Hidden Treasure

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm. It speaks repeatedly of the wisdom, guidance, comfort, correction, challenge and assurance which David receives from the Word of God.

He looks to scripture as his main teacher, trainer, moralist, therapist, encourager, protector and reward. Seemingly every verse heaps praise and thanksgiving upon God’s ‘laws, statutes, commandments, ordinances, testimonies, ways, precepts, etc’. Every verse except three.

I would suggest that in these verses one finds hidden the message not of law but of grace:
Verse 90: Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth and it abideth.
Verse 122: Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.
Verse 132: Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.

What is being said here? God is eternally faithful. I am trusting in the Almighty Creator and not in myself to reach the finish line. He will guarantee or stand as surety for the supply of all righteousness in my life. I will be forever deficient. He will be forever sufficient. Neither oppression nor condemnation will be able to do me irreparable damage. Such a God compels me through love into obedient service. He is always fondly aware of my state and He constantly extends to me His mercy. This is the heritage of the faithful, of those who seek His face and love to consider His nature/name.

Did David realize that he was foreshadowing all of this some hundreds of years before the Gospel? The Holy Spirit did. (1 Peter 1: 10-12)

Dare I Venture?

Could one ever confidently and briefly summarize the major themes of scripture? Probably not. Nevertheless, I offer the following six recurring messages which have often come to me:
1) God is love. (1 John 4)
2) When I see the blood I will pass over you. (Exodus 12)
3) I have found a ransom. (Job 33)
4) In wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3)
5) I have called thee by name. Thou art mine. (Isaiah 43)
6) Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse. (Song of Solomon 4:9a)

It is also interesting to note that the middle verse of the entire Bible is Psalm 118:8 - "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." (NIV)

Deutero-Isaiah, chapters 40 to 66, has often been called the Fifth Gospel because of its many foreshadowings of Jesus as servant-redeemer. The middle verse of this section of prophecy is Isaiah 53:6 which reads as follows:
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

A Month of the Good Stuff

Just in case daily Bible reading gets into a rut. These will bear fruit.

1. ROMANS 8
2. 2 CORINTHIANS 5
3. JOHN 14
4. 1 PETER 1
5. 1 CORINTHIANS 15
6. PSALM 103
7. PSALM 27
8. PSALM 34
9. ISAIAH 53
10. ISAIAH 43
11. EZEKIEL 34
12. HABAKKUK 3
13. MICAH 6
14. LUKE 15
15. LUKE 1
16. JOHN 11
17. LUKE 7
18. MARK 14
19. ACTS 16
20. PHILIPPIANS 3
21. HEBREWS 11
22. GENESIS 24
23. GENESIS 45
24. EXODUS 12
25. RUTH 3
26. 1 SAMUEL 17
27. 1 KINGS 17
28. 2 KINGS 4
29. 2 CHRONICLES 20
30. JOB 29
31. DANIEL 6