Daily Meditations

Psalm 119:97 Searching for hidden depths And so we come to 13th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and it is “Mem.” Traditionally, Mem has several related meanings: “waters,” “people,” “nations,” and “tongues.” The name of the letter is thought to symbolise water itself, and in its most ancient forms it bore a resemblance to waves of water. That thought was taken further so that Mem was seen as representing the sea that is Torah or the ocean of Talmud! Yes, it does get complicated! This thinking is taken further in that there are two forms of Mem, the open form represents God’s revealed word, and the closed form represents the concealed truth of God. Now, we ended verse 96 with the thought that there are hidden depths to God’s Word, there are things as yet unrevealed to us, the Word is so profound that no humans can ever plumb its hidden secrets, However much we study and meditate upon it, there are always new mysteries to unravel and hidden truths that we never saw before. In that sense “...

Psalm 119:96 Beyond perfection What a curious verse! What does the writer mean when he says,  “To all perfection I see a limit, but Your commands are boundless?”  Perhaps this is better translated, “ Everything I see has its limits, but Your commands have none ”, or “ Even perfection has its limits, but your commands have no limits. ”  It’s a deeply philosophical point isn’t it, that when we consider perfection, we have to admit that it can go no further, it can be improved no more. If something is perfect there is nothing more to add, it cannot be bettered. In that sense, perfection has its boundaries and its limitations. The writer is telling us that God’s commands are limitless, they have no boundaries; the word used here is translated “broad” in some translations. His commands go beyond perfection! It feels like we are standing on a beach somewhere, gazing at the vastness of the ocean before us and pondering its beginning and its end, or gazing at the night sky with i...

Psalm 119:95 Whose voice shall we listen to? The writer of this psalm should be admired; all around him are evil antagonists who are constantly cooking up new insults and new ways of bringing him down. Their activity is accompanied by a seething pot of vile inuendo and threats and not an hour goes by without a different scheme being hatched to bring about his downfall. The activity of these adversaries is frightening and intimidating and would make most ordinary folk lock their doors and hide away. Our writer does not do this, instead he calmly opens the Scriptures and meditates on the statutes of the Lord. In them he finds solace and comfort, his relationship with the Lord God brings peace into the seething cauldron of backstabbing and verbal abuse. It is worth stopping and considering at this point, whether the taunts and insults of our enemies are not dissimilar. I’m not talking so much about our human enemies but the spiritual ones! Those evil powers who constantly whisper in our e...

Psalm 119:94 Seek out His precepts Imagine that you have recently been taken on in a new role with a new employer. It’s a responsible, managerial position, you are overseeing others and also ensuring that your employer’s instructions are being carried out. One of the first things you will do is ask to be given access to employment manuals, to Company policies and you will expect to receive training on “how things work.” Some of the information will be familiar but there will also be new things to learn. It would be a foolish, and very short term, employee who didn’t bother to check anything out and just started to do it his or her way!  The author of this psalm understood that the Lord God had taken him into His employment, he was now a servant. To do this God was gracious enough to save him, to rescue him from his previous way of life. He was willing to throw himself completely on the mercy of the Lord and to depend on His ongoing salvation. One way of showing his gratitude and ap...

Psalm 119:93 The precepts of preservation Let’s remember that God’s precepts are those rules and laws by which He oversees our life’s journey and which He has set in place to ensure that we come to no harm. Employers, charities, institutions and other organisations have a modern-day equivalent called Health and Safety, and Safeguarding. Under these codes of conduct, the physical and mental safety of those who are “overseen” is protected so long as the rules are obeyed. Imagine that the Lord God has a similar policy in place, He has written down a number of rules and regulations which should make it safer and easier for His servants to carry out His business. These are His precepts, His “Code of Conduct”, many of these precepts are found in Leviticus and can make “heavy” reading. Cultural and contemporary changes in the way we live render some of these rules obsolete, but then the Man-made policies mentioned above also need to be continuously updated and adapted to everyday life. We pro...

Psalm 119:92 The serious side of the law There are a number of ways that we can treat the law of God. The most obvious, popular among the majority, is to ignore it. Many believe that it has no relevance to modern-day life, it is outdated and best consigned to our less educated ancestors who lived at a different time with different rules and priorities. The fact that God’s law has been the foundation of many cultures and societies for over 4,000 years is of no interest to such people. Then, there are those in our world who view God’s law with an element of respect, but they become very selective about what parts should be obeyed. We might all agree that the rules about sacrifices and priests and the Tabernacle etc. were for a different place and different people in a different time, but the moral and behavioural laws, have these lost their relevance too? The doubters sit on their fences and pick and choose what they think should be obeyed, what laws apply to them and what applies to som...

