Psalm 119 - 15 - Samekh - Evil and Good (2)

"(Samekh) I hate those with divided loyalties,
but I love Your instructions.
You are my refuge and my shield; 
Your Word is my source of hope.
Get out of my life, you evil-minded people,
for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
LORD, sustain me as You promised, that I may live!
Do not let my hope be crushed.
Sustain me and I will be rescued;
then I will meditate continually on Your decrees.
But You have rejected all who stray from Your decrees.
They are only fooling themselves.
You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum;
no wonder I love to obey Your laws!
I tremble in fear of You;
I stand in awe of Your regulations." (Psalm 119: 113-120)  

Dear Mrs. Kurtz,

As I was reading, a few things really stood out to me.

     I thought about the opening line of the Bible passage, "I hate those with divided loyalties, but I love Your instructions" (v 113). The words "divided loyalties" really describe the unhealthy attachment Christians have to the world. It calls out Christians who have one foot in and one foot out, in a sense. We can't have both.

     Verses 113-120 also points out that the only way we can resist worldly influence, when it seems impossible on our own, is through God. "Sustain me and I will be rescued..." (v 117) 

     I also like your analysis points. I thought you had a really good point when you discussed how we let an "I" mentality take precedence over all. When reading that, I just thought, "Whoa, that's me". It's all about whatever I want in my life, and I never let go of that to cling to God like I am supposed to. 
    
     In the prayer at the end you said, "Will You enable us by Your Spirit to live in the world without the world living in us?". Wow. I would like to make a point of praying for God to help me to live in the world without the world living in me. 

Dear friend,
     I am glad that this passage and the prayer spoke to you! As Hebrews 4:12 tells us,

"For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."

    When we think of "sword" and "cutting," we think only of violence, injury, and death. Yet the work of the Word of God brings life, not death. It brings healing, not injury. It brings peace, not violence. Who would equate a sword with hope and life? That is what the Word of God is!

     I'm going to reference the first and last portions of Psalm 139 and hope that you'll read the entire Psalm in order to have a full context:

"O LORD, You have examined my heart and know everything about me... (verse 1)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  (verses 23-24)

     God wants to work in us for our good. When we invite Him to search us, He will. Yet we need not fear His work in us, for even the sword brings life.

     And He is not without compassion:

"So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weakness, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:14-16, the immediate context is chapters 4 and 5, though the full context is the entire book)

     To close for now, I am leaving some of the original blog and reflection questions below. Let's continue to dwell on them as we seek to draw nearer to God in the days to come.

     So, how can we live in the world without being corrupted by it?

We hold fast to God's Word. We study, we cling, we trust in the LORD and in His Word. We live as light in a dark world. We do not avoid the world; rather, we seek to influence it. 

     Yet we cannot do this on our own power. We are too weak. We are too easily corrupted. We are prone to like the darkness.

• What is so important about Jesus being our "High Priest"?
• What does it mean that the Word of God is "alive"?
• Can we trust the Lord, even when being searched and "cut" by His Word?
• How can we keep from falling for the allures of "the world"?
• Should a Christian completely remove himself/herself from any contact with "the world"? Why/Why not?
• In what ways are we to be a light for the darkness of the world? 

Heavenly Father, The world and its influences are many and powerful. Yet You are the All Powerful, Sovereign Lord. Today we again declare our allegiance to You. We cling to Your Word as our source of Truth and Life. Will You reveal Yourself to us through Your Word? Will You enable us by Your Spirit to live in the world without the world living in us?

Psalm 119 - 15 - Samekh - Evil and Good

"(Samekh) I hate those with divided loyalties,
but I love Your instructions.
You are my refuge and my shield; 
Your Word is my source of hope.
Get out of my life, you evil-minded people,
for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
LORD, sustain me as You promised, that I may live!
Do not let my hope be crushed.
Sustain me and I will be rescued;
then I will meditate continually on Your decrees.
But You have rejected all who stray from Your decrees.
They are only fooling themselves.
You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum;
no wonder I love to obey Your laws!
I tremble in fear of You;
I stand in awe of Your regulations." (Psalm 119: 113-120)  

Dear friend,

     Notes from "Samekh": Evil and Good: The author declares his allegiance; in a world of evil, he will cling to the Good. In the midst of despair, he will cling to hope.
     Do you hear how violently he speaks? "Get out of my life" and "You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum" set the tone, don't they?
     At times we can enjoy ourselves so much that we stop noticing the wickedness that surrounds us. We forget that sin has corrupted this world and its inhabitants. We are blinded to sin in us and around us. We let the sinful, evil influences distort our thinking and our perspective. Wrong becomes right. "I" take precedence over all.

     Is the solution to the problem of evil simply to remove ourselves from the world and its influences? Should we as believers isolate ourselves from any outside influence?

     No. How can we affect the darkness if we don't take our light into it? Let's consider what Jesus prayed for His disciples (we're coming in part way through the prayer):

"During my time here, I protected them by the power of the Name You gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. Now I am coming to You. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with My joy. I have given them Your Word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your Word, which is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give Myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by Your truth." (John 17: 12-19, but the context is chapters 13 through 18, Jesus' last time with His disciples before the crucifixion)

     So, how can we live in the world without being corrupted by it?

We hold fast to God's Word. We study, we cling, we trust in the LORD and in His Word. We live as light in a dark world. We do not avoid the world; rather, we seek to influence it. 

     Yet we cannot do this on our own power. We are too weak. We are too easily corrupted. We are prone to like the darkness.

• How can we keep from falling for the allures of "the world"?
• Should a Christian completely remove himself/herself from any contact with "the world"? Why/Why not?
• If we cannot resist worldly influences on our own power, is there any hope of resisting?
• How/Where can we find help?
• In what ways are we to be a light for the darkness of the world? 

Heavenly Father, The world and its influences are many and powerful. Yet You are the All Powerful, Sovereign Lord. Today we again declare our allegiance to You. We cling to Your Word as our source of Truth and Life. Will You reveal Yourself to us through Your Word? Will You enable us by Your Spirit to live in the world without the world living in us?