James 2: thoughts... part 6

Read James 2

Foolish man! 

Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?

James 2:20

HCSB

A lesson to learn... faith without works... useless...

In a world where everything seems hard... we want... EASY...
Faith... believing... sounds like simple assent... agreement... all we need to do is accept with our mind... agree mentally... intellectually... and... voila... we have faith... which saves...

But James... he tells us...

The demons also believe --- and they shudder.

Demons... those diametrically opposed to God... they believe He exists... so much so they shudder with fear... but they are not among the faith-full... the ones who will receive the gift... heirs of the kingdom...

Faith... the kind James speaks of... the kind his Brother taught... was... is ... faith that WORKS... revealing itself in action... the same seen among the fathers of faith... the heroes found in Hebrews 11... the faith chapter...

Abel... offered...
Enoch... walked so closely... he did not die...
Noah... built...
Abraham... obeyed... going... he knew not where...
Sarah... conceived...
Moses... led...

Each of these... and more... expressed faith with action... verbs...

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, 

but having seen them and greeted them from afar, 

and having acknowledged that they were strangers 

and exiles on earth.

Hebrew 11:13

ESV

Faith... is lived... to the end... believing... step by step... walking... looking beyond this world... one where we too are strangers... exiles... just like Jesus... who said...

My kingdom is not of this world...

Faith... it works... not for the here and now... but the yet to come... for... the joy set before...

Do not simply... believe... do not be deceived... work out your faith... with fear... and trembling...

Father God... do not let me be deceived... or deceive myself... keeping faith... belief... locked up in my mind... show me... grow me... to live... work... by faith... each and every moment... of every day...

be careful... ask and you receive...

A question asked... an answer revealed... repentance required...

In response to James...

You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives,

so that you may spend it on your evil desires.

James 4:3

HCSB

I asked... 

Can there be a wrong motive for everything... what about salvation for a loved one...? 

Well... apparently I can... a desire for a Christ-centered spouse... skewed... not asking purely for God's glory... or for his good... but for my filling... 

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church 

and gave himself up for her...

Ephesians 5:25

ESV

Placing expectations... desires... on an unbelieving spouse... who is unable... unequipped... to love in such a way... looking for filling in the wrong place... leads to discord... and discontent...

But even with a Believing spouse... they are not the one to depend on to fill a heart full... there is only One who can do that...

Depending on any other... to fill... besides The One... is idolatry... me a spiritual adulteress... empty... grumpy... disgruntled...

A heart that has worked out security issues... years ago... turning from depending on a finite spouse for protection and safety... now must face newly discovered areas of misplaced expectations...

The struggles of the last weeks... have made me return to my Savior... now asking... allowing.... Him to be Husband...

For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name;

and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,

the God of the whole earth he is called.

Isaiah 54:5

ESV

Be careful what you ask... be prepared to receive... revelations can be painful... but my hope is in the healing... the preparing of my heart for my spouse to become His...

Psalm 119: Tav

Here we are... at the end of the long buffet that is Psalm 119! Twenty-two letters... twenty-two stanzas... the final letter... Tav (pronounced "tov")...

Read Psalm 119:169-176

Tav is for "mark"...

Literally... the meaning... of the 22nd letter's Hebrew name... tav... means "mark"...

The word "mark" conjures up many images... a distinguishing feature or sign... good or evil... fortuitous or ominous...
a target... don't miss the mark...
a grade... he made a bad mark on the test...
an impression... that'll leave a mark...
but... also... a signature... perhaps an "x"... marked by someone illiterate...

As we come to the final eight verses... of the longest psalm in Scripture... our psalmist friend signs-off... leaves his mark...with a prayer... asking God to let His Word leave a mark on his life...

Let my cry come before you, O Lord;

give me understanding according to your word!

Psalm 119:169

ESV

Mark me with understanding...

My lips will pour forth praise,

for you teach me your statutes.

My tongue will sing of your word,

for all your commandments are right.

Psalm 119:171-172

ESV

Mark my speech with praise... for You teach me... You are right...

Let your hand be ready to help me,

for I have chosen your precepts.

Psalm 119:173

ESV

Mark my life with Your help... for I choose Your way...

Our Hebrew friend... delights in God's Word... in it he finds the path of salvation... deliverance...

May our journey through God's Word... leave a mark on us...

