Two other sections of Bible Delight really caught my attention. They were Section 3: “Pressure and Promise” and Section 12: “The Word and the World”. Both these sections of the book speak about how Gods word interacts with us, as we interact with the world we live in.
In section 3, “Pressure and Promise”, Ash emphasises a fact that I often miss as I read the Bible. He emphasises the fact that the writer of Psalm 119 writes his song in the midst of a hostile world. The psalmist is surrounded by people who think he’s stupid for trusting God. He lives among people who treat him with scorn and contempt for what he believes. He doesn’t sing of his love for God’s word from an ivory tower, but rather from the nitty gritty of life’s messiness.
We live in that same world too. I’ve often made the mistake of thinking that people in the Bible kind of floated around wearing sandals and robes and lived in a world that was holier than ours, a world that was less “real” and less messy. Here as I read Psalm 119, and Ash’s helpful commentary I am reminded that this is far from the case. Like the psalmist, we are mere sojourners here, and like him we need to keep God’s word stored in our hearts as a safeguard against all the pressures we face.
As Ash concludes, “ The process is this: I am drawn by the grace of God to seek him and walk in the way of his word. The world begins to oppose me, to scorn me and to pot against me. And so as I read his word I pray with all my heart for God to open my eyes to understand it. For these words are my only reliable counsellors. And so the process of hostility is turned by God into a pressure that squeezes me closer to the God I seek” (p 56)
In Section 12 Ash looks at the interaction between God’s word and the world in a different way. He is now focusing on verse 89-96 of the psalm. He addresses a question that I think a lot of Christians have, but are often too scared to admit. Ash looks at the question; Does the Bible actually correspond to the world I live in? Is the Bible truly relevant to the world today? I must say I am sometimes tempted to wonder this myself. I look around at the world…governments around the world are making huge decisions without any reference to the Bible. People seem to live successful lives without giving the Bible a second thought. Sometimes we may be tempted to think the Bible doesn’t really gel with the world around us. Here, Psalm 119 steps in and indeed has something relevant to say.
Verse 89 of the psalm says “Your word O Lord is eternal, it stands firm in the heavens”. God’s word stands firm- it is firmly fixed and is the actual foundation of our world. The whole world is built on the word of God. As Ash says, when we walk the way of His Word, “we do not carve out for ourselves, as some little minority religious grouping, a social order of our own construction. No, we walk along the grain of the universe. And therefore we are safe.” (p 123)
God’s Word and the world I live in every day … As I read Bible Delight I am reminded that the Bible is written about those who walk in the messiness of life, and yet hold fast to the truth. The truth that the world is created by Gods word and therefore, it will be within his word that I will find the very compass designed to help me navigate it.
Showing posts with label Bible Delight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible Delight. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Bible Delight #2
So, let’s have a further look at Bible Delight. As I said last week, the author divides Psalm 119 into twenty- two different sections. I don’t think I’ll be able to comment on all these sections, so I thought I’d just pick a few that stood out most to me. I’m sure as you read the book, other things will resonate with you also.
Ash starts the book with two sections that are designed to help us get our bearings as we read psalm 119. I found these really eye opening. One thing that I found especially helpful is the way Ash explains the use of what he calls “word” words. There are eight different words, used throughout psalm 119, to describe God’s Word. Over and again in the psalm we will see the psalmist talking about his love for “Instruction”, “Testimony”, “Precepts”, “Statutes”, “Commandments”, “Judgements”, “Word” and “Promise”.
I’d always read the psalm and found it really hard to relate to the way the psalmist talks about these words. When the psalmist “faints with longing” with laws and judgements, I honestly thought he sounded pretty strange. I couldn’t understand how the psalmist could use romantic words to describe things as hard and cold as laws and decrees.
So, when I read Bible Delight, I felt that I started to understand this psalm for the very first time! Ash explains that these eight words are all facets of one central idea. That central idea, that central jewel is the Covenant between God and His people. Ash says that although the word “Covenant” doesn’t actually appear in psalm 119, the Covenant is the wallpaper of the psalm- it lies behind every verse. So, as Covenant words they describe the very special relationship of promise, grace and love between God and His people.
What a revelation this was to me! Finally I could see why the psalm writer spoke so lovingly and with such passion about Laws and Statutes. The Covenant relationship between God and His people is one that is under-girded by grace. Ash writes persuasively and goes into detail, explaining from the Old Testament how these words can actually be viewed as grace words, instead of rule words. For me, it really unlocked the psalm and I felt I could finally start to relate to the psalmist. I started to see that the psalmist delighted in knowing God and walking with God in relationship. This was something that piqued my interest, something I would love to experience myself. This fresh understanding helped me keep reading and as I read, I started to see some really solid, practical outworkings of psalm 119…more to come later!
Ash starts the book with two sections that are designed to help us get our bearings as we read psalm 119. I found these really eye opening. One thing that I found especially helpful is the way Ash explains the use of what he calls “word” words. There are eight different words, used throughout psalm 119, to describe God’s Word. Over and again in the psalm we will see the psalmist talking about his love for “Instruction”, “Testimony”, “Precepts”, “Statutes”, “Commandments”, “Judgements”, “Word” and “Promise”.
