GPS

One of the comforts I enjoy is reading the Psalms. When I don't know where else to go in the Bible, I turn to the Psalms. This one has been on my heart and in my prayers:  

Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
    to keep your righteous rules.
107 I am severely afflicted;
    give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
108 Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
    and teach me your rules.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually,
    but I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
    but I do not stray from your precepts.
111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
    for they are the joy of my heart.
112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes
    forever, to the end. (Psalm 119:105-112, emphasis added)

It is true I am severely afflicted, so I pray that God will give me life and accept my freewill offering of praise. The above passage is from the English Standard Version of the Bible, and I must admit that I don't really like the use of the word "rules" (vv. 106, 108). It is not so much that I chafe at following rules, especially God's "rules." It is more, I think, that translation from one language (in this case, Hebrew) to another (English) results in connotations rather than denotations being wrenched a bit. 

 In this case, I prefer the King James Version. Where the Hebrew is rendered variously as "precepts, " "judgments," or "law." The way I see it, God's "rules" are more like precepts, or guidelines designed to protect and defend me from the evil that is so prevalent in the world. The "judgments" here are the considered conclusions that God has given us in order to keep us from harm, rather than accusations. And the "law" amounts to God's Commandments, which simply remind me that His will for my life is to "Love God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength; and to love my neighbor as much as I love myself." (see Matthew 22: 37-40) 

So, I do my best to incline my heart to perform His statutes forever, to the end, because I know that He loves me and is for me. (See John 3:16, Romans 8:31) His statutes, precepts, judgments, law He has revealed for my good! 

Have you ever been on a road trip, heading for somewhere you have never been along a route with which you are unfamiliar? Did you, perhaps, use a road map to help you find your way? Or maybe you used a GPS or Google Maps on your phone. Now, why did you do that? Well, duh, it makes it so much easier to avoid getting lost!

That's how I see God's precepts and judgments and law; rules, if you wish. They are like a road map to help me navigate life and save me from going somewhere that could endanger my life or my well-being. So I made up this acronym: GPS, God's Precepts Save. I once heard another acronym that I like: BIBLE, Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth. 

God is not interested in punishing me; He wants to bless me. (See Isaiah 58:8-14) So, He started by giving me His word as a GPS. This passage in Isaiah can be read as, "Do this, and THEN I will bless you," as if God is bargaining with Israel; quid pro quo. But dare I say it, I know God well enough  to know that the blessing is not a reward for toeing the mark. It is the natural result of doing things in the way that God has designed. Just as following the road map will bring me to my destination, so following God's precepts will bring me to the blessing He has already prepared for me. 

And so, in this time of affliction, I will praise Him, for "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable." (Psalm 145:3) "But for me it is good to be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my refuge,
    that I may tell of all your works." (Psalm 73:28)

If you pray, please pray with me that God will show me the route to the blessing He has planned for me in this current affliction. 

 


Comments

  1. Bob SNovember 30, 2021 at 10:03 AM

    Tom should be the preacher. A joy to read Tom. Indeed, you are facing this affliction with your "eyes fixed on Jesus." My afflictions are not your afflictions, and as of yet, there remains more race ahead of me. I do not know what joys or afflictions await me. But I will press on with you. Our destination is the same. Thank you Tom.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TomDecember 3, 2021 at 6:18 AM

    Bob, this is high praise indeed, coming from one of my favorite Bible scholars and preachers. Thank you for pressing on with me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BenjyDecember 6, 2021 at 9:19 AM

    Always inspiring Tom - in all seasons, God's guardrails hold! Here's that passage in the recent translation I've been enjoying right now:

    105Your word is a lamp to my foot,
    a light to my trail.
    106I swore and set it up,
    that I would keep your faithful rulings.
    107I am low, very low, Yahweh;
    bring me to life in accordance with your word.
    108Please accept the free offerings of my mouth, Yahweh,
    and teach me your rulings.
    109My life is in the palm of my hand continually,
    but I haven’t put out of mind your instruction.
    110Faithless people have placed a trap for me,
    but I haven’t strayed from the things you’ve determined.
    111I’ve made your affirmations my own permanently,
    because they are the joy of my heart.
    112I’ve bent my mind to act on your decrees,
    permanently, to the utmost.


    Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Ps 119:105–112). London: SPCK.

    ReplyDelete

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