Let's Do Some Word Study

"I study my Bible as I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest might fall . Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb, I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf .” - Martin Luther

 

With that in mind, let's shake some branches and twigs and look under some leaves.  We have been noticing throughout our study the different words that are used in Psalm 119 for the Word of God.  Today we will begin a closer examination of these words.

There are 8 key Hebrew words that are used in Psalm 119 to refer to God's Word.  I have listed them below as they are translated in the NASB, along with the original Hebrew word.  This should help get you started.  Remember that if you are using a different Bible translation, the English word may be different, although the Hebrew word is the same.

These eight words are:

• Law (torah)
• Testimonies (edah)
• Precepts (piqqud)
• Statues (choq)
• Commandments (mitsvah)
• Ordinances [also translated judgments] (mishpat)
• Word (dabar) or (imrah)

There are two other Hebrew words that are also used, although less frequently than the preceding eight......
both are translated "way".....derek and orach.

If you have not already done so along the way, examine each of these words closely.  What does the word mean in the original language?  How does the use of that particular word aid in understanding the message the psalmist is trying to convey?  Where else is that word used in the Old Testament?  How do these other references (cross-references) aid in helping you to understand the message of Psalm 119?

If you have already been doing these word studies along our journey, go back and review your findings, or dig a little deeper.  Check additional cross-references, for example.

You may have a library of word study tools available to you.  If not, there are numerous on-line, easy-to-use resources:  http://www.blueletterbible.org/ and http://www.biblegateway.com/ are two such resources. 

Because this is a time-intensive process, let's take a few days to work on it.  If you have insights from your research you would like to share, please leave them in the "comments" section.  We would love to hear from you!

Considering.....Continued

As I write, it is Friday morning leading into Palm Sunday weekend.  As we look toward Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and the celebration of Resurrection Sunday.  I invite you to join me as we continue to consider our ways, as the psalmist did.  Let's consider/ponder/meditate on our Lord and His ways, on the sacrifice paid at Calvary that purchased our redemption.

As we prepare to celebrate Easter, let's also be preparing to live that celebration every day of our lives.  Let's be preparing to live as the psalmist testified....."to keep Your words", to "turn my feet to Your testimonies," to "keep Your commandments," to give thanks, to be "a companion of those who fear You",  and to be continually praying, "teach me."

Take some time today to read the heth stanza again.  Here are some questions to consider as you read:

• verse 59 - "I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies."  What does it mean to turn your feet to God's testimonies?
• How quick are you to obey God and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
• Is there a correlation between belief and obedience?  We see that the psalmist knew God's Word, considered his ways and then turned his feet to God's ways without delay.  Is this the normal pattern of authentic belief?  Explain your answer.
• Look at John 3.  What does John say about belief and obedience.
• Have you ever heard the phrase "delayed obedience is disobedience"?  How about the phrase "partial obedience is disobedience"?  Based on your study today, do you think those are true statements?  Why or why not?

One more thing to consider today......look at verse 63 ("I am a companion of those who fear You.")  Think on that verse as it relates to your own life, but also consider what else the Word of God has to say about the company we keep.  Check out what the Book of Proverbs has to say on the topic and note your findings.  Do you have companions in your life who fear God?  What influences do they have on you?  How do you influence them? 

That's a lot of considering for one day, isn't it??!!  I'm praying today that, as we consider, God will speak to our hearts, show us wonderful things in His Word, show us where our ways are not lined up with His, and I'm praying that as we consider our ways, we will be quick to turn our feet to His testimonies, that we will be prompt in our obedience to what He shows us.

"Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law and keep it with my whole heart." 
(Psalm 119:34)

Considering My Ways

Continuing our journey through Psalm 119, we arrive today at the heth stanza, verses 57-64.  As usual, our first step will be to read these verses and make our initial observations, including finding all the synonyms the psalmist uses for God's Word.  Once you have done that, note what you learn about God's Word from this stanza.  Also note any other repeated words or phrases, as well as any concepts you might see carrying forward from previous stanzas.  As you are reading, pay careful attention to what the psalmist wants and what actions he has taken.  For example, in verse 57 the psalmist makes a promise.  What is it?