Psalm 119:91 Laws have consequences The attitude of most of mankind is that God’s Laws are outdated, overbearing and totally irrelevant in our modern world. Take the Ten Commandments, who can honestly say that they think abusing God’s Name is an offence? That human beings should keep the Sabbath day? That adultery is a sin against God and that wishing you owned what your neighbour owns is a grave misdemeanour? Yet, according to the psalmist, these ancient rules still apply and there are therefore, consequences for ignoring them!  Regardless of what clever men say, all of the human race still serves the living God, even those who do not believe in Him! He is the ultimate authority over all the earth and what He says still goes. There is nothing that happens on our planet that is not known to Him and every human life is accountable and will be accountable to Him on a coming day. Even those who defiantly ridicule His very existence – serve Him! We all serve Him, whether we want to or ...

Psalm 119:90 The earth is the Lord's There seems to be an underlying belief, in the minds of the psalm writers, that the continuity and endurance of the earth should not be taken for granted! There were no life-threatening calamities hanging over the planet in those days, but those who believed still saw the continuance of the earth as an act of God. Maybe, because the Flood was still relatively recent and because it was an historic event that was not disputed at that time. Indeed, the prosperity and stability of the earth was believed to a be a consequence of God’s faithfulness and had nothing to do with the activities of mankind. Thus, when evil men prospered and godless civilisations came and went, there were grounds for believing that the whole of mankind was under threat, the fact that the earth endured could only be down to God’s faithfulness. Such attitudes are unheard of today, very few believe that the future of the planet is in God’s hands, few believe that He could send ...

Psalm 119:89 The enduring Word The Hebrew heading at the beginning of the next eight verses is  “Lamedh.”  It speaks of teaching and learning and is an acronym of  “lev mevin data”  which means “a heart that understands wisdom.”  What better way to begin this section than to ponder the eternal and permanent nature of the Word of the Lord. This is the Word that governs and maintains all of creation, without that Word there would be chaos, indeed there was, until God spoke, and light dawned over planet earth. All things are under the control of that Word, all living creatures receive their life from that Word. All inanimate objects have their place because the Word brought them into being and holds them in situ. Mankind was created to obey the Word and to live within the confines of its laws; because of our rebellion the effect of the Word is diminished, and it is hindered in its purpose. Even the heavens operate under the rules and authority of the Word, the more...

Psalm 119:88 God's unfailing love The trials and anguish of the writer are not over yet! His life is still in jeopardy, the future looks precarious, the taunts of his enemies still ring in his ears. Most of us would pray at this point that God’s protection and armour would preserve and keep us, that He would build a fortress around us and guard us with His mighty sword of truth. Our psalmist finds comfort and security elsewhere,  “In Your unfailing love preserve my life.”  It’s a bit of a surprise to find that love is a protective force but then, when we think about it, it isn’t a surprise at all. What drives a parent to guard his children? What motivates a father to protect his wife? What impels a pastor shepherd to lay down his life for his flock? Is it not love? This is the highest motive that we can call upon, and calling upon God is no different,  “Lord, in Your unfailing love preserve my life.” And if He does? Surely our response must be grateful obedience. The stat...

  Psalm 119:87 Almost but not quite If only we knew the circumstances that form the back story to this Psalm! What happened to the psalm-writer to make him feel so vulnerable? Who exactly were these antagonists and persecutors and how did they “almost wipe our friend from the earth”? We’ve already speculated that he must have been a priest or maybe a member of the royal family for his suffering seems to have wide-ranging and public consequences. It seems that there had been a murderous plot on his life and now the author admits that whilst he nearly died, he still clings tenaciously to the precepts of the Lord his God. Precepts are the laws and commands that come from the lips of overseers, in other words, the writer believes that the Lord is watching over him and that he is safeguarded and protected by the words that come from His guardian.  There is a vital lesson here for us, there will be times when, at the very least, our reputations are under threat; for some who believe...

