The Main Thing
Opening Prayer
Lord, together with the psalmist, how I love Your Word.
Read Psalm 119:153–176
153 Look on my suffering and deliver me,
for I have not forgotten your law.
154 Defend my cause and redeem me;
preserve my life according to your promise.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek out your decrees.
156 Your compassion, Lord, is great;
preserve my life according to your laws.
157 Many are the foes who persecute me,
but I have not turned from your statutes.
158 I look on the faithless with loathing,
for they do not obey your word.
159 See how I love your precepts;
preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love.
160 All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal.
ש Sin and Shin
161 Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.
162 I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and detest falsehood
but I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.
165 Great peace have those who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.
166 I wait for your salvation, Lord,
and I follow your commands.
167 I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.
168 I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.
ת Taw
169 May my cry come before you, Lord;
give me understanding according to your word.
170 May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise.
171 May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees.
172 May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous.
173 May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, Lord,
and your law gives me delight.
175 Let me live that I may praise you,
and may your laws sustain me.
176 I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant,
for I have not forgotten your commands.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psa. 1:6, ESV).
Think Further
Welcome to the final verses of the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the whole of the Bible! Here are words of deep sincerity. They ooze yearning, trust and dependence on God, as God speaks through his Word. God’s Word is variously described (ESV) as law (153), statutes (155), rules (156), testimonies (157), commands (158) and precepts (159). In light of the new covenant we could add other words, such as gospel, letter, witness, story, parable, sermon and symbol. All these express the diversity that is contained in Holy Scripture and confirm the testimony that “God spoke to our ancestors… at many times and in various ways” (Heb. 1:1). Most importantly he has spoken by his Son, the very Word of God (Heb. 1:2; John 1:1).
Unbelievers commonly read the Bible with what is called a “hermeneutic of suspicion.” This posture toward the Bible assumes that its writers have
vested interests or positions of power to protect, even if unknown to themselves. What they write must therefore be approached with “suspicion,” as though we cannot believe what they say at face value. The psalmist here will have none of it. He loves what he reads and for this reason obeys what is there (163,167). He finds God’s words to be both true and eternal (160). God’s law brings him not oppression but delight (174). He is liberated and sustained by what he reads (170,175). Righteousness and salvation are found there (164,174). Great peace is given to those who love what they read (165). This is not a hermeneutic of suspicion but a hermeneutic of trust as we approach the Word of God in meekness to receive its truth. What is important about the Bible is not which theory we hold about it but whether we esteem it as the living Word of the living God.
Apply
Have you “strayed like a lost sheep” (176) and forgotten to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” (Book of Common Prayer) the Holy Scriptures?
Closing prayer
Lord, grant that Your Word has its desired effect on me as I grow in the knowledge of God day by day.
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