Let's spend some time today thinking about what we learn about the psalmist, not only in this stanza but in the entire psalm up to this point.  While we don't know his name, there are many things we can learn about him.....attitudes and behaviors that serve as good examples for us.  Look at three different areas in the psalmist's life - memorizing, meditating, obeying.  If you need some help getting started, consider verse 11 (memorizing), verse 27 (meditating) and verse 60 (obeying).  What do you learn about the psalmist that could be applied to your own life?

In verse 59, the psalmist says, "I have considered my ways."  Have you done that lately?  How would considering your ways be beneficial?  Why not take some time to do that today?  Put down the pen and paper, perhaps take a quiet walk, get alone with God, and consider your ways.

"I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies.  I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments."  (Psalm 119:59-60)

How's Your Hebrew?

If you have been on this journey with me through Psalm 119 from the beginning, them I'm sure you will remember that this Psalm (written originally in Hebrew) is an acrostic poem with 22 stanzas, one stanza for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  Each line of each stanza begins with the corresponding letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  In other words, in the original language, each line of the aleph stanza begins with the letter aleph, and so on.  Can you recite the Hebrew alphabet up to this point?  Maybe you could practice that today and then you'll really be able to impress your friends!  (Unless, of course, they are are already fluent in Hebrew!!)

Our study has been loosely modeled after a study of Psalm 119 written by Pam Gillaspie and titled "Sweeter Than Chocolate."  In the leader materials for that study, referring to the zayin stanza where we currently find ourselves in our journey, Pam writes, "This is one stanza where a little Hebrew goes a long way.  The stanza letter is "Z" and three of the eight lines begin with the word zakar which is Hebrew for "remember."  The psalmist first calls on God to remember His word to him (v. 49) and then tells how he has remembered the LORD's ordinances of old (v. 52) and that he calls the LORD's name in the night (v. 55)."  While I, and probably all of you as well, am not a Hebrew scholar, I think it is helpful to have these hints about the original language as we study.  This seems to me to be helpful in staying in the context of what the psalmist was originally trying to communicate as he wrote and helps us to form correct interpretations which will then lead us to make correct application.  As we continue on, watch closely in the next three stanzas for other truths the psalmist remembers.  

Two other words to note as we move through this stanza....the words "comfort" and "hope".  The two words translated as "comfort" (nechamah, v. 50 and nacham, v 52) derive from the same Hebrew word (one a noun, the other a verb).  Can you see a connection between remembering the word of God, as the psalmist has done, and then comforting oneself and others with it?  The word "hope" (v. 49)  is closely tied to this concept.  We first saw this word, translated as "wait", in the vav stanza.  Hoping and waiting do not mean sitting by with our fingers crossed; rather it is a faith, an expectancy that has confidence in God!

If you have time today, do some additional research/word studies on these two words to see what you can learn.  Use your concordance to check some cross references, some additional verses where these words are used.  This is a good way to firm up your understanding of these concepts.  Also, as you're thinking on these concepts, consider the following questions:

• Where do you typically turn for comfort?
• How adept are you at comforting yourself from God's Word?
• Once you have considered what Psalm 119 has to say about comfort, why not see what the New Testament has to say.  Do some reading in 2 Corinthians and see what you can learn about comfort.  What is the application for you?

"Our comfort is abundant through Christ."  (2 Corinthians 1:5b)

Testimony

In the last post, our focus was on the word "remember".  "Remember" (Hebrew word  zakar) means "to remember, to recall, to think about, to acknowledge."  We have seen the psalmist remembering.....verse 52 - "I have remembered Your ordinances from of old."  In verse 55 he remembers "Your name in the night."  In the context of this psalm, the psalmist's testimony is of God's faithfulness to him through all the circumstances of his life.  His "remembering" has resulted in obedience to God's precepts (verse 56 - "I observe Your precepts.").  This is the psalmist's testimony.

