This morning I am reminded to live what I speak – that God is holy and faithful. I’m in the middle of transitioning from one job (from which I just resigned) to another (where I have the signed offer, but much of the paperwork has yet to be finished), and things have just seemed to go wrong all over the place… I can’t find this paper that they need, then I have multiple accounts with different socials so I have to send in other papers explaining and proving which is me… it goes on. All of this in the midst of trying to prepare for two completely different classes than I have been working on all summer. And I find myself getting worked up, worrying, over these details. Yes, they’re important to me. But God is holy and faithful. He is in control, even if things seem chaotic. I need to remember to stop trying to hold onto things with a death-grip; I need to let go of my control (I use that term, control, loosely, as lately I don’t think I have any). I need to trust Him to work these details into place. I am not aware of the battles that go on in the unseen realms of our world. Thankfully, He has already won the war, and He is stronger than anything in this world. Psalm 119:132 Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name. Mercy is one of God’s attributes. Mercy here is favor and graciousness towards someone. Turn towards me, O God! If I turn away from someone I am angry at them; they have been condemned by me; they disgust me. How horrible when God turns away because of my sin! Yet He is full of mercy and abounding in love. As the author points out, it’s His custom, His manner, to be merciful to those who love His name. It’s part of who He is. And who loves His name? Those who are obedient to His commands (Torah). The very next verse asks for God to direct my steps according to His word and to keep sin from dominating my life. If I am obedient to Him, if I know His words, it will be much more difficult for sin (wickedness, evil, mischief) to control my life. So, I need to know His words. And I need to obey Him. The rest is up to God.
Psalm 119:126 It is time for You to act, O LORD, For they have regarded Your law as void. The reason this verse caught my eye is because the next two verses start with “Therefore…” and they’re about the writer’s love of God’s commands and his hatred of all evil. I wondered, “If these are the effects, what is the cause?” It would seem to lie in this verse. This verse is a call to action. Whoever “they” are have ignored God’s law (that would be the Torah – it’s even in the text). Doing this is grounds for action (an effect). And David loves God’s commands and hates evil because he knows that God will act when the people ignore God’s laws. And, even though this wasn’t something I thought about immediately upon reading this, Christianity has done this today – regarded the Torah as void. This is grounds for action today, too! Looking at God’s response to idolatrous nations (here’s an interesting article on what that means), I’d really want to be on the other side – the one that obeys Torah and doesn’t regard His laws as void. Can I say that I love His commands more than gold? That I consider all His precepts to be right about everything? David does. I should, too. God doesn’t make mistakes. God is a god of action. And He requires action from me, too. The questions beg an answer: Do I love His commands more than my stuff? Do I truly consider Him right about everything? Do my actions (the way I act and live) reflect my answers to those two questions? That’s the real question.
Psalm 119:96 I have seen an end of all perfection, But Your commandment is exceedingly broad. Let me start by saying that I have no idea what to make of this verse. It pretty much says what it means, when it’s translated. In the midst of a psalm about God’s word and faithfulness, I don’t understand how this fits in. What does it mean for His commandment to be exceedingly broad? Interesting that it’s just commandment (singular) and not commandments (plural). Also, when the words are arranged in the order they are in Hebrew they actually read: To all perfection have seen an end (or limit, as one translation puts it). So perhaps the first part is about how limited our ability to be completed or perfect is. Maybe because the Law (a collective version of commandment) of God covers so many things it is impossible to fully obey or perfectly obey them. I honestly don’t know. Sorry for the rambling. Today my brain is anticipating (worrying?) an interview I have today. I already have a job (which has it’s own set of pros and cons), and in some ways, were I to be offered this position, this job is better and in others it’s about the same (and it comes with its own set of cons). I am trying to remember how God has always been faithful in the past to guide me. However, considering how my paradigm has shifted recently, I’m not entirely sure how to approach this. In the end, He is God. He directs my ways.
Psalm 119:76 Let I pray Your merciful kindness be for my comfort According to Your word to Your servant. This verse seemed rather self-serving the first time I read it. My first thought was that David was asking for physical comfort, and then I wondered if he was seeking emotional comfort. So, I looked back to the Hebrew to see if it helped. Not a lot. The word for comfort means “comfort, take pity, to be sorry, to console oneself.” It’s a little clearer. Then I found that the first word in this verse is become (as in “to come to pass”). Since verbs are more important than nouns, it wasn’t completely surprising that it all started with a verb. It seems that the first part is asking that his consolation be found in God’s faithfulness and reliability (that’s what the word for merciful kindness means). The last part in Hebrew just says “to Your word to Your servant” [1]. In one translation word means “utterance, spoken word,” and in another it translated it as” Torah.” Either way it’s interesting. Let my consolation become from God’s faithfulness to what He has spoken to His servant. The Torah is more than just laws… it also reminds His people of His covenant. God is faithful to what He says. Just because time changes the way we dress, speak, travel, and live, it doesn’t change His covenant – neither it’s promises nor its requirements. When my life seems crazy or out of control, I can be comforted by remembering that God is true to what He says and to His nature. Always return to the Torah, because in it God reveals Himself and His love and His nature through His interactions with His people. I begin to understand more and more how some people say that everything else is just commentary. [1] “Psalm 119:76 Hebrew Texts and Analysis.” 2010. Biblos.com. 03 August 2010 <http://biblos.com/psalms/119-76.htm>.
