Psalm 119 ב Beth - With my lips I recount

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9) How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
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, 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.
Psalm 119, verses 9-16 (NRSV*)
5th Sunday of Lent, Years B & C, verses 9-16

The whole 119th Psalm is a mnemonic hymn to the Wisdom of Torah, and its benefits to those philosophers (lovers of wisdom) who keep the Lord's statutes.

These eight verses focus on making God's word and God's laws a living force in the life of a believer. The desire to seek the Lord and to be worthy is answered the the words of scripture. Put the words in your heart.

How? Study them. Meditate upon them. Put them upon your lips - recite them, talk about them, teach them. The close the words are, the more they are part of your life, the more they are available to you as a resource and guide.

Keeping the words so close is one way to gain the goal - to delight in them, to value them and their role in your life as you would a great treasure. Praise be to you, O Lord, that you would give me this gift.

Knowing the words is no guarantee that you will follow them. But it's a darn good start.

Credits:
Brian Jeffery Beggerly, Man reading Psalms at the Western Wall, Jerusalem, March 4, 2007 (edited). (CC BY 2.0).
* New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV), copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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