I have been remembering as well.  This week we will have the closing for the sale of my childhood home, and as we approach that date, I have been traveling down memory lane.....remembering the happy times in that house and remembering my parents.  As I think about my parents, I remember their love for God and their love for His Word, and how they taught me to do the same.  I didn't "inherit" a love for God and His Word.  It was taught to me.  It was modeled in front of me.  It was the way of life in our home.  I am so grateful to God for my parents and for their priorities!  That's the testimony of my life.

Today's word is "commitment".  The word is not mentioned in this stanza (or in vav).  But as we look again at these two stanzas, the concept is there.  What commitments has the psalmist made?  (See verse 46 as an example).  What commitments is he keeping in his life?  (See verse 53 as an example.)

What about you?  What are your commitments?  What will be the testimony of your life?

Remember

We're moving ahead today to the zayin stanza (Psalm 119:49-56).  Once again I'll ask you to read the verses and mark every synonym for the Word of God.  Once you've marked the words, make a list of everything you learn about the Word.

This stanza begins with the word "remember" and the word occurs three times in these 8 verses.  Hmmm....must be important!  Let's take some time today with that word.  What does God have to say about remembering?  Do some research (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/ or other resources you may have available).  Ask the 5Ws and H questions about the word (who, what, when, where, why, how) and see what you can discover.  What have you discovered?  If you would like to share your findings, please feel free to leave a comment.

That's enough for today.  Enjoy your study time and I'll see you back here on Monday!

"O LORD, I remember Your name in the night, and keep your law."  (Psalm 119:55)

Waiting, Seeking, Delighting

I mentioned a couple of days ago that there is a shift in emphasis in Psalm 119, beginning in the vav stanza.  We have previously been looking at the psalmist's prayers - what he prayed for and against, and what he was asking God to do in his life.  In this stanza, and continuing through the yodh, the emphasis has shifted and we want to be alert to how the psalmist is "partnering with" God, the commitments he is making to God's work in the world.  Look at verse 46 as an example....."I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings and will not be ashamed."  See if you can find other examples in this stanza and make a list of those, as well as being alert as we move forward to other similar commitments the psalmist makes.

There are two other lists I would ask you to make today.  Make a list of everything the psalmist says he is doing or will do.  This shows us the "human side" of this partnership and shows us what the psalmist is investing his time in (remember we gave some thought to investing in the last post).  The second list is a list of what God has done or what the psalmist is trusting him to do.  Include in this list anything you learn from these verses about God's character or His nature. 

As you consider the lists you have made, what thoughts come to mind?  What concepts can you apply to your own life?  As you note how the psalmist describes his relationship with God and how the psalmist views God's commandments and precepts, how is your own outlook similar or different?  And how is this outlook reflected in your behavior?  Something to think about......

One final thought today.......while we don't know for certain whether or not David is the writer of this particular Psalm, we do know from elsewhere in Scripture that David loved God, that he was described as "a man after God's own heart".  Because of that, David is a great example for us of what it means to delight in God.  Another Psalm, Psalm 27, is a good place to focus our attention to learn more about David and his relationship with God.  As you read Psalm 27, note what it is that David asks God for.  Based on your reading of Psalm 27, how would you describe David's relationship with God?  Would you not agree that what we see here reflects concepts we have also seen in Psalm 119......delighting in God, seeking Him (and not just seeking what He can do).  Can you think of a New Testament passage that reflects these same concepts?

Spend some time in John 15 and consider what Jesus has to say on the subject.

A thought for the day.......
"Living the Word comes out of loving the Word."  (Pam Gillaspie)

Consistently and Continually

Yesterday I mentioned the word "overwhelmed", that I am overwhelmed by Psalm 119, and I told you that the word overwhelmed is not mentioned in Psalm 119.  Well, that is true in the New American Standard text.  However, I discovered yesterday afternoon, as I was reading the Psalm in a different translation (the New Living Translation) that the word does appear there.......Psalm 119:20 NLT reads this way, "I am overwhelmed continually with a desire for Your law."  Another verse jumped out at me as well during my reading.....Psalm 119:5, "Oh that my actions would consistently reflect Your principles."  And there's the root of my overwhelmedness (is that even a word??)......consistently and continually!  To continually be overwhelmed with a desire for God's Word.  To consistently reflect God's principles.  There's a challenge in the midst of a culture that has the exact opposite viewpoint!  Those two words (consistently, continually) strike right at the core of the issue, don't they?  To have a strong desire for God's Word and to be obedient to it, not some of the time or even most of the time, but consistently and continually!  Am I the only one who has this struggle?  Somehow I think not.  If you have thoughts on this topic you would like to share, please feel free to leave a comment.

