Threads from Henry's Web

Tag: Psalm 119

  • Psalm 119:156 – Great Mercy

    Psalm 119:156 – Great Mercy

    Your mercy is great, LORD!
    Grant me life according to your judgments.

    “Mercy is great” could be translated “mercies are many.” I think it comes down to much the same thing.

    Notice the parallel here between God’s mercy and God’s judgments. The Hebrew word order places the words “mercies” and “judgments” at the start of their respective lines.

    How do these two elements interact?

    That is much of what this whole Psalm is about. The Psalmist is clearly thankful for God’s law. He’s not just thankful that it’s out there somewhere, telling him what God is like, or that it’s putting a standard before us that we can’t meet. He’s thankful for it in action, in our day to day lives, and in our relationship to God.

    Now I believe that God’s law presents to us a standard that we cannot meet. But God’s law also presents to us a God who can and will take us to that standard. The goal is not simply the accomplishment of some list of duties, or the avoidance of some list of sins. Rather, the goal is to be the person, “a little lower than God” (Psalm 8:6).

    God, being merciful, saves us from ourselves, and grants us life according to his judgments, namely something beyond what we can imagine. Sin is destructive. Mercy is not an emotional condoning of sin, but rather, a rescue from it, and a path to a better way.

    All of this comes up as an act of God.

    Now let me wander from the text. In Psalm 119 we have both the individual working and God working and giving. I want to again depart from my usual pattern and quote from John Wesley on this:

    XLVIII. If, then, you say, ” We ascribe to God alone , the whole glory of our salvation, ” I answer, So do we too. If you add, ” Nay, but we affirm, that God alone does the whole work, without man’s working at all; ” in one sense, we allow this also. We allow it is the work of God alone, to justify, to sanctify, and to glorify, which three comprehend the whole of salvation. Yet we cannot allow, that man can only resist, and not in any wise work together with God: or, that God is so the whole worker of our salvation, as to exclude man’s working at all. This I dare not say; for I cannot prove it by Scripture: nay , it is flatly contrary thereto: for the Scripture is express, that (having received power from God) we are to “work out our own salvation:” and that (after the work of God is begun in our souls) we are “workers together with him.”

    The Works of John Wesley, vol. 14, p. 347, “Predestination Calmly Considered”

    To go back a bit and cover one point here, we might ask if we are coworkers with God do we not get some of the glory. Wesley commented on this a bit before this quote:

    If so, your assertion is, “If man do at all work together with God, in working out his own salvation, then God does not do the whole work, without man’s working together with him.” Most true; most sure: but cannot you see how God nevertheless may have all the glory? Why the very power to “work together with him,” was from God. Therefore, to him is all the glory.

    Ibid, 346-347

    Mercy is often, if not always shown by bringing the rebel into line with God’s will, God’s judgment. And thus, in many ways, mercy can be judgment and judgment mercy.

    In what ways will you experience God’s mercy today?

  • Psalm 119:155 – Far from Rescue

    Psalm 119:155 – Far from Rescue

    Far are the wicked from rescue,
    for they do not seek your statutes.

    I have translated a key word in the passage “rescue” though it can be translated “salvation.” I’m reading the verse as speaking about rescuing someone from trouble or a bad situation.

    This passage reminded me almost immediately of working in computer security. Some of my clients may think I’m talking about them, but what I’m about to say comes from dozens of experiences.

    I find myself on the phone with someone who is actually in contact with a scammer. Sometimes this is via text to me, and sometimes it’s using a different phone. I’m telling the person to hang up on the scammer and don’t follow any more of their instructions.

    “But they sound so professional and knowledgeable …”

    “But they told me my computer is compromised …”

    “But they say that if I hang up my data will be destroyed …”

    “But they say they’re providing me with a secure connection …”

    “But they knew the name of my bank …”

    There are all sorts of reasons to consider talking to the scammer. All of these reasons are overcome by one simple rule: Don’t ever give any information to, or take any instructions from anyone you can’t identify with certainty. Another version says, for example, don’t give any information over the phone unless you called your bank using their established number, not one you got on your answering machine.

