“Oh, the sheer joy of it!”
Written by Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Psalm 119:1-24 (Forward, p. 33) CEV p. 629
Funny thing, us humans. Even when we approach Scripture, we can have a sense of ‘ho hum’, a sense that we have probably ‘heard it all before.’ I think that this is probably doubly true when it comes to Psalm 119. On the one hand, it is so very long, and so repetitive in its glorying of God’s word and law. And, on the other hand, it is probably a psalm that most of us have ‘visited’ over and over again.
And so, it was with great delight, that a particular verse stood out for me this morning. It is verse 18, “Open my mind and let me discover the wonders of your Law.” Now, the Law, or laws, aren’t normally the kind of thing that people take delight in—except, perhaps, if you are a lawyer, so this is quite incredible.
So, why does our psalmist take such delight in them? There are several reasons, several that he enumerates just in the short section appointed for today’s reading:
a) Firstly, in that they give him pleasure:
“Obeying your instructions brings as much happiness as being rich. I will study your teachings and follow your footsteps. I will take pleasure in your laws and remember your words” (verses 14-16);
“Your laws are my greatest joy! I follow their advice” (verse 24).
At the onset, this sounds pretty incredible, given our modern sense of law and our experience of such things as the Criminal Code. For us, these things are dry and dusty and lifeless and impersonal. So, obviously, what our psalmist sees, knows and experiences in God’s law and God’s words is something totally different. My sense is that for him it is loving and something very dear and personal.
b) Secondly, it is a source of blessing, of God’s blessing:
“Our Lord, you bless everyone who lives right and obeys your Law. You bless all of those who follow your commands from deep in their hearts and who never do wrong or turn from you” (verses 1-3).
c) Thirdly, it is a remedy, a safeguard, against sin, which obviously is something very important to our psalmist:
“You have ordered us always to obey your teachings; I don’t ever want to stray from your laws. Thinking about your commands will keep me from doing some foolish thing. I will do right and praise you by learning to respect your perfect laws” (verses 4-7);
“Young people can live a clean life by obeying your word” (verse 9);
“I worship you with all my heart. Don’t let me walk away from your commands. I treasure your word above all else; kit seeps me from sinning against you. I praise you, Lord! Teach me your laws.” (verses 10-12).
I’m afraid that this psalm gives an entirely different picture, an entirely different feeling, about laws and regulations and commands. To many people today these are seen as onerous and burdensome, and as an imposition and a restriction upon their personal rights and freedoms. Our psalmist has an entirely different view of them. To him, they are loving gifts from a merciful and gracious God, a God who seeks to give us wholesome and wondrous lives, and who wants to bless us and protect us along the way. And so, submitting to His law and His will is not something that we do because ‘we have to’ (or else) but because we want to, because we know that they are there for our benefit and our blessing. Oh, that we could have the same delight, the same sheer joy of it that our psalmist had! Amen.
Forward notes: “I have taken greater delight in the way of your decrees than in all manner of riches. I will meditate on your commandments and give attention to your ways” (verses 14-15).
“In a way, it’s easy for me to take great delight in the way of God’s decrees during the Advent season—after all, these official orders are often spelled out on holiday cards from friends and family as well as present among the green and red Christmas decorations that adorn the inside and outside of our house.
“My lips repeat the words of Isaiah, who said, ‘Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel’ (Isaiah 7:14). I’ve remembered these words since my childhood, when a shy little girl stood on the steps of a little corner church and spoke the prophet’s promises into a microphone.
“But if I’m honest with you, sometimes I wonder what it means to continue to meditate on God’s commandments and ‘give attention to your ways’ when it’s not so obvious around me. Without the decorations and cards and cookies that mark other seasons, will I be just as quick to delight in these decrees?”
MOVING FORWARD: “What words of God do you remember from childhood?”
