Study of Psalm 119. Psalm 119:19

This continues the study of Psalm 119.  (Start the series here: http://createapositiveday.blogspot.com/2017/09/study-of-psalm-119-psalm-1191.html)

God Provides (by Rhonda Sawtelle)

Psalm 119: God's Word....

vs. 19: Provides Perception

I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me. Psalm 119:19

Stranger: temporary dweller, new-comer with no inherited rights

Hide: be absent, conceal, keep secret

Not: never, no

Commandments: which was commanded, law, ordinance, precept

The feeling is that of one in a strange land who would desire, if possible, to keep up constant communications with his home - his family, his friends, his kindred there. On earth, the place of our sojourning - of our pilgrimage - the friend of God desires to have constant contact with heaven, his final home; not to be left to the desolate feeling that he is cut off from all contact with that world where he is forever to dwell. (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible)

Although I live on earth, I know that I will one day live with God for all eternity. Therefore, as I live on earth I need to remember to whom I belong (God) and that I have a job to do (honor and glorify God). In order to do that, I must keep my focus on God and His Word. 

Study of Psalm 119. Psalm 119:18

This continues the study of Psalm 119.  (Start the series here: http://createapositiveday.blogspot.com/2017/09/study-of-psalm-119-psalm-1191.html)


God Provides (by Rhonda Sawtelle)
Psalm 119: God's Word....

vs. 18: Provides Perception

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119:18

Open: denude, uncover

See:  look intently at, to regard with pleasure, have respect

Wondrous: to be surpassing, extraordinary 

Law: Torah, precept or statute

How often do I read Scripture, with my eyes covered? Covered by my ideas of what Scripture should mean. Covered by my limited understanding of a holy God. Covered by my selective memory and opinion. Covered by my circumstances. Covered by my sin. 

How often do I read Scripture with a prayer that my eyes would be "denude" so that I can see God's Truth? How often do I read scripture looking intently with respect at what God says? 

How often do I see God's extraordinary, surpassing anything I could image..... truth in Scripture? 

How often, when I do see an extraordinary truth, do I let it impact my life? 

My prayer...... Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119:18

Psalm 119:18 My Prayer

Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.Psalm 119:18 NKJV

Open: denude, uncover

See: look intently at, to regard with pleasure, have respect

Wondrous: to be surpassing, extraordinary

Law: Torah, precept or statute

How often do I read Scripture, with my eyes covered? Covered by my ideas of what Scripture should mean. Covered by my limited understanding of a holy God. Covered by my selective memory and opinion. Covered by my circumstances. Covered by my sin.

How often do I read Scripture with a prayer that my eyes would be "denude" so that I can see God's Truth? How often do I read scripture looking intently with respect at what God says?

How often do I see God's extraordinary, surpassing anything I could image..... truth in Scripture?

How often, when I do see the extraordinary truth, do I let it impact my life?

My prayer...... Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119:18

Proverbs 3:3, 4: Do Not Abandon—In Plain View

Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3, 4

Mercy: kindness (especially as extended to the lowly, needy and miserable)

Truth: faithfulness, reliableness

Forsake: leave, abandon

Bind: conspire, join together

tablet of your heart: tablet of the memory

Find: attain to thing sought

Favor: acceptance

High esteem: insight, understanding

Sight: in the view, opinion of

God: Yahweh is God in truth

Man: mankind

Forget. Abandon. Leave. Forsake. We all forget things. Many of us have gone to the grocery store for a particular item, and leave with a grocery cart full of stuff, only to get home and realize that we forgot that one item we wanted. 

How do we NOT forget, we write it down. Shopping lists, right? 

God knows that we will forget His mercy and truth, therefore He tells us... bind it, conspire then around your neck, like a necklace, write them on your memory. Keep them handy at ALL times. 

Why to we need to keep mercy and truth handy? So that our lives would be first and foremost acceptable to God, and then fellow man can see God through us. 

Each morning when we get dressed, we need to make sure we bind, put on mercy and truth. We need to make sure that we have written God's truth and mercy upon our hearts so that they are in plain view of everyone who sees us. 

What do people see when they look at me? Do they see God's mercy and truth? Or do they see a person who is self-centered, hateful, prideful...... the list continues. 

Even more importantly, than what do people see, what does God see? He not only sees my actions, but also the motive behind the actions. Am I living out His mercy and truth? Am I allowing His mercy and truth permeate my heart so that my motives and actions are in accordance with His will? 

In sight, in plain view—God and people will see. The question is WHAT are they seeing?  Only when my heart is permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG), will I want to know God's mercy and truth and display them for everyone to see. Do not abandon mercy and truth — for your life is in plain view!

Witnesses

Ruth 4:1-4

Witnesses. 

Boaz did as he said he would. He found the nearest of kin to Naomi. Boaz found the kin and made sure he had witnesses whom others respected. Once he had the kinsman and the witness, he then told the kinsman about the piece of Elimelech's land that was sold, that needed to be bought back for Naomi, in accordance with the law.

In front of the witnesses, Boaz asked the question. 

So, will you buy it back for Naomi? If not, I'll buy back, being the next of kin. 

Once again these verses display that Boaz knew what needed to be done, and did it appropriately. 

The other kinsman, agreed quickly to buying the land.

Reading through Ruth, I am reminded that people are watching. Sometimes at our request, other times, without our knowledge. What are they seeing? What are they witnessing? What do my actions and attitudes reflect? 

Witnesses. What would they give an account about me? If my heart is permeated by a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG), then they'd see Christ.