May we desire... the impression of His Word on our lives...

Knowing His Word... is the only way we know we are lost... the only way... we recognize the Shepherd when He comes to seek us...

I have gone astray like a lost sheep;

seek your servant,

for I do not forget your commandments.

Psalm 119:175

We may never write an ode to exalt the Word... but I hope we will take it to heart... long to be marked by the Word... for His glory!

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession

-- to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14

(my emphasis)

Psalm 119: Shin

Two letters left... 16 verses remain... in the ode to God's Word... Shin (pronounced "sheen")... the twenty-first letter of the Aleph-Bet...

Read Psalm 119:161-168

Shin is for "peace"... shalom...

Great peace have they who love your law,

and nothing can make them stumble.

Psalm 119:165

Peace... shalom...

The general meaning behind the root... is of completion and fulfillment -- of entering into a state of wholeness and unity, a restored relationship.

--Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

Shalom... everything at peace... health... wealth... relationship... satisfied... content...

Great peace have those who love Your law...

Jesus the fulfillment of the Law...

...nothing can make them stumble...

Jesus... the Word... Prince of Peace... loving Him... brings peace... shalom... to the soul... the spirit... even when chaos... seemingly... reigns...

In the midst of persecution... when falsehood rules... love for God's Word... praise for His law... restores peace...

His promise... the joy of treasure... peace...

The waiting... possible... through obedience... and its peace...

I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly.

Psalm 119:167

To love the Word... to embrace the beauty of God's law... to praise His righteousness... is to know peace... shalom...

Stop stumbling... find great peace... love the law... the Word made flesh...

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

Psalm 119: Resh

Only three letters to go... approaching the end of Psalm 119... the twentieth serving... Resh (pronounced "raysh")...

Read Psalm 119:153-160

Resh is for "look"... "see"...

Look upon my suffering and deliver me,

for I have not forgotten your law.

Psalm 119:153

The cry of the psalmist...

Look at me God... Do You see me...?

Don't forget me... I have not forgotten You...

The cry of the faithful... following God's Way... in a broken world... the world that promises trouble for those who follow... the world that provides the cross to carry... all the way to death...

Even this side of the cross... death defeated... Satan disarmed... Jesus sitting in the place of Supremacy... the righteous suffer... the road rocky... refinement... painful... in the midst of Good News...

In putting everything under [the Son], God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.

Hebrews 2:8

(emphasis mine)

A unique time in history... a time to live by faith... sure of what we cannot see...

We cannot see the world subject to the Savior... we cannot see His absolute authority over evil... we cannot see how all works for good...

So we cry with our Hebrew friend... Look at me... deliver me... defend me...

I look on the faithless with loathing,

for they do not obey your word.

See how I love your precepts;

preserve my life, O Lord, according to your love.
Psalm 119:158-159

(emphasis mine)

In pain... we look with loathing on the lost... we cry out... reminding God of His promise... of His Good News...

But His Word says... live by faith... not by what we see... look at His Word... with eyes of faith... look at the lost... with compassion...

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

2Peter 3:9

By faith... choose to see the Lord at work... by faith... choose to identify with Him in suffering... by faith... choose to continue to follow... a Savior whose reign we cannot see...

From our psalmist friend... we learn... experience... God's patience... He can take our ranting... our complaining... we can come to Him with our heartache and pain... He calls us to...

In the coming to Him... we take our eyes off self... and place them on Him... look...

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith... Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrew 12:2-3

(my emphasis)

Psalm 119: Qof

Moving along with Psalm 119... we come to the nineteenth piece... the nineteenth of twenty-two... drawing to the end... we come to Qof (rhymes with "loaf"... pronounced: koaf)...

Read Psalm 119:145-152

Qof stands for "call"...

I call with all my heart; answer me, O Lord...

...with all my heart... the call of the psalmist... every part of his being... calls to God... cries out...

We know from following his song... he has tested the Word... he knows the Promise... it's true... but here we see our Hebrew friend... desperately calling on God... answer me...

Our friend sounds lost... in a state of consternation... at his wit's end...

It seems... obedience... should bring prosperity... that's what the world teaches...

But God's Way... the righteous Way... is met with hostility in a broken rebellious world... obedience... draws persecution... injustice...

For me... persecution brings confusion... having believed God's Word... tested for myself... found it true... I too... cry out...