Psalm 119:86 The trustworthy God We tend to use the word “trustworthy” with caution. If someone is trustworthy at work it means that they can usually be trusted to do their job well, they will keep confidences, and they can be relied upon in a crisis. Inevitably, there are times when all of us slip up, make the odd error, forget to do something or get diverted from the task. This is forgivable with a trustworthy person; they are human after all.  God is not! If the Bible says that God is trustworthy then so are His commands. He can always be trusted. He will always hear and keep our confidences. He is utterly dependable in a crisis. He never reneges on a promise, and He never goes back on His Word. This should make life easy for us, we don’t have to question His ways, unfathom His mysteries or try and reason out His ways, all we have to do is trust Him! This unquestioning view of God was commonplace amongst the Jews, it was the starting point of their religion. The questioning of e...

Psalm 119:85 The pits of the arrogant We’ve met the arrogant before.  According to the author of Psalm 10, the arrogant are wicked men or women who hunt down the weak, boast about their passions and cravings, revile the Lord, have no room for God in their thoughts, pursue wealth, reject God’s laws, believe that no one can touch them, speak endless lies and threats, murder the innocent, and abuse, threaten and crush their victims. This verse of Psalm 119 describes them as trap-diggers! We’re all familiar with the ancient practice of catching wild animals when men dig a pit in the floor of a forest, cover it with foliage that resembles the surroundings, and then wait for their prey to stumble upon the trap and fall in!  The pits that are mentioned here were obviously not deep holes in the forest floor, they were more likely to be slanderous accusations, gossiped amongst the people until our victim was ridiculed and ignored by friends, colleagues and the community in general. One...

Psalm 119:84 Persecution! Persecution can take many forms and today it usually means t o treat someone unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time because of their race, religion, or political beliefs, or to annoy someone by refusing to leave them alone. What is the Bible definition of persecution? Both Hebrew and Greek words emphasise the perception of “to pursue or bring trouble.” That includes putting people under undue pressure, oppressing them, harassing them, taunting them and bringing them to punishment even if they are innocent. The most extreme forms of persecution cause serious physical harm, including confinement, kidnapping and beatings. A brief review of the plight of the New Testament believers shows that all these types of persecution were used against them. The psalmist obviously feels that the actions of his adversaries are unmerited and that he has no answer to their activities, it seems that his suffering has gone beyond just accusations. There is a hint of helple...

Psalm 119:83 Wineskins in the smoke Well, this verse has caught us by surprise! What does it mean? As we will be aware, in ancient times, wine was not stored in purpose-made glass bottles but in animal skins. In order to keep the skin pliable and soft it must not be allowed to dry out for it would soon shrivel and crack. It follows that the last thing you would do with your treasured wineskins is to hang them up over a smoky fire, not only would they quickly wither but the smoke would clearly ruin the flavour and texture of the wine!  What does the author mean when he says that he is like such a wineskin?  It denotes the uncomfortable condition he was in or at least thought himself to be in; being caught in the midst of smoke is very uncomfortable, and he considered himself to be in darkness with sin and afflictions, like a wineskin in smoke, black and sooty. He felt like an empty wineskin with nothing in him. Maybe he was worn out with cares and old age and had become pale an...

Psalm 119:82 "When will You comfort me?" In these days of scientific advances, when a visit to an optician or receiving ophthalmic treatment is not such a big deal, it’s hard to imagine a time when spectacles were unheard of and when eye trouble was untreatable. Until relatively recently, if your eyes started to fail, you had to live with it! A number of conditions were associated with deteriorating eyesight; failing physical strength, grief and hope-deferred were deemed to be common causes, as was old age.  It is the idea of hope-deferred that is raised here in this verse, the writer has longed for the Lord to step into his situation and to keep His promise of protection and deliverance but, as yet, nothing has happened. This hope may be on a national level, or it may simply refer to the psalmist’s personal circumstances, the trouble is – nothing is happening, days pass and heaven is silent. The next few verses suggest that the cause of this helplessness continues to be the ...

Psalm 119:81 A reason for hope And so to the 11 th  letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It’s “Kaph” and the letter signifies the palm of a hand and whatever the hand may contain. The word for spoon, in Hebrew, is “Kaf” and is a natural extension of the palm as a container. As you may recall, in Isaiah 49:16 we read that the Lord has engraved Jerusalem upon the palms of His hands so it’s easy to see that the letter “Kaph” illustrates His abiding concern for Zion. Maybe the above is the context for the verse that follows the letter. The psalmist is still facing afflictions and longs to be free; the only source of comfort is the Word of the Lord and there he discovers that He has a place in the palms of God’s hands. Notice that he does not say that it is his body that faints with longing for God’s salvation, rather it is his soul that has become almost unconscious with yearning for deliverance. In other words, deep within his inner self is a longing, a craving to be free and to be able to ...