I’d always read the psalm and found it really hard to relate to the way the psalmist talks about these words. When the psalmist “faints with longing” with laws and judgements, I honestly thought he sounded pretty strange. I couldn’t understand how the psalmist could use romantic words to describe things as hard and cold as laws and decrees.
So, when I read Bible Delight, I felt that I started to understand this psalm for the very first time! Ash explains that these eight words are all facets of one central idea. That central idea, that central jewel is the Covenant between God and His people. Ash says that although the word “Covenant” doesn’t actually appear in psalm 119, the Covenant is the wallpaper of the psalm- it lies behind every verse. So, as Covenant words they describe the very special relationship of promise, grace and love between God and His people.
What a revelation this was to me! Finally I could see why the psalm writer spoke so lovingly and with such passion about Laws and Statutes. The Covenant relationship between God and His people is one that is under-girded by grace. Ash writes persuasively and goes into detail, explaining from the Old Testament how these words can actually be viewed as grace words, instead of rule words. For me, it really unlocked the psalm and I felt I could finally start to relate to the psalmist. I started to see that the psalmist delighted in knowing God and walking with God in relationship. This was something that piqued my interest, something I would love to experience myself. This fresh understanding helped me keep reading and as I read, I started to see some really solid, practical outworkings of psalm 119…more to come later!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Bible Delight #1
I became a Christian when I was in high school, and I remember being really excited about the Bible. Reading verses for the first time was amazing. My best friend and I used to pass notes to each other in class, writing Bible verses on them, and writing stuff like, “Check this out!”, “How cool is that!”. Those were great days. These days, I’m still walking with God and the Bible has certainly sustained me across the years. But I have to admit, I don’t feel that wonder and delight as frequently as I did. There’s times when that joy springs up again, but often the Bible can feel like a duty, instead of a delight.
I think that’s why I found Christopher Ash’s book, Bible Delight so helpful. I think for me, it addresses an issue that not many of us Christians want to talk about. We don’t really want to admit that we often don’t feel excited about the Bible.
I also love the way that he chooses not to motivate his readers through guilt. Instead, he chooses to inspire and excite us. He does this by taking the reader on a detailed and insightful journey though Psalm 119. The psalm has 167 verses, and has a lot to say about Gods word. Ash divides the psalm into twenty-two different sections, which all have personal response questions at the end. In this way, you can read the book over a period of time, digesting each section bit by bit. Perhaps you could even read one section each day!
In his introduction he says something that I found very interesting. He says that one of the great functions of the psalms is to “shape our ragged emotions and desires, so that we not only think as we ought to think, but also feel as we ought to feel and long as we ought to long.” (p12). He says that Psalm 119 gives us a model of how to authentically respond to God and his word, how to combine thought and feeling, theology and prayer, emotion and reality. Through his book, and particularly through Psalm 119, he wants to “inject into the heartbeat of Christian experience the passionate and reasonable delight in the written word of God.” (p 13)
I really loved his goal. I didn’t want to read a book that just told me what to do. As I read the introduction I felt warmed and excited. I was keen to read carefully through this psalm, with Ash’s careful guidance in the hope that my heart might be changed, my emotions touched and that I may learn as Ash says, to “sing” this psalm with a new and authentic delight for God’s word in my heart.
I think that’s why I found Christopher Ash’s book, Bible Delight so helpful. I think for me, it addresses an issue that not many of us Christians want to talk about. We don’t really want to admit that we often don’t feel excited about the Bible.
I also love the way that he chooses not to motivate his readers through guilt. Instead, he chooses to inspire and excite us. He does this by taking the reader on a detailed and insightful journey though Psalm 119. The psalm has 167 verses, and has a lot to say about Gods word. Ash divides the psalm into twenty-two different sections, which all have personal response questions at the end. In this way, you can read the book over a period of time, digesting each section bit by bit. Perhaps you could even read one section each day!
In his introduction he says something that I found very interesting. He says that one of the great functions of the psalms is to “shape our ragged emotions and desires, so that we not only think as we ought to think, but also feel as we ought to feel and long as we ought to long.” (p12). He says that Psalm 119 gives us a model of how to authentically respond to God and his word, how to combine thought and feeling, theology and prayer, emotion and reality. Through his book, and particularly through Psalm 119, he wants to “inject into the heartbeat of Christian experience the passionate and reasonable delight in the written word of God.” (p 13)
I really loved his goal. I didn’t want to read a book that just told me what to do. As I read the introduction I felt warmed and excited. I was keen to read carefully through this psalm, with Ash’s careful guidance in the hope that my heart might be changed, my emotions touched and that I may learn as Ash says, to “sing” this psalm with a new and authentic delight for God’s word in my heart.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Meeting Anna Moss
Anna Moss is our June contributor on EQUIP book club.
Anna will be reviewing Bible Delight by Christopher Ash, which is a wonderful deep look into Psalm 119.
Anna is married to Clayton and has two little girls, Talitha (6) and Eva (3). She works at Drummoyne Presbyterian Church, ministering with the women there. To relax, she loves nothing better than a nice cup of tea and a good book. When feeling motivated, she loves jogging (or at least attempting to) round the Bay Run, near her home.
Anna will be reviewing Bible Delight by Christopher Ash, which is a wonderful deep look into Psalm 119.
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