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I wanted to start our year off by continuing in our series entitled “Psalms Greatest Hits”, exploring Psalm 119, and focusing today on the sixth stanza which is the sixth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet…waw…(pronounced vau/v). In Hebrew every verse of this stanza begins with a “waw” so essentially, the whole chapter is an acrostic poem. As I understand it, when a waw is placed in front of a word it serves as a conjunction, thus making the verse begin with “and” although some translations drop the waw because of its redundancy. Additionally the word “waw” means “hook” or “peg” specifically those that the curtains of the tabernacle where hung upon. The Hebrew letter even kind of looks like a peg, but In a literary sense, it’s a conjunction.

The new year is the season for a fresh start, or a “do over.” We make resolutions hoping to bring about the changes we desire in our lives. All the influencers, life-coaches, and gurus promise to help by increasing our effort, output, and accountability…for a fee… However, lasting change starts at our true head waters, prior to behaviors or emotions or our malware scripts. Change begins in the love and Word of God. Psalm 119 is the best start to our year because the Psalmist provides us the best possible inner posture for lasting transformation, namely: humility.

Life is more difficult when life is dis-integrated, fragmented into pieces. When we compartmentalize life into family, work, faith, hobbies, health, etc…we constantly feel the “juggle-struggle” as effort given in one area creates tension in another. “Integration” is the life hack whereby we only do one thing, not many things. To integrate the pieces we must begin where our Psalm begins… with the Love of God.

⁴¹ Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
    your salvation according to your promise;

The Psalmist repeated his request for the “chesed” (mercy, loving kindness) of Yahweh. Since a Jew wouldn’t pronounce God’s name, he uses “Adoni” or “Lord”. God grace to us is the salvation of God. The Psalmist predates Institutional Christianity by centuries, thus, the biblical salvation isn’t about conversion, but the experience of God’s love according to “the words or sayings of you“.

⁴² then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word.

We live amidst skeptics, doubters, and scoffers…people who consider themselves more clever, smarter, or better than us. A reproach is the disapproval or scorn for our belief. Today’s culture strongly reproaches people of faith, calling us unlearned, foolish, or believing fairy tales. But scoffers are not always external. We all have inner scoffers, those malware scripts that plague our lives, taunting us from inside. The Psalmist takes this abuse, acknowledging these taunts, because he trusts “In the word of You.” He overwrites the malware script with the Truth of the words of God. Only God can say who we are…”Always the Beloved.“

This is life’s Ultimate Hack for the person of faith. Whereas the scoffer requires validation based on performance, and whereas they must look to the anesthesia of psychotropic medication to offset the anxiety of their inner scoffer; the believer understands that the love of God is what provides True North. Scoffers reject the only working compass.

⁴³ And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
    for my hope is in your rules.

The life-hack goes further here by orienting our hopes in God’s judgments, God’s way of seeing, God’s rules for living, and asks that God’s word of truth “be not rescued utterly out of his mouth” or be taken, or withdrawn. Like a teenager whose car is his or her lifeline begging his or her father, “Don’t take the car keys from me…” If we want life to go in a better direction, we must update our “decisions making software.” We seek change, because we’ve called the shots, but what if we humble ourselves and let God’s love and word direct our path?

⁴⁴ I will keep your law continually,
    forever and ever,
⁴⁵ and I shall walk in a wide place,
    for I have sought your precepts.

The untrained mind views rules and laws are restrictive (i.e. modernity rejecting religion), but when laws are derived from “chesed” (the lovingkindness of God), rules are actually expand our freedom. Walking in a “wide place” is to have many options… to have line of sight… vision…to see what’s coming…opportunity…to walk in safety…prepared...with little risk of ambush…surprise…reduce struggle. God’s laws are like keys to a video game, allowing us to advance to higher levels. It’s what we all want, but so few will trust God’s Word to get it.

⁴⁶ I will also speak of your testimonies before kings
    and shall not be put to shame,

The ESV translates “al-mtzuthi-k” as “commandments,” but Hebrew is closer to “instructions.” I think this nuance gives a different rendering to the text. God’s instructions aren’t optional, they aren’t “God’s opinion” for our consideration, they are instructions for our good from His love. “No” means it will harm us. We relate to commanders differently than to instructors and our modern minds need this. The knows these instructions won’t fail, even before kings. Applying them to our life, means they won’t fail us or put us to shame.

I have tested this in over 30 years of leadership experience in both church and business and I can testify that doing things according to the word of God, produces tremendous success.These principles helped lead me to commercial and social success, and fill my life with abundant opportunity. Just what we all seek in the New Year.

⁴⁷ for I find my delight in your commandments,
    which I love.

⁴⁸ I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
    and I will meditate on your statutes.

The Psalmist ends this section by exalting these instructions, which he has grown to love. He states twice that he “loves” them. These words of God are the subject matter of his meditation. To know and love God’s instruction is to know and love God. The best wisdom I can give you is that the key to life is not living it on our terms, but on God’s. It’s the ultimate life hack, and surprisingly, so few can trust it.

When the delusions of life creep in and the distractions of life cause me to drive out of my lane, the instruction of God, given from his great love for us, is the correction we need to find true life and peace. May we all discover the “chesed” within God’s instructions for life.

May we all come to a place this year where we too love the Word of God.