I’m going to refrain from comment for now, hoping to generate some dialogue about what church should be and do. A friend of mine sent me this YouTube video. I think it’s a good conversation starter for the question, “What should the church be and do?”
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Each of the 22 strophes in Psalm 119 was carefully crafted—like the deliberate strokes of Michelangelo’s brush. I’ve enjoyed taking a close look at each strophe—each canvas of this literary masterpiece.
As I seek to wrap up my thoughts about Psalm 119 into a terse, coherent idea, this is what I’ve come up with—this is what I’m taking from my study: All believers must keep God’s Word in order to live skillfully. I’ve chosen each word carefully—let me explain.
“All believers…”
The Bible isn’t just for priests, professors and preachers. The Bible is for every believer, every person, because it is the very breath of God—wrote Paul in 2 Timothy 3: “…useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Over the past 200-400 years with the rise of universities we have also seen the rise of seminaries and Bible colleges. This led to the treatment of theology as a specialization. It led to the professionalization of Bible study—the idea that the only people who need to study theology in an orderly and thorough way are people “going into the ministry”. But the study of God’s Word and theology was never meant to be a specialization like law or medicine. It was meant to be for all believers—the orientation of the soul for a life of godly wisdom!
One of the reasons Christianity is in decline in America (the West in general) is because most American Christians think they only need an elementary understanding of the Bible! Please don’t think that way! All these benefits described for us in Psalm 119 are for every believer! Each one describes knowledge or a character trait or a skill that every believer needs.
“…must keep God’s Word…”
There are a couple Hebrew words for “keep”. Both are rich in meaning. They both literally mean “to stand guard over”. Like a sentry on guard duty, we are to be alert and watch and be careful to read and study and memorize and meditate on and obey God’s Word. They also mean to “preserve” as in preserve life. It’s an idea that captures the entire picture of what we are to do with God’s Word: get it and hang onto it like life-saving treasure. The list below tells us what the writer of Psalm 119 encourages us to do with God’s Word! Don’t just know it—we are to know it but we must never stop there. We must…
“…in order to live skillfully!”
To live skillfully is another way of saying “wisely”. Wisdom is not just knowledge. It is the culmination of a process. It’s the crescendo! We begin by accumulating knowledge of God’s Word. Then, as we obey it and put it into practice in our lives we begin to understand it better and better. The more we understand it, we begin to develop discernment. We live skillfully, not haphazardly and chaotically—like little children in little boats being tossed around by the slightest wind. In other words, we live wisely—by wisdom. We just can’t do it without knowing and keeping God’s Word.
Let’s be clear—this is hard work. Henry Ford, supposedly once said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” I must agree and add that reading, studying, learning, remembering, believing, and doing (keeping) God’s Word can be some of the hardest work there is, and the reason why so few actually dust it off and dive in.
Let’s learn it. Let’s keep it. Let’s remember it and meditate on it. As we do, we’ll grow to love it, then, we’ll praise God for it! Why? Because we will see the infinite wisdom and benefits that flow from knowing and doing God’s Word.
As I wrote when I started this series: the Sistine Chapel is truly a masterpiece. But, if you’ve ever looked at several pictures of it, it’s really quite simple as well. It contains images of the stories we all learned as kids in Sunday School, and that we enjoy reading to our children—Creation of Adam, Flood of Noah, Death and Resurrection of Christ.
Psalm 119 is truly a masterpiece. But, as you have probably noticed, it is really quite simple as well. It reminds us of the importance of what each Christian should already know: God has spoken, we need to listen—through reading, studying, memorizing, meditating on and obeying God’s magnificent Word. As the Psalmist showed us, such study leads to many, many blessings. My prayer is that from time to time you’ll return to Psalm 119, stroll through and enjoy it for the masterpiece it is, and be reminded of the reality behind the literary genius: “Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart” (1:2).
