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ב (Beth): What Does it Mean to Live According to Jesus’ Teachings?
Series: Finding the Gospel in Psalm 119ーA Hymn to the Law 2/22
Psalm 119:9-16
Andy Nagahara
The longest psalm, Psalm 119, is made up of 22 groups of verses separated by eight verses. Twenty-two is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and each grouping is in alphabetical order, with the beginning of each sentence all starting with the same letter.
Since today is the second in the series, the Hebrew alphabet ב (Beth), which stands for B in English, is used at the beginning of each verse. Last time, I told you that the subject of the psalm 119 is “The Law”. With the exception of only one verse (verse 122), every verse contains either “The Law” or one or more words translated as “statutes,” “ways,” “precepts,” “decrees,” “commands,” “laws,” “judgments,” “your word,” or “promises.
Now let’s look at today’s portion, the second group of verses 9-16, in which ב (Beth) is placed at the beginning of each sentence.
Beth
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
a. to live according to Jesus’ words (9)
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
This section is often used with the intention that we should read and follow the Bible in order to live morally righteously toward young people and children. You have to go to church on Sundays. You must listen to your pastor, for example.
But that is abuse. It is not the words of the Bible that we must follow, but God’s words. Of course, the Bible conveys God’s word. But the Bible itself is not God. It is the word of God written in human language, that is, God’s word expressed within the constraints of time and culture. Therefore, it is impossible to take the words of the Bible as God’s words just as they are.
If we try to do so, the values of the reader will always be included. If that happens, God’s word will not be accurately conveyed. It is never the case that following Jesus and valuing the words of the Bible means taking the Bible literally. It is something to be done more carefully, something multifaceted, something ongoing, something joyful and delightful. This is carefully discussed in the sections that follow.
b. to seek Jesus with all your heart and to never lose sight of him (10)
Let’s read verse 10.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
While verse 9 may have sounded like a conclusive statement that keeping God’s word will keep you pure, verse 10 reveals that walking in obedience to God’s commandments is difficult for anyone, and it is easy to go astray, so we must be diligent in seeking Him. Even if we try to dogmatically follow the biblical statements, it does not mean that we are living the teachings of Jesus. Although it is important to be familiar with the words of the Bible, it is more important to seek God with all our hearts.
c. to hide his word in your heart (11)
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
In the Israeli tradition, memorization of biblical words has been practiced since childhood. It was the time that there was no printing technology. The Bible was only available in a place of worship called a synagogue, which is what we would call a church now. They had to memorize it in order to keep it in their minds.
Even in the Christian church, reciting the words of the Bible has been encouraged. However, memorizing is not the goal. What is meant here is not to put it in the head, but to put it in the heart. To put it in the heart means to have God’s thoughts in our hearts. When we are faced with things, the reason we can do and say things befitting a follower of Jesus is not because we have memorized the words of the Bible, but because we know God’s thoughts.
Needless to say, what is necessary to know God’s thoughts is to read the Bible, but also as I told you in part B., we need to hear from people and other books, not to read them selfishly, and to further ponder what we have learned.
d. to desire to be taught (12)
12 Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.
Living by the Lord’s teachings also means “continuing to be taught. The Bible is a closed book, so to speak, which is commanded not to subtract or add any more. But the Word of God is not confined to the Bible. And, having a knowledgeable understanding of the contents of the Bible is not enough. Whether through sermon in worship service, through discussion in a mini-church, or through a conversation with someone else, it happens that a new angle of light is shed on a text that we thought we knew well and a new understanding is given to us, and we have the opportunity to know Jesus better. Please continue to ask for it.
e. to share what we have been taught (13)
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
In the first half of today’s text, the focus has been on ourselves, but here we see that stepping out and sharing with others is also an element of living the teachings of Jesus. The word “judgment” might give the impression that we are like lawyers who must strictly separate and tell right from wrong in a matter, but it is not that big of a deal. We can tell people what we think Jesus would do or say in a given situation. Telling also means speaking out against the justice and injustice that is right in front of us. We should express God’s thoughts, if we know them, instead of keeping them hidden in our hearts. Otherwise, justice will not spread, and injustice will continue to afflict people.
f. to delight in his ways (14,16)
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
Have you ever had the impression that rejoicing and having fun are not really connected to following the Lord?
It was probably not a materially blessed life for the three years or so that the disciples walked with Jesus. There must have been times of extreme tension, such as during the confrontation with the religious leaders. And yet, for the disciples, the joy of being with the Lord overflowed their hearts, and even though they were at a poor table, they shared food, drank and sang, and enjoyed their time with Jesus.
Are you enjoying your walk with the Lord in joy? The reason we cannot rejoice and enjoy is first of all because we feel it is an obligation or compulsion. But doing things out of obligation or compulsion is no longer love. The other is the human eye. How will anyone look at us? We have lived with such habits for so long that no wonder we are concerned. But all we really need to be concerned about are the eyes and ears of the Lord.
g. to meditate on and identify his ways (15)
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
When I heard the word meditate or “ponder” I thought of Mary’s situation at the time of Jesus’ birth. When Mary was placed at the center of events far beyond human understanding, and the shepherds who heard the angels’ signs came and told her what they had experienced, the people around her simply wondered, but it is written “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
It begins with the angels first visiting Mary to announce the conception and commanding her to name the baby Jesus; then, when she went to see John the Baptist’s mother, John in her womb danced for joy; then, as the angel had predicted, Jesus was conceived in Mary’s body; then, while she was pregnant, she had to go to Bethlehem. The angel also told the shepherds that Jesus had been born as the Savior of the world. She was meditating/pondering all of this and trying to take it all in her own way.
In order to know “What does God want from me? We also need to ponder. For God speaks to us through the Bible, through people, through learning, through experience, and so on, through many different opportunities.
h. to determine to live according to his word (16)
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
The words sung in the second half of the last verse 16 express the psalmist’s decision to live in the words of Jesus. Jesus responded to the devil’s temptation by quoting Deuteronomy chapter 8: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Just like Jesus, his followers will also live nourished by the Word of God. Again, as I mentioned earlier in the first part, the Bible itself is not the Word of God. As the Gospel of John notes, Jesus himself is the Word of God. Because Jesus Himself is the “God who talks to us,” we can talk to each other. And I believe, that is the essence of worship.
Worship is not just about getting together on Sunday mornings. We can worship anytime, with someone else, or alone. After all, living by God’s word means walking in conversation with Jesus, whether on Sunday mornings or not. Along with this service, I hope you will walk this week with joy and enjoy worshiping alone, with family, and with friends during the week.
(Prayer) Dear God, we are glad that you are the one who so intimately talks to us in worship. Kindly open the ears of our hearts and let us hear your words in response to our prayers, both in today’s worship service and in the services that each of us will be offering this week. And guide us to receive your words from the Bible, from conversations with people, through reading, and through our daily experiences, and to follow you thoughtfully.
Summary
At the center of the law is God’s love while legalism is just about morality. Morality is a tool in the hands of rulers and leaders while the law is an invitation from God. Jesus took away the legalism that had become attached to the law and showed us the love of God that had been obscured. The way to which God invites us is one in which we follow Jesus with our hearts, minds, and strength.
For Discussion
- What does it mean to follow Jesus’ word?
- Whose teachings do you share?