Meanwhile, let's move forward through the Psalm.  Here's something else to think on.  Pam Gillaspie writes, "We often think about investing more money, but there is no commodity more valuable than our time.  You have probably heard it said that you can tell what is truly important to people by looking at their checkbooks and calendars.  My calendar just a few years back showed that I was busy, busy, busy trying to do things for God.  If there was a committee that I thought was important, I was on it.  Of course, I didn't think I was too busy!  I thought I was just being productive for the Kingdom.  It took wise people in my life to help me see that I was overbooked...and overbooked, even with "good" things that cut into pursuing God's best!  In my zeal, I was pursuing action more than God.  Funny, God doesn't need our overcharged ambition, even if it's Kingdom ambition.  He wants our whole heart focused on Him.  So that's my story of misguided investment to you. What's yours?"

Can you relate to her story?  I certainly can.....much the same could have been said of me, particularly in my years serving on staff in various churches.  Busy, busy, busy!  But was I productive?  Perhaps in the world's view.  But was I really pursuing God?  Go back to my thoughts at the beginning of this post.  Does being busy for God equate to continually and consistently pursuing Him and His Word?  Something to think about......

We began looking at the vav stanza yesterday.  Now that you have read it through, what have you observed?  Did you notice that we have the first mention of God's lovingkindness (verse 41; the Hebrew word is chesed which is sometimes translated as mercy).  We are also introduced to the concept of waiting on God.  Both these concepts will be revisited as we move forward.

Read the vav stanza (verses 41-48) again and answer these questions:

• What kind of people does the psalmist have in his life?
• Are there situations today where believers find reproach?  Will this likely increase or decrease as time passes?  (See 2 Timothy 3)
• What about you?  If, or when, people reproach you, how do you respond?
• BESIDE the Bible, what is the greatest delight or joy of your life?  Why?
• How does this compare to your love for, your delight in God's Word?

The psalmist is definitely an individual who delights in God's Word, who delights in God Himself.  If you have time, why not do some research into some biblical characters who delighted in God.  What do you learn about them and how can you apply it to your own life?  If you would like to share your findings, please leave a comment.

"When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, O Lord, I shall seek."  (Psalm 24:8)

Overwhelmed

"I shall delight in your commandments, which I love."  (Psalm 119:47)

As I sat down this morning in my favorite chair and opened my Bible to Psalm 119, the word that kept coming to my mind was "overwhelmed".  Not because this word is found anywhere in this Psalm.....it isn't.  But because I find the Psalm and the psalmist a bit overwhelming.  Throughout the Psalm we find the psalmist's love for, his delight in the Word of God.  The Psalm paints a picture for us of a life aligned with God's Word.  So the question that comes to my mind is.....how do we come to love and delight in the Word in the same way the psalmist does?  To quote Pam Gillaspie, "how do we close the gap between what is and what should be?"  These thoughts will be an undercurrent of our continuing study of the Psalm.

We begin our study this week by looking back as well as by looking forward.  If you have time, read the entire Psalm again.  If your time today is limited, read the first 40 verses, the ones we have covered so far.  As you read, think back on what we have seen about the benefits the psalmist ascribes to God's Word.  Also review what the psalmist's desires are and what he has asked God for.  Think back over any personal commitments you may have made regarding God's Word, or regarding anything else that was a challenge or a "wow" moment for you during the study of the first 40 verses.  How are you doing with those commitments or challenges?

