Psalm 119 Nun

 "Your word is a lamp for my feet,

        a light for my path.

I have taken an oath and confirmed it,

        that I will follow your righteous laws.

I have suffered much;

        preserve my life, Lord, according to your word.          

Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth,

        and teach me your laws.

Though I constantly take my life in my hands,

        I will not forget your law.

The wicked have set a snare for me,

        but I have not strayed from your precepts.

Your statutes are my heritage forever;

        they are the joy of my heart.

My heart is set on keeping your decrees

    to the very end."

                                                                               -Psalm 119:105-112

    This passage continues to lead us on a journey deeper into God's word. Many scholars agree and have come to the conclusion that the Hebrew letter Nun translates out to be either snake or fish, but the shape and continued definition leads more to the description of a fish. In the same way that a fish relies on the water he finds himself in to live, we as Christians must, in the same way, rely on the Lord and the words he has given to us through the bible. If we were to see a fish attempting to escape from the water that is its life-source, we would, hopefully, do everything we could to return it to the water. Unfortunately as Christians, we have neglected our own life-source when we do not hold the same importance to reading and absorbing God's word. We have made reading our bibles as a checkbox on our to-do list instead of a pivotal start to our hectic lives. We have forgotten that God has given us everything we will ever need through his word and his guiding and comforting voice, and it has caused us to leap out of the waters of life into the very dry and dead world that exists on the shore. 

    In the same way that a fish will swim better when it swims with the current of the river, rather than against it, when we submit to the Father and the path he has placed before us, our journey through this life with ultimately go smoother in the long run. Not to say that life will be easy to go with the flow, but we won't be fighting an uphill battle with nothing to protect ourselves with. 

    Another way to look at this verse is through the use of the poetic meter, an acrostic poem. The blog God's Growing Garden has studied this psalm and has found the best way for them to understand this endeavor by taking the Hebrew Letter and placing it in proper proportion to the beginning of each section of verses. Here is how they described Nun

                                                    No darkness, Your word

                                     is a light Unto my path

                                             like Noonday sunshine.

    All though the verse was changed slightly to fit, the meaning shines through. God's word is a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path. He leads and guides, through his word, and directs into still waters (Psalm 23:2). Without trying to sound legalistic or ritualistic, we need to retrain our minds to make time to dive deeper into God's word, even if it messes up our perfectly organized schedule. We grow closer to God when we desire to understand his word and his decrees, but it won't happen if we don't let the scriptures immerse our souls and become more than a checkmark on our list. 

    In the words of Dory from Finding Nemo, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We Swim."

Keep Swimming and God will continue to lead us down the right path.

God Bless,

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey through the Psalms.

Psalm 119 MEM

 "Oh How I love your law!

    I meditate on it all day long.                          

Your Commands are always with me

    and make me wiser than my enemies. 

I have more insight than all my teachers,

    for I meditate on your statutes.

I have more understanding than the elders,                    

    for I obey your precepts.

I have kept my feet from every evil path

    so that I might obey your word.

I have not departed from your laws,

    for you have always taught me.

How sweet are your words to my taste,

    sweeter than honey to my mouth.

I gain understanding from your precepts;

    therefore I hate every wrong path."

                                                    Psalm 119:97-104

    Like many English words that have two different meanings, the Hebrew word MEM can be written out in 2 ways. One way with a gap at the bottom and the other way closed in. tanyaremkiv.com compares this letter to a body of water, some being closed in like a lake or a basin, while others flow from place to place. The open form relating to the spring of the Torah, (living water) and the closed being the sea of Talmud, (deep mysteries of God). The easiest way to look at this letter is to see it as the flowing water being the truth that has already been revealed by the Father. Words of wisdom from Proverbs or Words of Encouragement from Psalms. The closed side of the letter is the things that we must discover on our own as we grow closer to God. If you have studied scripture or even just simply picked it up to read a random passage, there will always be things that make sense and things that don't. The beauty of God's word is that it can't be learned and understood all in one sitting, nor was it designed to be. God has intentional kept things of his character and of his word mysterious, because he wants us, his children, to discover those things for ourself. One thing I love about the word of God is that a group pf believers could all read the exact same passage, and through prayer and mediation of the word, come to total different conclusions. Not in a way that leads to argument or divide, but in a way that unifies the body as each person travels their own journey closer to God. 

    Hebrew 4:12 sums up the illustration of MEM beautifully.

"For the Word of God is Living and Active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." God has revealed everything we need to become Christians, simply by reading the Living Word of God. It is our job to not be satisfied and become a little bit curious as to the nature of the deep richness that comes from truly walking a life that grows and matures along the way. 

    The importance of why this letter is in the Alphabet is to signify to us that we cannot be complete knowing just the surface level of the Father's vast greatness. We must always be willing to go deeper than the shallow end of our faith and open our eyes to the greatness of God. I love this quote from Tanya Remkiv in relation to this letter and the word.

    "I realized the more consistently you drink water, the more you want it! The same applies to the Word. The more consistently you study it. the more you want it. You learn to love it as you go, even if it's one verse or one chapter, one day at a time. And over time, you see the long term benefits."

The more you faithfully dive into God's word, the more you will desire to keep going deeper. Go deep into God and watch what he reveals to you.

God Bless,

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey Through the Psalms