...answer me...

To believe I've grown... only to be accused of what I thought I crucified... brings consternation... dismay... doubt...

Have I deceived myself...? 

...OR...

Has a transformation occured...?

To the lost... am I an aggravation... a new sort of stumbling block... like the Cornerstone...?

"A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offense."

They stumble because they disobey the word...

1Peter 2:8

ESV

I don't know... today... I call... cry out... to God for Truth...

Hear my voice in accordance with Your love...

Psalm 119:149

Psalm 119: Tsade

So... here we are... the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet... Tsade (tsah-dee)... the eighteenth stanza of Psalm 119...

Read Psalm 119: 137-144

Tsade is for "righteous"...

Righteous are you, O Lord, and your laws are right.

The statutes you have laid down are righteous;

they are fully right.

Psalm 119:137-138

God and His Word are never wrong...

He is always right... His Word... always... right...

Test it... the psalmist assures us they have been proved...

Your promises have been thoroughly tested...

found trustworthy...

...and Your servant loves them.

But in a broken world... a world bent on rebellion... it's hard to find righteousness... it's hard to find those who appreciate righteousness... there are plenty who want to be right... but to be told what is righteous... leaves us wrong...

My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore Your words...

Our Hebrew friend... worn out... consumed by his passion to see God's righteous Word upheld... what he loves... the world dismisses... disregards... rejects...

It's hard to be righteous... to stand for right... when everyone else ignores...

You are left feeling weird... an outsider... or... maybe... despised... ridiculed...

Trouble and distress have come upon me...

Loving what's right... in a wrong world... exhausts... however... I was reminded by a friend this week... that I am not where I belong... neither are you...

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"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world."

---Jesus

John 16:33



Psalm 119: Pey

Moving through the Aleph-bet one letter at a time... through Psalm 119 one stanza at a time... we come to the seventeenth letter: Pey (pronounced like "pay").

Read Psalm 119:129-136

Pey is for "mouth."

Mouth open and panting,
I wanted your commands more than anything.
Psalm 119:131
Msg

The Dictionary of Biblical Languages describes "mouth" as the entrance orifice of the body for ingestion, breathing and communication...

The mouth... the point of entry for essential aspects of life: food... oxygen... language...

God's Word so desired... the psalmist's mouth is open... panting... longing to be filled with words... life-giving words...
nourishing the soul...
breathing life to the spirit...
communicating guidance...

Cry out to the God who says...

I am the Lord your God,

who brought you up out of Egypt.

Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Psalm 81:10

(emphasis mine)

God is the One who fills... He calls us to open our mouths and receive:

Miracle words... words to live by... obey...

Direction that steadies our steps... guides the placing of each foot along the journey of life... avoiding the snare of sin...

Teaching... straight from the mouth of God... who smiles... shines His face on those who long to serve Him...

The breaking open.... unfolding... of God's Word enlightens those who long for understanding... the Hebrew can mean an entrance... a doorway... Jesus is that opening... the gate... providing insight into God and His kingdom, making the way for even the simplest to understand...

Jesus the mouth of God... the Word... the point of entry for the essential aspects of life...

Ask God to fill you with His Word...

open wide your mouth...

receive...

Psalm 119: Ayin

Another serving of Psalm 119... the sixteenth... Ayin...

Read Psalm 119:121-128

Ayin (pronounced ah-yeen) is for "servant"...

I am your servant;

give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.

Psalm 119:125

A good servant longs for understanding of the Master's Word that he might serve well...

A good servant worships the Master...

The Hebrew root translated both ways... serve... worship...

The Master's Word... precious to the servant who worships... can't stand to see the Word abused...

It's time to act, O Lord; Your law is being broken!

Servants... worshippers... enraged by the breaking of the Master's Law... heart-broken...

Where are you when it comes to the Lord's Word?

Do you desire discernment and understanding?

Is His Word more precious than gold?

When it's broken... are you indifferent... or... infuriated?

Do you consider His way right and every other wrong?

Lord... Master... fill me with passion for Your Word. Bless me with a servant's heart that worships You...

Psalm 119: Samekh

Somehow I've let more than a month slip by without offering up a portion of Psalm 119, the current entree... Christmas must have gotten in the way... the cook too busy talking...