Psalm 119:80 The path of "no shame" Verses 5-6 of the Psalm reflect the desire of the author that he might not be put to shame and that he would diligently obey the decrees of the Lord. Being “put to shame” speaks of public humiliation and becoming the object of sneers and taunts at the hands of our enemies. The alternative is to be blessed by the Lord and to live in such a way that everyone can see that we are favoured and protected by Him. Some will argue, “But such sentiments tend to smack of earning God’s approval and working for His blessing.” In truth, the Law was exactly that, those who kept the Lord’s commands could expect to be blessed by Him, those who rejected His Word would suffer the consequences. There’s a kind of justice in this that still hangs over all religious people, and yet the Word of God says that our salvation is “ not of works lest anyone should boast !” Ephesians 2:9.  Here's the thing, we cannot earn God’s favour, law-keeping is praiseworthy, bu...

Psalm 119:79 Friend or foe In verse 63 of the Psalm, the author writes,  “I am a friend to all who fear You, to all who follow Your precepts. ” This is in complete contrast to his view of the wicked,  “Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken Your law.”  V53. In this writer’s mind there is a very clear distinction between those who walk in God’s ways and follow His laws, and those who have no time for the commands and decrees of the Lord. In fact, that distinction determines whether he treats them as friend or foe! As we often say, “Actions speak louder than words.” The attitudes and morals of a person clearly reveal their relationship with the Law Maker.  We have seen that the laws of God are far more than just the 10 Commandments, they embrace a way of life that affected every action, word and thought of the Israelites and in many ways formed a formidable burden for the people to carry. It fell to a few righteous men and women to see delight an...

Psalm 119:78 The sins of the arrogant It would be so helpful to know the back story to this Psalm. Who are the arrogant? What are the afflictions that the author suffers from? What are the wrongs that he has been unjustly accused of? Our earlier thoughts about the arrogant begin in verse 21 where we discussed the people who are a law unto themselves, who care nothing for anyone but themselves and who spend their whole lives building their personal wealth and reputations at the expense of others.  There is another category of “the arrogant” and it’s a category that many of us meet almost daily. It’s those people who have invented their own religion or version of Christianity. They have their own personal view of God, their own understanding of the Gospel and their individual views of right and wrong. They hand-pick the bits of the Bible that they believe are true or not and anyone who clings tenaciously to the ancient truths is treated with contempt.  In the past week I have co...

Psalm 119:77 A request for healing This verse reads like a prayer for healing, there’s more than a suggestion that if the Lord’s compassion is not available to the author, he may die! His afflictions are obviously life-threatening and are more than just the tittle-tattle of his enemies. This reflects the attitude of the man, he recognises that his life is in God’s hands, whatever may happen is God’s will and purpose, so recovery from his ailments will be solely down to the compassion of the Lord. We’ve said it before, when sickness or physical disability of any kind hits most of us, our first thought is the Doctors’ Surgery or the Emergency Services. That’s fine, because they are part of the Lord’s provision for us but none of them can compete with the quality and healing power of His compassion! As if to show himself qualified to ask for special treatment, the psalmist reminds the Lord that he delights in His Law. This may well be his way of pointing out that he has kept all the dieta...

Psalm 119:76 The promise of unfailing love I suspect that we all want life to be a gentle, platonic journey where all goes right and trouble and disappointment are rarely encountered. We are prompted by the world to value a comfortable lifestyle, well-behaved kids, loyal friends, a happy marriage, and plenty of perks to look forward to when the way gets a little bit arduous. “Everything in moderation” we say, because that is the mantra that the world entices us to believe. “Don’t go looking for trouble” is another widely accepted refrain, accepted by many. Unfortunately, trouble comes looking for us, and the idyllic journey that is supposed to go hand in hand with a “do the best you can” lifestyle is just a pipe dream.  As believers, we need, and should have, a different perspective. Jesus warned,  “ I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 6:33. In...

Psalm 119:75 Afflictions! The afflictions that the author bears are, presumably, not just in the past, it looks as if he still struggles daily with his problems. Verse 67 says,  “Before I was afflicted, I went astray.”  In verse 71 he writes,  “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees.”  Now, in this verse he attributes the afflictions to God’s faithfulness for it seems that in those afflictions, the Lord has dealt with his servant righteously. It’s almost an admission that whatever has befallen him, the writer believes that it is deserved, he is experiencing the righteous judgements of God and has no grounds for complaint.  We need to remember that the rule of “cause and effect” applies even with God’s laws. In fact, the Scriptures make it quite clear that those who obey God’s laws will be blessed, and those who deliberately and knowingly break them, will be cursed. (Deuteronomy 26-28.) Those rules applied to a nation but there is a...

