Words of wisdom 

Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.
The unfolding of your words gives light (Psalm 119:129, 130a)

The BBC has just celebrated its centenary. Its first Director General, Lord Reith, famously said that it was there “to inform, educate and entertain” and over the years it has done so in a whole variety of ways. I wonder which part of its history and output you value most? The 10 o’clock News? The Archers? Morecambe and Wise? Match of the Day? [maybe not!] David Attenborough’s documentaries? The Shipping Forecast? The BBC has become woven into our lives and the life of our nation. Central to Lord Reith’s founding vision was that words matter; that the spoken word has an integrity which can speak to our world and change history. Psalm 119 points us to God’s word, and reminds us that, above all else, He speaks into our world and changes history.
 
The psalm is a poem about God’s law, which uses several words to describe the idea of law - statutes, precepts, decrees, commands, word. I wonder what your immediate reaction is to hearing the word ‘law’? My rational mind can see the wisdom of having laws, as they set helpful boundaries on how we behave and guide how we interact with others in ways that are for our mutual benefit. But I still think my view of law is often quite negative; it’s a bit like “don’t do this” or “you mustn’t do that.”
 
But this psalm says “Your statutes are wonderful … the unfolding of your words gives light.” This is the kind of sentiment that runs throughout the psalm, where, several times, the psalmist speaks of delighting in God’s law. So why is he so enthusiastic and positive? I think we find the answer in the very first verse of the psalm, where he says “Blessed are those … who walk according to the law of the Lord.” He is confident - he is convinced - that his life will be most fulfilled if he lives it how God wants him to. He doesn’t see the law in terms of restrictions but of freedom, as something that will allow him to blossom and flourish. As he hears God’s word, understands it, and allows it to shape his life and character, he discovers a deep sense of joy and contentment.
 
William Wilberforce, one of the leading lights in the abolition of slavery, would sometimes walk the two and a half miles from Parliament to his home, and the second half of the walk took him through part of Hyde Park. He timed it so that if he began reciting the 176 verses of this psalm when he entered the park, he would be finished by the time he got home. Wilberforce allowed it to shape his heart and mind, reminding him regularly of God’s goodness and inspiring him to serve God’s purposes in radical ways. He knew and understood that God’s word was treasure that would help Him discover more of the life in all its fulness that Jesus promised.
 
The psalm reminds us of the wonderful gift that God’s word is to us and of the riches we’ll find in it. Her Majesty the Queen once said in a speech “To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn, than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?”
 
Prayer - Lord, thank you for the gift of your written word. May I increasingly learn to delight in it and be open to its call on my life. And may I discover the deep sense of joy that comes from walking in your ways. Amen

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash