"(Aleph) Joyful are people of integrity,
who follow the instructions of the LORD.
Joyful are those who obey His laws
and search for Him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil,
and they walk only in His paths.
You have charged us
to keep Your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions
would consistently reflect Your decrees!
Then I will not be ashamed
when I compare my life with Your commands.
As I learn Your righteous regulations,
I will thank You by living as I should!
I will obey Your decrees.
Please don't give up on me!"
(Psalm 119: 1-8)
who follow the instructions of the LORD.
Joyful are those who obey His laws
and search for Him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil,
and they walk only in His paths.
You have charged us
to keep Your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions
would consistently reflect Your decrees!
Then I will not be ashamed
when I compare my life with Your commands.
As I learn Your righteous regulations,
I will thank You by living as I should!
I will obey Your decrees.
Please don't give up on me!"
(Psalm 119: 1-8)
Hi, Mrs. Kurtz.
You mentioned that true happiness comes only from obeying God's rules, not independence/ rebellion. Verses 1-3 call people "blessed," but does that really mean they are joyful? Verse 6 says that heeding the commandments prevents being "put to shame," but again I question the earthly (note: I said earthly, not eternal) happiness of anyone who abides by God's rules. Obeying God may benefit people in their relationship with Him and their life in heaven, but I still think that their lives right now may suffer. My problem in life is that I want everything now; I can't wait for anything. I want "independence" right now in every aspect of life, but I can't do things my own way and follow God's will.
Can you explain verse 8? Does it imply that if a person does not "obey God's decrees" that they will be "forsaken"?
This passage has been deeply frustrating. I know this is very juvenile of me, but I HATE rules/guidelines. There will be times in school where I will PURPOSELY ignore rubrics because I want to do the project my own way. Sometimes I will take a lower grade if it means that the work was done the way I wanted to do it. I don't like the dress code, or the restrictions on where you can eat lunch, or hall passes. Recently rules at home have become more of a discussion than a set limit...if I have a good point/reason to do something or be out late, my parents will let me (it wasn't always that way). I like the independence and flexibility of doing what I want, and I dislike that the Bible tells me otherwise. I am also really conflicted about the legalism in this passage. It makes me think of the question of having a relationship with God vs. simply following rules. What are your thoughts? Am I taking this out of context?
Dear friend,
Yes, I do think that the verse indicates that the person who follows God's law will be joyful! He (or She) will know and experience true joy. The word that is often translated "blessed" (the NLT used "joyful") means "happiness, blessedness". Some interesting word studies/explanations can be found through Bible Hub and Bible Gateway, and many other sites on the internet.
As I've said before, the world (and its views) has corrupted/twisted God's Word, exalting "self" and the fulfillment of any and all desires. After a time, we cannot even conceive of anything but "our way," and the idea of any "restraints" sits with us none too well. We crave what is wrong, and we spurn what is right.
From our discussions, I know that you're not a fan of the book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. This story, however (and the others in the series), communicates many profound truths in very simple ways. I love this quote; can you see how it applies to our discussion?
I need to be sure to state that the Bible does NOT teach that the believer will be without troubles or sorrows. The Bible is not a good luck charm, nor are the precepts found within some sort of "formula" for happiness. The happiness of the Bible, rather, is a happiness that extends beyond situations, and in spite of circumstances. There is joy in the RELATIONSHIP, knowing the Lord and living in fellowship with Him.
This discussion is similar to some of the conversations we've had about marriage; entering into a relationship is to take a leap of faith--trusting the one to whom you are committing yourself. Our relationship with the Lord is this way; we trust Him, leaping into His love, His care, His way, because we know that He is good, He is merciful, He is holy.
I know that I've said this before, but seek the Lord. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Trust Him. Take the leap. I continue to pray for you.
Heavenly Father, We know that You are good, merciful and holy. Yet we waver in our faith, hesitating to trust You fully. We know what Your Word says, but our rebellious and stubborn hearts pursue our own desires. We ask You to help us to see, to understand, to trust, to love, to obey. We want to know the joy of walking with You!