    Statutes. Rules. Things that will help keep you safe.

    In these conversations I will be saying, “Hang up. Shut down your computer. I’ll come look at it.”

    Statues.

    Then there’s the situation where someone has paid me for coverage of their computer needs for a period of time. There’s no added expense to picking up the phone and asking me about something. “Is this email safe?”

    And sometimes someone doesn’t check, doesn’t call. The only expense is a few moments of time, yet they open the door to a scammer.

    They don’t even seek the statutes. They seek the convenience.

    And they get inconvenience, or worse.

    Life is very much like that. Sometimes we are too busy going in whatever direction feels right to us at the moment. We don’t have time to give consideration to whether that direction is right, or whether we’ll actually accomplish our goals.

    There’s another thing I tell people about computer security: I can’t save you from yourself. That applies to these conversations with scammers, but it also applies to ordinary computer usage. If the person insists on installing questionable software, or visiting unsafe websites even after getting a warning from security software, or ignores signs that something may have gone wrong, rescue is far off.

    I recall two different customers who got attacked by ransomware. In one case, the early signs were ignored. I caught it because I was working on another issue. The computer user had been too busy and simply kept working. They were only able to because their main management system used file types that the ransomware didn’t encrypt. It took 12 hours to clean up. Fortunately, I had seen to it they had current backups kept isolated from any such attack.

    Another customer was attacked by ransomware and on the first sign of an issue, they shut down the computers and called me. Within an hour (counting my travel time) they were using their computers again, and within two hours I was able to clear everything for use.

    They followed the statutes.

    How often are we praying to God for rescue while we’re diligently avoiding the rescue? God’s grace is sufficient, but sometimes the path isn’t much fun!

    How can you cooperate with your rescuer today?

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI, and it did an exceptional job this time, I think!)

  • Psalm 119:154 – Complaint!

    Psalm 119:154 – Complaint!

    Take up my case and redeem me,
    Give me life according to your word.

    I’ve discussed praying for God to do things our way a number of times. I doubt that will stop anyone, myself included, from praying for it.

    And that’s really a good thing. We need to come to God with our problems as we understand them. I believe that prayer changes me, not God. Often taking up my cause and bringing me redemption means getting me to change course.

    My favorite story of presenting a complaint to God comes from 1 Kings 17-19. Elijah starts out with a series of victories, culminating with a display of strength as he runs ahead of Ahab’s chariot, leading it through a storm to Jezreel.

    One might think a man of faith who had just won a contest with 450 prophets of Baal and then displayed incredible human endurance might have felt on top of it all and ready for anything. But no! When he hears Jezebel is aiming to have him killed, he runs. And runs.

    He winds up on Mt. Horeb, where there are multiple signs of power, but the text tells us God was in none of these. Then he hears “the sound of sheer silence” (NRSV), and comes out to meet God.

    And what does God do? He gives Elijah a list of things to do, and then remind Elijah that he is not actually the only follower of the true God in Israel.

    And off Elijah goes.

    What changed?

    We might look back at the way God sent an angel to help Elijah out and provide for his needs on his way to Mt. Horeb. Elijah hasn’t yet verbally called. That action waits for the climax. But God is already answering the prayer. God is already caring for the prophet.

    Why do I like this story? Because, very much as in the book of Job, God doesn’t answer all the questions. God just lets Job know that he is not alone. Similarly, God lets Elijah know that he is not alone.

    And then Elijah goes on. The complaint is never addressed as such. But the person making the complaint knows he’s on the right path and he can still move forward. The solution is not in winning on the matter of the complaint, but in realizing God has been there all the time.

    My complaint may actually be God’s plan.

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)

  • Psalm 119:153 – Rescue Me

    Psalm 119:153 – Rescue Me

    Consider my affliction and rescue me,
    for I do not forget your instruction.

    There are many ways one could read this prayer, but one is surely as a proposed bargain with God, or perhaps a request for the reward that one feels should come with service. “Look, Lord, I’ve been doing all this stuff you’ve commanded me to do, and things aren’t going so well. Fix it!”

