UPDATE: Aug 23 Just a reminder, earlier I mentioned the blog would be updated usually by 10AM "on most days." There has been much taking place the last two days, so I apologize for the lack of attention, but this should change and be back on track very soon. Please enjoy reviewing when this happens, as Jehovah's "reminders are wonderful!" | Hello, wishing you a warm welcome! I want to remind you I will typically have the blog post finished by 10AM daily, but I intend to acknowledge the desire of many for an earlier post, which will be by 8:33AM ET occasionally, in case you wish to check for it. Let's continue in Psalm 119 Stanza 8, seeing more of the beauty and joy of being close to Jehovah, and look into Proverbs 4, verses 1-10. Also, let's peer deeper into peaceful relationships with all others, as we consider more of perhaps the greatest sermon ever given.

PSALM 119 STANZA 8

Our theme for all of stanza 8 is: CLOSENESS TO GOD AND DIVINE FAVOR WORTH EVERY EFFORT TO MAINTAIN.

The psalmist yearns to stay close to God, keeping His commandments. Verses 57-60 read this way: "Jehovah is my portion; I have promised to keep your words. 58 I appeal to you with all my heart; Show me favor according to your promise. 59 I have examined my ways, In order to turn my feet back to your reminders. 60 I hurry and do not delay To keep your commandments."


Verse 57: Jehovah is my portion; I have promised to keep your words.

REWARDS OF OBEDIENCE. Psalm 119:57 The psalmist evidently wanted the close relationship with God that the Levitical priests seemed to have. They received no land allotment as with the other tribes--Jehovah was their "portion" or "inheritance." At Deuteronomy 10:8-9, we read about the Levites: "At that time Jehovah set apart the tribe of Leʹvi to carry the ark of Jehovah’s covenant, to stand before Jehovah in order to minister to him, and to bless in his name, as they do to this day.9 That is why Leʹvi has no share or inheritance with his brothers. Jehovah is his inheritance, just as Jehovah your God had said to him." Though likely not a Levite, the psalmist claims Jehovah as his portion due to his loyalty and determination, even "promise," to "keep [His] words." He no doubt had experienced the joy that comes with obedience to God, confident of the rewards of faithfulness, and devoted His life to Jehovah, just as many do who have dedicated their life to God and have symbolized it by water baptism.


Verse 58: I appeal to you with all my heart; Show me favor according to your promise.

HELP OTHERS BE FAITHFUL TO GOD. Psalm 119:58 The psalmist makes every effort to please His God, to receive His favor and approval, appealing to Him "with all [his] heart." This may remind you of Jesus' designation of the greatest commandments of the Law, as revealed at Matthew 22:37-40: "He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.” As important as it is to love people, here we see loving God takes priority. Jehovah God has the greatest capacity for love, it being His greatest quality. (1John 4:8). It is Jehovah's part in a marriage that can make it a steadfast bond, not easily broken, as Ecclesiastes 4:12 states: "And someone may overpower one alone, but two together can take a stand against him. And a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn apart." Thus the greatest love one can show to his or her spouse is by helping one another be loyal and faithful to God. Then, by God's command, they should love one another, becoming "one flesh." (Genes 2:24).


Verse 59: 59 I have examined my ways, In order to turn my feet back to your reminders.

MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED. Psalm 119:59 God's reminders help us reflect upon our ways and practices, to ensure they are in harmony with God's will. At times, upon such reflection, we will see the need to make adjustments in our priorities, or our routine habits. May we always show willingness to "be readjusted" by God's loving reminders. 2Corinthians 13:11 thus exhorts: "Finally, brothers, continue to rejoice, to be readjusted, to be comforted, to think in agreement, to live peaceably; and the God of love and of peace will be with you."


Verse 60 I hurry and do not delay To keep your commandments."

