).
• Matthew Henry in commenting on this verse sees the plea being for “the many manifestations of grace which every believer experiences” and “the full deliverance which the Lord has promised to His believers”.

42. So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.

• Continues from the above verse. David is seeking a demonstration of the Lord’s lovingkindness and deliverance/salvation with which to answer or refute those who reproach him.
• It may be that his accusers had told David his Lord had abandoned him, or given him up², and David was seeking some evidence to refute this.
• David concludes the matter by indicating absolute trust and reliance on the word of the Lord.

43. And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Your ordinances.

• A strangely-worded verse here. It reads like David is seeking to keep the ability to make declarations of God’s word.
• I don’t disagree with the sentiment but would have worded it somewhat differently - something like ‘May I always have Your word in season.’
• Matthew Henry puts it much more elegantly, “He means, ‘Lord, let the word of truth be always in my mouth; let me have the wisdom and courage which are necessary to enable me both to use my knowledge for the instruction of others, and, like the good householder, to bring out of my treasury things new and old, and to make profession of my faith whenever I am called to it.’”
• It reminds me of Peter’s words in 1 Peter 3:15, ‘but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;’.

44. So I will keep Your law continually, Forever and ever.

• This verse reads a little differently compared to those that have come before it.
• Again it is a declaration of intent or purpose. It expresses David’s will - that he, at this moment, wants to keep God’s law.
• And David would express a desire to be keeping God’s law in each moment from this point of time on for perpetuity.

45. And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.

• Raises the issue and reality of liberty or freedom. Everyone wants it, some people talk about it, many look for it in wrong places. What does David have to say?
• The word translated as ’liberty’ is the Hebrew rachab (H7342) and means roomy, broad, wide, in any or every direction.
• It strikes me that this is to operate “in accordance with the the maker’s instructions”. It is freedom to live as we were designed and created to. Not a licence for disobedience, but liberty and freedom in God’s kingdom.
• Ties in with Jesus’ words in Luke 4:18 (quoting Isaiah 61:1), ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me … to proclaim release to the captives … [and] set free those who are oppressed’.

46. I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And shall not be ashamed.

• Another verse indicating David’s desire to be declaring the word of the Lord. And this time he indicates where he will do it - before kings.
• I guess it is a little easier to have access to kings if one is a king. I may have some trouble being granted an audience, but the point is that we can declare God’s word anywhere, to anyone (but appropriately and sensitively).
• The idea of David not being ashamed is interesting. It would make a good hashtag for many things proposed or supported by the Bible #NotAshamed.
• This verse reminds me of Paul’s words in Romans 1:16, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.’

47. I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love.

• Another declaration, but this time a declaration to the Lord - that David shall delight in the Lord’s commandments.
• This is a statement of intent - of how David will behave in and under the Lord’s commandments going forward.
• And this future delight is based upon a present realisation or reality - that David loves these commandments.
• It makes sense that if David loves the Lord’s commands today, then he will delight in them tomorrow.

48. And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes.

• This idea of lifting up my hands to Your commandments strikes me as being a combination of submission and embrace and praise. It also conveys the idea of taking action in response or obedience to the commands of the Lord.
• The idea of physical expression of submission and praise is common in charismatic/pentecostal churches, but much less so in evangelical churches. Whilst it can be for outward show and overdone, I think such physical expression during times of singing, prayer and praise can be helpful and is indeed recommended elsewhere in Scripture (see 1 Timothy 2:8³).
• David reiterates that he loves the Lord’s commandments as was the case for the previous verse.
• David concludes this stanza by again declaring his intention to meditate on the word of the Lord.

This is my fifth post reflecting on stanzas from Psalm 119. This covers verses 33 to 40 under the letter he (also spelt hei).

These verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments read as follows:

33. Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall observe it to the end.

• This verse contains a prayer or request and a declaration.
• The first clause prayer is answered in many ways and times, but seen explicitly in Scripture in John 14:26 (which I mention in relation to Psalm 119 verse 26) where Jesus speaks about the role of the Spirit.
• In something of an aside, I like the description of Christian faith being called ’the way’. This term is used a number of times in the book of Acts.²
• David concludes the verse/clause by declaring a desire to finish well ‘I shall observe it to the end’.
• It’s one thing to state a desire to finish well. It is another thing to actually finish well. But I suspect it is difficult to finish well without declaring (at least to oneself) a desire and intent to finish well.

34. Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart.

• A combination of prayer and declaration of intent.
• The first clause ‘give me understanding’ is part of the acknowledgement that we need revelation from the Holy Spirit in order to fully understand and take to heart the words of Scripture.
• Whilst anyone can read the words of Scripture, they only come alive when the Holy Spirit illumines them to us. As Matthew Henry comments on this verse, ‘it is as good to have no understanding at all as not to have it sanctified. Nor will the spirit of revelation in the word answer the end unless we have the spirit of wisdom in the heart’.
• The second part of the verse explains the reason or hoped-for outcome of the first - to keep God’s law fully and intentionally.

35. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.

• Another interesting pairing of ideas in this verse: On the one hand the Psalmist asks God to help or allow him to walk in line with the Lord’s commandments. On the other hand David states he delights in walking this path.
• If David delights in walking this path then why does he need to ask the Lord to help him or ‘make him’ walk it? I think it bears out the reality that Paul speaks about in Romans 7:15, ‘For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate’. Many, if not all, can all identify with and understand this view - that we don’t always do what we want to or know we should, and we sometimes do exactly what we don’t want to do or know is bad for us.
• And so this verse is a reflection and acknowledgement of a reality that David wants to walk with God but knows he doesn’t always do it well.
• In Romans 8:2 Paul describes this conflict as the battle between the law of the Spirit of life and the law of sin and death. It is only faith in Jesus that allows us to walk in and live by this Spirit of life.