    That’s not precisely what the Psalmist was trying to evoke. More likely he’s speaking from his belief that God’s instructions are right. They instruct us to do right things. Justice therefore suggests that as a result of doing right, good things should happen.

    In fact, the books of Samuel & Kings generally speak this way. You do right, good things happen. You do evil, bad things happen. To a certain extent, this is quite true. The Bible writers, however, recognized that sometimes that’s not precisely what happens. The book of Job speaks of this. Job is presented as righteous, yet he is very much afflicted. Job could have made this verse his prayer.

    As I thought about this verse I was led back to thinking about what is a “good” prayer. There are lots of prayers presented in scripture, many in the Psalms. Those prayers take various positions with relation to prayer. Today’s verse will sometimes make a sensitive Christian uncomfortable. How is it that one can present good works as a reason for God’s blessing? Does God owe you something? (That would be another subject.)

    I was reminded of when I taught a class on the Old Testament using the book Who’s Afraid of the Old Testament God?, by my undergraduate professor and advisor, Dr. Alden Thompson. His final chapter is titled “What kind of prayers would you publish if you were God?” It’s an excellent question.

    We were discussing Psalm 137:8-9. Here we find the Jews in Babylon, remembering their homeland and mourning their exile. They conclude with “Blessed is the one who returns to you (Babylon) the treatment you gave to us. Blessed is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against a rock.”

    I ask the class to discuss what they thought about that, and directed them to think of how they would feel if an enemy occupied their city and ad killed their children. People were generally saying that it’s wrong to seek revenge, and thus they would not want the same thing to happen to the enemy’s children as had happened to theirs.

    After a bit an elderly lady in the class, a very gentle person, spoke up. “I think we’re all lying,” she said. “I think if we’re honest, we’d want to do to their children what they did to ours.” She went on to hope she wouldn’t carry this out, but she thought the desire would be there.

    And this leads to what Alden Thompson says about these prayers: They’re honest. They’re real. That’s important because the Psalms give us permission to speak honestly to God.

    It’s easy to try to conform our words to what we believe God wants us to think. We put on the holy face and pretend that we are calm, virtuous, and always embody the Golden Rule. We want to present the image that we’re very close to Matthew 5:48 – perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.

    In our minds, this means that God really should make things work for us. We’re good people. We have the righteous, joyful mask and everything! So we would pray this prayer with a certain amount of aggrieved self-righteousness. “Lord, how can you possibly treat your best-behaved child in this way? Get me out of here!” If we prayed this verse, it would be with a haughty look, and a proud heart.

    Now if you’ve read the rest of the Psalm, I think it’s hard to accuse the Psalmist of that in this case. Yet I think there’s a reason for this verse. If that’s what you’re thinking, go right ahead and explain it to God. God already knows. God will not be shocked by your attitude.

    On the other hand, God isn’t necessarily going to follow up by snatching you out of whatever trouble you’re in.

    What can you tell God honestly today, and admit to yourself at the same time?

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)

  • Psalm 119:152 – Eternally Varied

    Psalm 119:152 – Eternally Varied

    I’ve known this for a long time about your testimonies:
    You established them from ancient times.

    This is one of the cases in which my use of standard translations for each of the “law words” in this Psalm looks just a little off, but I’m sticking with it. Of course, it is quite possible to read this as including the record of God’s creation in which case we do learn from creation itself about how firmly founded God’s law is right from the beginning.

    I tend to blur the boundary that theologians prefer between special and general revelation. I think that potentially everything reveals God, provided that we are looking. The revelation provided in scripture or in prophetic words and experiences differs in approach and purpose, but not in quality.

    This applies to study of natural sciences for example. I would say that good scientific study provides potentially accurate information about that natural world, and is more likely to do so accurately than scripture.

    Hey! What? Are you speaking against the value of scripture? No. I’m saying that scripture does not have teaching us science as its purpose. We have the natural world and the minds God graciously provided us to study the natural world. The way to learn about these things is to “read” them in the way that is provided.

