Just wanted to share a great passage from Psalm 19 that I just read:
"The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
then much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward."
[Psalm 19:6-11]
I can't recall ever reading or hearing verses 7 and 8. They observe the goodness of the laws of God from a few different angles. "Reviving the soul" points out that following God's laws can bring you out of a numbed rut....something I have experienced a bit of lately. "Making wise the simple"--A simple man can obtain wisdom by simply following some outlines laid out by God. "Giving joy to the heart"--Here, the Psalmist moves from practicality to hedonism. God's laws are not just practical--they are life-giving and enjoyable. "Giving light to the eyes"--Following God's ways reveals things.
I'm having a tougher time interpreting "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever." Anyone have any insights?
So much of Christianity today is based around feelings. So much of everything today is based around feelings. Feelings are great, and not to be ignored, but in the words of my wise friend Dave Bachman, "feelings make poor leaders". If we just "follow our heart", we have a deceitful leader.* If we decide to follow God's ways, we have the greatest leader imaginable.
*Jer 17:9
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i agree whole-heartedly. feelings are what get in the way of good decisions... as far as the "fear of the LORD..." deal goes, i think we just need to remember that to fear the LORD does not mean we are scared of Him (though we rightfully ought to be...) but it means that we are aware of His might and splendor. perhaps this leads to a pure heart and mind. i dunno... i just play the guitar.
ReplyDeleteHere's a free opinion, remembering, you get what you pay for.
ReplyDeleteThe fear of the Lord appears to be tied primarily to the wisdom theme in many scriptural references (see e.g., Job 28:20-28 and PS 111:10). The fear of the Lord is also tied to the beginning of knowledge in PR 1:7. I particularly like this one as it also says "Listen my son, to your fathers instruction...", - always great advice.
Other themes are the addition of years to your life (PR 9:10-11 and PR 10:27), and the connection to wealth and honor and life (PR22:4).
The fear of the Lord will be the key to the treasure of salvation and wisdom and knowledge (IS 33:5-6) And, interestingly, Isaiah predicted that Christ would delight in the fear of the Lord and would not judge by what he sees or hears, but with righteousness and justice (IS:11:1-4).
The early Christian church was strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit as they lived in the fear of the Lord (ACTS 9:31)
Perhaps the word fear may mean as much reverence and awe as outright trembling. In the final analysis, we know those of us who love Him will have nothing to fear at judgement (MAL 3:5).
Love you Paul.
Thanks for the comments guys.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on what it means to fear the Lord, I guess I just meant I didn't understand the tie in with it being "pure" and "enduring forever".
Perhaps the passage can read, "Fear of the Lord makes one pure", or better yet, it simply means that the concept of fearing God is a pure concept.