36. Incline my heart to Your testimonies And not to dishonest gain.

• Today’s verse presents an alternative. These are not necessarily mutually exclusive, nor are they the only alternatives.
• The Psalmist prays that the Lord would incline his heart to the Lord’s testimonies. This word ‘incline’ is from the Hebrew natah (H5186) and means to stretch or spread out, so it is not just talking about the orientation of our hearts, but their capacity and elasticity to hear and receive the Lord’s commands and testimonies.
• This idea of inclination and stretching echoes the words from verse 32 where David speaks of the Lord enlarging David’s heart.
• The alternative presented to having our hearts included or stretched towards the Lord’s testimonies is that they be stretched towards dishonest gain.
• In a sense this is echoed by Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew 6:24, ‘No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’
• We have choices and we make choices about what we dwell on - what we focus on, think about and dream about.

37. Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways.

• Like verse 36, verse 37 presents an alternative - look at vanity, or be revived in the Lord’s ways.
• The phrase ’looking at vanity’ is challenging because not too many people would wittingly look at and embrace vanity. We may (and indeed do) behold vain things through idols and idolatry.
• The word translated as ‘vanity’ is the Hebrew shav (H7723) and speaks of desolating. It expresses ideas such as evil, ruin, uselessness and things that are false.
• This idea of desolating is then contrasted with revival in the ways of God.
• The phrase ‘we become what we behold’ has been at the back of my mind as I’ve considered this verse. If we behold the Lord’s words and ways then we become more like the author. If we behold vanity then we become vain and worship idols.

38. Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You.

• In this verse David is seeking or praying for a specific outcome or effect from God’s word. It demonstrates the idea that the word of the Lord can produce a God-approved outcome in the life of the believer.
• The idea of ’establishing’ is the Hebrew qum (H6965) and reflects the ideas of rising up or raising - of confirming, continuing, making good, strengthening, upholding. So David wants the Lord’s word to be confirmed and of increasing significance and influence in David’s life.
• David refers to himself as Your servant (bondman). Many New Testament writers refer to themselves as servants or bond-servants of the Lord (Paul in many of his letters, James, Peter and Jude).
• He prays that God’s word may be established to/in him so that it produces reverence for God. The word translated as ‘reverence’ is the Hebrew yirah (H3374) and can be translated as either fear or reverence. So the idea of ‘reverence for You’ is synonymous with ‘fear of the Lord’.
• I think that we fear people or things we hate but revere people or things we love. I think one distinction is how we relate to the person/thing feared/revered and what we expect or anticipate from the relationship in the future. That may be a fine but artificial distinction.

39. Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your ordinances are good.

• The plea is similar to that contained in verse 22 (‘Take away reproach and contempt from me’).
• A similar verse in another Psalm (39:8) reads, ‘Deliver me from all my transgressions; Make me not the reproach of the foolish.’
• The connection between David’s plea in the first clause and his statement or declaration in the second is that observation of the Lord’s ordinances should be enough to deflect unjust accusations of wrongdoing against David. He is not seeking relief from true slander, but only false slander.
• It reminds me of something David Pawson once wrote when he was falsely accused of something and the Lord said to David “It’s not as bad as the truth”.

40. Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness.

• ‘Behold’ is a funny word. I don’t mind it, but it has all but disappeared from English usage apart from in the Bible! The Amplified, ESV and NKJV all also use the word in this verse. Alternatives would be ’lo’, ‘see’, or a more modern ‘hey!’.
• The second clause is interesting. We’ve considered before what revival means back in verse 25 (hint: at its core it is to preserve life). But what about this idea of revive me through Your righteousness?
• By what means could David reasonably expect to be revived or given life through God’s righteousness? By God’s measure human behaviour is inherently sinful and not righteous (see Romans 3:10 quoting Psalm 14:3 or 53:3). In the Old Testament righteous was credited to Abraham through believing God (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:21-22). In the New Testament righteousness is credited through belief and faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross.
• Both the NKJV and ESV speak of being revived or given life in God’s righteousness rather than through it. I’m not sure if that is a helpful distinction, or only a distraction.
• What I see is that we can only receive or be given righteousness on God’s terms and through God’s means. For us, today, that is belief and faith in Jesus.

The thing that has struck me most over the past eight days of reading/reflecting on Psalm 119 has been from verse 38 and this idea of God’s word being established in someone - for the word to have increasing influence and increasing significance.

This is my fourth post reflecting on stanzas from Psalm 119. This covers verses 25 to 32 under the letter dalet (also spelt daleth).

These verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments read as follows:

25. My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.

• ‘My soul cleaves to the dust’ is such an interesting and evocative phrase. A soul (our mind, will and emotions) grovelling and wallowing in the dust. On its last (metaphorical) legs. What has brought the soul so low, what does the future hold, and is relief to be found?
• Matthew Henry suggests David’s complaint could be due either to a recognition of his own moral corruption, or a result of outward afflictions.
• The word translated as ‘revive’ is the Hebrew chayah (H2441) and can be read as restore, revive, nourish or preserve. At its root is the idea of life, so David is seeking whatever is needed to bring or preserve life.
• David recognises that restoration or revival can come ‘according to Your word’. That could be read as ‘in line with what Your word says’, ’through partaking of Your word’, or ‘in response to Your command’.
• In light of the above, we can consider whether reading/hearing the word is restorative in its own right, or only when it is administered and followed (obeyed). I think both! Reading God’s word puts us in a position to connect to God such that His Holy Spirit can impart life and truth to us. Equally, obeying God’s word is a recognition or display of faith that this word is true.
• Clearly David could be restored or revived in soul or spirit at the immediate, spoken command of God.
• We can safely say that David had some issues and was feeling very down, and the administration of God’s word (whether being read, obeyed or commanded) could revive him.

26. I have told of my ways, and You have answered me; Teach me Your statutes.

• Another interesting verse. David has spoken to God/prayed about David’s situation and behaviour and the Lord has answered David. Perhaps in the light of that David continues by asking ’teach me Your statutes’.
• Is the request to have the Lord teach David His statutes a consequence or result of the Lord and David discussing David’s ways? I don’t know.
• David declares his personal relationship with the Lord - it is a two-way relationship involving two-way conversations. And in the midst of that David declares ’teach me Your statutes’.
• The prayer or request to ’teach me Your statutes’ is a good one regardless of our situation. It brings to mind Jesus’ words about the sending of the Holy Spirit in John 14:26, ‘But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.’ The Holy Spirit has this task from the time of Jesus’ resurrection onwards to teach believers all things and bring to our minds the words of Jesus. But for that to be effective, we need to place ourselves in a position or posture to be taught and to listen!

27. Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders.

• This verse (and the couple before it) are speaking of the transformative power of God’s word.
• This may be the word spoken/heard. It may be it preached. It may be the word declared or commanded and obeyed.
• In this case an understanding of the way of the precepts can be seen as having a grasp of the overall scope, thrust and intent of the Lord’s words; and the effect or impact is an increased capacity to meditate on and be amazed at the Lord’s creation and work.
• This work isn’t limited to natural creation, but indeed all that the Lord’s word achieves - including its transformative power and capacity in the lives of humanity.
• Each of the Amplified, ESV and NKJV refer to meditating on the Lord’s ‘wondrous works’ rather than the NASB’s ‘wonders’.

28. My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your word.

• David is overwhelmed with grief and turns to the word of God for strength.
• His use of ‘weeping’ is the Hebrew dalaph (H1811) and indicates such ideas as dripping, weeping, melting or pouring out.
• The word translated ‘grief’ is the Hebrew tugah (H8424) and means depression, grief, heaviness or sorrow.
• Interestingly each of the primary versions I use render this verse slightly differently using a combination of renderings for the Hebrew words dalaph and tugah. Occasionally some of these translations read identically, and often there will be a deal of commonality in the words used. These different renderings are:
  • Amplified: My life dissolves and weeps itself away for heaviness; raise me up and strengthen me according to [the promises of] Your word.
  • ESV [2011]: My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!
  • NKJV: My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.
  • NLT: I weep with grief; encourage me by your word.
• This verse is similar to verse 25 above where David seeks restoration and revival from the Lord due to him being overwhelmed.

29. Remove the false way from me, And graciously grant me Your law.

• Verse 29 contains some interesting terminology/phrasing. David is requesting that the Lord take something away, and replace it with something else - remove the false way, grant me Your law.
• The ‘false way’ may be pride, or a false perception or understanding of how one succeeds in life. It may be wrong attitudes and beliefs.
• This idea of gracious granting of the law sounds like being given understanding of and right standing under² the law of God.
• It is seeking right standing before God based on true standards, not false.

30. I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.

• I see a strong connection or flow between the two clauses in this sentence. David, in placing the Lord’s ordinances before him is choosing the faithful way.
• David reflects that following the faithful way is a choice. It is a choice he made. It is a choice we can all make or not.
• And the second clause also contains a decision - to place the Lord’s ordinances ‘before me’.
• What is it to ‘have placed Your ordinances before me’? I think it involves specific and intentional decisions and actions. It may encompass Scripture memory, Bible study, meditation.

31. I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame!

• The word ‘cling’ here is the same in the Hebrew as that translated as ‘cleave’ in verse 25 above.
• The KJV phrases this as ‘I have stuck unto thy testimonies’. Matthew Henry comments that this is ‘with unchanged affection and an unshaken resolution’.
• The idea of not being put to shame strikes me as taking the longer view of ensuring David remains righteous and holy before the Lord.

32. I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart.

• This verse contains a declaration of intent, and describes the reason or rationale for it.
• David will go with the flow of the Lord’s commandments - and often that will run against the tide of society’s inclinations and directions.
• The term ’enlarge my heart’ is clearly spiritual rather than physiological. Matthew Henry states the phrase means to receive God’s wisdom. It is to have greater capacity to take in and live out God’s word - which is really what spiritual wisdom comes down to.

Many of the verses in this fourth stanza, daleth, contain explicit prayers or requests of the Lord (verses 25 to 29 and 31). David sees his relationship with God as interactive and mutual. There are some things David sees and recognises as his responsibility, and there are others that he requests of the Lord. The other two verses (30 and 32) are declarations of practice or intent - one in the past tense and the other in the future tense. I find this combination of declaration of action alongside prayers or requests for assistance interesting. It is a reflection of spiritual reality - that we need to take a stand and make a declaration but also seek the Lord’s help in the same breath. It’s not only up to us (and we’re kidding ourselves if we think it is); but we also do need to be doing things in line with our declarations to put us in the line of God’s grace.

My third post looking at a stanza of Psalm 119. This covers verses 17 to 24 under the letter gimel.

These verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments read as follows:

17. Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.

• The word translated as ‘bounty’ is the Hebrew gamal (H1580) and speaks of bestowing, doing good, rewarding or serving. So ‘deal bountifully’ could equally be ‘do good’, ‘bestow reward’.
• It raises an interesting approach - seeking favour or goodness from the Lord so one can live and keep the Lord’s word. It is the realisation and acknowledgement that all we have (even life itself) comes from God.
• It reminds me of the sentiment expressed in Psalm 88:11-12 where the Lord is asked, ‘Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon? Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?’ The Psalmist is seeking something from the Lord in order to be able to serve and worship.

18. Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.

