Genesis 18:23 Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”
In Genesis chapter eighteen we are given the story of the Lord and his two angels visiting Abraham to give him the promise of Isaac. Sarah laughed to herself when she heard this knowing she was pass the age of bearing children and that Abraham was old as well. The Lord’s answer to this was “Is anything impossible for the Lord”. After the meal the two angels left to carry out their task of saving Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as the Lord stayed behind with Abraham. As I study the verses of Genesis 18:16-33 I realize how much these verses reveal to us how our prayer life with the Lord should become as we grow in our relationship with Him.
In these verses we see the Lord revealing to Abraham his plan for Sodom and Gomorrah. As we grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord, the Holy Spirit will also reveal to us the Lord’s will on this earth as it is in heaven. With our growth in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord we develop a closer relationship with Him. As I study these verses in Genesis chapter eighteen I realize that our prayer life is not just taking our needs to the Lord, but it really a conversation with the Lord concerning the events happening in our life.
In this prayer we see Abraham asking God the question “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked. God started out with no if he could find fifty. As he continue his prayer to the Lord he got the number down to forty-five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, and finally ten. This prayer was not a simple request from Abraham but a conversation with God. These verses reveal the special relationship that Abraham had with Lord. He prayed to the Lord until he was comfortable that the Lord could find ten righteous in Sodom (Lot’s family and a few others close to Lot). As we enter our daily prayer do we just offer up a daily prayer and then go on living on daily life or do we continue to go to the Lord until we see our prayers answer. Abraham prayer was answered. Yes God did destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, but he took the righteous out first.
These verses in Genesis eighteen provides us a way to approach the Lord in our prayer life. Our Lord gives us a great example of this in Luke 22:42 “Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Thine will be done.” Jesus prayer did not keep him from going to the cross, but it reveals how He surrender His will to God’s will. These two prayers reveal how deep our prayer life should develop as we strive to walk closer to Lord. We should learn to make our prayer life as a moment by moment of taking every thought of ours to the Lord.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (KJV)
As I start my quest to detail my philosophy of life to my children, I will be exploring the book of Psalms as the source of inspiration for this journey. The key to this quest is starting with a firm foundation of scripture centering on the corner stone which is Christ. In Psalms 118:21,22 “I shall give thanks to Thee for Thou hast answer me and Thou hast become my salvation. The stone which the builder rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”
Psalms one provides a great starting point for this journey, since it introduces the way a godly person should live his or her life on their earthly journey. There are only three characters in this psalm: the Lord, the ungodly and the righteous person. The Lord is the one that gives the law, the righteous is the one that loves his law and meditates on it day and night, and the ungodly is the one that rejects the law of the Lord.
The first step in developing a belief system must start with the simple question of what my core values are and how I arrived at this point of making these my core values. It is interesting that the very first two verses of this psalm states that “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditates day and night.” These two verses point the something that should be known to mankind and that is the law of the Lord. In this psalm the Lord is the law giver, he is the judge, and the protector of the righteous. So, the very first Statement I must make in writing about my philosophy on life is the fact (the foundation) of my belief statement is that the Lord is the creator of both heaven and earth and has given us a Law to follow. Where can this law be found? In man’s heart and in God’s words to man (the Bible).
The second question is what or who am I. In this psalm man is described as either walking with the wicked or meditating on the law of the Lord (the path of the righteous). It is interesting that this Psalm gives us a way to walk. Our walk or way seems to determine what or who we are. So, what is man? A creature created by God who has the gift of choose. The law of God was simple to Adam and Eve as Eve stated it the serpent: “And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat but of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” However, the counsel of the wicked changes God’s words: “And the serpent said unto the woman, you shall not surely die for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.” And as the story goes in Genesis chapter three, we realized that this was the fall of man. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves aprons.” (ASV) As Paul writes in Roman five verses 17 through 19: For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ. So then as through one trespass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification of life. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous. (ASV) So with first decision to disobey God by Adam the sinful nature was passed upon all mankind.
With this sinful nature being a part of all mankind is there a correct way to live and if so, how can we live together? This psalm addresses this path as the law of the Lord. But it is not only a law to know but to be mediated upon. Life is very complicated. And because of the sinful nature that exist in everyone we must follow David’s advice of mediating on God’s law both day and night.
