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Psalm 119 - Beth

In the previous stanza, the young Hebrew saw that the only way to please Jehovah was by obedience to His precepts (His law).  The theme of this second stanza, the lines of which begin with the Hebrew letter BETH, is not radically different.  The student needs to learn how he can lead a clean life before God. He says, "How can a young man cleanse his way?"  And then he answers his own question when he says, "By taking heed according to Your Word." 

Knowing that the only way to please Jehovah is by keeping His Word, and knowing his own tendencies to stray from it, the student prays, "With my whole heart I have sought You; oh let me not wander from Your commandments!"

He knows not only his tendency to "wander" at least a little from God's commandments, but also his tendency to simply quit thinking about them altogether.  In this stanza he is immediately reminded of the first of two methods to avoid such forgetfulness.  He says, "Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."  The student who was engaged in learning this poem would also have been engaged in a task performed by every Hebrew young person - the memorization of 613 prescribed precepts from God's Word.  When he repeats the words of this song about hiding God's Word in his heart, he undoubtedly has such memorization in mind. Memorization is one helpful way to avoid forgetfulness.

But he needs more.  Memorization alone, though a great help, is not sufficient.  He also needs understanding – internalization - to make it "his own."  There is no better teacher for this than Jehovah Himself, so the student is taught to pray, "Blessed are You, O Lord!  Teach me Your statutes!" 

He's already begun his task - he's memorizing - and he tells the Lord he's doing that.  He says, "With my lips I have declared all the judgements of Your mouth."  And it's been a pleasant task.  He says, "I have rejoiced in all the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches."  But now, as the second method to avoid forgetfulness, He needs God's help in "meditation" and "contemplation" as well. Meditation is just careful consideration of how to apply God's precepts to daily life, and Contemplating God's ways is just attempting to understand how God deals with people.  So now, using these means, he can say, "I will delight myself in Your statutes.  I will not forget Your Word."

So the young Hebrew memorizes and meditates.  What methods do we use?  Are we not also in danger of forgetfulness?  Would not memorization, meditation, and contemplation help us as well?  Let's use every method we can, and let's pray for the help of God's Spirit.