Text: Psalm 119:23-40
Key Verse– Give me the desire to obey your laws rather than to get rich vs 36 GNB
“A hundred dollar bill or the Bible?” In a social media skit, the creator wanted to know what most people would choose. Guess what? Many chose the hundred dollar bill! I guess their thoughts were, “Of what use is the Bible, when I have very many pressing needs confronting me? Is it the Bible we will eat?” Without knowing or really wanting to say so, that choice was a choice of money over God. Our choices come from our desires and those desires from the inclination of the heart.
This request in verse 36 was part of eight requests or prayers in the passage. The heart cry of the Psalmist, in few words, is that he might clearly apprehend the Word of God that he may obey it. Yet, he was aware of a subtle but very strong competition from his inner nature. While he desired to have his heart inclined toward the word of God, his nature is bent on another way that makes so many other people to choose money over God. So, he prayed two important prayers- perhaps we should pray same for ourselves and our loved ones lest we continually fall into the trap of covetousness.
- Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way vs 37. My eyes is my mind, my heart, my soul or being. Vanities are idols- the eyes long for. Focusing on these as our desires we cannot walk uprightly in the way of the LORD. Our desires for the toys and trinkets of this world will never allow us to follow the highway of holiness, rather they must be obtained through crooked and perverse means. Shall we not pray that we might be delivered from hearts that are set on vanities?
- Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good vs 39. This second prayer is maybe one of the reason we pursue vanities. We do not like the reproach of men. We do not want to be seen as failures. We do not want to disappoint our families, friends and whoever we think is special. So, everyone rushes to ‘make it’. This focus in itself is wrong. Our desire should always be to please God at all times, whatever the circumstance.
What have been your choice? Worldly gain or God? Vanity or life? You can make a change of what is beneficial on the long-term and eternally today.
Prayer– LORD, Give me the desire to follow your rules, not the desire to get rich. Amen.