Jim Peters

Dead but Diligently Seeking

Posted on 02. Jun, 2010 by Jim Peters in Hearing God - Jim's Daily D

Psalm 119:1-8

This Psalm is an acrostic poem, each section starting with a consecutive letter from the Hebrew Alphabet

 Aleph – א‍[1]

¹ (Those who have) integrity in the way (they live),

And who walk (according to) the Lord’s law, are protected, praised and favoured[2].

² (Those who) keep his divine laws[3], and (those who) try to find him with everything inside them,

Will be protected, praised and favoured[4].

³ They also don’t do wicked (things),

(But) they walk in (The Lord’s) ways.

⁴ You have commanded your regulations

(So that) we would keep them all[5].

⁵ If only my ways could be stable;

(If only) I could keep your laws.

⁶ Then I wouldn’t be ashamed

When I consider your commands.

⁷ I will thank you from the integrity inside me

When I learn your just laws.

⁸ I will keep your laws;

Don’t ever leave me![6]

 

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[1] אֶשֶׁר , אַשְׁרֵי is the first word and means “blessed.”  This first letter is at the right hand of the word because Hebrew runs from right to left as opposed to English which runs from left to right. [2] “barak” = “blessed” [3] “testimonies” [4] “barak” = “blessed” [5] “keep exceedingly/a great  egree/force/might/very” [6] “leave/forsake as  far as exceedingly/much/very”

Application

Protection praise and favour come through living God’s way. 

Although this psalm talks about living according to God’s law, I am dead to the law.  If I fail to keep the law at any one point then I am guilty of breaking the whole law and live in shame.  Instead, I live under grace and I am free from the law.  I no longer have to live under the same struggles because I failed at some point and now live under condemnation, as the person who wrote this psalm.  In Christ, I am washed clean and I truly know the integrity inside me because all my sins are washed away.

On the other hand, I do have to seek God with my whole heart.  His desire is that I live in relationship with him and that I walk in his ways.  I am able to do this because the love of God inside me is changing me from the inside out. I want to obey his laws because I love him and not because I have to.  He has written them on my heart of flesh rather then on tablets of stone.  Jesus gives me stability.  He makes me perfect in God’s sight and I can thank God for his laws and regulations that protect me and enable me to serve him in his way.

I need to know God’s grace and mercy in my life, accept his forgiveness and to praise him out of a heart filled with thanks.  Keeping his law is just one way in which I worship him, recognising how much he has done for me.

Prayer

Father, thank you for your law that showed me how much I needed a Saviour.  And thank you for your gift of Jesus so that I could be set free from the law.  Please help me to serve you out of a heart filled with thanks for all you’ve done for me.  Please change me from the inside out so that what I do is out of love for you instead of out of other selfish motives.  Fill me Holy Spirit today and show me what I can to do please you Father.

IJN Amen

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