Today we're back to Psalm 119 -- the fifteenth serving -- the fifteenth letter: Samekh (pronounced sah-mekh... huh... that's helpful...).

Read Psalm 119:113-120

Samekh is for "hiding place"...

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.

Psalm 119:114

ESV

We hide to seek refuge... to find a safe place to sustain us during uncertain or dangerous times... we hide to find security... stability... when the world wobbles on its axis...

God is found in His Word... His Son the Word made flesh...

the Bible... tangible... a place to run to when everything else is unsure... untrustworthy... 

I hate the double-minded...

Lord, You are my hiding place... 

Away evildoers, don't distract me from God's way...

Sustain me, Lord, according to Your promise...

Uphold me...

The world is full of the double-minded... all unsure... untrustworthy... deceitful...

But in God's Word... in Him... we find unchanging Truth... a reality that anchors and upholds... that keeps us from being destroyed... protection in the storm...

When your world quakes... everything spinning... nothing to hang onto... run to Him... take refuge in His Word... hide yourself there and let Him speak stillness into your life... trust His Word... a sure foundation for our times...

As for God, his way is perfect;

the word of the Lord is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 18:30

Psalm 119: Nun

Slowly, slowly through Psalm 119. We come to the fourteenth letter in the twenty-two letter aleph-bet: Nun. Pronounced like "noon" -- let's see what light it has to shine on us today.

Read Psalm 119:105-112

Nun is for lamp.
Or sometimes more specifically wick -- the part of an oil lamp that, when lit, gives light.

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

In a dark world, light is an important commodity.

God's Word is the perfect source of light.

I think of those in Scripture who followed God's word -- a specific call -- into the darkness...

Noah spent years building an ark, no water in sight, for an unimaginable flood...

Abraham left everything he knew to go where he knew not...

Moses, forty years a shepherd, returned to Egypt to face a pharaoh and set God's people free...

Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, all prophets following God in a dark world sharing messages no one wanted to hear...

Mary the mother of Jesus: "Let it be to me as you have said" -- a call to a virgin birth that to all the world looked like an illegitimate pregnancy...

The disciples following Jesus, not knowing it would end at the cross...

Paul who learned what it meant to suffer for Jesus...

Each knew the power of God's Word to pierce the darkness... darkness that tried to snuff out the light. Each could surely relate to the word's of our Hebrew friend:

My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end.

Consider the difficulties of walking the call of God, being light in a dark world that doesn't recognize the Light...

I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Lord...



It's tough... those who live in the dark find the light offensive... it hurts their eyes...

...I constantly take my life in my hands...

God's Word lights the path that sees us through the darkness. Either way, with or without God's Word, in this world you will have trouble. As Believers, our response to God's call and His Word should be the same as His Son who brought Light to the whole world:

"Your will not mine..."

Even when it seems hard to walk in His Word, press on, it is the only Way to the light of life. Follow the footsteps of those who have gone before... look to the Light... let it light your path... it is worth the effort.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Hebrews 12:1

Psalm 119: Mem

We continue to make our way through the long buffet table of Psalm 119 with the letter Mem. It holds the thirteenth place in the Hebrew alphabet and is the beginning letter of each line in the thirteenth stanza.

Read Psalm 119:97-104

Mem is for from... more or less.

Again, with difficulties in translation,  again with a small preposition, I offer this serving on Jeremiah's Menu. In Hebrew, this small word is attached directly to another word in order to enhance it's meaning in one of multiple ways. Again, I attempt to choose one word. Again, I chose the word that best fits the meaning blended into the translations. Again, I'm giving true linguists a twitch...

From a function word that indicates: a starting point (I came here from the city), a separation (the umbrella provided protection from the sun), or the source (this definition came from Merriam-Webster's).

Our psalmist-friend credits his study and practice of God's Word for his distinction from a variety of people:

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,

for they are ever with me.

I have more insight than my teachers,

for I meditate on your statutes.

I have more understanding than my elders,

for I obey your precepts.

God's Word distinguishes us from the pack if we will study it and practice it.

Embracing Scripture and living it keeps us on the straight and narrow.

I have kept my feet from every evil path

so that I might obey your word.

Our teaching comes from God, therefore we know it's trustworthy.

I have not departed from your laws,

for you yourself have taught me.

Joy, pleasure, understanding and discretion are all benefits we gain from eating the Word and making it flesh in our lives...