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Twenty-second Strophe—Psalm 119:162-176
169 May my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word. 170 May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise. 171 May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. 172 May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. 173 May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. 174 I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. 175 Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me. 176 I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.
The last strophe of Psalm 119! I think it’s the big finish!
It’s filled with prayerful praise! He asks God for some pretty big things, but he does it right. He makes 10 requests in 8 verses! He asks for “understanding…deliverance…teaching…help… salvation… life… sustenance…” He also asks God to “seek” him. But he makes these requests “according to (God’s) word” (v.169) and so “that (he) may praise (God)” (v.175).
Isn’t that interesting? He requests God’s help to give God praise? “May my lips overflow with praise…May my tongue sing of your word…Let me live that I may praise you…” That’s solid. We will never become true worshipers on our own. Unless God helps us, we will never use our tongues and mouths and lives for the highest and most important purpose: Worship!
Why not? Notice that in the final verse we have a hint of the prophetic—a prayer for the Messiah to come: “I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.” He recognizes that even though he has “not forgotten” God’s Word, he is still sinful. He needs God to “seek” him. This is exactly why God sent the Messiah. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10)! He said, “…True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23)! I believe his prayer was a cry for the Messiah to come, to seek, to save!
Regardless, the fact is clear that the Father is the one who does the “seeking”. Our prayer—in our day—is not so different: “Seek us, Lord; find us; bless us with Your presence that we might be true worshipers!” Have you prayed this prayer? You may consider yourself a “seeker,” but have you ever looked up to heaven and asked God to seek you? Do it right now! Admit to Him that you are helpless and hopeless without Him. Thank Him for sending Messiah Jesus to “seek and save what was lost” (i.e., you). Then receive eternal life through Christ and become a true worshiper. If you’ve already received eternal life, then do what true worshipers do: Worship the Father—your Father—in spirit and truth!
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Twenty-first Strophe—Psalm 119:161-168
161 Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word. 162 I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. 163 I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law. 164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. 165 Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. 166 I wait for your salvation, O Lord, and I follow your commands. 167 I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. 168 I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.
Do you believe this?
The Psalmist compares God’s Word to “great spoil” (v.162) which he praises God for seven times a day (v.164)! Back in verses 72 and 127 he compared it to “gold”! Do you believe—really believe—that God’s Word is like “great spoil”? …like gold? I dare say many of us—many Christians—are sitting on a gold mine and we don’t really know it.
During the Great Depression, a man named Yates was operating a sheep ranch in the rolling hills of West Texas. His business wasn’t generating enough money to pay the principal and interest on his mortgage so he ended up living on a government subsidy. His days were filled with stress over the financial concerns of his family. They lived, dressed, and ate in poverty.
One day a seismographic crew asked if they might explore his land for oil. Yates agreed and signed a lease contract. At 1,115 feet they struck a huge reserve of oil. The first well produced 80,000 barrels a day while many subsequent wells generated more than twice that amount. Thirty years after the discovery, one well was estimated to still have a potential flow of 125,000 barrels a day. This vast sea of wealth, known as Yates Pool, had always belonged to Yates. He was a multimillionaire who had spent years in heart-wrenching poverty just because he didn’t realize what he already possessed.
Are you are living your life in spiritual poverty? I have good news: You are wealthy beyond your wildest dreams! If you own a Bible, you possess the Word of God! If you will dig into it and mine it’s “great spoil” you will find “joy” (v.162) “righteousness” (v.164) “Great peace…nothing can make (you) stumble” (v.165) and you need never feel lonely or empty “for all (your) ways are known to (God)” (v.168). And—there are numerous other “riches” we could list, but you get the point.
This is real treasure—treasure that a bad economy will never crash.
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Twentieth Strophe—Psalm 119:153-160
153 Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law. 154 Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise. 155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees. 156 Your compassion is great, O Lord; preserve my life according to your laws. 157 Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes. 158 I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word. 159 See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, O Lord, according to your love. 160 All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.