Once you have completed your review, move ahead to the next stanza, verses 41-48, the vav stanza.  I asked you to read the entire Psalm so that we can keep the "big picture" in mind.  If you did that, you may have noticed a shift in focus beginning here in the vav stanza from what the psalmist focused on in the first five stanzas.  If that is not readily apparent to you, not to worry!  It will all become clear as we go along!

As you read these eight verses, make your initial observations of this stanza.....ask the who/what/when/where/why/how questions.  Look for repeated words and phrases.  Note the words the psalmist uses for the Word of God.  If you are using colored pencils, this is the time to mark those words. Does the psalmist make any prayers or any commitments?  What do you learn about God in this stanza?  Make a note of any questions you have and anything (topic, phrase) that you want to dig deeper into.

That's enough for today.  I'll meet you back here tomorrow.

Continuing the Thought......

Two thoughts to close out the week.   First, continuing the theme from yesterday of making my life count, let me share with you a portion of yesterday's reading in My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  He writes, "We must run our belief about God into practical issues......give our utmost for His highest, and this can only be done continually.....the test is sixty seconds of every minute, and sixty minutes of every hour, not just during times of public prayer and devotional activity."  And there's the challenge, isn't it?  To live a life of faith, to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 11 and 12), to walk in the way of God's commandments, to incline our hearts toward Him all day, everyday!  I don't know about you, but sometimes my "want to", my desire to be my utmost for His highest, falls flat when it comes to everyday real life.  But that's something I'm working on, something I'm committing myself to and praying about, something I'm getting better at little by little, moment by moment......And that's what it all boils down to isn't it?  Making our visible lives, the part others see and interact with, match up with what our heart knows to be true, what we've learned from Scripture and made commitments to God about.  It's a process, one we will be participating in as long as we are on this earth!

Finally this week, let's look at a verse that has tugged at my heart since I first really became aware of it some years ago....."Establish your Word to your servant as that which produces reverence for You."  As we begin to examine the verse, let's look at two words from the verse and their definitions.  (And remember, you don't need to blindly accept my findings......do some word study on your own!  As I mentioned to you early on, there a numerous FREE resources on line if you don't have your own library of word study resources.)

The word "establish" is the Hebrew word qum which means to arise, to stand, to stand up.  The basic meaning is the physical action of rising up.  Many figurative meanings have developed, including here used meaning "to be strengthened."

The word "reverence" is the Hebrew word yirah meaning fear, which usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality.  This fear/reverence is produced by God's Word and makes a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge.  (See also Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 2:5).

Putting all that together, we have the psalmist's prayer to be strengthened by the Word of God in order to gain a greater reverence for God and be receptive to His wisdom.  How do you suppose that would be accomplished in his life?  In your life and mine?  I think we are back to the issue of time.  Time spent in the Word is the key!  And more of us in the Word leads to more of the Word in us!

So here's a question for you......why don't more people have a hunger for God's Word, or a greater desire to study His Word?  Is it lack of desire?  Or is it something else?   Perhaps WMDs (see yesterday's post), or are our appetites being sated with "junk food" instead of the food of the Word of God?  Is it a matter of priorities?

Another question to think about.....what characterizes a person who has reverence for God?  What does that "look like" in life?  What are the benefits of a life of reverence toward God?

As we finish up the he stanza, looking back not only on this stanza but on all the 40 verses we have studied so far, what has been the biggest challenge to you in your daily walk?  What are you going to do about it?

A Life That Counts

Here's what I'm pondering today.......How do I make my life count?  With that question in mind, let's focus today on Psalm 119:37 - "Turn my eyes away from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways."  In this verse the psalmist is praying that God will turn his eyes away from looking at vanity, which can be defined as anything that is empty or worthless. This can be the things in our lives that are not necessarily "bad" but which really add no value to us or to others. Why does this matter to the psalmist?  Why should it matter to us?  How can turning away from vanity help us align more with God's Word?  Let's dig into those questions today.

As we consider the culture in which we live, I'm sure we can agree that there are many things that fit this definition of vanity......not bad in and of themselves, but yet adding no value to our lives.  Is there an "antidote" to focusing on/looking at/chasing after vanity?  Consider Philippians 4:8.  What should we be focusing our thoughts on?

