Psalm Meditation 1259 ¶Proper 19 ¶August 4, 2024 ¶Psalm 119:1-16 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+119&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶Psalm 119 has 176 verses, eight for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in celebration of the law of God. Allons y. ¶People have made, and continue to make some pretty stupid laws. It seems that whenever someone in authority is offended, troubled, hurt by anything there is a push to make a law that will keep that from happening. Sometimes, in a effort to protect God from someone else’s foolishness, we pass a law against that as well. Banning and burning books that someone finds offensive or heretical has a long and silly history, as if banning or burning a book will do anything other than pique the curiosity of folks who would have otherwise not heard of the book. ¶The psalmist wants to remind us that the laws of God are praiseworthy rather than silly. Granted, we have made some amendments and addenda that seem good at the time while changing God’s original intent for us. The intent of God’s law if to teach us the importance of loving each other, caring for each other, and protecting and providing for those who lack the resources to protect and provide for themselves. Rules that allow us to oppress another are not from God. ¶God wants us to work together, to depend on each other, and to share in the bounty that this world provides for us. If it were easy, there would be no need to make a law, it would flow in and out of our lives like water through a sieve. Learning and following God’s law is not easy since we are so used to doing things our own selfish way. However, the psalmist spends 176 verses to remind us that it is worth the effort to act with the love, grace, mercy, and providence that we have so richly received from God. ¶July 29, 2024 ¶LCM