• One of the better-known verses from the Psalm. The wording I am more familiar with is ‘Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things in your law’.
• This verse acknowledges that we can only receive revelation if it is enabled by the Holy Spirit. We need our eyes opened!
• We see this in operation when we read a Bible passage or verse that we’ve read many times previously but see or understand something more or deeper than what we had previously seen.
• This can be used as a prayer when we are approaching Bible reading.

19. I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me.

• The idea of ‘stranger’ is the Hebrew gare (H1616) which can be translated as a guest, a foreigner, a sojourner.
• Interestingly David realises he is a temporary visitor to this planet.
• It reminds me of 1 Peter 2:11 where he writes to “aliens and strangers”.
• Larry Norman, the iconic and ground-breaking Christian singer/songwriter of the 60s through to the 2000s put out an album called Only Visiting This Planet.

20. My soul is crushed with longing After Your ordinances at all times.

• Stronger language/sentiment than we’ve seen in the Psalm so far.
• Being ‘crushed’ is the Hebrew garac which can mean crushed (as we see here), dissolved or broken. It carries with it the idea of being pulverised.
• The Psalmist’s soul is being pulverised with the desire to hear and understand and live the Lord’s ordinances all the time. I don’t think too many people could say that (and mean it) these days.

21. You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, Who wander from Your commandments.

• This is the first verse in Psalm 119 that is couched in the negative - describing penalties or judgement against those who don’t follow God’s law.
• The ‘arrogant’ is the Hebrew zed (H2086) and refers to the presumptuous or the proud.
• This verse raises the question as to which comes first - wandering from the commandments leading to arrogance and being cursed; or arrogance leading people away from truth.

22. Take away reproach and contempt from me, For I observe Your testimonies.

• The Psalmist pleads to the Lord for relief from reproach (disgrace or shame) and contempt (disrespect and being despised).
• We can assume that the source of the reproach and contempt were adversaries seeking to take David down. Whilst David was morally far from perfect, he is described as ‘a man after God’s own heart’ in 1 Samuel 13:14.
• Matthew Henry describes the purpose of David’s call to the Lord as a plea to ‘silence lying lips, and raise up a good name that is trodden in the dust.’

23. Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

• This verse may contain some clues as to who is drumming up reproach and contempt for David in the previous verse.
• ‘Princes’ (H8269) are the leaders of any class or rank - they may be captains, governors, princes, lords or principals.
• So leaders of various kinds are speaking against David, casting aspersions or making accusations against David’s character or behaviour.
• David’s response is not to defend himself, but instead meditate upon the statutes of the Lord. This reflects the idea of leaving our reputation in God’s hands.

24. Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors.

• ‘Delight’ is the Hebrew shashua (H8191) which can be translated as delight, pleasure or enjoyment.
• The word ‘counselors’ is the Hebrew etsah (H6098) which can be read as counsel, advise and prudence.
• So the Lord’s commands or testimonies can provide both joy and advice - generating good feelings and wise outcomes.

This third stanza of Psalm 119 has provided me with a greater appreciation of the depth of God’s word. The Psalmist has covered a lot of territory in these eight verses - such a diverse presentation on the importance and relevance of the Bible. Looking forward to what the fourth stanza, daleth, holds.

This is the second post looking at a stanza of Psalm 119. The first looked at the first eight verses called aleph. This second stanza is called beth (apparently pronounced like ‘bet’). In Hebrew these eight verses all begin with the letter beth.

These eight verses, from the NASB®¹, interspersed with my comments read as follows:

9. How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.

• A fairly well known and oft-quoted verse.
• Even though it refers to young men, it can be applied by/to all people - male or female, young or old. But the younger you start, the easier it is!
• David may² have been reflecting on some of his life choices and concluded that living life in accordance with God’s word would have saved a deal of pain, anguish and hurt.

10. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

• Not half-hearted searching and seeking, but with all my heart.
• David is asking that his seeking not be in vain - that he will not wander during the search.
• This search is not a one-off search, but a continual seeking and finding. The depth of the Almighty God is such that eternity will not be long enough for us to discover all there is to know about God.
• Matthew Henry observes, ‘The best are sensible of their aptness to wander; and the more we have found of the pleasure there is in keeping God’s commandments the more afraid we shall be of wandering from them and the more earnest we shall be in prayer to God for his grace to prevent our wanderings.’

11. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

• Another well known verse. Sounds very Davidic to me.
• The word treasured is to hide, to hoard up, to reserve, lay aside and protect. It suggests to me an intentional act. It’s not like someone saying, ‘Oh, I just happened to have this bit of Scripture memorised’, but planned and intended.
• Matthew Henry makes some interesting comparisons in this verse. He says, ‘God’s word is a treasure worth laying up, and there is no laying it up safely but in our hearts; if we have it only in our houses and hands, enemies may take it from us; if only in our heads, our memories may fail us:’

12. Blessed are You, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes.

• Blessedness is now ascribed to the Lord. It had previously only been spoken over the believer/follower (verses 1 and 2).
• In verses 1 and 2 the Hebrew word translated as ‘blessed’ is esher (Strong’s number H835) which means happy. But in this verse it is H1288 barak which, at its core, means to kneel. So the implication is that God is one we would kneel before as an act of adoration.

13. With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth.

• The first use of ‘ordinances’ as a descriptor.
• Speaks of the idea of proclamation - of declaring or speaking God’s word.
• Interestingly it is written in the past tense ‘I have told of all the ordinances’ rather than ‘I will continue to tell’ or ‘I intend to tell’.

14. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.

• Another verse in the past tense ’ I have rejoiced’.
• And this rejoicing has been in the way (manner, outcome, results) of the Lord’s testimonies. David is reflecting on the results of following the Lord’s teaching and he can conclude that it is joyous.
• He values the Lord’s testimonies as much as all riches. And this coming from a man who was king of an expanded and successful nation. Not at Solomon’s level of wealth, but what David had he used more wisely (most of the time).

