Psalm 119:13

Psalm 119:13 (NRSVA) With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your mouth.

God doesn't whisper his will into our hearts for it to remain a secret.  Repeat it out loud - to others and to yourself. 

Psalm 119:12

Psalm 119:12 Expanded Bible (EXB)
 Lord, you ·should be praised [are blessed]. Teach me your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].

I looked at a collection of different translations for Psalm 119:12 and noticed the different words translated for the Hebrew word:

 חֻקֶּֽיךָ׃

What struck me was the fact that God does not give recommendations.What he commands is not optional.

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

For this verse's picture, I took the words of Psalm 119 (all 2370 of them) and created a wordle. A wordle displays the words in a body of text sized according to frequency. So what words do you see? The larger text means words that are repeated most often. What does this tell you?

Looking at the words, I see Lord, and then many different words related to how God speaks to us...testimonies, precepts, law, commandments, word, statutes, rules.  What else do you see?

Psalm 119:10

I seek you with all my heart;
    do not let me stray from your commands.

Whole-hearted seeking...not half-hearted. That is what is needed:  an undivided heart!  Unite my heart to fear Thy name!

 

Psalm 119:9

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.

The Word of God has power to hold a heart committed to Him.

Psalm 119:8

I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me!

These words complete the first section of Psalm 119.

...and the picture I chose for this verse...



What picture would you choose?

Psalm 119:7

As I learn your righteous judgments, I will praise you with a pure heart.

Pure.  A great word!

Definition of PURE

a (1): unmixed with any other matter <pure gold> (2): free from dust, dirt, or taint <pure springwater> (3): spotless, stainless

b: free from harshness or roughness and being in tune —used of a musical tone

 

 

God, make my heart harmonious, in tune with you, resonant. Make my heart singular in it's affection, loving you above all!

 

Psalm 119:6

What does Psalm 119:6 look like?
Then I would not be ashamed, if I were focused on all your commands.

If our lives are distracted by everything around us, they will not have focus.

 

 

God's word provides a focus, meaning, and clarity for life.

Psalm 119:5

New Living Translation (©2007)
Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees!

What would this verse look like?

Reflecting Jesus!

1 John 3:2-3 New International Version (NIV)
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Psalm 119:4

Psalm 119:4

Young's Literal Translation (YLT) Thou hast commanded us Thy precepts to keep diligently

What does Psalm 119:4 look like? Here is one thought:

I think of diligence as going the distance, not stopping short of the finish.

What do you think it might look like?

Psalm 119:3

Psalm 119:3

New Living Translation (NLT)
They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.

How would you picture this one?  I remember Keith Green singing,

No empty words,

and no white lies.

No token prayers,

No compromise.

Here was the album cover:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedenego knew the uncompromised walk. 



Psalm 119:2

Psalm 119:2

New Life Version (NLV)

² Happy are those who keep His Law and look for Him with all their heart.

It seems to me that keeping his law means more than just steering clear of breaking the rules.  It is tied to looking for Him...for the One who is behind the law. Seeking Him with all our heart, with commitment, with abandon-that is keeping the law in a way that yeilds happiness.

What picture would you use to carry the message of this verse?

 

Psalm 119:1

NIV: Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.

Young's Literal Translation: O the happiness of those perfect in the way, They are walking in the law of Jehovah.

I have been listening to Psalm 119 when I have been doing my exercising (thank you, YouVersion.com). As I was listening today, I was thinking of trying to dig into individual verses by using visual means. How could I picture the message of a particular verse?

Verse 1 talks about the joy and happiness of those whose way is blameless. I think of one whose commitment to walking as directed by God is uncompromised. It is as if God's law sets out a path, a map, and the blessed are those to take that path without turning off.

I think of a GPS. It plans out a route from where you are to the designated destination. If you follow the directions (assuming that the GPS has correctly mapped out the path), you arrive at the goal successfully.

Having the right destination entered into the GPS is critical. It is also critical that the GPS have signal contact with the satellites. Finally, it is critical that you actually follow the directions given by the GPS.

What might Psalm 119:1 look like? It might look like someone following GPS directions faithfully with a big smile on their face.

What do you think it might look like?

New Wineskins

I act as admin for our church's web site, www.lambofgodlutheran.com.  I recently updated to a newer version of WordPress.  One of the plugins that we had been using did not make the transition nicely.  I have temporarily shut down that portion of our site until an updated plugin, compatible with the newer version of WordPress, gets released.

There is a lesson from this as a parable.

• The importance of counting the cost. 
  I hadn't considered all of the impacts that the update might have. Decisions made in life have consequences.
  
  Satan sold Adam and Eve an "update" that was supposed to make them wise. Instead, it made them fools.
  
  Jesus comes with an offer of an update with the ultimate positive consequence.  He makes all things new.
  
  
  
  2 Cor 5: 17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
  
  And Revelation 21:5 says "He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"

He makes all things new. New wine...new wineskins...new life.

The Melody of Creation

I pulled out a Bible that we had on the shelf - a chronological Bible taking you through the entire Bible in a one-year time frame.  As I was reading the creation accounts, it was lyrical.  It reminded me of two different pieces of literature:

• The Singer: A Classical Retelling of Cosmic Conflict by Calvin Miller
• The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis

In both of these works, creation is sung into existence. There is a melody and a rhythm that God has composed for his creation. A broken relationship with God brings discordant cacophony into our lives.  Spirit of God, sing your melody into the ears of our hearts. Let our lives be a beautiful harmony that points to the Composer.