This is an old hymn. I shared a link to listen to it with you here, and I copied the lyrics below, because the words are powerful. I pray that you will be encouraged and strengthened by them.
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me.
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not,
To rid my soul of one dark blot.
To Thee Whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, though tossed about,
With many a conflict, many a doubt.
Fightings within and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because Thy promise, I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
You mentioned that true happiness comes only from obeying God's rules, not independence/ rebellion. Verses 1-3 call people "blessed," but does that really mean they are joyful? Verse 6 says that heeding the commandments prevents being "put to shame," but again I question the earthly (note: I said earthly, not eternal) happiness of anyone who abides by God's rules. Obeying God may benefit people in their relationship with Him and their life in heaven, but I still think that their lives right now may suffer. My problem in life is that I want everything now; I can't wait for anything. I want "independence" right now in every aspect of life, but I can't do things my own way and follow God's will.
Can you explain verse 8? Does it imply that if a person does not "obey God's decrees" that they will be "forsaken"?
This passage has been deeply frustrating. I know this is very juvenile of me, but I HATE rules/guidelines. There will be times in school where I will PURPOSELY ignore rubrics because I want to do the project my own way. Sometimes I will take a lower grade if it means that the work was done the way I wanted to do it. I don't like the dress code, or the restrictions on where you can eat lunch, or hall passes. Recently rules at home have become more of a discussion than a set limit...if I have a good point/reason to do something or be out late, my parents will let me (it wasn't always that way). I like the independence and flexibility of doing what I want, and I dislike that the Bible tells me otherwise. I am also really conflicted about the legalism in this passage. It makes me think of the question of having a relationship with God vs. simply following rules. What are your thoughts? Am I taking this out of context?
Dear friend,
Yes, I do think that the verse indicates that the person who follows God's law will be joyful! He (or She) will know and experience true joy. The word that is often translated "blessed" (the NLT used "joyful") means "happiness, blessedness". Some interesting word studies/explanations can be found through Bible Hub and Bible Gateway, and many other sites on the internet.
As I've said before, the world (and its views) has corrupted/twisted God's Word, exalting "self" and the fulfillment of any and all desires. After a time, we cannot even conceive of anything but "our way," and the idea of any "restraints" sits with us none too well. We crave what is wrong, and we spurn what is right.
From our discussions, I know that you're not a fan of the book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. This story, however (and the others in the series), communicates many profound truths in very simple ways. I love this quote; can you see how it applies to our discussion?
"there's nothing that spoils the taste of
good, ordinary food
half so much as the memory of
bad magic food."
This discussion is similar to some of the conversations we've had about marriage; entering into a relationship is to take a leap of faith--trusting the one to whom you are committing yourself. Our relationship with the Lord is this way; we trust Him, leaping into His love, His care, His way, because we know that He is good, He is merciful, He is holy.
"God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promises could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary."
(Hebrews 6: 17-19, but remember to read the full context)
- What drew you to Christ?
- How does "hope" affect a situation? How does "hopelessness" affect a situation?
- What does it mean that the hope in this passage is an "anchor for our souls"?
- In which relationships in your life can you "leap" because you know the character of the person and can trust him/her fully?
"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His children, too. We know we love God's children if we love God and obey His commandments. Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those that believe that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5: 1-5)
Heavenly Father, We know that You are good, merciful and holy. Yet we waver in our faith, hesitating to trust You fully. We know what Your Word says, but our rebellious and stubborn hearts pursue our own desires. We ask You to help us to see, to understand, to trust, to love, to obey. We want to know the joy of walking with You!
This is an old hymn. I shared a link to listen to it with you here, and I copied the lyrics below, because the words are powerful. I pray that you will be encouraged and strengthened by them.
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me.
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not,
To rid my soul of one dark blot.
To Thee Whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, though tossed about,
With many a conflict, many a doubt.
Fightings within and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because Thy promise, I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
No comments:
Post a Comment