Not sure why but I couldn't quite get into the feel of this one today. I love Psalm 119, but my heart was not in it today. Strange, the Wagner women were out running errands so the place was quite (except for the canines). Days like today are when we have to remind ourselves that not everyday in the Word in going to be a mountain top experience. It is a discipline and sometimes we have to do it just because we know it is the right thing to do.
So for our session today we were to identify three things about the Psalmist and his feeling towards the Word; Benefits of Reading the Word, his Attitudes Towards the Word, and his Appeals to God regarding God's Word. I will not list all that I found - some just became repetitive - but I will hit a few highlights.
Benefits
The one that stuck out the most for me was v. 7: "I will praise You with a sincere heart when I learn Your righteous judgments." I know, for me, the more I grow in my walk with God and the more I learn of His ways the intensity in my praise and worship grows as well because it is based on truth not just emotion (please do not misinterpret me here...nothing wrong with emotion in praise and worship but truth just takes that emotion to a higher level).
Attitudes
"Then I can answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in Your word. Never take the word of truth from my mouth, for I hope in Your judgments." (vs. 42, 43). We are constantly taunted by that "roaring lion" who is seeking whom he can devour. He is no gentlemen and therefore he plays very dirty. He knows what buttons to push to knock you on your backside and he will not hesitate to push them. The Bible is one of weapons in our arsenal (Heb. 4.12 - "two-edged sword"). It reminds us of God's faithful love (Hebrew word is hesed - awesome word. Google it sometime), it also reminds us that we are God's people, and I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.
"Your statues are the theme of my song during my earthly life." (v. 54). Makes me think of a verse from my favorite hymn - There is a Fountain. "Redeeming love shall be theme and shall be till I die" (side note: Prestonwood Baptist Choir has a CD on hymns (Hymns) that have been modernized and their version of this one just might be my favorite).
Appeals
"Teach me, Lord, the meaning of Your statues, and I will keep them. Help me understand Your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart." (vs. 33,34). All throughout this series (all of 1 week of it, HINT: and week 2), Dr. Guthrie talks about getting a good set of tools (Bible dictionary, Study Bible, etc), and trust me I share his opinion. I have 3 different sets of Bible software, various Study Bibles in various translations, and the value of those can never be under estimated. But eventually the meaning and understanding must come from God. That is one of the reasons he sent us the Holy Spirit. Praying and asking God for understanding and meaning and application is probably the most important part of reading the Bible.
Ask God for Understanding
And I did choose the verse before I saw the next question: "Do you yearn and ask God for understanding as you read the Bible?" My answer is probably about 25% of the time.
Verse to memorize:
"I will praise You with a sincere heart when I learn Your righteous judgments."
Preferred Translation:
Devotional Time: HCSB
Study: ESV and NASB
Off to make burgers for the Wagner Women
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