Psalm 119:73 (YOD) Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments. The word for made is ‘asah. I’ve always thought of this as God putting me together and forming me, but it’s more than that. Asah “is a verb that usually means a deliberate action with distinct purpose” [1]. I was put together deliberately with a distinct purpose in mind. The word for fashioned means to prepare or to direct, establish, and make ready. His hands deliberately and carefully crafted me (and you) for a specific purpose for which he prepares me! The second half of this asks God to give understanding (to teach him – remember in Hebrew, teaching is an active process of practice, not just accumulating knowledge) so that he is trained (as in training for war) God’s commands (it would be interesting to know what the difference is between all the different words for commands – I can think of at least 3 distinct words). God made me to know and obey His commands. They were around long before I was formed, and are an integral part of creation. To fulfill the purpose for which I was fashioned, I need to learn to live according to His commands. It’s His purpose, so it’s done His way. And, since God isn’t one to just dump knowledge into my head (although He could certainly do it that way), I have to practice and train deliberately. Living God’s commandments is a day-by-day, step-by-step, choice-by-choice hands-on instructional process. I would say, though, that the part about giving understanding is important, too, because when your paradigm shifts it can be pretty confusing. So what’s the point? What should I do as a result of this verse? Well, knowing that I am made for a reason (and not just random, accidental chance) reminds me to live purposefully, seeking His path. And continuing to learn His commands will help me be obedient to Him. It also helps me to remember that God made my children purposefully. Even my little one with autism is formed and fashion deliberately with a distinct purpose. I may not understand it, but that’s not my job. My job is to remember His faithfulness, and learn His commandments so I can also teach my children to walk in His paths, choosing to obey Him with a grateful heart. [1] Moen, Skip. “Getting It Done.” 2009. Today’s Word. 02 August 2010 <http://skipmoen.com/?s=asah&x=0&y=0>.
Psalm 119: You are good and do good; Teach me Your statutes. This verse is another reminder of why I need to learn to read Hebrew. In the Blue Letter Bible, it uses the word towb for “You are good” and for “do good.” I can’t tell from looking at the actual Hebrew, whether the word towb is actually repeated (which would mean the author is emphasizing this particular point) or not. And there’s a word in the phrase that doesn’t correspond to any of the words given in the concordance, so I don’t really have any idea what it means. Sigh. Anyway, towb is good, right, pleasant, benign, appropriate. And God is these things. These things aren’t a part of Him, they are Him. Take them away, and God ceases to be. Take away God, and towb ceases to be. Therefore, every thing He does is also good… including His Torah, His statutes. And speaking of statutes… The word “to teach” is lamad which means to exercise in, train in (it’s an active learning process, not a head-knowledge thing). And statutes (choq) means: 1) statute, ordinance, limit, something prescribed, due a) prescribed task b) prescribed portion c) action prescribed (for oneself), resolve d) prescribed due e) prescribed limit, boundary f) enactment, decree, ordinance 1) specific decree 2) law in general g) enactments, statutes 1) conditions 2) enactments 3) decrees 4) civil enactments prescribed by God Notice some familiar things in there? Like portion, decrees? David asks to practice, to train in God’s specific laws, civil enactments, prescribed boundaries. We think of these things as bad and limiting to our happiness and “freedom,” but God and goodness cannot be separated, and His statutes are good, too. Learning to live by them takes practice. God doesn’t sit us down in a celestial classroom and dump knowledge into our brains. But, He did give us His words. And He does provide hands-on training. The question becomes, “Am I willing to learn?” Remember Isaiah, who prophesied, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying “This is the way walk in it” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.” (Is. 30:21) Ready to walk?
Psalm 119:59 I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies. This one is something I’ve struggled with. I grew up so steeped in “tradition” that when God’s planted seeds of discontent started to grow I was astounded. I’ve certainly thought about my ways… a LOT. And there have been many times when I’ve considered the decisions that I’m making. Do I turn my feet to His testimonies? Or do I continue in the way I was raised ignoring that which I now know because the other path is easier? Robert Frost wrote the poem “The Road Not Taken” which has become almost cliche, but it is SO much like the path I’m walking. Here’s an interesting visual interpretation: I’ve had to make decisions that I’m very conscious of and that I still struggle with because what I want is not what He asks of me. It reminds me of the time Yeshua said, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” (or something to that effect) It’s not easy, for sure. The word for “to turn” is shuv. It’s a really cool word! It means to turn back, to return, of dying, and in repetition. In another form it means to refresh, restore, to bring back or repair. That’s a lot for one word (and there are about 20 other ways this word can be used with many different nuances and implications)! My choice to walk in His ways means all these things. I turn back to the original (His way), dying to my way, restoring his position as King as I obey His commands and repairing my relationship with Him. Here’s the poem by Robert Frost. The last stanza, especially, hits home here. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim Because it was grassy and wanted wear, Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I marked the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference