Psalm 119 Sin/Shin (161-168)

We are nearing the end of our journey (a few week-long journey, at that!) through Psalm 119, and I think it is safe to say that is has been a journey through appreciating the Word/Law of God. In this passage alone we are reminded that the psalmist finds God's Law a cause for worship and great peace. Let us compare and contrast how we encounter God's Law.

First, the term Law is one that strikes many, including those of my generation, with a certain amount of angst. It is not that my generation is undisciplined, it is more the case that we have inherited a certain distrust of the exercise of power. We've seen how people, in the name of power, have used laws to hurt, suppress and undermine other people. On the other hand, we also do not view the gaining of power as something to be grasped. The BBC reported a few weeks back that in this generation, the American Dream itself seems to be changing. And whether or not I like to admit it (I do), I am a part of this generation.

So how do I, having inherited this distrust as well as a spirit of community, read this love of God's Law and the peace that follows? For one, I read them in a community spirit. The laws found in the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament) are largely community-based. There are individual statutes, to be sure, but much of the Law is meant to be held up by the community. The second thing I read is a distrust of power with which I resonate completely. It is the princes and the powers who are hounding the psalmist. It is the empires that rattle their sabres at Israel, and it is the powers that we are called to contend with in the book of Romans.

Of course, I also have to examine my own beliefs and recognize that I am not completely right. With all the knocks that the powerful take in the Bible, the language of the powerful is also the language of God- the King, Lord, Sovereign, Almighty, enthroned, crowned, etc. My restless spirit eventually finds its rest (which resembles the end of a temper tantrum) at the throne of God. And when I find my rest there, although sometimes I am uncomfortable with what I find, I usually chalk that up to my growth areas and try to obey. Hopefully our journey through Psalm 119 has been useful for you as it has for me.