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נ (Nun) A Lamp To My Feet And A Light For My Path
Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law 14/22
Psalm 119:105-112
Andy Nagahara
This is the fourteenth in a series of Psalm 119, which is called a hymn to the Law. Today, we will focus on verses 105-112, in which the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “נ （Nun),” is placed at the beginning of each line of the fourteenth paragraph.
Since the last time around, the atmosphere of the psalm has changed a bit. In the last part, there were no words at all like the previously familiar cries for help. In today’s section, the Psalmist seems to be looking at himself objectively. And it feels like his gaze that was looking at the past and the present is now directed to the future.
Let’s start reading.
1. God’s word is a lamp for our feet, a light for our path (105, 106)
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
Here the psalmist says that God’s word not only gives peace to our hearts in adversity, but is a light that illuminates where we are going so that we can move forward in the midst of darkness-like adversity. Most people would be too terrified to move forward without a light to illuminate their way ahead if it were pitch dark with nothing to see. Because they don’t know if there is danger in front of them.
But the real danger is at dusk, when we think we can see it but we can’t see much. In fact, major traffic accidents are more likely to occur at dusk than in pitch black hours. Modern cars automatically illuminate the front when it starts to get dark, but I still sometimes see cars driving around at dusk without their lights on. I wonder if you are relying on the light of “God’s Word” to guide you in your walk of life? Even people who are paralyzed in pitch darkness are many who drive their lives without relying on the light of “God’s Word” assuming they can see it even at dusk.
But what does that have to do with verse 106, “take an oath, and confirm it, and follow God’s righteous law?”
In Japan, vehicle inspections are required every two years. Our car has recently been inspected. Since it is an old car, there are various problems, but this time the direction of the light was not correct, so the garage reported that it was fixed. After the car came back from the inspection, I could see the front better than before when I drove it. I didn’t realize it because it was a little bit of a gap, but I was in a state where I couldn’t pass the safety standards.
Even if you think that the word of God is illuminating your path and you are moving forward, if it does not accurately illuminate your path, then you are not being guided by the word of God. It is not only those who do not know God who are running without lights at dusk. It happens even to Christians that they think they have been walking by God’s word, but at some point, they intend to do so, but in reality, they have not. Verse 106 is the secret to avoiding that. We can continue to walk with God by always returning to this verse 106.
It sounds like an exaggeration to say “a vow”, but it means expressing our sincere desire over and over again that we want to walk with God’s words and that we want him to draw our hearts that tend to separate from him. Last week we heard the message of YourChurch Covenant, and having that desire is the heart of our first Covenant, “I love God,” which is to make worship the first priority in our lives.
I would like to add, for those of you who have been joining us recently, when we say “worship,” we don’t mean only this service that we gather here on Sunday mornings to offer. Not only on Sundays, but also at any time, with anyone, or alone, it refers to the “time spent with God” that you should have, even in a situation where you are offering with someone else, but essentially when “you and God face each other one-on-one”.
2. God’s word preserves our life (107, 108)
107 I have suffered much;
preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.
The psalmist must have been placed in a real life-or-death situation.
Let us remember that there are people in this big family of God who are also suffering from illnesses and problems. Worries are not limited to the present. I think everyone has experienced the lack of hope for future prospects. Our desire to live is not limited to simply prolonging our lives. It is a desire to walk through life steadily, step by step, with God, rather than wandering around. This is also fulfilled in the “worship” I talked about in the previous part.
When God created human beings in His own image, as the finishing touch, He breathed the breath of life into their nostrils, which were formed of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). This is a description of the beginning of breathing. Other animals also breathe, but it seems that only humans are said to have been breathed by God himself.
As I have told you before, “life” in the Bible does not refer only to the sustained state of life, but it was also the beginning of a special communion with God. Since that time, God has been breathing spiritual life into us. We respond and lift our voices in praise to God. And God also speaks to our hearts in response to that voice.
Worship is like spiritual breathing. Without it we cannot sustain “life”. In response to God’s call, we express our love and trust in God, praise him, and convey our desires. I have been telling that that is the core of worship.
