Psalm 119: Vav

Moving slowly through the smorgasbord of Psalm 119 we come to the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet: Vav (pronounced vahv).

Read Psalm 119:41-48

Vav is also the Hebrew word for "hook". Like a fastener or attachment. Attachments can be emotional or physical:

I'm hooked on _______. (Fill in the blank.)

The psalmist, in the vav section, appears to be hooked on God's love through the promise of His Word.

May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord,
your salvation according to your promise ...

Psalm 119:41 NIV

To have an "attachment to" implies devotion, loyalty, or faithfulness. The picture that pops into my head is a pre-schooler with their favorite blanket or stuffed animal. You know, the one that looks completely wretched: ratty, stained, and threadbare. As long as that child possesses their particular attachment, he or she is emboldened to stand in the face of any threat.

...I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

Psalm 119:42 NIV

But if unhooked from their treasure the toddler falls to pieces, shattered by the loss, panic sets in.

Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth,
for I have put my hope in your laws.

Psalm 119:43 NIV

I know the point at which I became attached to God and His Word. He hooked me when I recognized that my Mom trusted Him as she lay in ICU about two weeks before she died. With her words: I trust. I trust. God snatched my heart, it was no longer my own.

Now the holey blanket or one-eyed teddy bear is a worldly sort of attachment that provides a false sense of security and deceives those toddlers. It has no real power. But God's Word has power. It is true and trustworthy.

I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

I will speak of your statutes before kings
and will not be put to shame ...

Psalm 119:45, 46 

God's Word provides freedom and boldness. It provides true protection as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death...

Are you attached to God's love through the promise of His Word?

A child's security blanket looks so awful because it's a source of strength. The bear one-eyed because it has been squeezed so tight -- loved so much. How does your Bible look? Is it pristine and clean? Or is it worn, dog-eared, and a little ratty looking?

We don't forget to take along the things which have us hooked -- we can't forget -- they are essential to our life.

What has you hooked?