    This is another way that we can learn from “testimony” about how God has founded his rules. We see the record of the universe through devices such as the James Webb Telescope. We see the history of this world in the rocks. In studying these things we can learn not only about the things themselves, but about the God who created them.

    And note that I’m not here debating special creation and evolution. No matter what the process, God is the creator, and we can see the stability of what God has decreed for the entire universe.

    So in “reading” the universe I can learn that God has established his rules firmly “from ancient times.” God is not a God of chaos but of stability. It is in observing these things, however, that I also see God as a God of freedom and not of micromanaged control. Here others might disagree with my reading, both scientifically and theologically.

    Nonetheless, in the dance of stars and galaxies, where some even collide or pass through one another with a great deal of destructive force, I see a game with firm, stable rules, but played by elements with considerable options in how those rules are applied.

    And I bring this up because it is precisely this kind of disagreement about interpreting nature in terms of God’s presence in it and relationship to it as a reason why we need to get the real answer from written scripture. We need to get that all settled much more clearly.

    Except that we don’t. Get it settled clearly, that is.

    We get so many different interpretations of the Bible that it’s really hard to even catalog all the things that may claim the title “what the Bible teaches.” It doesn’t do any real good to explain to people that the problem is that they are all wrong, whereas I, of course, am right.

    I would suggest that if God wanted a unanimity in understanding either creation or the written word, God would have done things quite differently. “Differently” might have involved either different people, a different universe, or a different written word, or more likely all three. I suspect God didn’t do it the way we have it by mistake, so I take it God wants us to have to wade through the variety and do our best to interpret.

    I’m still going to argue for what I believe scripture teaches. I think that’s a good idea. I hope you do too, even if, or especially if you disagree with me. I think that disagreement, done right, can create growth. And all of that goes back to the God who created this all precisely as God desired it, not as I desire it.

    In disagreeing today with others, as you doubtless will, consider the God who made all those diverse wonders of nature, people, and viewpoints possible.

    Rejoice! Revel in the diversity God has created.

  • Psalm 119:151 – Near

    Psalm 119:151 – Near

    You are near, LORD,
    and your commands are true.

    One of the interesting paradoxes of Christian theology is the God who is at once very near and also distant. Personal and accessible, yet so far above as to be incomprehensible.

    Paul talks refers to this in calling us to “know the lover of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). We have many such paradoxes in Christianity, including what I consider the most critical one, the incarnation. Jesus is 100% human and 100% God, and yet is one person.

    In Deuteronomy 30:11-14, the law is described as being near. It’s not in heaven, inaccessible, or beneath the sea, also inaccessible. It’s there. It’s available. It’s not too difficult or beyond our reach. And yet the story of scripture is, in many was, the story of people failing to keep the law, even in the most basic sense.

    Yet again the Psalmist speaks of God having knowledge that is too wonderful for him, beyond his grasp (Psalm 139:6).

    What I see here is God’s presence in our lives, working out divine purposes in and through us. It’s accessible, to the extent we can comprehend it, but one of the things we should comprehend is that we don’t comprehend fully. We comprehend enough for our lives. We comprehend enough to know there is much beyond our comprehension.

    It’s not a bad idea to realize the limitations of our knowledge. In fact, it’s a very good idea.

    Think today of things that you don’t understand. Then imagine a future in which you comprehend more, bit by bit.

    What little bit will you add to your store of knowledge today?

  • Psalm 119:150 – Conspiracy!

    Psalm 119:150 – Conspiracy!

    My enemies have formed a conspiracy against me,
    they are far from your instruction!

    Who is it that tends to get angry at what you are doing?

    That may seem like a question with negative assumptions, but you can learn quite a lot about someone by looking at the nature of their enemies. You can learn a great deal about yourself by looking for the folks who don’t like you.

    The problem with this approach is that it is often difficult to know just what it is about your actions that is making enemies. I have been aware of cases in which I made an enemy, not because of what I really intended to accomplish, but because of the abrasive way I went about accomplishing that. It would be easy for me to assume that the person(s) who became annoyed hated the good things I was trying to do, and thus became my enemies. In fact, it’s frequently the case that the way I’m going about trying to do good is stirring up opposition.