Oh, how I love your law!

I meditate on it all day long.

...

How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I gain understanding from your precepts;

therefore I hate every wrong path.

Psalm 119:97, 103-104

What do you gain from God's Word?

Psalm 119: Lamed

Lamed, the twelfth letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet, has been a challenge to cook up. Translation making things interesting as I mulled over these eight verses that take us into the second half of Psalm 119.

Read Psalm 119:89-96

Lamed is for "to".

A small Hebrew all-purpose preposition begins almost every line of this stanza. Bible scholars translate it primarily by blending it into the sentence... it's not literally seen but the meaning is implied.

"To" is the word that best seems to convey the heart of the psalmist -- a function word indicating the position of one thing to another.

The position of God's Word to time...

Your word, O Lord, is eternal....

God's position to people...

Your faithfulness continues through all generations...

And for our Hebrew friend, his position to God's Word is the most important, placed at the heart of this eight line stanza...

If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts,

for by them you have preserved my life.

Psalm 119:92, 93

The psalmist was drawn to God's Word... it was his delight... his salvation. His position to scripture was in it. He examined it so closely, he saw no limit to its perfection...

Even perfection has its limits, but your commands have no limit.

Psalm 119:96 (NLT)

Our position to God's Word is one of the most important things we need to consider as followers of Jesus. He is the Word made flesh. The Bible is the only tangible thing God has given us to know Him. It is the one thing we can see, touch, smell, and taste...

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8

In the Word we "taste and see" the Lord -- a taste test that is guaranteed to be good -- a generous gift from a generous God. A gift that should not be neglected. An essential part of our daily spiritual diet.

Have you tasted and seen?

Do you hunger for it? Or can you easily skip it, just like breakfast or lunch on a busy day?

Take time to consider your spiritual health... your relationship to God... your heart toward scripture...  

What is your position when it comes to God's Word?

Psalm 119: Kaf

Another helping of Psalm 119.The last verse of this stanza marks the halfway point of this particular feast. The eleventh Hebrew letter out of twenty-two is Kaf. Pronounced like the English word "cough".

Read Psalm 119:81-88

Kaf is for yearn.

Yearn. Long for. Yet, much more than that. Get in your mind a picture of the adolescent, longing for what she thinks she can't have, crying: I gotta have it or I'll die! Then you'll be close to the full meaning of the Hebrew.

A longing that wears us out.

My soul faints with longing for your salvation...

A hunger. A thirst. Without our desire, we die.

...but I have put my hope in your word.

God's Word promises deliverance from a broken world.
A brokenness that drives us to Scripture for hope.

My eyes fail, looking for your promise;

I say, "When will you comfort me?"

The more time we spend in God's Word the more we see the darkness and depravity -- not only around us but in us! Our longing for His righteousness and salvation is stirred deeper into our hearts.

We cling to His Word... dark corners are exposed... we long for His return... we run to Scripture for hope... A cycle that draws us nearer and nearer to our heavenly Father.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6 (Emphasis added.)

The Day is coming when all things will be set right.

Our God is faithful. He cannot lie. He is true to His promises and has the power to back them up.

So do not lose your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Hebrews 10: 35, 36

Time spent in God's Word assures that you will be filled. The more you are in it, the more you desire it, the closer you come to God, the more you will be ready for the Day.

Eat it up. Get hungry for more. Be blessed. Be filled.

Psalm 119: Yod

Moving on through the ode to God's Word we come to the tenth portion of Psalm 119: Yod (rhymes with "mode").

Read Psalm 119: 73-80

Yod is for "hand".

Your hands made me and formed me...

Hands. They create and destroy. They caress and claw.
They can portray victory and defeat; need and plenty.

They symbolize the source of blessing or cursing...from his hand...
They symbolize control ...it's in your hands...
or the lack thereof... it's out of my hands...

They reveal innocence... he has clean hands...
and guilt... he has blood on his hands...

Hands. It all depends on whose they are.

Your hands made me and formed me;

give me understanding to learn your commands.

Psalm 119:73

The hands of God: Creator, Judge, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Almighty. The Holy One whose compassions never fail, whose faithfulness is great, whose love is unfailing.

Lord, I want to understand Your precepts. I came from Your hands. You alone know what's best for me. You alone know my purpose. Whatever comes from Your hands is trustworthy, it is counted as good. Affliction and comfort. Your law is my delight because it comes from Your hands.