Let's go a step further.  Read Hebrews 11:1-12:3.  What did all these people have in common?  What characterized their lives?  Were they "looking at vanity"?  Once you have read the passage, consider the following questions:

• What were the people in Hebrews 11 looking for?
• Based on their example, according to Hebrews 12 where are we to be looking?
• What difference would it make in our lives to be focused, to have our eyes "fixed" in the right direction?
• What encumbrances do we need to throw off?  When considering this question, keep in mind that the passage tells us to lay aside, to throw off encumbrances and sin.  The word "encumbrances" could be referring to those things which are not necessarily bad in and of themselves, but which weigh us down or make us ineffective.  In his sermon last Sunday, our pastor referred to WMDs - Weapons of Mass Distraction.  Are you dealing with any WMDs?  I know I am!

Finally today, review the benefits we have discovered so far in Psalm 119 that God's Word provides, the claims the Word makes about itself.  How would our lives look different today if we committed to at least one of those benefits?  Something to think about.......

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Teach Me, O Lord

"Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall observe it to the end."  (Psalm 119:33)

This begins the next segment of Psalm 119, the he stanza.  Before we jump into that, here's a quick question for you......did you realize that you are learning the Hebrew alphabet as we go along?  So far, we've learned the first five letters:  aleph, beth, gimel, daleth, he.  You could spring that on your friends next time you're out to lunch and see what their reaction is!  OK, now it's time to get serious!

Read through verses 33 through 40, and once again note repeated words and phrases.  If you have time today, you might go back and read all 40 verses that we have covered so far.  This will help you have the overall context and will enable you to see the full progression of thought.  Once you have carefully read these verses, answer the following questons:

• What do you learn about the Word in this stanza?
• Are there any repeated concepts?  If so, what are they?  Are any new concepts introduced here?
• What does the psalmist pray for?
• Do you relate to any of these requests? In what way?
• Verses 34 and 35 refer to keeping God's law (v. 34) and delighting in God's commandments (v. 35).  Is there a difference between "keeping" and "delighting"?  If so, what is the difference?
• What does it mean to"delight" in the "path of Your commandments"?  What does that "look like" in real life?
• To what extent do you delight in God's commandments?

We have already noted that this stanza begins with the phrase "teach me."  This is a repeated phrase throughout the Psalm, so be watching for the phrase and what the psalmist wants to be taught.  We also see a repeated use of the phrase "revive me", which first occurred in the previous stanza.  Be alert for repetitions of that phrase as well.  The Hebrew word is hayah (translated "quicken me" in the KJV), which means to be alive, to live, to keep alive.  The Word Study Dictionary - Old Testament says "Psalm 119 employs this word to say that God's Word preserves life."  That's an interesting point, don't you think?  Where would we be without the Word of God?  Something to think about......

Heart is another repeated word in this stanza, as well as throughout the Psalm.  We have seen seven references to "heart" in these first five stanzas!  The psalmist aspires to keep God's law with all his heart and asks God to incline his heart. He is not just talking about external obedience by rote. 

As you wind up your study time today, turn to Deuteronomy 6:5-9.  As you read those verses, think about what the psalmist has prayed for and how it relates to this passage in Deuteronomy.  It's a good time for us to pause and consider our own hearts. 

"Give me understandng, that I may observe Your law and keep it with all my heart."  (Ps. 119:34)
"Incline my heart to Your testimonies..." (Ps. 119:36)

"And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."  (Deut. 6:5)

The word "all" is an interesting word.  I looked it up in the Lexical Aids and guess what it means?  "Each, every, all, everything, the whole, entire".  How interesting!  All means all!  So, the question for us today is....are we keeping God's law with ALL our hearts, or are our hearts divided?  Something to think about....