    Psalm 119 doesn’t identify David as the author, but David is often viewed as “the Psalmist.” David himself could be an abrasive character and make suboptimal decisions in how he went about things. Read the story of Absalom’s rebellion and you’ll see any number of cases in which David managed to rub people the wrong way, but wasn’t really aiming at something good.

    I’ve seen pastors come into a church with some very good ideas, and then see a wall of opposition built up against them because they are stepping on beloved traditions of that church, often without good preparation for necessary changes. “Machine-gunning the sacred cows,” is how one pastor of my acquaintance referred to this practice.

    Our verse presents a very clear distinction. We have bad guys who are coming after the writer. These bad guys are far from God’s law. Good guys and bad guys. Clear boundary lines. If you’re a good guy you know who to support.

    In reality, we rarely run into such a situation. We are rarely proposing perfect plans and our opponents are rarely opposing them because they are terrible people who know nothing of God’s law. Rather, things get tangled up in the gray area.

    And this makes our verse all that much more important. We should examine our activities to see if we are, in fact, working in accordance with God’s laws. We should also look carefully at our enemies, as horrible as they may appear to us, and ask if they are really the kind of reprobates we imagine them to be.

    If we can recognize the good and the bad in ourselves and others, we can often find much better ways to work together and accomplish God’s work.

    How can you make your approach less abrasive today?

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)

  • Psalm 119:149 – Mercy and Life

    Psalm 119:149 – Mercy and Life

    Hear my voice according to your lovingkindness (hesed).
    Oh LORD, give me life according to your judgments.

    This is a very interesting verse. I think it is also challenging.

    We see two aspects of God’s grace and mercy working together here. First, the psalmist asks for mercy from God, and so should we. Listen to us as one who is merciful.

    But what is the result of this mercy? We often think mercy as the part where the authority cancels punishment or removes other negative effects of something one has done. But here mercy leads to the next part, giving life, and this life is according to God’s judgments. Those judgments call on us to be merciful. (See Hosea 6:6 in the Hebrew scriptures.) Jesus used this very concept in the beatitudes, with Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

    But this goes back to the call of Abraham in Genesis 12, where Abraham is told that God will bless him and others will be blessed through him.

    It’s easy to get this in reverse. We like to feel that we earn things. But the starting point is receiving God’s mercy, and one of the results is that we will learn to become merciful ourselves. We can think of this as a special action by God, but I would suggest that it is built into the fabric of the universe God created. We find this as the law of sowing and reaping. If we sow mercy, we reap mercy. That is, we help create an atmosphere in which mercy rules.

    Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged,” should likely be read in a similar sense. Don’t sow judgment and condemnation. Sow grace and forgiveness. Do this because you have received grace, and do it because grace is a good thing, and you can spread it to others. One of the best ways for someone to learn of God’s grace is to see God’s grace working in one of God’s professed (and hopefully real) followers.

    When we cry out to God, as this section of the Psalm has been describing, God doesn’t merely waive a penalty for things we have done. Yes, God does that. But God does much more. God begins to work, according to God’s judgment, on giving us life.

    And in all this we become partners with God in creating this life and this atmosphere of mercy and caring. We’re not God’s partners because we came with something new to contribute. Rather, we can give because we received.

    I want to add something the Psalm is not addressing. Mercy and caring are not economic goods. That means they are not scarce. You can care about additional people without running out. Caring about one person doesn’t mean you have to despise another. All people, not just the ones you or I happen to like, can receive God’s mercy and God’s care. And all people should receive our care.

    Who can you have mercy on today as God has had mercy on you?

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI. First try, too!)

  • Psalm 119:148 – Meditating

    Psalm 119:148 – Meditating

    My eyes stay open during the night
    to meditate on your word.

    It’s nice on the 148th day of a series of meditations to have a verse (really another verse) about meditating.

    I will mention again what I said yesterday regarding the time and circumstances. Look for the time and place you can meditate. Don’t expect that you have to duplicate what is working for someone else. If you are getting a good night’s sleep, don’t imagine that your spirituality is substandard, and hope for sleep loss in order to be more holy.

