Psalm 119 SIN and SHIN

"Rulers persecute me without cause,

    but my heart trembles at your word.

I rejoice in your promise

    like one who finds great spoil.

I hate and detest falsehood

    but I love your law.

Seven times a day I praise you

    for your righteous laws.

Great Peace have those who love your law,  

   and nothing can make them stumble.

I wait for your salvation, Lord,                                       

    and I follow your commands.

I obey your statutes,

    for I love them greatly.

I obey your precepts and your statutes,

    for all my ways are known to you."

                Psalm 119:161-168

    As we begin to land the plane on the longest chapter in the Bible, we come to a section that has a very cool and distinct balance. The Hebrew word SHIN is translated as Peace and Perfection (Shalom). It was the word proclaimed on the 7th day of creation when God declared the whole world good, and set in place a time of rest. It is the first letter of a familiar name of God, El SHADDAI, which we know to mean God Almighty. But here,  we see how as Christians, we need to have a balance in our lives of both fear and trembling, and peace and perfection. If we look back at this set of verses, we can see it is split into 2 sections. Verses 161 - 164 describes David's fear of the Lord, while also displaying his genuine love towards God. As Christ-followers, there are times when we need to walk in fear of the Lord. Not a fear that is afraid or scared to get to close, but a fear in terms of awe and reverence towards the almighty power of the God that we serve. When David walks with a reverent fear of the Lord, the enemies seem to surround him all on sides, but that doesn't stop him from praising God seven times a day,(vs. 164). The second half of the stanza reflects the truthful declaration that shows when we approach the Father with obedience and love for the things He has spoken and declared, his ways become known to us, and the enemy becomes nothing next to the Awesome El Shaddai. 

    It can be easy, even as Christians to stay in either the camp of Fear of the camp of Faith, but I want to be like David who operated out of a balance between the 2. God desires to have us close enough to hear Him whisper to our hearts the things He wants to reveal to us, but if the troubles of this life get in the way, his voice can become lost or silent to us. When we set our eyes on God and the truth he has spoken instead of the lies of the Enemy, we can see the path God has created to guide us out of the mess and into the Messiah. 

    As we approach the end of this chapter, it is my prayer that God will reveal himself as he has done before and show us the truth that can only come from a deep love for his commands and desire to follow his statutes wherever they lead us. 

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