Worship that I want you to make your first priority in your lives is not a one-way communication where you only receive words.
It is a time when we express our thoughts in response to God’s words and hear God’s words spoken to us in response to our thoughts, as if we are having a conversation with God. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become commonplace for non-business people to hold meetings on ZOOM, and even at Your Church, there were times when no one came here and worshiped on ZOOM from their own homes. We did not use it, but ZOOM has a function that allows us to discuss not only as a whole group, but also temporarily, in groups. So I would like you all to imagine that if the entire service from 10:00 to 11:30 on Sunday is one ZOOM meeting, then the worship time after the message is a time for each of us to spend alone with God. Don’t worry that there are too many people and God can’t talk to me. God is the one who can have intimate moments with each and every person all over the world at the same time. In theological terms, this is called the ubiquitous or Omnipresence of God. Worship is not a time when everyone sings along beautifully to songs associated with the message of the day. So please don’t worry too much about the people around you and think of it as a time just for you and God.
3. God’s word is our eternal joy (109-112)
As long as we live in this world, there will always be those who set traps to deceive us and gain unfair advantage, or to see us as rivals and kick us down. And often the traps are camouflaged. For Eve and Adam, the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil was good to eat, beautiful to the eyes, and even desirable to be wise if eaten, so they forgot God’s warning and ate it.
Human beings have had the same nature since their creation without any change at all. That is what the Bible teaches about ‘sin’. We cannot stop deceiving, robbing, hurting, and killing each other. We cannot erase this nature in ourselves. However, it is possible to walk without being controlled by this nature. Let’s think about how to do that from verses 109 and 110.
109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.
It means, that is, not forgetting the word of God and not straying from it. This is why time spent with God is essential for us. We also need to spend time with people who want to follow God as we do. No one knew how to keep company with God from the beginning. They all saw the footsteps of those who had a good relationship with God before them and followed their example.
Each of you walking with the lamp of God’s word is not only a matter of walking safely in your own life. It can warn people walking without a lamp of the dangers and tell them of the blessings of walking with a lamp. Seeing the people who first met Jesus and followed him, one person was led to walk in God’s word, and the chain continues to reach us today, 2000 years later. We rejoice in this with the psalmist.
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end.
As I have told you, God’s word is not only the guarantee of our existence, but also a guideline for our actions. But living according to Jesus does not mean living a uniform life. God does not require people to have a uniform lifestyle. The path you follow can be completely different from others. However, while not having to be the same as others is a relaxing aspect, it also means that each one of us is expected to earnestly try to listen to God’s word.
It’s an Old Testament topic, so if anyone thinks that Jesus Christ didn’t appear today, that’s a misunderstanding. Jesus Christ is the greatest embodiment of God’s words, commandments, and admonitions. In the first chapter of his Gospel, John introduces Jesus Christ as the Word of God made flesh and the true light for us. Following God’s word is nothing but walking in Jesus’ footsteps.
This year’s Easter falls on April 9th, and we have an outdoor service for the first time in four years. The 46 days before Easter are called Lent. Lent has been cherished as a period of reaffirmation that the suffering, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are at the center of our hearts. All of a sudden, it happens to us that we push Jesus out of the center of our hearts and into the corner, and we are in the center instead. That’s how life goes without lights. With one month to go until Easter, let’s spend this time welcoming Jesus to the center of our hearts.
(Prayer)
Dear God, thank you for preserving our lives and guiding our steps.
Thank you for coming into the world as Jesus and speaking intimately to each one of us.
Even in the darkness and storms, we can walk with your guidance and protection.
May those who do not know this joy see our steps and know you.
May those who unknowingly move away from you find danger and return to you.
May you give comfort and strength to those that are trying to walk through the hard times but trusting in you.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
God’s word is not only the guarantee of our existence but also the guideline for our actions. But living according to Jesus does not mean living a uniform life. God does not require people to have a uniform lifestyle. But, not having to be the same as everyone else has an easy-going side, but it also means that each person is expected to try to hear God’s word earnestly.
For Discussion
1. Share your experience of choosing your path (or overcoming a crisis) with the word of God.
2. What does it mean to live according to God’s word?