    There are some things that are important about meditating on God’s word. We often start and unfortunately also often stop with exegesis, with getting a historical understanding of the data. Knowing what various prophets or kings did in the far past is important, but it is most important as a foundation for understanding your present relationship with God and your present calling. That involves more than historical data.

    For me the time reading the Bible is important to most other aspects of my life. It is a time when I can receive new light, when I pray, when I find strength for my next task, when I can feel God’s presence.

    The history is important. We should always be anchored in what the text actually says and what it meant when first spoken. But as believers today, we need to understand the application to the moment. That often goes well beyond that historical study.

    Here are some of those things I find are important:

    1. There is no shortcut. It takes time. This is not just time to read reference works, but time to let the text sink in.
    2. It takes both extensive and intensive reading. Don’t look down on the fast reader or on the one involved with nit-picky details. Both extremes have value. Try to incorporate different ways of approaching the text.
    3. It is part of worship. Meditating on God’s word brings you closer to God.
    4. It should be corporate, i.e., the study of the Bible should not be just about your individual time and your individual view. Test your results against what others learn.
    5. It should be individual. While working with others is important, learning to hear from God yourself is also critical. Be tested by the crowd. Don’t be led by the crowd.
    6. The Bible itself is more important than commentary. Put some emphasis on reading the Bible.
    7. There is value in those who have studied before. Let them help expand your vision and understanding, but don’t let their views replace learning from the text yourself.
    8. Have time for action. When you read about helping those less fortunate or about testifying to your faith in Jesus, you need to also pause to take action.

    I love this Psalm. I’m enjoying every verse. But this set of meditations is just one approach.

    What will you learn from scripture today?

  • Psalm 119:147 – Before Dawn

    Psalm 119:147 – Before Dawn

    I got up before dawn and cried out.
    I put my hope in your words.

    I’ve said in some of these posts that there were many ways I could go, but, of course, I choose one. With today’s text, though there are doubtless a number of ways I could go, I really kept thinking of one thing: What’s with the early morning thing?

    Many people talk about their morning devotions, and emphasize prayer before you get up, and the importance of meeting God as you begin your day. This is supposed to make your day better. One of the side effects of this emphasis on morning devotions is that many who are not morning people simply decide devotions are not for them.

    Let me start with the procedure that I have used in producing these meditations. It starts in the evening, generally shortly after I go to bed. I read and begin thinking about the text I’ll write on the next evening. Then I look back at it through the day, especially if, as has happened multiple times, I actually forget which verse I’m meditating on while I’m working. In the evening I write my post on the text and schedule it to be published the next day at 7 am, at which point I will be meditating on the next one.

    Any number of times, this procedure has failed me. I’ve been so tired some evenings that I went to sleep without looking at the text first. A couple of times, I’ve forgotten until after work, and started meditating around dinner time. Once I completely failed in following my procedure, and sat down to write about the text and read it at the same time. Oddly enough, I still found a meditation, even though it was “speed meditation”!

    While I like a morning prayer time, that time is infrequently the most important time of prayer for me in the day. For me there will be various times during work. Lunch time is one of the better times for reading scripture. Prayer is more likely to come multiple times during the work day at my desk. I’m pretty sure a strong majority of my prayer time over the last 30 years has occurred at my desk at work.

    I believe the psalmist when he said he got up before dawn and cried out. I believe that was a good thing for him. But everyone approaches their day differently. The pattern we impose on our meditations can be itself a work, and a dead tradition.

    I would suggest spending some time in prayer and meditation at any time that strikes you as valuable. Then watch what happens. I have found that if I don’t take breaks during the day and do something to keep my spirit in shape, the day will go badly. I have found it doesn’t matter if I pray right at the moment I get up. Now sometimes I do, because I feel called to pray about something specific.

    No matter when you call out to God, you can apply the second half of this verse and hope in the divine words, whether on the pages of scripture or spoken to you in your heart.

    What time will you spend with God today?

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)