Daily Meditations

Psalm 119:131 Panting for the Word In the previous verse the author was “unfolding”, it must have been an energetic task because now he is panting! It certainly seems that his pursuit of God’s laws has been a demanding endeavour, but the words here suggest that it is not so much physical exercise that is causing him to pant, but thirst! A longing for more, a desire to drink and drink deeply, an all-consuming craving for satisfaction. What a spiritual man he is, that the commands of the Lord God should cause such a passionate yearning. Most of us will find this hard to understand. Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the writer, there are no public libraries, no local bookshops, no internet, no media inputs into his life. Access to documents and readable literature is confined almost wholly to the Scriptures and these were often the only source of information and education to all generations at that time. What is more, the psalmist believes these words to come directly from God and that ...

Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of the Word What a beautiful statement! This unfolding of the words of the Lord creates images of clothes being unpacked or a tablecloth being taken out of a drawer and opened up ready to be laid. In other words, the psalmist is describing a process, the Word doesn’t just happen in our lives, we can learn it as children and read it as adults but its deeper treasures, the revelations of the heart of God, have to be unfolded and this takes time and effort. So, what are the processes involved? Firstly we do, of course, need to read and meditate on the Word. There is very little “unfolding” taking place when we grab a Bible as we’re spooning the last few remains of breakfast into our mouths, 5 minutes before we head off to work! Unfolding takes time. Some may be able to just sit quiet and meditate, for many of us there are innumerable distractions all around so it’s best to make notes and provide an outlet for our thoughts.  The key to the Scriptures is inte...

Psalm 119:129 Wonderful statutes! And so to letter 17 of the Hebrew alphabet, and it is “Pe”, pronounced “pay”. The 16 th  letter is “Ayin” which refers to the eyes and “Pe” refers to the mouth. Pe is used in the context of the spoken word and of verbal expression, speech and breath. So, we may see with our eyes, but it is the mouth that gives expression to those insights. It is the power of speech that distinguishes us from other animals that God created, so “Pe” is related of course to memory. You can imagine the fun and games that Jewish sages and mystics have had with the interpretation of this letter over the centuries! To describe God’s statutes, His covenant rules and regulations, as wonderful is unusual, many people have found them restrictive and burdensome. The word wonderful here is normally used to describe the saving acts of God, such as the miracle of the Red Sea crossing or the provision of manna in the desert. However, for the author of this Psalm, similar wonders c...