As I was growing up one of the pictures that was in many Christian homes was an old man praying for his meal with a Bible next to him. Growing up I witness my grandparents finishing the evening by reading the Bible before bedtime. It is amazing how busy our lives have become that the simple pleasures of hiding God’s Word in our heart have lost it importance, The truth I want to leave my children is the importance of hiding God’s Word in your heart and mediating on it all day long.
Life is not easy. However, I started the day out knowing to answers of two of the major questions. Yes, God exist and is in control, and yes, I know I am a sinner saved by grace. Other questions that we will face in life can only be answered by mediating on God’s Word daily. This daily mediating on God’s Word will let the convicting power of the Holy Spirit that helps my sinful nature grow closer to God. My goal in life is to be like David, a man after God’s own heart.
Psalm 37:25-40 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful and lends; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do well, and dwell for evermore. For the Lord loves judgment and forsakes not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him. (KJV)
This psalm is a psalm that readers turn to when they face difficult times in their life. These times are not just trouble times, but usually a time when the only one a person can turn to is God. However, it is also a time when God has also seemed to have forsaken them. It was this psalm that I turned to at one of the most difficult times in my life. It is a time when the wickedness of the someone who at one time was very close to me turned and tried to destroy everything in my life. It was a time like Joseph faced when his own brothers sold him as a slave. It was a time in my life that I learned how to pray thy will be done instead of my will be done. Verses four and five gave me at that time an insight on how to pray. Three things on my part were required: delight myself in the Lord, commit my ways to the Lord, and trust in the Lord; by following these three simple steps the Lord will give to me the desires of my heart.
I now realize that these principles become clearer as one ages and applies life experiences to the scriptures. It is in the example that God gave me from the life of Joseph that I can see how these principles governed his life. He was only seventeen when his own brothers sold him into slavery. However, instead of trying to gain his freedom and taking vengeance on his brothers for this act he accepted the place where the Lord placed him and committed his ways to the Lord. The phase “but the Lord was with Joseph” characterized his life. Joseph learned to apply the principles of trust and obey in his life and knew that God would be with him, both in the hard times as well as the good times. He was a slave and a prisoner of the state for thirteen years, yet he still followed the principles of committing your ways to the Lord and trusting in Him (trust and obey). It was at the time of Jacob’s death that we truly see how these principles played out in Joseph’s life. As I read Genesis chapter fifty, I realized Joseph’s brothers had not ask for forgiven yet for their treatment of Joseph at age seventeen. This selfish act on their part not only effected Joseph life, but also had a profound effect on Jacob his father and Benjamin his brother. It took thirty-nine years, the death of their father, and the fear that Joseph would pay them back in full for all the wrong they did to him before they tried to patch up the incident with Joseph. And even in this process they did not want to address the real issues which was the fact of their own sinfulness in the way they handed Joseph over into slavery. Joseph weep when they spoke, because he had already forgiven them, but he saw how they lived in fear because they could not face the truth of forgiveness. Joseph answer to them reveals his trust on the Lord to guide his life. When you are following these principles then you like Joseph can say “for I am in God’s place”. When walking with God in this world we will face times in our life when people (even our own family) do evil things against us. However, if we wait on the Lord and keep his ways then we will see the desire of our hearts fulfilled and will be able to say, “therefore what you meant for evil against me, God meant it for good”.
“The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip” the righteous will not fall. As we see the fruit of wicked schemes of greed and corruption around us fall, we must realize that God is our stronghold the one we take refuge in these times of trouble. So, when the topic about the economic failures and other events of disaster from around the world come about in your conversation you can take comfort in these verses. Live by these phases and know that God is our refuge. Then let the world see God’s law alive in your life so that the light of his law will reflect God to them. These phases are: Do not fret (3 times) Do not be envious of those who do wrong Trust in the Lord (2 times) Delight yourself in the Lord Commit your ways to the Lord Be still before the Lord Wait patiently for him (2 times) Refrain from anger Turn from wrath Hope in the Lord Give generously Turn from evil and do good Utters wisdom and speak what is just Keep the Lord way Consider the blameless Observe the upright Seek refuge in the Lord
Verse 25 “I was young and now I am old” lets us know that this psalm was written when David was old. This psalm reflects David’s beliefs and pattern of life that as a king and a father he wanted to pass on to others. In Psalm 51:12,13 he writes “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.” His desire was to live by God’s ways and teach others of the joy of living in God’s ways. Ecclesiastes is another example of scripture that was written by an old man. However, this was written by Solomon who at the end of his life was told that the kingdom that God had given his father and when to him would not be passed to his son. Why? Because he forsook God’s ways and served another God’s. It is interesting to see his words in Ecclesiastes: 12:8-14 “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the words of the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Therefore, heed the words of David in this psalm so that in your old age you will not have to write as Solomon did in Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come and the years draw nigh, when thou shall say I have no pleasure in them.”
I have a note in my Bible in the margin of this psalm to read Matthew chapter four where Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil as I study this psalm. It is amazing how much I have discovered the way Christ led his life here on this earth by my daily reading of the Psalms. As one reads Psalm ninety-one the reader could refer both to the believer who is trusting completely in God or Christ himself when he dwelt on this earth. Note also in Matthew 4:11 “Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” are the same angels found here in this psalm in verses eleven and twelve.
These were the verses that the devil tried to misinterpret in Matthew 4:6. However, as I look at the Lord’s answers in Matthew chapter four they come from the book of Deuteronomy (8:3, 6:16, and 6:13). We see that just as Satan twisted the words of the Lord in the Garden to Eve he used the same to Christ as he also does today against us. This is why we must heed the words of Paul to Timothy “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 3:15)
As we go about on journey on this earth the key to this journey is found in verse fourteen. Because I love God, God will rescue and protect me and because of my love I will acknowledge God before others. The love of God is much greater than that of a father or mother toward her their own child. And the love of the believer picture here is much greater than the love a son or daughter can have for their own parent. Just as the devil tried to misinterpret these verses to Christ in the desert; the sinful nature that is found in the world around us also tries to blind us to these verses that reveals to us the truth about how close a relationship we can have with God.
The opening statement of this psalm ” he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High” sets the stage for all believers. One of the most precious teachings of Christianity is that of the priesthood of the believer. As Peter writes in his first epistle, we are not only priest, but a people of God’s own possession for the purpose to show forth the excellencies of God who call us out of darkness into his marvelous light. When we make God our refuge, our hiding place we place ourselves in his care and our faith grows. As this relationship of trusting in the Lord grew, we learn to love him more. We come to the realized of how important the first law of the Ten Commandments in our relationship with God. Having no other Gods before him truly means dwelling in his presence. This relationship with God is very important. By resting in the Lord, we become as a young chick who stays near the wings of the caring hen. We will not fear what will happen to us as we perform the daily routines that are in our lives and careers. For in the moment of danger we know we have protection under the mother’s wings. As I was studying Matthew chapter twenty-three last night this example of a hen and her chicks was used by Christ in his lament over Jerusalem’s rejection of him. Matthew 23:37b “how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!” The secret to living this type of life is giving up the pride we have in being able to do things my way instead of God’s way. A surrendering to God’s shelter provides will provide the peace of God that will be upon you with the long satisfy life he gives those who walk in his way.
Verse fourteen states “Because he loves me, says the Lord” is the focus point of our relationship with God. My relationship with God is not based upon the way I live my life, but with whom I chose to have fellowship and companionship. I might not force God on others; however, I will not deny him as my God because I will acknowledge him to all who inquiries into my faith.
As I studied Luke 2:41-52 this morning I realized that this is the only glimpse of the boyhood of Christ in the scripture. We can see from these verses that there was a purpose that Jesus had in his life and that was to be about his Father’s business. As I read this psalm, I can picture Christ in his early age as a boy, just as David was a boy that spent his time mediating on God’s Word. In this Psalm I can picture Christ reading this psalm and seeing David as the subject of this Psalm placing himself as a lamb under the care of his shepherd. It is not how great and powerful the shepherd makes the lamb, but how the shepherd protects him. David realized that God was in control no matter had difficult the situation seems to be around him. This psalm instructs us on how living a life of faith in God just as the example that Christ’s life points to the secret of living a blameless life. And that secret is a simple trust in the Most High. In Luke chapter two verse fifty-two the simple statement “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”, is an example of how we a believer must grow in our life. So instead of focusing on the glorification of self as Satan wanted Christ to do in Matthew chapter four, we need to be focusing on dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and growing in our love for Him.
Luke 24:25-27 “Then he said upon them, O fools and so slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded unto them in all scriptures the things concerning himself.
