Bible League: Living His Word May the words of my mouthand the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. David prayed earlier in Psalm 19 that the Lord would keep him from sinful deeds of all kinds. In our verse for today, he takes the issue deeper by asking that the Lord would also keep him from speaking words that are sinful. From David's point of view, the things that we say are just as capable of being sinful as the deeds we do and we need the help of the Lord to keep from speaking them just as much as we do to keep from doing sinful deeds. David, furthermore, wants to take the issue even deeper into his inner being. He is not just concerned about the quality of his words; he is also concerned about the quality of the very meditations or thoughts in his mind. From David's point of view, the thoughts in our minds are just as capable of being sinful as the words of our mouths and the deeds we do, and we need the help of the Lord every bit as much in this area as well. If our words and meditations are free from sin, then they will be pleasing to the Lord. The word translated as "pleasing" is borrowed from the language of the sacrificial system of the old covenant. The animal sacrifices that were brought before the Lord were required to be without defect, so likewise the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts should be without defect. The idea here is that everything we say and think is done before the Lord and should be pleasing to Him as a consequence. David's prayer is directed to the Lord, his rock and redeemer. The Lord is the rock that we can depend upon to help with our words and meditations. Apart from the Lord, nothing we say or think can be pleasing to Him. Further, the Lord is our redeemer. He delivers us from the consequences of our sinful words and meditations, and from the bondage they have over us. The Lord wants us to be pleasing before Him. He is concerned not only with the deeds we do, but also with the words we say and the thoughts we think. Today, then, let us ask the Lord to cleanse us, inside and out. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJob 21, 22 Job 21 -- Job Says God Will Deal with the Wicked NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Job 22 -- Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job to Repentance NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 10:1-23 Acts 10 -- Cornelius' and Peter's Visions; Peter Preaches to the Gentiles NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.Insight Christ's defeat of the devil in the desert was decisive but not final. Throughout his ministry, Jesus would confront Satan in many forms. Challenge Too often we see temptation as once and for all. In reality, we need to be constantly on guard against the devil's ongoing attacks. Where are you most susceptible to temptation right now? How are you preparing to withstand it? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Zechariah 14:8 In summer and in winter shall it be.The streams of living water which flow from Jerusalem are not dried up by the parching heats of sultry midsummer any more than they were frozen by the cold winds of blustering winter. Rejoice, O my soul, that thou art spared to testify of the faithfulness of the Lord. The seasons change and thou changest, but thy Lord abides evermore the same, and the streams of his love are as deep, as broad and as full as ever. The heats of business cares and scorching trials make me need the cooling influences of the river of His grace; I may go at once and drink to the full from the inexhaustible fountain, for in summer and in winter it pours forth its flood. The upper springs are never scanty, and blessed be the name of the Lord, the nether springs cannot fail either. Elijah found Cherith dry up, but Jehovah was still the same God of providence. Job said his brethren were like deceitful brooks, but he found his God an overflowing river of consolation. The Nile is the great confidence of Egypt, but its floods are variable; our Lord is evermore the same. By turning the course of the Euphrates, Cyrus took the city of Babylon, but no power, human or infernal, can divert the current of divine grace. The tracks of ancient rivers have been found all dry and desolate, but the streams which take their rise on the mountains of divine sovereignty and infinite love shall ever be full to the brim. Generations melt away, but the course of grace is unaltered. The river of God may sing with greater truth than the brook in the poem-- "Men may come, and men may go, But I go on forever." How happy art thou, my soul, to be led beside such still waters! Never wander to other streams, lest thou hear the Lord's rebuke, "What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt to drink of the muddy river?" Daily Light on the Daily Path Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; Matthew 5:44,45 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, • so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Luke 6:36 "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Ephesians 5:9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), Titus 3:4-6 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, • He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, • whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, Psalm 145:9 The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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