Psalm 119:9-16— As an acrostic
psalm this section is focused on the Hebrew letter Beth. The Psalmist would
have reason to praise the Lord for blessings received and deliverances granted because
the Lord does not forsake His own.
Purity of
life and meditation on God’s word.
Each line of
this second section of Psalm 119 begins with the Hebrew letter Beth, which also
means “a house.” Some have suggested that this section tells us how to make our
heart a home for the word of God.
V. 9 A young
man finds a cleansed life through God’s word.
How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed
according to Your word.
How can a young man cleanse his way? This was no
less a difficult question in ancient times than in our own. The young man has
his own particular challenges in living a pure life.
This is a
question that some – even some who are numbered among the people of God – never
seem to ask for themselves. Sadly, some people never have a concern for moral
purity. They echo the prayer of Augustine before his conversion: “Lord, make me
chaste – but not yet.”
The world
tells us, “Have your good time when you are young; get it all out of your
system. When you are older you can settle down and be religious and proper.” God’s
answer is quite different. God says, if you are going to live for me, you must
begin at the earliest possible moment, without delay, preferably when you are
very young.
Even when
one has the desire for moral purity, many things may make it difficult for a
young man to cleanse his way.
· The lack of life wisdom.
· The desire for and gaining of independence.
· Physical and sexual maturity that may run ahead of spiritual and moral maturity.
· Money and the freedom that it brings.
· Young women who may – knowingly or unknowingly – encourage moral impurity.
· The spirit of the age that both expects and promotes moral uncleanness for young men.
· The desire to be accepted by peers who face the same challenges.
God wants to
spare the young man (and the older man) the bondage of sin. Experience has the
power to shape our habits. Surrender to any temptation; transfer it from the
realm of mental contemplation to life experience, and that temptation instantly
becomes much more difficult to resist in the future. Each successive experience
of surrender to temptation builds a habit, reinforced not only spiritually, but
also by brain chemistry. Such ingrained habits are more and more difficult to
break the more they are experienced; and it is almost impossible to break such
habits without replacing them with another habit.
Significantly,
the words his way come from the Hebrew word orach. Orach, which we translate
way here, signifies a track, a rut, such as is made by the wheel of a cart or
chariot.
Of course,
it is not only the young man who has these challenges; older men and women of
every age have their own challenges in living pure lives. Yet these are often
more severely felt in the life of the young man.
By taking heed. A life of moral
purity does not happen accidentally. If one does not take heed, the natural
path is toward impurity and degeneration. One must take heed in order to be
pure.
According to
Your word: This is how one takes heed. The foundation for a morally pure life
is found in God’s word.
· God’s word shows us the reasons for purity, so we understand the wisdom and goodness of God’s commands.
· God’s word shows us the difficulty of purity, and reminds us to be on guard.
· God’s word shows us the blessings of purity, and gives us an incentive to make the necessary sacrifices.
· God’s word shows us how to be born again – converted, so our inner man may be transformed after the pattern of ultimate purity, Jesus Christ.
· God’s word shows us the way to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, so that we have the spiritual resources to be pure.
· God’s word is a refuge against temptation, giving us a way of escape in the season of enticement.
· God’s word is a light that clears away the deceptive fog of seduction and temptation.
· God’s word is a mirror that helps us see our spiritual and moral condition, and thus walk in purity.
· God’s word gives us wise and simple commands, such as to “Flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22).
· God’s word washes us from impurity, and actually cleanses our life in a spiritual sense (Ephesians 5:26, John 15:3).
· God’s word is the key to the renewing of our minds, which in turn is the key to personal, moral, and spiritual transformation (Romans 12:1-2).
· God’s word gives a refuge against condemnation when we have been impure, and shows us how to repent and come back to a pure life.
· God’s word shows us how to conduct our lives so that we are an encouragement to others in purity.
Jesus spoke
specifically of the power of His word to cleanse and keep us pure: You are
already clean because of the word, which I have spoken to you (John 15:3).
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth (John 17:17).
This idea is
communicated in Proverbs 2:10-12: When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge
is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep
you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse
things [2]
Collect for Tuesday of the week of
Epiphany 5: Set us free,
O God from the bondage of our sins and give us the liberty of this abundant
life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who
lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever. Amen [3]
- 07 February 2023
[2] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-119
[3] Collect for Tuesday of the week of Epiphany 5, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church Vol. III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
No comments:
Post a Comment