Hands. The hands of God are trustworthy and good. Therefore, I sing with the psalmist...

Into your hands I commit my spirit;

redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.

Psalm 31:5

Whose hands will you trust?

Psalm 119: Tet

Coming to our ninth serving of Psalm 119 we reach Tet. Pronounced with a "t" sound, as in taste, but rhymes with "mate" -- tate.

Read Psalm 119:65-72

Tet is for "good." Good being the direct moral opposite of evil.

Do good to your servant according to your word, O Lord.

God's word promises good (not evil) to His servants. All that enters their lives is good.

Yet in this passage we also hear the word "afflicted."

It was good for me to be afflicted...

Can affliction -- severe distress, persistent suffering, anguish, torment -- be good? It's good to be happy and admired, healthy and secure. But afflicted?

Our Hebrew friend found good in the pain that doubled him over before God. He saw the error of his way, and humbly returned: now I obey Your Word. And he sings:

You are good, and what you do is good...

The goodness of God remains powerful in a world that we have surrendered to evil in the wake of our rebellion. God's power turns the painful consequences of sin, the perverse actions of man, and the brokenness of the world into tools for good in His hands. God uses that which is the direct opposite of His intentions for His purpose.

You are good, and what you do is good...

Yes. I too join in this chorus of praise with the man who found affliction good. I've experienced pain that has brought me on may face before God...there is no better place to be.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 (emphasis added)

Psalm 119:Chet

Eight letters into the Hebrew aleph-bet brings us to Chet.

Pronunciation is a little difficult for this one... chet is a guttural letter. The sound of the "ch" is a light scraping sound from the back of the throat, as in "Bach" and it rhymes with "mate". Give it a try... maybe one more time... Oh well...

Read Psalm 119:57-64

Chet is for "portion" -- an individual's part or share in something, i.e., inheritance or gift.

When the Israelites entered the Promised Land each family received a designated "portion" of ground. It belonged to them. Their inheritance was their home and their livelihood -- a precious symbol of their freedom. All the families received acreage except the Levites, who were appointed as the priests. They received God as their portion (see Deuteronomy 10:9 and Numbers 18:20). Perhaps the psalmist was a Levite or at least had the heart of one...

You are my portion, O Lord....

The Levites were the only ones who could enter the temple -- the place where God's presence resided. This family of priests had a special relationship with God: they served Him by caring for the temple, and they served the people by interceding before God on their behalf. Land was not their inheritance, God was.

In Christ, we too are chosen to be part of a royal priesthood.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1Peter 2:9

Just like the Levites, the inheritance we gain is not temporal -- there is no plot of land or anything physical which we can claim as our own. Upon receiving Christ Jesus as Lord, we enter the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not a place -- it's not heaven -- there is nothing physical. God is spirit, therefore He has no physical kingdom, even though everything seen and unseen belongs to Him, His realm is spiritual.

Our inheritance in the Kingdom is a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Through His Son, we gain access to Him and, for now, we relate to Him through the Holy Spirit. We live by different rules... the rules of God's Kingdom.

You are my portion, O Lord;

I have promised to obey your words.

Psalm 119:57

We long for an intimate relationship with God -- He is our portion!

I have sought your face with all my heart;

be gracious to me according to your promise.

Psalm 119:58

We desire to be on good terms with our King. We are quick to obey, in the midst of attack we cling to His promises, all hours of the night we thank Him, His friends are our friends.

We no longer need to cling to anything in this world. It has nothing for us. God as our great inheritance through Christ is the truth behind the parables of the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price. There is no greater treasure in this world than God as our portion.

The earth is filled with your love, O Lord; teach me your decrees.

Psalm 119:64

His love fills the earth... Can you see it? As we eat God's Word and grow in our understanding of and relationship with God, we begin to encounter His Word made flesh. In those moments He lifts the veil between this world and His Kingdom -- we come face-to-face with His love on a whole new level.

Embrace your inheritance: You are my portion, O Lord.

Psalm 119: Zayin

The seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet is Zayin (pronounced ZAH-yeen). According to the Hebrew tradition: "All sevens are blessed." (Check out Zayin at: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/.) Seven is considered the number of completion, wholeness, blessing, and rest.

I wonder what blessing we might find...