One of my Old Testament teachers told us that if he could ever be at any event in the past this walk with these two disciples and the Lord would be this event. To hear the Lord expound upon all the scriptures relating to him from the writings of Moses and all the prophets would also make his heart burn within him as it would reveal all the scriptures about the Lord. In Luke twenty-four verse forty-four the Lord again reinforces the scriptures by stating these are the words that I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which was written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. In second Peter chapter one verses fifteen through twenty-one Peter explains that even with his eyewitnesses of the Lord’s ministry and even his experience he shared with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration, we have the more sure word of prophecy to place our faith on the Lord. These verses show how important it is to hide God’s Word in your heart to be the light unto my feet and a lamp unto my path as I go on our journey on this earth.
With this knowledge of how important the writings of the Old Testament were in revealing the Lord to the world on His first coming how much more such we look to the scriptures for understanding His second coming. Peter writes in his second epistle chapter three how he write these words to stir up your pure minds concerning the writings of the prophets as well as the commandment given to the apostles of the Lord concerning His second coming. He warns us as believers that in the last days there will be a rejection of the return of the Lord. But this is not the case for the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens and earth will pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.
Just as the scriptures were not really understood concerning the Lord’s first coming by the Jewish nation until their fulfillment by the Lord’s ministry, death, and resurrection; so are the scriptures concerning His second coming by the world today. We need therefore to heed the warning of the Lord found in Matthew chapter twenty-four verse forty-four of being ready for His return, for we don’t know the hour of His return but it could come at any moment.
41 Let thy steadfast love come to me, O LORD, thy salvation according to thy promise.
42 then shall I have an answer for those who taunt me, for I trust in thy word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in thy ordinances.
44 I will keep thy law continually, for ever and ever.
45 and I shall walk at liberty, for I have sought thy precepts.
46 I will also speak of thy testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame.
47 for I find my delight in thy commandments, which I love.
48 I revere thy commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on thy statutes.
As I reflect upon these verses this morning I am reminded of the Lord’s reminder to us in Matthew chapter six verses twenty-five and twenty-six. “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, what you will wear. Is life not more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they are? As I look at these verses in relationship to verse forty-three of this psalm I am reminded of the song Standing on the Promises of Christ My King.
The words of this song reflects the truth of the words that Paul wrote about in Romans chapter eight verse thirty-eight and thirty-nine of the true relationship that a Christian can experiences with Christ in their life. “For I am convinced that neither death or life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments, for therein do I delight.
36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness!
37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy ways.
38 Establish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to fear.
39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
40 Behold, I have long after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. (KJV)
These verses reinforce how important a daily walk with the Lord in his Word is to the Christian life. We can turn to self help books, or to daily devotional guides, or even to a website just like this one to help us on our journey through life; however, these are just the seasoning for our daily meal. The real meal a Christian needs is God’s Word. The beauty of the scripture in a believer’s life is that the hiding of the Word in your heart it will influence your daily decisions. In verse 34 the psalmist is asking the Lord to give him understanding of the law, so that he could observe with his whole heart. In verse 36 the psalmist is requesting the Lord to incline his heart toward the testimonies of the Lord, so he would not have covetousness.
These verses are reinforced by I John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Verse 37 reinforces these verses from I John, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy ways.” reminds me of one of the songs I learned early in my Christian life “Turn your eyes Upon Jesus”. Just hiding the refrain of this song in your heart will help reinforce these scriptures in your daily life.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Let your heart be like David’s “A man after God’s own heart”
25 My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to thy word!
26 When I recount my ways, thou didst answer me; teach me thy statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of thy precepts, and I will meditate on thy wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to thy word!
29 Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me thy law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set thy ordinances before me.
31 I cleave to thy testimonies, O LORD; let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of thy commandments when thou enlargest my understanding!
It Takes Time
One of the hardest aspects of our human existence is learning to wait. We live in the present, having the experience of our past to guide us, but wanting our perceived future to be happening around the next corner. Growing in the faith and knowledge of our Lord and Savior takes time. It is a process of a daily study of the scriptures and then applying these truths to our daily experiences. To make this growing process even harder is we have to unlearn a lot of our experiences from the past. This is what Saul of Tarsus (Paul) had to do before the Lord could use him.
Galatians 1:15-18 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen: immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him for fifteen days.