15. I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways.

• This is the first occurrence of the word ‘meditate’ in Psalm 119.
• To _meditate+ is to dwell on and ponder over - to reflect on and turn something over in your mind. Clearly you can only meditate on something that you have memorised or where the words are sitting before you.
• The idea of ‘regarding the Lord’s ways’ points firstly to understanding and then to obedience. And the best understanding will flow from having meditated on the Lord’s ways or precepts.
• In a way meditation can be viewed as not only reflecting and pondering on the word of the Lord, but also its implications for our lives - how we can be obedient to it, or to consider and repent of ways we have been disregarding or disobedient.
• So meditation is a positive activity - intentional reflection but with a view to taking action in the light of the truth we see.

16. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.

• We see a progression across verses 14 to 16 - from part tense, to future. I don’t know if this progression is intended or reflected in the Hebrew, but it exists in the NASB at least.
• This gives the idea or impression that studying/meditating/reflecting/delighting in the word of the Lord is something we are to persist in doing. Even if we didn’t do it yesterday but start today and continue tomorrow then we can say ‘I have delighted in Your word’ and ‘I do delight in Your word’, and ‘I will delight in Your word’.
• The phrase ‘I shall delight…’ shows intent and purpose. David doesn’t see the word of the Lord as being transitory and of limited value but a permanent marker in his days.

I’ve enjoyed this second stanza of Psalm 119. Whilst most of the verses are standalone, there are some connections and progressions between verses. What strikes me after just 16 days/verses is how all-encompassing Bible reading and meditation was to David, and how he attempts to portray that to us, some 3,000 years later.

This is my first post looking at a stanza of Psalm 119 which I’ve spoken about here and here.

The first staza of Psalm 119 is entitled ‘aleph’ - being the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet where each verse begins with this Hebrew letter¹.

The first eight verses, from the NASB®², interspersed with my comments read as follows:

1. How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD.

• uses law.
• Being blessed can be read as being happy, though blessed sounds like it has more depth to it. It (to me) also connotes this blessing being granted or bestowed from another rather.
• From verse 1 the Psalmist sets up the premise connecting blessedness with legal/moral innocence with the word of the Lord.

2. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart.

• uses testimonies.
• Ties obedience in with seeking the Lord. Relationship and obedience and inextricably linked.

3. They also do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways.

• uses ways.
• Once again moral innocence and obedience are emphasised.

4. You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep them diligently.

• uses precepts.
• Diligence - particularly around precepts to morality is not a popular concept today.

5. Oh that my ways may be established To keep Your statutes!

• uses statutes.
• The phrase ’that my ways may be established’ rather than ’ I will establish my ways’ suggests that some external assistance may be required!

6. Then I shall not be ashamed When I look upon all Your commandments.

• uses commandments.
• A continuation of thought from the previous verse. Makes meditation on a verse more difficult when ideas flow across verses.

7. I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments.

• uses judgments.
• First introduction of the idea of thankfulness and gratitude.

8. I shall keep Your statutes; Do not forsake me utterly!

• uses statutes.
• A recognition of possible consequences and judgement. That’s where Jesus comes in - but we need belief/faith.

So in this first stanza we see seven of the nine or ten different descriptors of God’s word being used. They are essentially interchangeable but I suspect there will be subtleties and nuances that arise as we go.

This year (all nine days of it) I’ve been taking advice that pastor Philip Henry gave to his son Matthew some 300 years ago. Matthew was the author of the well-regarded commentary he called An Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, but is more commonly known today as Matthew Henry’s Complete Bible Commentary. I wrote about this particular piece of advice mid last year. The advice is to meditate on a new verse from Psalm 119 each day. Loosely quoting his father, Matthew wrote:

Much of what we do, how we dress, where we go, what we eat and what we celebrate is built around or at least partly dependent upon seasons. A season is a period of time during which certain conditions exist or prevail which facilitate, encourage or discourage particular behaviours. Some seasons are designed to fit within a calendar year whilst other seasons can exist for much longer or shorter periods of time.

We come to the final chapter, and final post on my comments and reflections on the book of the prophet Micah.

Micah 7 begins with a brief lament by Micah as he seeks righteous people in Israel but, like a fruit-picker arriving after the harvest, finds little joy (verse 1). Instead he finds people who are violent, seek opportunities to undertake violence, and do it well (2-3). He finds rulers and judges who are corrupt and can be bought with the bribe. The one offering the bribe is described as a ‘great man’¹ who speaks what he desires rather than the truth and the corrupt officials make it happen (3-4). But it gets worse! Verses 5 and 6 speak of neighbours, friends, family and household members being or becoming enemies because they treat each other with disdain, contempt and mistrust. It’s an ugly picture all around.

Micah chapter 6 is very much a chapter in two parts. Whilst the chapter and verse divisions in the Bible make it easier to find specific sentences, sometimes the divisions run counter to the narrative and make it more difficult to understand. The chapter divisions in use today were added in the early 13th century, and versification we use was added in the mid-1500s.

Micah 6:1-8

The first three verses are a recap of the indictment of the Lord against His people, Israel. The Lord pleads His case to the mountains and the foundations of the earth - for they were there before Israel had been formed. They are poetic witnesses of what the Lord has done for Israel.

We come to Micah, chapter 5.

The early verses (from 2 through 4) speak of the coming Messiah. The words prophecy that one will come from Bethlehem, from the tribe of Judah and will become the ruler of Israel. Interestingly Micah also recognises or speak that this ruler is “from the days of eternity”.

Verse 4 is worth quoting in full:

And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. (Micah 5:4 from the NASB®)¹

Continuing my thoughts on Micah. Today we’re on chapter 4.