Read Psalm 119:49-56

Zayin is for "remember."

Why do we remember? Because we are afraid we're going to forget.

A string tied around the finger, a hot pink sticky note, or a note written directly on the hand are ways we try to remember things we don't want to forget. Birthdays, homework, groceries, phone numbers, laundry at the cleaners, loved ones at the airport, kids at school. Timers remind us that dinner is in the oven. Alarm clocks remind us to wake up. Calendars remind us what day it is. Dayplanners remind us where we need to be during the day.

We need to remember things because they are important.

Important people or important activities.

The pslamist tells God to remember...

Remember your word to your servant,

for you have given me hope.

Psalm 119:49

We have seen the importance of God's Word to our Hebrew friend -- it is his source of security (see Vav). It is his hope. The NKJV translates"you have given me hope" as "You have caused me to hope" (emphasis mine). Sometimes it seems easier to dive into a pit of despair than to endure suffering, but God's Word caused him to hope -- gave him a reason to persevere rather than curl up in a hole and die! He wants to make sure that God does NOT forget the promises He made.

My comfort in my suffering is this:

Your promise preserves my life.

Psalm 119:50

In the middle of this hostile territory, where the brokenness of the world causes suffering on many different levels, God's promise gives life: reviving our hearts and our hopes! 

Remember God...don't forget...I'm counting on You to come through! You promised!

***

The writer then tells God that he remembers... the wicked neglect God's law and it makes him sick, but he finds comfort in God's Word on his pilgrimage to the promised land... he remembers...

Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.

Psalm 119:54

In typical psalmist fashion, he set God's laws to music -- they are his theme song.

In the night I remember your name, O Lord...

Psalm 119:55

To remember the "name" of God does not mean to merely recall the word "G-o-d". To remember the name of God is to meditate on His character. When we think about the name of an object or a person we don't think of the letters and sounds that make up the name, what comes to mind is everything that name represents.

For example, someone may ask: What do you think of spinach?

A quick response is often: I hate spinach!

It's not that the person has thought about the letters of the word "spinach". They have clearly considered what spinach is: slimy, green, yucky tasting stuff!

So to remember God's name at night on your bed, is to contemplate who He is -- His character. He is good, faithful, true to His Word, unable to lie, almighty, loving, gracious, compassionate, ever-present... Because the psalmist remembers God's name he chooses to keep His law.

It's totally worth it. Any ridicule, any humiliation, any mocking due to obedience to our Savior is worth it.

This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.

Psalm 119:56

Remember God's name...
Obey His Word...
He remembers His servants...

See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.

Isaiah 49:16

What a blessing.

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?

Psalm 119: Hey

Aleph, Bet, Gimmel, Dalet, Hey (pronounced like "hay")...

The psalmist continues his ode to the Word of God with the fifth letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet: Hey.

Read Psalm 119:33-40

Hey is for "Behold" or "see", "look here".

This Hebrew word is used for emphasis to call attention to something, i.e. a detail or an idea (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew). I've noticed that many translations don't always include this word. The NIV often leaves it out, but the ESV, which is a more literal translation, includes it in the text.

In this case, the psalmist is calling for God's attention to himself:

Behold, I long for your precepts;

in your righteousness give me life!

Psalm 119:40 (ESV)

Today, it might be translated: Hey, look at me! Over here!

The writer wants God to see his desire to know and understand His way or law. The entire stanza builds up to this call for attention: teach me, give me, lead me, incline my heart, turn my eyes... The psalmist longs for God's attention in his life that he might know His ways better and have the life God promises.

Is this an effective strategy? Well, yes.

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

2Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)

God wants to strenghten those who yearn to know His ways.

Show God that you desire His word through prayer:

Ask God to teach you. He will.

Ask God to give you understanding. He will.

Ask God to change the inclinations of your heart. He will.

Ask God to turn your eyes from worthless things. He will.

Show God that you desire His word through obedience:

Read the Bible.

Act on what you know, be faithful with the little understanding you do have.

Recognize and reject the natural bent of your heart when it is in conflict with what you know of God's Word.

Close your eyes to worthless things by being discerning in what you watch on TV, the movies you go see, and the books or magazines you read.

Show God through your prayer life and obedience that you long for His Word and His Way. Give God something to behold in your life and see what kind of attention you get.

After all, Jesus said:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:7