Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your law. I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your laws. I cling to your decrees. Lord, don't let me be put to shame! If you will help me, I will run to follow your commands.
Teach me, O Lord, to follow every one of your principles. Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for y our decrees; do not inflict me with love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Reassure me of your promise, which is for those who honor you. Help me abandon my shameful ways; your laws are all I want in life. I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness. Psalm 119:28-40, NLT
I love Psalms 119...almost every single verse (all 176 verses) mentions God's Word. I had a conversation just this week with a very educated man at the place where I play racquetball. I got to talk to him for 30 minutes (mostly I listened) as he explained how he is a Christian but he sees no incompatibility between Scripture and the theory of evolution. He went on to explain how the Bible is full of spiritual truths but a lot of it is allegorical and should not be taken literally. He even went so far as to say that two people could come up with two completely different (i.e. contradictory) "truths" from the same passage and both of them be right. I listened to his thoughts about evolution since I had originally asked his opinion and about something and wanted to listen since I asked, but when he started talking about the Bible as mostly allegorical and subject to personal interpretation, I had to speak up. I agreed that two people may walk away from a passage with two different truths, but if the truths were contradictory, one or both of them had to be wrong. God was not confused when he spoke to the men writing the Bible and He does not contradict His Truth. I also took issue with the subjective nature of the Bible. God's Word is an absolute, objective standard. I could argue that from the Bible itself, but even from the standpoint of logic, this must be true in order for the Bible to of real value in living life. If God's Word is only as good as a person's interpretation, a crazy man's interpretation would have to be as good as Jesus himself when he quoted and explained the Old Testament prophets. It just doesn't work...God has given us objective Truth in His Word...it is our job to study and apply His Word to the best of our ability. Two people may get two different truths from the same passage, but if they are truly God's Truths, they will not be contradictory.
Teach me, O Lord, to follow every one of your principles. Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart. (Psalm 119:22-24, NLT)
-Rob
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