Psalm 119:72 – Value
I emphasize valuing God’s teachings over material wealth, urging believers to prioritize learning and practicing truth despite potential financial sacrifices. Genuine engagement with faith is essential.
Psalm 119:71 – The Blessing of Hardship
It was good for me to have suffered hardshipso I could learn your statutes. We tend to complain a good deal over hardship. We don’t like it. We ask why God allows it, or perhaps does it. But hardship is worked into the basic structure of the universe. That’s where we get the law of…
Psalm 119:70 – Unfeeling or Insensitive
Their hearts are clogged with fat;I delight in your instruction (Torah). A very literal alternative for the first half of the verse would be “fattened with fat are their hearts.” The REB translates: [T]hey are arrogant and unfeeling,but I find my delight in your instruction. With the heart being more the seat of thought than…
Psalm 119:69 – Smeared
The passage emphasizes the importance of adhering to God’s precepts despite facing falsehoods and highlights the harm caused by gossip within communities, urging direct communication.
Psalm 119:68 – Doing Good
I discuss the goodness of God’s laws and statutes, contrasting human perceptions of rules as burdensome. It encourages viewing the law as a divine blessing promoting greatness.
Psalm 119:67 – Afflicted
Before I was afflicted, I went astray,but now I keep your word. What is your reaction to difficult times? I’m not a terribly optimistic person, and I don’t take to it all that well. I’ve noticed that modern Christians have inconsistent responses to trouble. On the one hand, they’ll say that if God is in…
Psalm 119:66 – Teach Me
I discuss interconnectedness of beauty, order, and knowledge in studying both nature and scripture. It warns against complacency, urging continuous exploration while balancing faith with accurate understanding and skepticism toward misleading narratives.
Psalm 119:65
You have treated your servant well,according to your word, LORD. I pause to note a milestone. This is the first verse in the new section of Psalm 119. We’re in the section in which each verse starts with the ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Teth. That is the first letter of “TOV” which is…
Psalm 119:64
God’s grace precedes His laws, illustrating that divine love and covenant obligations are gifts. True holiness comes from God’s actions, not self-sufficiency.
Psalm 119:63 – Companion
I’m a companion to all who fear you,and to those who keep your precepts. My thoughts today took me onto the subject of companionship and friendship. Who are your friends? Why are you friends with various people? In scripture we have a tension between two views of the relationship between God’s people and those around…