Psalm 119:74 The fear of God We’ve pondered before, the meaning of “fearing” the Lord. Let’s remember, that if we are believers it has to nothing to do with being frightened, scared, terrified or alarmed by Him! The fear of the Lord is a healthy and reasonable reaction to One who is so much greater, more powerful and more glorious than we are. It is a sense of perspective in the presence of the God who is above all gods and the divine Being who rules over the whole universe. He has no equal and no one or no thing can contend with Him and hope to win, He is above all and over all and we are right to show Him reverence, respect and awe. Having said that, He encourages us to call Him “Father” and has identified Himself with us in human flesh, in the person of Jesus.  The author of this psalm has occasionally been plagued by self-doubt and an awareness of his own fallibility, not so here! He is effectively saying that if he keeps God’s laws and His Word, and if that is demonstrated in ...

Psalm 119:73 Your hands made me Another letter of the Hebrew alphabet beckons! Having explored the meanings of Teth, and of the Lord’s goodness against the backdrop of darkness and evil, we are now ready to explore the significance of the tenth letter, which is Yodh. It’s the smallest letter in the Hebrew language and it simply means “arm” or “hand.” In Hebrew writings it often represents a hand reaching up to heaven in prayer, or a person humbly bowing down in prayer. It is part of every other letter in the Hebrew alphabet and is said to signify God’s omniscience, His knowledge of and involvement in all things. The author takes some of the above on board in this verse. He recognises the complexity and glory of his earthly body and acknowledges God’s creative power in bringing him into this world, now he prays for the understanding needed to obey the Lord’s commands. In other words, he is asking the Lord to complete His creative works by helping him to conform to God’s laws and in that...

Psalm 119:72 What is of most value? In verse 14 of the Psalm, we read that rejoicing in God’s statutes is like rejoicing in great riches. In verse 57 we saw that the Lord is seen as the “portion” of the author, a portion being an inherited share in the land. This thought is repeated in verse 111 where the statutes of the Lord are the writer’s heritage. And in verse 162 the promise of the Lord is likened to the spoils of war, it’s an unexpected reward. We live in a culture that measures most things in financial terms, success is quantified by what people own, by the house they live in, the car they drive, the lifestyle they can afford. It’s very hard to be unaffected by this, the advertising industry ensures that we are all bombarded, almost by the minute, with the lure of things that we want but don’t necessarily need. It’s time to step back and consider for a moment, do wealth and material gain have to be the driving forces, the most important things in my life? It’s easy for us Chris...

Psalm 119:71 Afflictions can be good This is not a sentiment that we would expect to find expressed in the world, “You need to go through it, you need to suffer, you could do with a bit of pain and anguish and then maybe you would be grateful for what you have!” In fact, the world’s way is to try to eliminate pain and suffering completely, or at least to ameliorate their effects. The plan is that we all get rich and prosperous and then we can buy our way out of trouble, and if that doesn’t work then we can use alcohol or drugs to deaden the pain of life’s afflictions. And yet, there are people all around us who are suffering. Everyone suffers, it is a prerequisite to living here on earth. We don’t teach this or speak of it but cover it up and try to show some sympathy to the poor souls who draw the short straw when it comes to life’s trials. Even the children in our culture are anaesthetised against a little bit of short-term pain, there used to be a belief, biblically based, that to s...

Psalm 119:70 The slippery slope In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul gives us a carefully reasoned synopsis of the downfall of the wicked. Firstly, they refuse to see God’s glory in all that He has made, in Paul’s view the existence of God and the character of God is in plain view, all that mankind has to do is look around him! There is no excuse for not seeing the stamp of the Almighty One on His created world. Paul hints that, deep down, everyone knows God, but most people refuse to glorify Him or give thanks to Him, instead they chase after futility and darkness and worship false idols and material things rather than the One who gave them to us. This is claimed to be wisdom but is absolute foolishness. The truth about God is exchanged for a lie and men suffer the consequences by degrading themselves, they are no longer behaving as those who are made in God’s image.  It is this kind of thinking that hardens men’s hearts, that makes them uncaring and unfeeling towards one another and tow...