The Bible is like a multi-faceted diamond. Altogether, it is sparkly and beautiful, but it is more intricately beautiful when you turn it in the sunlight and capture all the different hues. There are names for all the different sparkly hues of the Bible highlighted in Ps. 119: the commandment, law, statutes, precepts, testimonies, word and judgments of the Lord. Notice, there are seven words for the word. It’s the number of perfection. And God’s word is perfect.
We are turning the diamond in the sunlight today and looking at the word precepts in Ps. 119, as we have for the past few days. We have discovered that precepts are codes of wisdom or principles to guide our lives.
On the left, I have four verses in Ps. 119 that mention God’s precepts. On the right, I’m paraphrasing or responding to the verses and finding precepts that apply to the thoughts. Follow along with me. Several posts back, I have a chart of verses in Ps. 119 with the word precepts. Copy and paste that chart into a Word document and add your comments, thoughts and prayers.
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Psalms 119:78 ¶ Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.
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Others may be proud rascals who act perversely toward me with no reason, but I will ponder God’s precepts. In this case, an appropriate precept to meditate on might be Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. (Luke 6:47-48) |
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Psalms 119:87 They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts.
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There are wicked people out there who seem bent on making my life miserable and eating me alive. But rather than focus on that and complain to others and wilt in anguish, my testimony will be that I hung on to God’s precepts. Here’s one to hang on to: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3) |
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Psalms 119:93 ¶ I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.
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Because God has enlivened me with his precepts when I needed them, I won’t forget them. For me, the precepts God quickened me with that are branded into my soul are For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. (1 Peter 2:19-20) |
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Psalms 119:94 ¶ I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.
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Save or deliver me, your child, right now, because I’ve sought and clung to your precepts, like this one: For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. (Isaiah 57:15) |
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