Saul was a Pharisee, considering zeal of the righteousness of the law, blameless. But these things that were gain to him was counted as lost for Christ. His new righteousness was found in Christ through faith. I believe a lot of this revelation came to him in the time of his aloneness in Arabia where he had a time of self examination of all his past experience and his new experience that he had on the road to Damascus. This alone time with the scriptures and looking at our life experiences will open the door for the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us. It does not happen overnight. Waiting for the Lord to open our understanding into the happening issues of our life takes time. This time might be a few days, or it could be years.
So, cherish the quiet time you can get from studying the Bible and reflect on these words day and night. These times will help you get through the trouble times we will face. And as Paul states in Philippians four let your mediations focus on whatsoever things are true, whatsoever, things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. And the peace of God shall be with you. This peace is wonderful, for it has been the guiding force for most of my life.
17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live and observe thy word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
19 I am a sojourner on earth; hide not thy commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with longing for thy ordinances at all times.
21 Thou dost rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from thy commandments.
22 take away from me their scorn and contempt, for I have kept thy testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, thy servant will meditate on thy statutes.
24 Thy testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. (KJV)
As I study the life of Paul I realize had much knowledge he had of the Torah, the Prophets and the Writing (our Old Testament) that he acquired in his early training as a Pharisee. However, he also was probably trained in all the traditions of the elders, which Jesus preached against as setting aside the commandments of God in order to keep the traditions of the elders (Mark 7:1-23). It was only after Paul’s encounter with Christ that he approached and applied his knowledge of the scriptures in a different matter. He found the key to understanding them in Jesus. I believe it was these three quiet years in Paul’s life that he searched the scriptures (our Old Testament) and let the Holy Spirit open his heart truly understand all the references of Christ found in Torah, the Prophets, and the writings.
By studying the lives of the Old Testament saints, we can see how God prepares those that he uses for the work of His ministry before they are even aware that God is going to use them. A great example of this is Moses. He was educated in all the learning the Egyptians and was a man of power in words in deeds. However, it took forty years in the wilderness and the becoming a shepherd before God approached him to the task of leading Israel for the next forty years. It was also during these last forty years that God inspired Moses to give us the Pentateuch. When we study Paul we realized that God had the same plan for him as he had for Moses. Not only did Paul have the role of the apostle to the Gentiles, but he also wrote thirteen epistles, and possibly the book of Hebrews which guide the church through his ministry and for the last two thousand years.
In II Timothy 2:15 Paul tells Timothy to study to show himself approver unto God as a workman that needed not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Paul realized how important this quiet time was in the scripture. I have a note in my Bible that I made many years ago. As I study the scriptures in my later years I realized that my views are not changing but growing as the Holy Spirit opens up the meaning of the scriptures as I seek to know more about Jesus and His love. It is in these still quiet moments as we let the things of earth grow strangely dim and we seek to let the Holy Spirit speak to us that the peace of God that passes all understands enters into our live.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart I seek thee; let me not wander from thy commandments!
11 I have laid up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.
12 Blessed be thou, O LORD; teach me thy statutes!
13 With my lips I declare all the ordinances of thy mouth.
14 In the way of thy testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on thy precepts and fix my eyes on thy ways.
16 I will delight in thy statutes; I will not forget thy word. (NIV)
As a young man, we must heed the call of God. This concept of God’s desire seems to get lost in our everyday routine of living. If we are not careful Satan, the cares of this world, or the desires of this world will rob us of a desire that God wants for us in our life. In the devotion for June 11 in his book, My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers writes:
The questions that truly matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by these words— “Come to Me.” Our Lord’s words are not, “Do this, or don’t do that,” but— “Come to me.” If I will simply come to Jesus, my real life will be brought into harmony with my real desires. I will actually cease from sin and will find the song of the Lord beginning in my life.
This is what David is writing here in these eight verses in this second section of Psalm 119. As I look back on my life as well as the lives of other Christians I know or have known; I realize that it was not our seeking after God that brought God in our lives, but it was the way that we responded to the seeking God as we opened our hearts and let him enter our inmost place to dwell. Once we open this door and receive Him then the true transformation of bringing our life into harmony with His desires for us will take place and we can then experience the peace that passes understanding in our life.
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding his daily walk according to God’s Word and seeking Him with my whole heart. I will not wander away from His commandments, statutes, ordinances, testimonies or precepts. Instead, I will delight in them and declare them to the world as I strive to be godly witness to this transforming power of God in my own life.
My 5 Daily Psalms 