Psalm 119 Devotional Study

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

This morning, I read the second section of Psalm 119, "Beth." I said in my last post that I was going to try to figure out what the sections and titles in the Psalm are. However, my husband, as intelligent as he is, already knew and posted the answer in the comments on it. For those of you who did not get to read it, each section title is a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section, in Hebrew, is eight lines, each of which starts with that particular letter. It is basically a very large acrostic!

Beth

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.

10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

12 Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.

13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.

14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.

15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.

16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

Basically, the Psalmist, thought by some to possibly be Ezra, the priest, asks the question, how do I live a pure life? Then, he answers the question, stating you have to "live according to (God's) word." He spends the next 7 line/verses telling how he does that.

• He seeks God wholly, asking for help not to fail.
• He memorizes God's word, so that he will not sin.
• He praises God and asks him to teach him.
• He recites God's word.
• He rejoices in God's word as he would riches.
• He meditates on God's word.
• He delights in God's laws and vows to not neglect it.

Wow! How many of those things do I do? How about you? While I try to obey, I sometimes think of God's commands and the example Christ gave as a burden or chore. Instead, I should be rejoicing in them! Delighting in them! Do I neglect God's word? I have for a long time. I am striving to change that now. I still slip, but I am doing better. How about you? Are you up to the Psalm 119 Challenge?

This seems like a guide for a study time. Begin by seeking God and asking for his help. Then work on scriptures I am memorizing. Then, praise God and ask him to teach me in my devotional time. Read the word out loud. Rejoice in the treasures that God has showed me in his word. Meditate on what I have learned. Delight in that and vow not to neglect God's word. How powerful would that be? I think I will try that during my next study time.

Tips for Bible Study

I am really looking for great tips to enhance my Bible study time. I came across this post on Rahab's Thread that had a great suggestion about 3 questions to ask during a Bible study. In the post, Elle states,

Questions are useful because they are an effective tool for learning about something or someone. Based on that preliminary information, the person must then decide how to respond to the information. The three question method of Bible study is effective because asking questions about a passage of Scripture helps place the information into your brain, serves as a prompt to apply the truth to your life, and causes you to remember both the information and truth beyond lunch.

She provides three questions to use in any Bible study.

1. What is this passage about? At first, that seems too simple, but then I realized that the Bible often uses things we are familiar with to teach us a lesson. This is often the case with parables, but often occurs other places. For example, Isaiah 55:2 (the scripture I am working on memorizing right now and am getting close to mastering) states,

Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Is that talking about food? Is it saying that we need to literally eat a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables? I don't think so. It is talking about putting holy things into our lives. Spending our time, energy, and money on things that will enhance our spiritual health. So, we need to look at what it is really talking about below the surface. Maybe it is cut and dry, but maybe it is not.

2. What do I learn from this passage? Is there something that you have not seen before? Does this relate to some other passage you have read that you did not notice before? Did something just jump out at you? For example in the passage mentioned above, I learned that if we focus on the type of things Christ teaches/emphasized (like the fruits of the spirit or the "whatever is" verse) I will be more satisfied. But, if I keep "ingesting" things of the world, I will always hunger for more. Elle elaborates greatly on this question. Definitely check out what she has to say about it.

3. What will I apply from this passage to my life? Wow! This is where the rubber meets the road. If we only read for knowledge, we are reading in vain. Likewise, if we only study principles without knowing God's word, it is in vain. Now, I am not saying that either of these things in and of themselves are bad. I am actually saying the opposite. Both of them are important.

So, you need to take what you learned in question 2 and state specifically (not just watch better television, but stop watching that specific show) what you will change in your life, or what you will keep doing.

I will definitely be putting these questions to use in my study time. Check out Elle's entire post here. It is well worth your time.

What do you find helpful in your Bible study times? Are there any tips that you have heard that you would like to share? Please let me know!