Today's Thankful in All Things verse is Psalm 119:71
"It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes." ESV
Earlier today as I scrolled Facebook while waiting for my doctor to log onto my Telehealth appointment, there was a post that caught my attention by Ben Bennet that used several slides to point out the different types of people often mentioned in Proverbs, and how by categorizing people by these three characteristics, we will know how to engage.
But what if we also took a look at ourselves and assessed how often we fall into these same categories.
The three descriptors he used are: the wise, the foolish and the wicked. It was the verse from his slide on the foolish person that I thought of alongside my verse in Psalm 119 today.
This led me to go back to the book of Proverbs and look at some definitions I had written in the margins for the three different people listed in the beginning of the 1:21 says,
"How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?"
When I was studying the book of Proverbs, I found in my NLT Daily Walk Bible the following definitions:
- Simpletons (petayim) are naive, usually because of their youth.
- Scoffers (lesim) are aggressively defiant, and cynical.
- Fools (kesilim) are morally numb and mindless.
"Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge."
It's the last half of this verse that applies to Psalm 119:71
Notice the scoffer is the one defined as aggressively defiant and cynical. Striking him isn't for his benefit. It's doubtful he will learn anything. Most likely it will just fuel his aggression and cynicism. The striking is for the benefit of the simpleton, the young, the naive. The one that needs to see for themselves what transpires because the outcome or consequences isn't clearly obvious to them. They stand at a crossroad (Jer 6:16) and the strike is the catalyst that will set them on down the path, either towards aggressive cynicism or towards humility that leads to understanding and increased knowledge.
My most utilized method for Bible study is word-study. I will read a verse and then look up several of the words that stand out to me in their original language and then letting Scripture define Scripture, I also use a lot of cross-references.
In today's verse I'll highlight the words that I want to look at with more detail.
"It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes." ESV
Right out of the gate is the word good. This takes us back to Genesis where we learn that trying to define "good" and "bad" on our own terms led to the first act of disobedience. God forbade them to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. But Eve disregarded God's command and decided for herself. Scripture says,
"So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate"We might think affliction is bad, but Scripture tells us it's good, it's for our benefit. If we back up a few verses Psalm 119:67 says,
"Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word."
So, what exactly is the Hebrew concept of affliction? The word in Hebrew is anah (עָנָה). It's being brought low either by oppressive force, discipline or by willingly humbling yourself.
The Hebrew word translated as "went astray" is shagag (שָׁגַג). It means to unintentionally err or sin.
Affliction places us on a path, so that we're not aimlessly wandering. As I contemplate this idea, I'm reminded of the verse in Hosea
"Therefore, I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way." 2:6 NIV
Sometimes, affliction is the consequences of trying to do things our way. We push ourselves through the barrier, and end up with cuts and scrapes, bloody and bruised.
When I look up the Hebrew word translated as "learn" it's lamad (לָמַד). The Hebrew character lamed (ל) resembls a shepherd’s staff or a goad. In writing this post I came across a great article from a man I just recently started following on FB, Jeff A. Benner.
In his article he points out that there are five Hebraic methods of learning:
Alaph To learn by yoking Association
Lamad To learn by goading Instruction
Yarah To learn by pointing Direction
Shanan To learn by sharpening Skills
Yacar To learn by chastisement Discipline
Two verses that come to mind in reference to the idea of goading:
Ecclesiastes 12:11 "The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd."
And then Jesus' words to Saul in Acts 26:14,
"I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads."
The word from our verse translated as "statutes" is choq (חֹק) from chaqaq (חָקַק) meaning inscribe.
“The noun choq describes something that is fixed, prescribed, or appointed, and it comes from a verb that means to engrave or inscribe. It reflects something that is not only legislated but also etched into the very fabric of reality.”
Whenever we go through life, we inevitably tend to view and judge life around us through a lens of "I". "I wouldn't have done it that way." or "I would have done it this way", "I wouldn't have said that." or "I would have told them..." Forgetting that we didn't create this world. If there were ever a "right way" to do, behave or say something, it would be the way the author of creation has determined. There's a boundary/road established for us. There is reality and then there is our perceived reality. There's the world the way it is, the way it was designed to be and then there's the world we've created on our own terms. Whenever we choose to live life by our terms, we're essentially elevating ourselves, which is the opposite of the idea behind "affliction/humility".
Another Psalm comes to mind.
"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." Psalm 16:5-6 ESV
These verses embody the idea of choq (חֹק). The two pictograph characters that make up the Hebrew word are the chet (חֹ) and qof (ק). The pictograph of chet looks like a wall or fence and represents boundary. The first use of the word choq is in Genesis speaking of the allotment given to Pharoah's priests. The pictograph of qof looks like the sun on the horizon, representing the idea of following. You can easily see the inferences.
"Statutes" (choq חֹק) are a prescribed boundary we're to live inside of; directions to follow for our best interest.
This reminds me of an analogy Christy from KLRC in the Morning gave when teaching her son about the freedom we have as Christians, while living within boundaries. She used their pet dog and their fenced in backyard, as an example. The fence keeps Scooby safe, he has all his needs met, food, water, room to run and play, and the love and affection he gets from her family. Outside the fence, Scooby could get ran over, be attacked by coyotes, go hungry and eat something poisonous -- all sorts of bad things.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for boundaries. Thank you that you always have my best interest in in mind. Even the painful moments serve a purpose. Thank you for your Spirit that whispers the way to go. And thank you Jesus, for the footsteps to follow in whenever I'm unsure of the steps to take. Thank you for forgiveness, mercy, grace and healing for my wounds, whether self-inflicted, or otherwise. Thank you that I'm not left to journey alone. I always have you. Thank you for it all. In Your Holy Name, Amen.
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