Psalm 119:48 Adulation, Meditation

Psalm 119:48 I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.

The second three octaves of Psalm 119 are perhaps less familiar than the first three and here we enter the murkier waters of the suffering saint and his Bible. Still the focus is the same, however, - your word, your decrees, your law(s), your statutes, your commands, your promise and your precepts. In verse 48 the psalmist says two things with regard to the commands or decrees of the Lord. First, using very striking terms he describe his devotion to the word. Bible believers are often accused of biblolatry but here the writer is actually willing to speak of lifting his hands to God's commands as he would to God in himself in prayer. Does he not see he might be accused of worshipping the Bible? He is not concerned. The fact, of course, is not that he worships the Bible but that he reaches out in absolute dependence on God's commands. That is how it should be with all of us. The second and perhaps more familiar thing is that he also meditates on God's decrees. He fills his mind with the word and lets it go over and over in his mind. Again, this is what we should be doing. Honour the word, meditate on it. Do nothing to demean or to downgrade the word. Do everything you can to fix it in your mind and explore its ramifications. God's word is worthy of such attention.