The path

Like planning a route with Google maps, many people today are designing and outlining the moral pathway they will take this year.  Out with the old, in with the new.  All the well-worn, dead-end paths of the past will be forsaken and a new route will be followed.

Whether we will or will not succeed in our renewed commitments to change and transformation will take a year to determine. At this time next year, we will be able to evaluate the effectiveness and wisdom of the things we are choosing today to pursue in the coming year.

In light of the coming annual evaluation, the psalmist offers one simple goal that will stand the test of time:  instead of indulging in and enjoying evil, enjoy God and His Word (Ps. 1).

Sin is enticing (if it wasn’t, we wouldn’t sin).  But there is a greater and more fulfilling enticement — to delight in God.

The word “delight” (1:2) not only means to find pleasure in something, but that there is also a longing and yearning for someone or something.  The righteous man has a desire for the God’s law (and if he doesn’t he does all he can to stimulate that desire).  And not only does he yearn for the “Law” (the Torah), but he wants all of Scripture — story and precept, command and poetic reflection, the righteous man finds value in every biblical passage. So the Psalmist writes, “Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it” and “My eyes fail with longing for Your word, While I say, ‘When will You comfort me?'” and “My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation And for Your righteous word” (Ps. 119:35, 82, 123; in fact, all of Ps. 119 reflects a hunger for the Word of God).

So here is a question for the new year:  as I set out to read and meditate on and journal about and obey Scripture, is it my joy?  Do I not only ingest the Word regularly and constantly, but do I like it, hunger for it, want it more than any other treasure?

Taking in Scripture is not only setting aside time each day to read it, but it is thinking about it and memorizing it and mulling over it.  And in the process of meditation, we then obey it and finally in obeying it, this precious Word becomes to us a great treasure as it lives in us richly (Col. 3:16).

Yes, this psalm affirms that God’s Word applied and appropriated is powerful to refute every evil influence on my life (Ps. 19:7-14; 2 Pet. 1:3).  Without Scripture, I am susceptible to every evil influence and doctrine of the evil one.

But of even greater significance, Scripture is not to be used as a magical elixir that will remove the problems of our lives.  It is to be embraced as a friend that is our greatest joy and delight.

As we set our goals today for the next 365 days, we do well to hold this one high:  do all I can to cultivate a love for God through a love for His Word.  That will prove to be a faithful and joyful pathway to follow this year.