The first 5 verses contain a prophecy of what will happen in the last days or latter days. This is a time to come. There is some beautiful imagery in these verses, viz.

And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war. (Micah 4:1-3 from the NASB®¹)

Further thoughts on the prophet Micah - this time on chapter 3.

Micah 3 is a short chapter - 12 verses - and is a chapter in three parts.

The first part - verses 1 through 4 details more of what we saw in the previous chapter about injustice, oppression, evil being perpetrated against the people by the elite (the charges are specifically against the “heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel”). But this time the language is somewhat more graphic:

Continuing some thoughts on the book of the prophet Micah. Today looking at chapter 2.

The chapter begins with the Lord’s/Micah’s indictment against the people:

Woe to those who scheme iniquity, Who work out evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it, For it is in the power of their hands. They covet fields and then seize them, And houses, and take them away. They rob a man and his house, A man and his inheritance. (Micah 2:1-2 from the NASB®¹)

In April, May and June I posted some thoughts on what I had been reading in the first 13 chapters of the major prophet, Jeremiah¹.

Towards the end of May and into early June I read my way through one of the minor prophets, Micah², reading a chapter (more or less) every day or two.

As I read, I journal. This journalling may take the form of observations or comments about the text. It may be questions that the text raises for me, or ideas or concepts that I don’t grasp (either fully, or at all). My journalling can also be prayers that form as I read. I will also ask questions of the Lord by writing them down and then journalling what drops into my mind after that. Most of my journalling is in narrative form, but it occasionally comes as dot points (particularly if I am noting some comments or observations about a number of verses in succession).

In a book that I’m currently reading, Ancient Paths, the author, Corey Russell quotes Matthew Henry who quotes his father Philip Henry about the benefits of meditating on a different verse from Psalm 119 every day. (Yes, I’m quoting someone who quotes someone who quotes someone who speaks about quoting a Psalm).

But let’s go to the source. Here’s what Matthew Henry had to say about his father Philip in Matthew’s work entitled An Account of the Life and Death of Mr. Philip Henry:

Past, Present, Future - Ephesians 2:1-10

Makeovers

For some reason we, as a nation, have a fascination with makeovers. There are a number of Australian home renovation shows on TV - The Block, House Rules, Better Homes and Gardens, Grand Designs Australia. You could perhaps include Lego Masters because the premise is the same - to turn a pile of bricks into something else.

And the number of shows available from the US and UK is huge - shows on buying, renovating then selling houses, cabins, houseboats or tiny homes.

This the third and final post in a short series looking at some interesting verses from the first thirteen chapters of the prophet Jeremiah. The first part considered aspects of chapters one through six whilst the second part covered chapters seven through twelve. This final part takes a look at chapter thirteen and focuses on one fairly extensive word picture that is painted or drawn in the first eleven verses. The extensive quote is from the New American Standard Bible.

Around a month ago I posted some thoughts from the first six chapters of Jeremiah.

I’ve now finished reading the first thirteen chapters (out of fifty-two) and have moved on to another book¹ for the time being.

Like that previous post I’m intending to quote from the New American Standard Bible.

For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. (Jeremiah 7:22-24)

Earlier this year I began reading in the book of the prophet Jeremiah as a part of my not-quite-daily “quiet time”/“devotional time”/“time with the Lord” ¹.

I’ve read through Jeremiah several times in the past but not spending time to pause and ponder ². These days I would read something like 10 or 15 verses - maybe a third to half a chapter at a time and make some notes as I go. Sometimes these notes are observations or questions on the text. Sometimes they are prayers that form in my mind as I read and ponder. Sometimes I ask the Lord a question directly and make a note of the impressions (answers) that come to me as a result.

I was looking through some notes I’d made a month-or-two ago whilst reading the book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzuro. In it he advocates that believers participate in the Daily Office which are set times of stillness, Bible reading and prayer each day. He suggests the components and indeed the times and frequency can vary and be flexible, but there is value in setting aside multiple parts of the day for spiritual input and reflection.

Lectio divina (‘divine reading’) is a Bible reading method that is more than a Bible reading method.

It has its origins in 6th century catholicism, but before you switch off, bear in mind that most historical Christian spiritual practices have their antecedents either in biblical times, the early church or catholicism since there were few alternatives until the reformation in the 16th century.

It was first practiced by Benedict of Nursia in the 6th century and further developed bu Guigo II, a Carthusian monk in the 12th century.

There is a saying amongst theology/seminary students that a little Greek is a dangerous thing. I’m not Greek so I can’t really comment. Oh, wait. Greek language, not Greek origin.

The meaning behind the phrase is that it can be unhelpful for untrained or unqualified people to attempt to read and/or understand and/or translate and/or interpret the Koine Greek that much of the New Testament is written in. I presume this points to the potential dangers of misunderstanding, misinterpreting and misapplying the text.

The Tabernacle Lamp stand

At the beginning of the year Mark commenced a sermon series looking at something called “Tabernacle Prayer”. I want to spend some time retracing the steps we’ve taken because people have been away and may have missed parts.

This Tabernacle Prayer is a tool that was developed by David Yonggi Cho who is also known as Paul. David Yonggi Cho was the pastor of a church in South Korea that has a membership of something like one million people, with over 200,000 attending weekly.

As we approach the end of each calendar year I give some thought to different approaches or materials for Bible reading in the new year.

Over the years I’ve used the M’Cheyne Bible reading method which involved reading two or four chapter of the Bible each day. This will take you through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year and the Old Testament once (or halving that if you read two chapters a day rather than four). I have also followed this method reading along with Don Carson’s For the Love of God books I and II which consider some of the broader themes of the Bible from the daily readings.