"What an incredible witness it is to a lost and fearful society when the Christian acts like a child of God, living under the loving sovereignty of the Heavenly Father."  Henry Blackaby

Out of focus?

As I'm watching the sun rise this morning, I've noticed something. If the colors are paler and more subtle, my camera has a hard time focusing on the distant clouds. If the colors are "flashy" and bold,  then the camera has no trouble focusing. 

That made me think. How often do I lose my focus on what God is doing, when He's working in subtle and gentle ways? Do I only notice His "flashy and bold" actions? The later ones are what I see most often, for they "get my attention."  I need to open my eyes and focus on all that God is doing, especially if He’s working in the subtle and gentle ways. 

"Open my eyes to see the ·miracles [wonders] in your ·teachings [instructions; law]." Psalm 119:18 (EXB)

My Silence is Shouting

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 19. Here is what I learned.

They have no speech or words; they have no voice to be heard. Psalm 19:3 (EXB)

There is no speech nor spoken word [from the stars]; their voice is not heard. Psalm 19:3 (AMP)

Inaudible words are their manner of speech, and silence, their means to convey. Psalm 19:3 (VOICE)

`They have no speech, nor words, nor is their voice heard; yet into all the earth hath gone out their sound, and to the extremity of the world their words.' The Hebrew, kav, rendered, line, like the Greek by which the LXX (who are followed by Paul), render it, no doubt signifies the sound as well as the cord which emits it. The Vulgate, Jerome, and Symmachus, render it to the same purpose. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

There is no speech, etc. The sunset was one of the most glorious I ever beheld, and the whole earth seemed so still that the voice of neither God nor man was heard. There was not a ripple upon the waters, not the leaf of a tree, nor even of a blade of grass moving, and the rocks upon the opposite shore reflected the sun's "after glow," and were again themselves reflected from or in the river during the brief twilight, in a way I do not remember ever to have beheld before. No! I will not say the voice of God was not heard; it spoke in the very stillness as loud as in roaring thunder, in the placid scene as in rocks and cliffs impassable, and louder still in the heavens and in the firmament, and in the magnificent prospect around me. His wondrous works declared him to be near, and I felt as if the very ground upon which I was treading was holy. John Gadsby

Without uttering a sound, the stars speak volumes about God. His power. His majesty. His greatness. His eternality. Silent, but still glorifying and honoring God. 

One thing I’ve learned, especially living in an apartment building, is that people enjoy “people watching”. As people watch me, what do they hear? Even without uttering a word, my actions and attitude convey a message. What is my silence shouting? 

To create a positive day, I need to make sure that my silence is shouting praise and honor to God. 

Right in Front of Me

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 146. Here is what I learned.

He makes the blind see. He lifts up those whose backs are bent in labor; He cherishes those who do what is right. Psalm 146:8 (VOICE)

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are brought down. The Lord loves those who are right and good. Psalm 146:8 (NLV)

"The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind." Jesus did this very frequently, and hereby proved himself to be Jehovah. He who made the eye can open it, and when he does so it is to his glory. How often is the mental eye closed in moral night! And who can remove this dreary effect of the fall but the Almighty God? This miracle of grace he has performed in myriads of cases, and it is in each case a theme for loftiest praise.  The Treasury of David

So, often I feel as though I’m in the dark about what is happening in my life. Yet, as God opened the eyes of the literal blind, He can open my eyes to see His way very clearly. 

I remember driving home from work in my first IL snowstorm/blizzard. The cars were traveling at a snails pace. I found that when I tried to look too far ahead, I was “blinded”. I couldn't see the road, or landmarks, just blowing snow. However, when I focused on the road RIGHT IN FRONT of me, I could see very clearly. In fact, I could see the tracks of the cars that went before me, making a clear path for me to follow. 

Just as I needed to look at the road directly in front of me, the same is true in life. I need to only focus on what God has for me right now. I don’t need to look into the far future... God has that under control. When I follow the path God has clearly marked for me, I’ll arrive at the destination God has chosen and will enjoy the wonderful blessing along the way. 

To create a positive day, I need to stop trying to see the future, and simply follow the path God has placed right in front of me. 

Thing Joy

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 27. Here is what I learned.

I truly believe I will see the Lord’s goodness ·during my life [in the land of the living]. Psalm 27:13 (EXB)

Believe: assurance, believe, bring up, establish, steadfast, be firm or faithful, to trust to be permanent or quiet.

See: advise self, appear, approve, behold, consider, discern, have experience, gaze, take heed, perceive.

Lord: deity Yahweh.

Goodness: good things of/as given by God, thing joy, beauty, gladness, welfare.

Land: country, earth, field, world nations.

Living: age, alive, appetite, wild beast, company, congregation, lifetime, lively.

Thing Joy

by Rhonda Sawtelle

As I look around what do I see?

Sadness, despair, pain, and calamity.

As I look up what do I see?

Happiness, hope, comfort and prosperity.

Perception changes seeing as God’s sees.

And trusting that God has perfect strategies,

To accomplish His will through me and teach me,

In the midst of pain will come amazing beauty.

As I look around what do I see?

God is at work—and working mightily.

God’s ‘Thing Joy’ is surrounding me—

As through His eyes the world I perceive.

“Thing Joy”—goodness beyond reality.

Given by God, it can be an actuality.

“Thing Joy” produces life full of vitality.

Sadness or joy—the choice is up to me.

As I look around what do I see?

The choice is mine, to see God’s goodness and  hope and see Him accomplishing His plan, or see the world through my eyes without hope. To create a positive day, I have to see as God sees and understand that God provides “Thing Joy”—even in a world that seems to be full of despair.