"Word" in Psalm 119

Using the Bible Gateway, I did a search for all the occurrences of "word" and "words" in Psalm 119. I used the World English Bible for the search:

Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
16 I will delight myself in your statutes.
    I will not forget your word.
17 Do good to your servant.
    I will live and I will obey your word.
25 My soul is laid low in the dust.
    Revive me according to your word!
28 My soul is weary with sorrow: strengthen me according to your word.
41 Let your loving kindness also come to me, Yahweh,
    your salvation, according to your word.
42 So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me,
    for I trust in your word.
43 Don’t snatch the word of truth out of my mouth,
    for I put my hope in your ordinances.
49 Remember your word to your servant, because you gave me hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction,
    for your word has revived me.
57  Yahweh is my portion. I promised to obey your words.
58  I sought your favor with my whole heart.
    Be merciful to me according to your word.
65  You have treated your servant well, according to your word, Yahweh.
67  Before I was afflicted, I went astray;
    but now I observe your word.
74 Those who fear you will see me and be glad,
    because I have put my hope in your word.
76 Please let your loving kindness be for my comfort,
    according to your word to your servant.
81 My soul faints for your salvation.
    I hope in your word.
82  My eyes fail for your word.
    I say, “When will you comfort me?”
89  Yahweh, your word is settled in heaven forever.
101  I have kept my feet from every evil way,
     that I might observe your word.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet,
    and a light for my path.
107  I am afflicted very much.
     Revive me, Yahweh, according to your word.
114  You are my hiding place and my shield.
     I hope in your word.
116  Uphold me according to your word, that I may live.
     Let me not be ashamed of my hope.
123 My eyes fail looking for your salvation,
    for your righteous word.
130 The entrance of your words gives light.
    It gives understanding to the simple.
133 Establish my footsteps in your word.
    Don’t let any iniquity have dominion over me.
139 My zeal wears me out,
    because my enemies ignore your words.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help.
    I put my hope in your words.
148 My eyes stay open through the night watches,
    that I might meditate on your word.
158 I look at the faithless with loathing,
    because they don’t observe your word.
160 All of your words are truth.
    Every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever.
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause,
    but my heart stands in awe of your words.
162  I rejoice at your word, as one who finds great plunder.
170 Let my supplication come before you.
    Deliver me according to your word.
172 Let my tongue sing of your word,
    for all your commandments are righteousness. 

John 1 calls Jesus the Word. Some of the verses above may also be doing that, such as verse 81. Most of the others, like verse 172, seem to be referring to the Jewish Law.

Thanks for reading. Let me know if I have missed any occurrences of "word," or "words" in Psalm 119.

Meditation in Scripture

I am ashamed to admit that, until this year, I have not thought seriously about the Spiritual Disciplines. (Also called spiritual exercises or spiritual practices.) As I understand these, they are things that believers ought to do regularly, so as to follow Christ, and to be more like him. I began reading a couple of books (see here and here) on the subject a few months ago. Our pastor just finished a short series based on Spiritual Disciplines. The Bible does not have a list of Spiritual Disciplines, and different authors suggest somewhat different lists.

1 Timothy 4:7b ("Exercise yourself toward godliness.") and Philippians 2:12b ("Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.") are two places where the Spiritual Disciplines are alluded to. Reading the Gospels shows us that Jesus practiced at least some of them, especially prayer, submission, service and solitude. Reading Acts shows us that the early church practiced at least prayer, fasting, and service.

Most or all lists of Spiritual Disciplines include Meditation. There is a type of meditation that, although it may have some benefits, is not Christian. Scriptural meditation, however, is not the same thing. It is not “new age.” New age meditation is about you. Scriptural meditation is about God. Meditation, as defined in Webster’s dictionary of 1913, is “To contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon; to study.” Here are most of the references to meditation in the Bible, using the World English Bible, which is public domain, except as indicated:

Genesis 24:63a Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the evening.

Joshua 1:8a This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, … 2 but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night.

63:5b My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you on my bed, and think about you in the night watches.

77:11 I will remember [the Lord’s] deeds; … I will remember your wonders of old. 12 I will also meditate on all your work, and consider your doings.