On this Christmas Day 2019 the first thought I had for the day was to thank God for sending His Son Jesus into this world to redeem it.

My second thought was about polarisation - that this world is becoming more polarised, more intolerant, more nationalistic, more patriotic.

These days it seems that you’re either right about everything or wrong about everything. It is difficult to hold a view that is in opposition to someone else without being painted as wrong in many areas. There are the progressives or liberals versus the conservatives (despite the slightly odd naming conventions in Australian politics); pro Brexit or anti Brexit; pro Scottish independence or anti Scottish independence; pro man-made climate change or anti man-made climate change; pro same sex marriage or anti same sex marriage; pro Israel or anti Israel; pro America or anti America; pro free choice in abortion or anti free choice in abortion; pro democracy or anti democracy; pro euthanasia or anti euthanasia; pro free markets or anti free markets. But the problem is that as soon as you declare a position on any of these you are immediately painted with that label and all of your other ideas are either venerated or dismissed (depending on whether the assessor agrees or disagrees with your stated position on topic A).

Theophanies

‘Tis the Season

Many churches around the world – and particularly those of a more liturgical bent or traditional history follow a church calendar. This calendar allocates various days and weeks throughout the year into seasons. Each season emphasises significant aspects or events within our faith and so provides opportunity to reflect on those aspects.

Broadly speaking these seasons are Advent, Christmas and Epiphany at this time of year and then Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost.

Faith is as faith does – Hebrews 11

Introduction

We haven’t been here for the past couple of weeks but Mark tells me we’ve commenced a sermon series looking at prayer. A couple of week’s ago he spoke on Derek Prince’s 7 conditions for answered prayer. And last week he spoke on perseverance.

One of the underlying Scriptural bases for those ideas is found in Hebrews 11:6 (reading from the NJKV):

The Sword of the Spirit and Praying in the Spirit – Ephesians 6:17-18

A Spiritual Armour recap

A couple of months ago we started a series of sermons on the Holy Spirit. We began with his titles, his ministry and receiving the Spirit. We moved onto the Spiritual Armour of God from Ephesians 6. This recognises fact that we’re engaged in a war whether we realise it or not, and whether we want to be or not.

This is the second post looking at some of the detail of studying God’s Word edited by John B Job. The original post is here, and the first more detailed post is here.

This chapter is written by Jean Rutherford who, early in the chapter writes:

It is our minds, as well as spirit and will, which are needed in analysis of any Biblical passage. Lack of spiritual life leads to dry academic discussion; lack of mental discipline and hard thinking leads to ‘beautiful thoughts’ floating in a void and to an unbalanced view of God’s truth; lack of will makes the whole operation sterile, since the object of Bible study is to help us to discern God’s will and His purpose for us, and then to obey Him.

This is the first post looking at some of the detail of studying God’s Word edited by John B Job that I first mentioned a couple of posts ago.

The chapter (written by Laurence Porter) by way of introduction, compares devotional Bible reading with Bible study and states the following:

• Studying the Bible is complementary with and not an alternative to devotional reading.
• Thorough Bible study can enrich and inform devotional reading.
• The corollary is equally true - devotional reading can extend and reinforce the benefits of Bible study.

Regarding book study Laurence makes the following observations:

Shod Feet – Ephesians 6:15

Spiritual Armour

Around a month ago we commenced a series looking at the Holy Spirit. In between there were some special services for NAIDOC week and Mark resumed this series two weeks ago. At that time he began looking at the armour of God from Ephesians 6.

The path we’ve come down is that the Holy Spirit is within us to teach and equip and counsel and remind and empower and gift. A deal of that equipping and empowering is because we are in a war, a spiritual war. To be honest there are battles that we are often oblivious to and ill-prepared for.

A month-or-so ago I came across a book at a second hand bookshop called studying God’s Word edited by John B Job.

It was published by IVP over 45 years ago¹ and so the style is a little dated. Despite that, the content is helpful. It covers different ways or methods of, not surprisingly, studying God’s Word. Some of these methods include analysing a book of the Bible; analysing a passage or chapter; character and background studies; word studies and theme studies.

[The following is the text of a sermon preached in our church on Sunday 30th June 2019]

Holy Spirit: A Pencil Sketch Biography

Studies and Masterpieces

Good morning and welcome to our class in Australian Art 1943-1944.

For our first slide ¹ I’d refer you to this controversial work from 1943.

What can you tell me about the title of the work, the name of the artist, the size of the work, what media was used, the style of the work, the nature of the controversy surrounding it or indeed something about the subject?

[The following is the text of a sermon preached in our church on Sunday 19th May 2019]

God, or not God: Matthew 7:13-14

Banners and Standards

Have you seen movies where troops are led into battle by someone holding a flag?

Perhaps these movies are set during the times of the Roman Empire or during the American Civil War. The flags they bore were known as the standard. This person carrying the flag or the standard was the standard bearer.

[The following is the text of a sermon preached in our church on Sunday 7th April 2019]

Beyond DNA: Heart and Mind

DNA

Over the past month-or-so we’ve been speaking about DNA. Mark and Nigel haven’t been giving us science lessons. They have been talking about some of the things we do as followers of Jesus, as the church of God. They’ve been using the analogy of “spiritual DNA” to illustrate how we have a desire to see God’s best for ourselves, our families and our community. As Ecclesiastes says God “has placed eternity in our hearts.” And we want to share that hope and passion with the world.

[The following is the text of a sermon preached in our church on Sunday 24th February 2019]

Legacy

This Is Your Life

Who remembers the television show “This Is Your Life”?

My first recollection of it is being hosted by Mike Willesee in the 1970s.

My deep research into this on Wikipedia informs me that it began in 1975 with Mike Willesee. Digby Wolfe hosted the second season in 1976, then Roger Climpson to 1980. It was rested for 15 years until the Mike Munro era until 2005, and finally Eddie McGuire hosted a very short season in 2011.