Ever been desperate? We don’t want to be desperate. We hate the feeling. If we had our way, we would happily rid our lives of all desperate moments.
It may surprise you, but sometimes God wants us to be desperate. If we’re never desperate, we have a tendency to forget God and His Word. We don’t recognize our need for “salvation” until we get desperate. We don’t seek God unless we’re desperate—no atheists in foxholes, right?! Desperation can be God’s way of leading us to where we need to be.
The psalmist was desperate. Three times in this short strophe of eight verses, he asked God to “preserve” his life (vs. 154, 156, 159). He was pleading for his life! “Let me live, God!” He felt his life was literally in danger. He was desperate. So he went to God and made his request on the basis of—”according to”—God’s “promise,” God’s “laws,” and God’s “love”. That’s the first basis. The second is his own obedience: “I have not forgotten your law (v.153)…I have not turned from your statutes (v.157)…I love your precepts” (v.159). God is not obligated to hear and answer our prayers because of our obedience, but this shows an understanding of God’s ways. God allows desperation in our lives to lead us where we need to be. The psalmist was making the case that he didn’t need God’s discipline. He was obeying God.
I think the Psalmist has Deuteronomy in mind. God spoke through Moses to the Israelites just before they entered the promised land saying: “15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.” (Deuteronomy 30:15-18)
The Psalmist is saying, “God, You always keep your promises and since my life is in danger right now, I appeal to this one here in Deuteronomy. I love You, I walk in Your ways and I keep Your commands, decrees and laws just as you have asked. I chose life, and because You are compassionate and loving and faithful I ask you to preserve me.”
The questions you have to ask yourself are:
1) Could I say to God that, “I have not forgotten Your law…I have not turned from Your statutes…I love Your precepts”? Or, am I in a desperate situation because God is trying to get my attention? Is He trying to correct me and get me headed in the right direction?
2) What do I do when I’m desperate? Where do I go? How do I react? Will I—like the psalmist—pray and pour out my desperation before God, trusting in His promises, His laws and His love?
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I don’t know who wrote this, but it’s definitely worth repeating (sure makes you want to home school, doesn’t it?!):
After being interviewed by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said:
“Let me see if I’ve got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. And I’m supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T shirt messages and dress habits.
You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self esteem. You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, and fair play, how and where to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job. I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, offer advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and scholarships, encourage respect for the cultural diversity of others, and, oh yeah, always make sure that I give the girls in my class 50 percent of my attention.
My contract requires me to work on my own time after school and evenings grading papers. Also, I must spend my summer vacation at my own expense, working toward advance certification and a Master’s degree. And on my own time you want me to attend committee and faculty meetings, PTA meetings, and participate in staff development training. I am to be a paragon of virtue, larger than life, such that my very presence will awe my students into being obedient and respectful of authority. And I am to pledge allegiance to family values and this current administration.
You want me to incorporate technology into the learning experience, monitor web sites, and relate personally with each student. That includes deciding who might be potentially dangerous and/or liable to commit a crime in school. I am to make sure all students pass the state mandatory exams, even those who don’t come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments. Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental or physical handicap. And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.
All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, and a big smile AND on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!
You want me to do all of this and you expect me NOT TO PRAY?”
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Nineteenth Strophe—Psalm 119:145-152
145 I call with all my heart; answer me, O Lord, and I will obey your decrees. 146 I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes. 147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. 148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. 149 Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O Lord, according to your laws. 150 Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law. 151 Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true. 152 Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.
This guy sounds like he was in trouble. But he also sounds persistent.
“I call with all my heart,” he wrote (v.145). I call out to You (v.146)…I cry for help (v.147) …hear my voice (149)!” He was so intent on pleading for God’s help that he got out of bed early (v.147) and stayed up late (v.148) just so he could cry for help. He obviously felt threatened. His life was in danger because of “wicked schemes” (v.150). Even though he didn’t get an immediate answer, he persistently went to God for help.
