Exposé of Psalms 119:97-105

I was blessed and challenged by this exposé written by a family friend of ours.

O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.
I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.
I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through thy precepts I get understanding : therefore I hate every false way.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalms 105:97-105

Do you truly love the law of the Lord? Does your heart beat after him as the deer after the water? Does he consume your thoughts? Do you delight yourself in him as a young man delights himself in his new wife? Do you spend time with God the way you spend time with your favorite hobby or pastime?
Sadly, if you and I are honest, we do not. The psalmist says he delights himself in God's precepts. Truthfully, it is sad to say but, we do not have Christ and his law as our first love. He does not reign supreme in our lives as he ought.
 The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, do you fear your God? Sure I know that the word can also mean reverence but should you not stand in awe and be amazed that the hands that hold the universe were nailed to a tree for you? For your sin, and for mine. The voice so terrible as to make the Hebrew people shrink back in terror at mount Sinai, the God of glory thundereth!!! That same voice calls gently and softly to each of us with a love that will not let us go. The righteous Judge of all the earth who's eye never sleepeth and who's hand is never slack, the God who destroys nations, raises kings and throws down others is the same who has redeemed and ransomed us from sin. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Yet, to the repentant he has promised to in no wise cast them out when they come. This is the God I fear.
The wisdom of God brings us understanding. Knowledge puffeth up. Having knowledge is not having wisdom. Without wisdom there is no understanding and without understanding, knowledge is useless. The reason why the verses above say that, “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. “ is because that God's law teaches us three things. One, what evil looks like. Two, what its consequences are. Three, the way of escape.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” In this world of sin and darkness the light of Christ is a dire necessity. And as the allegory so blatantly presents the Word of God should guide our every step. As in a room that is dark save a single light we must be close to the light to be able to perceive detail so must we be close to the Word of God to discern truth.
Let us serve our master well because of the price he has paid for us and because he deserves our love and obedience. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16
Jesus says to each of us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Let him be your guide, follow him into green pasture, feed on his word, and take every thought captive to the Word of God.

- Thomas Smith -

~Brittany

2 Peter 1:5-7 Word Study

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

(2Pe 1:5-7)

And beside this, giving all diligence

Diligence

DILIGENCE, n. [L., to love earnestly; to choose.]

1. Steady application in business of any kind; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or mind without unnecessary delay or sloth; due attention; industry; assiduity.

add to your faith

Faith

FAITH, n. [L. fides, fido, to trust; Gr. to persuade, to draw towards any thing, to conciliate; to believe, to obey. In the Greek Lexicon of Hederic it is said, the primitive signification of the verb is to bind and draw or lead, as signifies a rope or cable. But this remark is a little incorrect. The sense of the verb, from which that of rope and binding is derived, is to strain, to draw, and thus to bind or make fast. A rope or cable is that which makes fast. Heb.]

Virtue

Virtue

VIRTUE, n. vur'tu. [L. virtus, from vireo, or its root. See Worth.] The radical sense is strength, from straining, stretching, extending. This is the primary sense of L. vir, a man.]

3. Moral goodness; the practice of moral duties and the abstaining from vice, or a conformity of life and conversation to the moral law. In this sense, virtue may be, and in many instances must be, distinguished from religion. The practice of moral duties merely from motives of convenience, or from compulsion, or from regard to reputation, is virtue, as distinct from religion. The practice of moral duties from sincere love to God and his laws, is virtue and religion. In this sense it is true,

and to virtue knowledge

Knowledge

KNOWL'EDGE, n. nol'lej.

1. A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.

We can have no knowledge of that which does not exist. God has a perfect knowledge of all his works. Human knowledge is very limited, and is mostly gained by observation and experience.

2. Learning; illumination of mind.

And to knowledge temperance

Temperance

TEM'PERANCE, n. [L. temperantia, from tempero.]

1. Moderation; particularly, habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence; as temperance in eating and drinking; temperance in the indulgence of joy or mirth. Temperance in eating and drinking is opposed to gluttony and drunkenness, and in other indulgences, to excess.

and to temperance patience

Patience

PATIENCE, n. pa'shens. [L. patientia, from patior, to suffer.]

1. The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness. Patience may spring from constitutional fortitude, from a kind of heroic pride, or from christian submission to the divine will.

and to patience godliness

Godliness

GOD'LINESS, n. [from godly.] Piety; belief in God, and reverence for his character and laws.

1. A religious life; a careful observance of the laws of God and performance of religious duties, proceeding from love and reverence for the divine character and commands; christian obedience.

And to godliness brotherly kindness

Brotherly

BROTH'ERLY, a. Pertaining to brothers; such as is natural for brothers; becoming brothers; kind; affectionate; as brotherly love.

Kindness

KINDNESS, n. [from kind, the adjective.]

1. Good will; benevolence; that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; benignity of nature. Kindness ever accompanies love.

and to brotherly kindness charity

Charity

CHARITY, n.

1. In a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.

1 Cor 8. Col 3. 1 Tim 1.

2. In a more particular sense, love, kindness, affection, tenderness, springing from natural relations; as the charities of father, son and brother.

 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

(2Pe 1:5-7) ESV