PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart—
3 they do no wrong
but follow his ways.
4 You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.
5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying your decrees!
6 Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws.
8 I will obey your decrees;
do not utterly forsake me. (Psalm 119:1-8, NIV)
REFLECTIONS:
This psalm is divided into sections, arranged in the order of the Hebrew alphabet. We lose the psalmist’s intricate development of the psalm in translation. What we don’t lose is the high regard with which the psalmist holds God’s law, and the positive outcomes he believes come from living according to that law. The entire psalm is one of praise and thanksgiving for God’s divine revelation to humankind, embodied in the law, which blesses those who keep it: Happy are they! The first three verses of this psalm note the well-being that comes with living according to God’s law.
The next few verses stress the importance of the law in God’s thinking: “You [God] have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed”—obeyed "from the heart." And finally, our passage closes with the psalmist’s affirmation and desire to keep God’s law—a resolve to live God’s way. Happy, then, is the psalmist. Deep down, everybody desires happiness, don’t they? What does happiness mean here?
Happy are those who are wealthy? beautiful? famous? No. For the psalmist, happiness comes from seeking God with the whole heart, living blamelessly, and following God’s way.
This week’s meditations place choices before us: We choose how we will live. Through love of God, we allow that love to shape our lifestyle—individually and communally. We close this week with this reading from the prayer book of the Bible. The first half of these verses offer proverb and exhortation, giving glory to God for God’s commands and encouragement to us to live in them. The second half give voice to worship and supplication, seeking God’s help to live according to God’s way so we can offer praise from a right heart. May this be the prayer of our hearts as well.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for revealing to us the way to true happiness that lies in you alone. Help and guide us as we seek to follow your way of love. Amen.
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