DO NOT HESITATE TO OBEY GOD! Psalm 119:60 The psalmist showed a keen sense of priorities, and soundness of mind, by appreciating the urgency and importance of keeping God's commandments. Mundane things should not prevent us from doing so. When we put God first in life, other things seem to fall into place. We may receive "power beyond what is normal" to accomplish God's will, sometimes with spirit enough left over for other necessary things. (2Cori 4:7). May we, likewise, not hesitate to do as God has commanded us, and learning to prioritize our activities in life, making sure God is kept first in our lives. Thus we may maintain His favor and blessing, being rewarded for our loyalty and faithfulness!


Recall the theme for all of stanza 8: CLOSENESS TO GOD AND DIVINE FAVOR WORTH EVERY EFFORT TO MAINTAIN.

Verse 58 for instance pleads "I appeal to you with all my heart; Show me favor according to your promise." Verses 61-64 read: "The ropes of the wicked surround me, But your law I do not forget. 62 At midnight I get up to give you thanks For your righteous judgments. 63 I am a friend of all who fear you And of those who keep your orders. 64 Your loyal love, O Jehovah, fills the earth;Teach me your regulations."


Verse 61 The ropes of the wicked surround me, But your law I do not forget.

REMEMBER GOD'S LAW. Psalm 119:61 Even if lawless ones seem to have us "cornered," may we remember God's law, like the psalmist. Keep in mind, our love is both ways, for God and humans. It is not only God's love for us, but our love for Him, which we show by keeping His commandments. As 1John 5:3 says "This is what the love of God means, that we observe His commandments, and yet His commandments are not burdensome." Likewise, it is not only the love of other humans for us--we should be unsefishly loving others, acting as an extension of God's hand in kind acts and loyal patience in dealing with our neighbors. Such love, however, may take time to cultivate, with appreciation for God's love, as well as faith, or deep trust, in Him and His son, as a foundation for Christian discipleship, imitating the way Jesus honored God and loved others, while seeking purity of heart and maintaining a humble view of ourselves. (Colos 3:12). If "cornered," there may be only one right way of "escape"--maintaining firm obedience to God--prayerfully look for the "way out" God makes available for you to endure your trial faithfully, with integrity (1Cori 10:13).


Verse 62 At midnight I get up to give you thanks For your righteous judgments.

ALWAYS PLEASING HIM. Psalm 119:62 Recall God's word emphasizes His "faithfulness during the nights." God's "righteous judgments" demonstrate His faithfulness toward humans, as He is loyal to His own right standards. When He judges, or evaluates a situation, He decides according to what is right, just, fair and true. How thankful we should be for God's adherence to righteousness--His own integrity! And may we imitate such integrity in our own life, seeking always to please Him by doing right ourselves. At John 8:29, we read of Jesus: "And the One who sent me is with me; he did not abandon me to myself, because I always do the things pleasing to him.”


Verse 63 I am a friend of all who fear you And of those who keep your orders.

UNITED BY GOD OF PEACE. Psalm 119:63 Here is another joy of loving God first and serving Him faithfully--we may find delightful association with others who are equally devoted to Jehovah, holding to His standards. The genuine fear of God is not a morbid one--while respecting His greatness and power, we fear displeasing or hurting Him, wanting nothing to hinder His love. Thus, godly fear and love are spoken of together in the Scriptures. (Deute 10:12; Psalm 103:11). It is ONLY by the united loyalty to Jehovah God that genuine peace and love can flourish, having His support and blessing! Proverbs 10:22 reminds us: "It is the blessing of Jehovah that makes one rich, And He adds no pain with it." Psalm 133:1 expresses the result, in saying: "Look! How good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!" Together, we treasure loyalty and faithfulness to God, shown by our obedience.


Verse 64 Your loyal love, O Jehovah, fills the earth; Teach me your [instructions].

JEHOVAH, EVER SHOWING LOYAL LOVE. Psalm 119:64 Jehovah has shown much love to all mankind, as evidence by His grand and loving creative hand in the way He made us and this planet. Also, He is ever showing love to all, and especially to His faithful people, daily, throughout the earth. This is doubtless part of the 'work' Christ Jesus had reference to, when he said, as recorded at John 5:17, "My Father has kept working until now, and I keep working.” Along with His son, He will continue to help as many as possible choose the path of eternal life with His blessing. Thus Jehovah's loyal love "fills the earth!" Thus may we be moved, like the psalmist, to learn and follow even the detailed instructions from God, that God's will and work may be carried out to His honor and glory, and our eternal happiness.
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Proverbs 4:1-8:

"1 Listen, my sons, to the discipline of a father; Pay attention in order to gain understanding, 2 For I will give you good instruction; Do not forsake my teaching. 3 I was a true son to my father And the one especially loved by my mother. 4 He taught me and said: “May your heart hold fast to my words. Keep my commandments and continue living. 5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding. Do not forget, and do not turn aside from what I say. 6 Do not forsake it, and it will protect you. Love it, and it will safeguard you. 7 Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom, And with all you acquire, acquire understanding. 8 Highly esteem it, and it will exalt you. It will honor you because you embrace it."


"1 Listen, my sons, to the discipline of a father; Pay attention in order to gain understanding, 2 For I will give you good instruction; Do not forsake my teaching."

Prove 4:1-2: Recall that "discipline" is not merely punishment--it comes from the same root as "disciple." Did Jesus always go around punishing his disciples, or did he lovingly correct them? Of course, punishment may at times be necessary, and can be given out of love for that one. But how much better when that one can be corrected more gently, with kind words and such! The counsel here is for the young one to pay attention to such discipline in order to "gain understanding." And gaining understanding reduces the need for disciplinary punishment! In fact, Proverbs 17:10 says: "A rebuke makes a deeper impression on one having understanding Than striking a stupid person a hundred times." Yes, loving parents will attempt to offer such rebukes when needed, correcting, teaching and training in the way of God. Such discipline as well as simply good instruction, or "admonition" may lead to the gaining of understanding, especially regarding spiritual matters, "what is righteous and just and fair, the entire course of what is good." (Pr 2:9).


"3 I was a true son to my father And the one especially loved by my mother. 4 He taught me and said: “May your heart hold fast to my words. Keep my commandments and continue living."

Prove 4:3-4: Even with faith in Christ there are commandments to follow. Jesus gave us both commands and principles of truth, God's standards that we are to follow. With faith in God and Christ, we are to be obedient to their instruction, and thereby "continue living." Children are encouraged here to be true to their parents, learning whatever godly instruction may be provided in order to grow spiritually, and become loyal Christian disciples.


"5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding. Do not forget, and do not turn aside from what I say. 6 Do not forsake it, and it will protect you. Love it, and it will safeguard you. 7 Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom, And with all you acquire, acquire understanding. 8 Highly esteem it, and it will exalt you. It will honor you because you embrace it."

Prove 4:5-8: Wisdom is the successful application of divine knowledge to benefit others and oneself, honoring God. It's the "most important thing," working along with true love for God and others, which are the greatest of commandments (Matt 22:36-40). Understanding is also highly important. "Knowledge comes easily to a person with understanding." (Pr 14:6). It enables one to see how all the part fit together of something, to make the whole. Knowledge of God should be understood first and foremost, since the fear of God is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom (Pr 1:7, 9:10). Highly esteem true wisdom, humbly seeking God's honor as did David, Jesus, and other men of faith. Then God may truly bring you honor, safeguarding your reputation, at least as regards Him and His purpose, just as he did with Jesus, despite his being falsely condemned as a terrible criminal.

"7 Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom, And with all you acquire, acquire understanding. 8 Highly esteem it, and it will exalt you. It will honor you because you embrace it. 9 It will place an attractive wreath on your head; It will adorn you with a crown of beauty.” 10 Listen, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many."


"7 Wisdom is the most important thing, so acquire wisdom, And with all you acquire, acquire understanding."

Prove 4:7 True wisdom is the ability to apply divine knowledge successfully, in harmony with God's right standards, for the benefit of others and ourselves. Understanding sees how to put the pieces together of something, especially something of divine importance. The Scriptures says "Make sure of the more important things." (Phili 1:10). Let's seek God's wisdom and understanding by giving adequate attention and reflection on God's word, including Proverbs.