119:15 (Also Psalm 119:78) I will meditate on your precepts, and consider your ways,

23 Though princes … slander me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. 

119:27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts! Then I will meditate on your wondrous works.

119:48 I reach out my hands for your commandments, which I love. I will meditate on your statutes.

119:97 How I love your law! It is my meditation all day.

119:99b your testimonies are my meditation.

119:148 My eyes stay open through the night watches, that I might meditate on your word.

143:5 I remember the days of old. I meditate on all your doings. I contemplate the work of your hands.

145:5 Of the glorious majesty of your honor, of your wondrous works, I will meditate.

1 Timothy 4:15a Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; (KJV. Here is chapter 4 of 1 Timothy, which indicates what Paul meant by "these things.")

Most of the occurrences of meditation in the Bible refer to the Law, or to various synonyms for it in Psalm 119. Presumably, the authors were referring to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, because, in many cases, the rest of the Bible hadn't been written.

There are three places, indicated in green above, where the meditation was to be on what God has done.

We don't know what Isaac was meditating about. The first five books of the Bible weren't written, or weren't mostly written in his time.

One of the occurrences above is marked in red. That one seems to say that, if we run into opposition for our faith, the best strategy is to remember God's power, rather than worry about responding.

I should meditate daily. On what? It's a good idea to meditate -- "contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon; to study" -- on the Bible. One aspect of the Bible that I should meditate on is to meditate on the life, mission, and character of Jesus Christ. (Passages that should help in that are John 15, Philippians 2, Colossians 1, Hebrews 2, and many others.) 1 Timothy 4 seems to indicate that we should meditate on end times*. It's a good idea to remind myself of what God has done for me, and those I care for, daily. It's a good idea to meditate on the wonders, both spectacular and "ordinary," of God's creation.

Thanks for reading. Meditate on Christ, and the Bible. May I do so, too!

*It's probably not wise to let our meditation on end times dwell too much on whether or not there will be a rapture, and, if there is, when it will be, or about the existence and timing of the tribulation. See here. Rather, we should comfort ourselves by remembering that Christ is returning, at some point, that we will have eternal fellowship with Him, that things that are out of sorts will be put right, and that Christ will be recognized as Lord of all. We should probably also meditate on people who are not ready for Christ's return, and what we might do so that they will become so.

Prayer requires our whole selves

In one word, the entire man without reservation must love God. So it takes the same entire man to do the praying which God requires of men. All the powers of man must be engaged in it. God cannot tolerate a divided heart in the love He requires of men, neither can He bear with a divided man in praying.

In the one hundred and nineteenth Psalm the Psalmist teaches this very truth in these
words:
“Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”

It takes whole-hearted men to keep God’s commandments and it demands the same sort of men to seek God. These are they who are counted “blessed.” Upon these wholehearted ones God’s approval rests.

Bringing the case closer home to himself the Psalmist makes this declaration as to his practice: “With my whole heart have I sought thee; O let me not wander from thy commandments.”

And further on, giving us his prayer for a wise and understanding heart, he tells us his
purposes concerning the keeping of God’s law:
“Give me understanding and I shall keep thy law; Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”

Just as it requires a whole heart given to God to gladly and fully obey God’s commandments,
so it takes a whole heart to do effectual praying.

This post is one of a series, taken from The Essentials of Prayer, by E. M. Bounds. Found through the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, here. Public Domain. The previous post in the series is here.

Prayers in the Bible: Psalm 119, again

In my previous post in this series, I looked (a little) at Psalm 119 as a prayer. Here are the last three verses of that Psalm. They are mostly a petition to God, hence a prayer.

Psalm 119:174 I have longed for your salvation, Yahweh.
    Your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, that I may praise you.
    Let your ordinances help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep.
    Seek your servant, for I don’t forget your commandments. (World English Bible, public domain)

Thanks for reading.

Prayers in the Bible: Psalm 119

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.

It finally occurred to me that it's one long prayer! Here's a sample of it:

Psalm 119:68 You are good, and do good.
Teach me your statutes. (World English Bible)

Many of the 176 verses in this Hebrew acrostic are part of a prayer to know God, and what God wants us to do. Always appropriate as prayer!

The previous post in this series is here.