Psalm 119:98

Psalm 119:98

Intelligence gathering

One of the most important and coveted aspects of modern warfare is the intelligence gathering that lies behind the actual, physical confrontations. Armies of men and women are fighting in unseen wars around the world, gathering information, spying on enemies, manipulating facts and figures, trying to out-think their adversaries. One of the outstanding accomplishments of Israel in their recent war with Hamas, Hezbollah and ultimately Iran and the bigger players, has been their ability to infiltrate enemy strongholds. Mossad is the name of their foreign intelligence agency and Shabak, the organisation charged with maintaining internal security. Both are rated very highly around the world.

The psalm-writer is saying that God’s commands are the agency by which he gained the upper hand over his enemies, in studying and meditating upon those laws he found that his “intelligence” was superior to theirs! What a stunning lesson for us, we can certainly do with a leg-up over our human antagonists and we thank God for every bit of information that allows us to anticipate their plans and to thwart their attempts to trap us. But, this verse suggests so much more, as Paul rightly points out in those well-known verses in Ephesians 6, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The truth is, we don’t stand a chance in this war unless our intelligence gathering is first class, and the only way to equip ourselves is to study and assimilate the Intelligence Agency Manual – the Word of God. In so doing, we will discover that we are wiser than our enemies! Hallelujah!

 

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