On what basis? He cried out for God’s help on the basis of God’s love and God’s Word (v.149). In other words, the Psalmist prayed so much because he was confident that his prayers would be heard because he knew God loved him because he read it in God’s Word. He is reassured in this even when the wicked are “near” (v.150) because God promised and “established” or proved it “long ago” (v.152) before the trouble arrived. And, not only were his enemies near, but—even more importantly—God is “near” (v.151) also!
The whole strophe challenges us to be persistent, but four words stand out as particularly helpful: “Long ago I learned…” (v.152). Why is this guy persistent? Because “long ago (he) learned” that God loved him. God’s Word said it. God’s Word doesn’t change, so God’s love won’t change either. God had proven this to him a long time ago and repeatedly ever since.
In other words, the psalmist learned persistence.
You and I don’t just have persistence. We learn it over time. Each time we trust God’s Word and pray for God’s intervention, we gain a little more confidence. A little more trust. And we learn persistence. If we trust someone or something that is not reliable, we will not persist in that trust. But by putting our trust in God and His Word repeatedly, we learn that God and His Word are trustworthy—and therefore, we persist. Our persistence is based on confident faith.
There are days when God seems far away. When our problems squeeze us into a corner. We don’t know what to do or say. The example of the psalmist is clear: Open up your Bible and pray! Don’t run away from God. Run to God! Cry out to Him! Be persistent in prayer. Keep at it. Don’t give up. God loves you and says so in His Word. He won’t let you down.
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Is hate-crimes legislation a good idea? Here is some correspondence I’ve had with Congressman Dennis Moore (D-KS). It started when I emailed him a couple months ago and asked him not to support a hate-crimes bill (H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009). I’ll first give you his response to that request. My reply (second email) to Congressman Moore is below that.
Friday, June 19, 2009; Congressman Dennis Moore wrote:
Dear Shaun:
Thank you for sharing with me your opposition to H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this matter.
As you know, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) reintroduced H.R. 1913 in the 111th Congress on April 2, 2009. This legislation adds several other classifications as hate crimes, specifically: gender, sexual orientation and disability. This bill would also allow the federal government to assist the local authorities in the investigation and prosecution of all crimes motivated by hate, as well as provides money to states to develop hate crime prevention programs. On April 29, 2009, this legislation was approved by the House, with my support. Shortly thereafter, H.R. 1913 was referred to the U.S. Senate, where it is currently pending before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
It is important note that, contrary to some misconceptions, H.R. 1913 does NOT limit freedom of speech. This legislation has been crafted in a fashion that protects First Amendment rights. Section 7(d) establishes a “Rule of Evidence” that an expression or association of the defendant may not be introduced as substantive evidence at trial, unless the evidence specifically relates to that offense. The bill is designed only to punish violent acts, not beliefs or thoughts – even violent thoughts. The legislation does not punish, nor prohibit in any way, name-calling, verbal abuse or expressions of hatred toward any group, even if such statements amount to hate speech. It covers only violent actions that result in death or bodily injury.
Additionally, the bill will NOT limit religious expression. Some churches have stated that with passage of this bill, ministers may be arrested for speech and words said in the pulpits. This is false. This bill is about violent crime. It is not about and does not prohibit thought, speech or expression protected by the First Amendment.
As a former Johnson County District Attorney for twelve years, I have seen senseless acts of violence committed against individuals for no reasons other than their religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. While incidents of bias crime often appear to be isolated, our failure to address the irrational antagonism manifested in hate crimes may allow it to fester and grow, which could create widespread tension and hate that can destroy a community and make the targets of these crimes even more vulnerable. I believe that we must try to adequately protect all of the groups that are targets of crimes of hate.
While I know that you hold your views with sincerity on this matter, I hope you will respect my views as I do yours. I am confident there are many other matters of policy on which we may agree. Thank you again for contacting me. I hope you will continue to keep in touch and please feel free to let me know whenever I may be of assistance.