"8 Highly esteem it, and it will exalt you. It will honor you because you embrace it. 9 It will place an attractive wreath on your head; It will adorn you with a crown of beauty.”

Prove 4:8-9 Humbly working to grow in divine wisdom, while respecting God's greatness, will in turn bring us honor from God. It will cause our thoughts and words to be more pleasing to God and others of obedient, God-fearing mankind. While we all want to be liked, respected, or appreciated by others, there may be a snare, trap, or pitfall in this desire if excessive. We should all stand for God's wisdom, His right standards. Yet, God allows free will--He gives us the opportunity to choose to obey Him out of love for Him. Not everyone has made such a choice. Thus, when we stand for what's right, we may find out who really respects us for who we are and what we stand for, and who doesn't! But standing for what's right sets the example for such ones to find everlasting life themselves, if they may turn to God and His ways. While we shouldn't be overly judgmental or condemning of others, we are made in the image of God to make judgments--we want to judge others well, with compassion and mercy wherever possible. We should judge impartially--not by ethnicity, race, skin color, economic standing, etc. but rather by their actions--their choices between good and bad. If someone makes foolish, bad decisions, or acts in wrong ways, we may rightly judge them to be poor associates, at least until they learn to turn around from such behaviors. We still love such ones, and may seek to help them understand the right way to live, but we must do so with the greatest of caution, as they themselves may try to influence us against what is right! Thus, 1Corinthians 15:33 exhorts: "Do not be misled. 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" (NIV). And Proverbs 13:20 similarly says: "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm." (NIV). Therefore, hold true to God, and look forward to the day when all earth's inhabitants will be friends of God, genuinely respecting Him and each other, living right and loyally loving one another! (Psalm 37:29; 2Peter 3:13).


"10 Listen, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many."

Prove 4:10 God's guidance and direction does generally contribute to longer life now, but much more in receiving His reward of endless life in the future. Thus, once again, the key to a long, satisfying life is in pleasing God--listening, and accepting His sayings. Jehovah is the God of truth, and does not intentionally lie to us. He thus has proven eminently trustworthy, reliable. Such a loving father, who cares for each of us, we should ever want to please Him and offer Him acceptable worship--even if just by accepting the truth from God, letting it touch our heart by pondering it's value in our life, and thereby living and acting in harmony with it. Since it is the truth, we should practice honesty ourselves, "speaking the truth in [our] heart," and not dealing deceitfully with others (Psalm 15:2). Encouraging such qualities as humility, reliance upon God, doing good work, and being rich in fine works, 1Timothy 6:17-19 thus helps all to "get a firm hold on the real life." It then cautions against the contradiction of the "falsely called 'knowledge.'"--so-called knowledge that teaches lies, violating what is holy, and opposing the truth of God. May we be alert to such things, and truly accept and treasure the sayings of God!
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GREATEST MAN

let's continue with some of the marvelous statements found in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, contributing to the glorious purpose of Jehovah God.

(7) "Happy are the peacemakers, since they will be called sons of God." Being a true peacemaker can involve several more important virtues than being a peaceful person. The peaceful person may keep to himself and not try to get in the way of others. While perhaps noble to an extent, a true peacemaker goes out of his way to restore peace where it was lacking, either between himself and someone else, or perhaps between two or more others. Such a person needs to have qualities such as humility, graciousness, mild gentleness, and patience, or godly loyalty, especially if the quest for peace involves challenges, extending the time it takes to resolve the issue(s). (Colos 3:12; Luke 2:14; 2Timo 2:22; James 3:17) In Hebrews 12:11 righteousness is referred to as "peaceable fruit." Peaceable ones generally have learned a great deal about God's own personality and right ways, and have learned to apply them in his or her own life and dealings with others; thus such ones will in time, depending on their hope, happily be declared "sons of God." (Romans 8:21; 8:15,16; Revel 20:4-6)