The False Way/The Faithful Way

As we continue our journey through Psalm 119 and the daleth  stanza, today we are looking more closely at the word "way".  This word (in Hebrew, the word is derek) occurs 13 times in the Psalm, and 5 of those occurrences are in this stanza!  The Word Study Dictionary -Old Testament defines the word this way:  a noun meaning path, journey, way, derived from the Hebrew verb darak meaning to walk or to tread, from which the basic idea of the word comes: the path that is traveled.

What we see here is a contrast between two ways, or two paths.....the faithful way (verse 30) and the false way (verse 29).  The contrast is betwen a life lived God's way, according to God's precepts, God's Word, and the false way, which is the opposite.  In many ways, this summarizes everything the psalmist has said up to this point and confirms his choice to follow the faithful way.

The psalmist began by affirming the blessings to those whose way is blameless, who walk in the way of the Lord, who choose the way of God.  He moved on to tell us how to live that kind of life.....by keeping it according to God's Word.  His commitment (verse 15) was to "meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways".  The gimel stanza focused attention on finding true delight and counsel in God's Word.  In verses 29, the psalmist's prayer is "remove the false way from me......I have chosen the faithful way."  Wouldn't you agree that the psalmist's prayer is a good prayer for us as well?  As we face the challenges of life in the 21st century in a culture that is turning its back on God and His ways, we would do well to make this our daily prayer......remove the false way from me.

How do we live in this culture, surrounded as we are by the "false way" and still live the "faithful way"?  I believe the answer is found for us in verse 31....."I cling to your testimonies, O LORD."

The word translated "testimonies" is the Hebrew word edah which means witness.  The psalmist is saying that he clings to words that bear witness of God.....words which testify or bear witness to His character and His ways.  For us, these would be the words of Scripture, the whole counsel of the Word of God.  For us to live life the "faithful way" requires of us that we spend time in, that we "cling to" the Scriptures!

One final thought as we wrap up our time in the daleth stanza.  Note the psalmist's prayers and his commitments.  His requests are:  revive me, teach me, strengthen me.  His commitments are:  I will meditate on Your wonders; I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me; I shall run the way of Your commandments.

What does all this have to do with you and me?  Perhaps we should ask ourselves a few questions.....

• what am I clinging to today?
• what practical steps can I take today to choose God's way and cling to His testimonies?
• how can I model this to my childen, my grandchildren, my neighbors, my community?

"I have chosen the faithful way; Ihave placed Your ordinances before me.  I cling to your testimonies."  (Psalm 119:30-31a)

I Cling to Your Testimonies

Today we resume our study of Psalm 119, beginning our observation of the daleth stanaz, verses 25-32.  Due to some computer problems, I had to take a little break from posting our studies, but I hope all that is fixed now and we can move ahead.  This brief break may have given you some time to catch up!!

As you prayerfully read and observe these verses, be looking again for the words that refer to God's Word.  Make note of those and what you learn from them......we're continuing to look for the benefits that are ours from God's Word.  Also make note of any words or phrases that you see repeated that you think are key to understanding this portion of the Psalm.  This is a good time to get out those colored pencils and mark those words or phrases.  Remember that there is nothing sacred about the marking and that there is no right or wrong way to mark the words.  The point of using the colored pencils and marking the words is to help you spot them quickly; it is a tool to help you identify key concepts and to aid in your learning.

As you are reading these verses,  what do you think is the "mood" of this stanza?  How does that compare with previous stanzas?  What do you learn from these verses about the general situation of the psalmist's life?

Other questions to consider:

• What actions does the psalmist ask God to take? 
• Where do we see these requests?
• What commitments is the psalmist making?
• Where do we see these commitments?
• How do these requests and commitments relate to your life?

And finally today, here's something to think about......Can you think of anyone (whether yourself or someone you know) who fully clings to God?  (see verse 31)  What does that look like to an outside observer?

Give that some thought today, and I'll be back tomorrow!  Remember that if you want to share any questions, comments or observations about the Scripture we are studying, just leave a comment!  You'll be a blessing and encouragement to all of us who are on this journey!

Open My Eyes

Today we are looking deeper into the gimel stanza which contains the verse which might be considered a "theme" for this study....."Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from Thy law."