Late last year we became aware of a couple of books by New Zealand author, Richard Brunton. He has written two books, The Awesome Power of Blessing and Anointed for Work.

They’re both more like booklets but pack a stack of helpful information and encouragement about, well, blessing and anointing.

They are both available as free downloads from his website, and can be purchased as paperbacks.

Do yourself a favour and get them both - if you want to.

[The following is the text of a sermon preached in our church on Sunday 9th December 2018]

Destination and Journey: Abraham

Destination and Journey

A few weeks ago when I was first praying and journaling about what I would preach on today I was impressed with the idea of speaking on destination and journey. I was pointed towards Acts 7 which is Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin before he was stoned to death. A deal of that speech talks about Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and Moses and their journeying with God – often physical journeys, but whose physical journeys mirror their spiritual journeys.

[The following is the text of a sermon preached in our church on Sunday 21st October 2018]

Redeeming, Restoring, Transforming Love

The Parable of the Wobbly, Secondhand Bookcase

A number of years ago I purchased a bookcase from a Vinnies shop. The bookcase was probably made 60 or 70 years ago and is oak. When I got this bookcase home I found that it wobbled. The glue joints had clearly broken. It was being held together by rusting nails. It wasn’t too stable and so wouldn’t really work as a bookcase because over time it would lean to one side as books were placed in it.

There are about five gazillion ways to study the Bible, and three gazillion ways of reading it. I know. I’ve tried them all.

“Hyperbole” – the use of obvious and intentional exaggeration.

For as long as I’ve been a Christian I’ve looked at different ways of reading the Bible, and different ways of studying it – from reading plans to meditation; from chronological to inductive; from prepared study guides to randomly opening the Bible and reading. The issue? They are all useful, but they serve different ends, are more helpful towards different purposes and they are all methods. And what do I do when I see a method? I try to understand it, to formularise it, to improve it, to determine if it is the best method such that all others can be instantly and permanently dismissed from my conscience.

[Below is the text of a sermon I preached at our church on 12th August 2018.]

1 Samuel 30 and John 4

Sin versus Failure

What is the difference between sin and failure?

Is it possible to fail without that being construed as sin?

Can sin ever be regarded as anything but some form of failure?

How do you see the distinction between sin and failure?

I think that all sin is a failure, but failure is not necessarily sinful. And so sin is a subset of failure, a part of it.

Don Carson credits his late father for saying “A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text”. What that basically means is that if you don’t provide the context for a sentence or quote then you can interpret it or make it say whatever you want.

A further way of looking at that is to say that words only make sense in sentences, and sentences only have meaning in paragraphs, etc. Within biblical poetry that can be extended to include that a word or sentence only has meaning within a stanza. Without context, without an environment then a group of words can be construed or misconstrued to suit different purposes.

I had a thought this morning – not always a good thing – that if I were creating a website where the purpose was to present Biblical truth regularly, then it would be hard to go past the name “Bible Butcher: Fresh Meat Daily!”

Perhaps it is a good thing that I’m not creating such a website, otherwise biblebutcher.com may have been registered.

[Below is the text of a sermon I preached at our church on Easter morning, 1st April 2018.]

Matthew 27:46

Aramaic – Heart Language

My offering today is half sermon, half reflection. As I pondered and prayed about what to speak about a couple of weeks ago a phrase came to mind. I gave God the opportunity to change His mind but I kept coming back to this particular phrase.

I picked up a book at an Op Shop this morning called Diary of Kenneth MacRae (no point wasting all that printing on a leading “The”). As far as I’m aware I’d never previously heard of Kenneth MacRae. The thing that attracted me to the book in the first instance was that it was published by Banner of Truth. Banner of Truth is a publishing house based in England whose aim is to make available quality Christian books. They have, for instance, sought out and republished a number of books by puritan authors. The founder of Banner of Truth is Iain Murray – long term associate of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones and also MLJs primary biographer.

I had something of a revelation this morning about how I view God.

I tend to see or treat God like a petrol station. You pull up, fill up and then drive away to get on with life.

But the idea came to me that a more complete or holistic view would see God the Father as the petrol station; Jesus as the fuel tank in my vehicle; and Holy Spirit is the fuel.

I’m currently working my way through reading Mark’s gospel. I read a bit, write comments on verses or ideas that strike me, read a bit more, write a bit more. Once I’ve identified three or four ideas that strike me, I then turn to look for and note what seems to be the primary application or relevance of these verses or ideas for me. Once I’ve tackled that I then turn to prayer and write a prayer that what I’ve read and identified as relevant or applicable may be seen in my life. This process usually takes 20-30 minutes.

For the past two months I’ve been busy, unbelievably busy, ridiculously busy. I know how it began, I hope I know how it will end, but what I don’t know is when it will end. It all began with a prompting, I believe from God, to read 1 Peter - the first letter or epistle attributed to Peter in the New Testament. In 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 6 and 7 we read:

In Australia at the moment there is much debate about same sex marriage.¹

What do I think about same sex marriage? I believe it is not the ideal for society, and I base that on God’s view as I understand His written word, the Bible. It is clear to me that God’s intent for the family is that it comprises a man married to a woman and that children are conceived, born and raised within that context. There is no room for polygamy, for adultery, for homosexuality, for infidelity. Any and all of these are contrary to the ideal God has expressed.

[Below is the text of a sermon I preached at our church on Sunday morning, 9th July 2017.]

Philippians 2:12-13

Worked Out

When was the last time you worked out?

For some it may have been this morning, last week, maybe years ago, and maybe never.

But the real answer depends on what I mean by “working out”. Is that physical activity at a gym, or could it mean any physical labour?