Thoughts for the Day

With my whole heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your commandments.
I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I may not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes.
With my lips I declare
all the ordinances of your mouth.
I delight in the way of your decrees
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts,
and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

When we look at the Gospels we can get some wrong ideas about the subject of the Law of Moses. Jesus' attack on the Pharisees, arguing that their strict letter of the Law lacked compassion, may have left us seeing the Law as a negative influence. But for centuries God's Law as found in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures (the "Torah") has been what held the people together. Its 600-plus commandments and regulations (from Books two to five) are based on the foundation of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20.2-17) that God gave to Moses. The greatest commandment said Jesus was based on Deuteronomy 6.5: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" and the second greatest, from Leviticus 19.18 was to "Love your neighbour as yourself". These are the laws that sustained the people for centuries.

Psalm 119 is the jewel in the Book of Psalms, with its use of 8 synonyms for the word "scripture": Law, Testimonies, Precepts, Statutes, Commandments, Ordinances, Word, and Promise. It is written as an acrostic psalm - allowing different verses to start with successive verses based on the Hebrew alphabet - which would have helped people to learn the 176 stanzas.

Today we look at verses 10-16, and what strikes me most is the writer's attitude to studying the scriptures. He seeks God "with his whole heart" - as one seeks a beloved. He follows this by saying "I treasure your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you." When we love someone we do treasure what they say and wish to follow them. Similarly the psalmist twice uses the word "delight" - he delights in God's "decrees" and "statutes". The opening of this psalm should surely set an example for our attitude to God's word as revealed in our Bible.

Lord God,
may we delight in Your word
as found in our scriptures,
and learn to love Your message
given to us each day.
Teach us to discern Your laws
as precepts for each day
that we acknowledge and obey
because of our love for Your Son.
Amen.