Again I would ask you to note the synonyms for God's Word and their location.....once again we find a synonym for God's Word used at least once in each stanza!

Let's also look at who is mentioned in this stanza.  There is the psalmist (see verses 17, 19, 20, 22).  God is mentioned (the psalmist is speaking to God).  We also have reference to the "arrogant, cursed, wanderers" in verse 21 and the "princes who talk against me" in verse 23.  What do you learn about each of these, and what insights can you gain into the psalmist's life from looking at these verses?

Look also at verse 24..."Thy testimonies are also my delight, they are my counselors."  There are two observations I would like us to consider from this verse.

This is the second time we have seen the word "delight".  (See also verse 16 in the previous stanza - "I shall delight in Thy statutes.")  A different Hebrew word is used here in verse 24 than was used in verse 16, so let's look at those words and see what they tell us.

In verse 16, delight is translated from the Hebrew word saa, meaning to take delight in, referring to taking joy or enjoyment from something, especially God's Word.  (This definition comes from The Complete Word Study Dictionary - Old Testatment).  In verse 24, the Hebrew word translated as delight is the word suiym, a plural noun meaning delight, often describing the delight given to one who follows God's teachings, laws and testimonies.  Webster's Dictionary defines "delight" as "to give great joy or pleasure, to be highly pleased."

You may be wondering why I continue to press this point, why these definitions matter so much.  One reason is that if we are going to apply what the Word says and what learn about it, we need to have an accurate understanding of what it says.  Just to read through and pick out a verse or phrase that sounds good to us or makes us feel good is not sufficient unless we really understand what it means!  So, with these definitions, we are back to the personal application question.......do I take great joy in God's Word, does God's Word bring me great pleasure and joy?  If I have answered "yes" to those questions, then how is that evident in my life?  Just to say that I "delight in God's Word" is insufficient.....there must be an evidence beyond my words!

Finally, focus on the last phrase of verse 24....."(Thy testimonies) are my counselors."  When you need counsel, where do you turn?  Who are your counselors?  Where do we get our advice?

Something to think about......

Treasuring and Delighting

Today I would like us to take one last look at the beth stanza before we move on to gimel.  I mentioned to you as we began that studying inductively involves three main aspects:  observation, interpretation, application.  Today our focus in on applying the beth stanza.  As I was seeking application to my own life, I walked verse by verse through the stanza and asked myself some questions.....similar to the 5Ws and H that we use for observation, using that same technique as I lined my own life up against what the Scripture says in these eight verses.  That may work for you.  Here are the questions I have been asking myself:

• verse 9 - How can I keep my way pure?  The answer in this verse is "by keeping it according to Thy Word."  Again, the question is "how"?  How do I accomplish that in my daily life?
• verse 10 - With all my heart I have sought You.  Have I/do I really seek God with ALL my heart?  Or is my heart/my attention divided?  Does God get my primary attention or does He get the leftovers...does He get my attention "when I have time"?
• verse 11 - Do I treasure God's Word.....or do I take it for granted or treat it lightly or just give attention to the "easy" parts/the parts I like?  Am I treasuring it by memorizing it?
• verse 12 - Is this my prayer ("teach me Your statutes")?  Am I consistently "putting feet to my prayers" by purposely setting aside time/ carving out time in my day for God's Word?
• verse 13 - Am I consistently "telling of all the ordinances of Your mouth"?
• verse 14 -  Am I "rejoicing" in God's way?  (See again the comments for verse 11).
• verse 15  - Have I made a commitment ("I will")  to meditate on God's principles?  Again, am I devoting time to this pursuit?
• verse 16 - Do I delight in God's statutes?  How is this evident in my life?

When examined this way, slowly and verse by verse, I find it to be a very convicting, very humbling portion of Scripture.  What about you?  Any insights you want to share?  If so, please leave a comment.

Why not close your study time today by meditating again on this portion of Psalm 119 and making whatever commitments and resolutions you need to make about how you are applying what you've learned.

If time allows, go ahead and read the gimel stanza and begin thinking about that one as well.  That will be our focus tomorrow.