Very truly yours,
DENNIS MOORE
Member of Congress
Friday, June 19, 2009; Shaun LePage wrote:
Congressman Moore,
Thank you for replying to my email and for the explanation of why you supported the hate crimes legislation. I respectfully ask that you reconsider your position on this issue.
I’m obviously disappointed that you supported this legislation and I’m hoping it does not pass in the Senate. The fact is that this legislation sets up a SPECIAL CATEGORY OF PROTECTION for “sexual orientation” which is behavioral in nature—not innate such as race, gender or even most kinds of disability. No scientific study anywhere has ever proven that homosexuality is innate.
Laws are already in place to protect people from violence. This bill is NOT ABOUT VIOLENT CRIME. It is about setting up a special category of protection for people who behave a certain way sexually.
You are taking us down a very dangerous path by making a judgment about whether a crime was motivated by “hate” or some other motive. We should NOT HATE HOMOSEXUALS, but by adding “hate” to this legislation you absolutely are OPENING THE DOOR TO CRIMINALIZING SPEECH. You are making a value judgment about what is in a person’s heart.
What you’re doing is giving special protection to (i.e. endorsing) those who practice homosexual behavior, so anyone who speaks out against it is therefore labeled as the equivalent of a racist—a “homophobe” or bigot.
Once you’ve established a special category of protection, it is not a big stretch to accuse someone who speaks out against homosexuality as inciting violence or some such accusation. If your legislation passes, those who speak out against homosexuality are speaking out against the official position of the state.
Please answer these questions for me:
* How will you determine if someone committed violence because of hate as opposed to another motive? If someone commits a violent crime for greed, is that going to receive a lesser penalty? Isn’t it beyond the role of a law enforcement officer (or district attorney) to determine what is in the heart of a person (i.e., hate)? Why not just punish the crime—regardless of motive?
* Are our current laws against violence somehow inadequate to protect all citizens from violent crime? Is any violent crime rational—as opposed to the “irrational antagonism” of which you write?
Thank you for your time and consideration of these important issues.
Shaun LePage
Lawrence, Kansas
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Eighteenth Strophe—Psalm 119:137-144
137 Righteous are you, O Lord , and your laws are right. 138 The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. 139 My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words. 140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them. 141 Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. 143 Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. 144 Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.
Zealousness is usually considered a bad thing. In our culture we have so many examples of those who are over-zealous, or their zealousness is devoted to the wrong cause. It is radical over-zealousness to blow up abortion clinics—though the cause of ending the slaughter of innocent babies is right and just. The right and Biblical zeal is guided by the righteousness of God.
The writer of Psalm 119 is “zealous” for “righteousness”. Five times, he uses this same root word (tsadik) for “righteousness”. Verse 142 literally reads, “Your righteousness is righteous forever!”
When we are zealous, but “forget” (v.141) God’s Word—which the Psalmist vows not to do—we stray from the true cause and lose sight of God’s righteousness. But, when we are zealous and “delight” (v.143) in God’s commands—as the Psalmist does—our zeal is good and beautiful and healthy and productive.
Being zealous for God’s righteousness can also create “enemies” (v.139). It can bring “trouble and distress” (v.143). Most people couldn’t care less about God’s righteousness and when we try to do things God’s way we can tick people off. They’ll call us zealots or radical or extremist. Usually because a zealous stand for righteousness challenges their unrighteous choices—choices that violate God’s standard of righteousness.
Too often, God’s people—real believers—will refuse to be zealous for God’s righteousness. They’re okay with God’s righteousness as long as its theory taught from a distance. But when they are admonished to conform their lives to that right standard, they get offended. They look for a church where they can be anonymous—where they won’t be challenged to change and grow in righteousness.
We need to take our cue from the Psalmist: We need to “love” God’s “promises” (v.140). We need to “not forget (God’s) precepts” (v.141). We need to “delight” in them (v.143). We need to pray that God will help us understand His righteousness and “live” it out (v.144).
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