Psalm 119:97-104, “MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.  (98)  Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.  (99)  I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.  (100)  I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.  (101)  I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.  (102)  I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.  (103)  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  (104)  Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.”

The knowledge gained through the study of the Bible is intended to be more than mere idle speculation. Such is often the case for those religious scholars who boast of their prowess in the original languages and their intellectual mastery of the Bible’s content but who demonstrate, on the other hand, little or no concern for its Divine origin or its absolute truth. That kind of knowledge is far removed from the understanding this “MEM” stanza is talking about. Spiritual understanding is exclusively for those who love the Lord with a pure heart, and are willing to walk in the light of His precious Word.

“Through thy precepts I get understanding…” (vv. 97-100). Understanding requires study, and God is concerned with how we study too. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to study material you really enjoy and, conversely, how difficult it is to dig into subject matter you simply do not care about? The former is more profitable, right? So it is with the Word. God wants us to love His Word, and we will if sin is not allowed to harden our hearts and dull our receptivity to the Holy Spirit’s speaking through it. The psalmist loved God’s law, and pondered its truth night and day. It is no wonder then that the fruit of his meditation resulted in an astuteness that surpassed all the learned, and even his enemies (vv. 98-100). Notice, too, the connection between the ability to understand the Word and a disposition to obey it: “I understand… because I keep thy precepts” (v. 100). Many times we rebel against God and then wonder why the Bible has lost its sweetness and attraction. There is no mystery here at all; we know what needs to be done.

… Therefore I hate every false way” (vv. 101 – 104). How contrary this statement is to what we hear on every hand today. We are told to be positive, not negative; to look for the good in everything, even if that means that what is bad is consciously overlooked. Oh, no! When the Bible speaks to a matter, whatever is contrary to the eternal Standard must be labeled as such and handled accordingly. There is no virtue whatsoever and soft pedaling what God has said is wrong. The Holy Spirit will never lead us to endorse what God has condemned, or accept what God has rejected. Meditate on these concluding verses and then ask yourself if God would have us focus on that which is a bit negative at times.  You may be amazed at what you discover!
Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Dr. George Crabb D.O.

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Continuing on in the series on discovering God’s will for our live’s today we will cover the Shepherd. The Shepherd is a picture of God’s best for our lives. Let us examine some attributes of the Shepherd, and we will learn more about determining God’s will.

The Shepherd- The Shepherd was the Shulamite’s one true love, and he had a number of attributes that set him apart from Solomon. Let’s look at what made him so unique.

Found God’s Choice doing God’s will- The will of God is discovered by doing what we already know to be the will of God. For instance when Eleazer was seeking a bride for Isaac he said, “I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” What this means is that we have made the will of God far too complicated if we were to do the things we know are God’s will then God would lead us from there.

The Shulamite did not necessarily know God’s will for marriage, but she definitely knew that the Shepherd had a shared calling with her because he was a shepherd. Solomon on the other hand was from a completely different walk of life, and had different goals, dreams, and ambitions. If someone has a definite calling they should never consider choosing a spouse, a job, town, relationship etc. that would take them one step away from that calling.

Unfortunately Satan will often offer a relationship with someone who is headed a different direction in life then you. To make things worse because they are different he will tell you that they are exotic, interesting, in short way better than what you have experienced before. This inevitably is deceitful men, and women are already so different in so many ways why would it be better to add to that. So that you not only have the standard differences, but a different calling, and different direction. Amos the prophet said, “how can two walk together except they be agreed?” The simple answer is they can’t. Different isn’t exotic it’s erroneous avoid it at all cost.

Looked at the countenance and words not outward attributes- Song of Solomon 2:14 says, “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” The next thing that made the Shepherd God’s choice was his correct focus. As you study Solomon you quickly see that his primary ways of wooing were: alcohol, flattery, coercion, peer pressure, harlequin romance, power, and promises of security. He starts with flattery of her shape, proportions etc. The Shepherd on the other hand does not start with the physical, or external, but rather looks at her character.

One of the marks of a worldly suitor is their focus on the externals. The problem with this approach is that physical beauty is transitory, fleeting, and time has a way of taking it away from us. Character on the other hand is who we really are under the skin, and it is what will make a great marriage decades later. The shepherd started with the eyes, and the countenance. It has been said eyes are the windows to the soul, and I think that is very accurate. Someone’s eyes can reveal whats in their heart. Take for instance a disobedient child, inevitably they can’t look their parents in the eye because of what’s in their heart.

When the Shepherd looked into the Shulamite’s eyes it caused him to declare, “thou hast dove’s eyes”. What does that mean you may wonder. The following attributes that the Shepherd saw in his beloved made her an ideal mate.

Dove’s mate for life- He saw a woman that was commited to a lifelong relationship for better or for worse

Dove’s are very pure- A dove will never rest on a dead carcasse. He could see her commitement to purity

Dove’s can fly long distances- He could see in her a commitment to the long term vision

Dove’s are transparent- Dove’s have transparent eyelids , and this is a picture of the Shulamite’s honesty, and transparency.

Was under authority- The last that made the Shepherd an ideal mate was the fact that he was under authority. From the story we get the impression that the Shepherd was an older man, and furthermore the story tells us that the Shulamite’s father was dead. So the Shulamite could have said, “your father’s dead, and I’m an older wiser man so lets just get married”.

However the Shepherd was a man under authority. In the beginning of the story when the brothers moved the Shulamite to the vineyards to slow their relationship they accepted that. They could have said, “we know this is God’s will, let’s just go for it” instead they waited patiently for God to reveal to their authority the will of God. In the last chapter likewise they have a willingness to share their story with the family, and ask for marital blessing.

If you are considering a course of action that requires you to go against your God ordained authority, preachers, teachers, parents, employers, goverment. Then you are probably about to make a mistake, God leads through authority, and the king’s heart is always in the hand of the Lord. So today let’s analyse our decision making paradigm, and make decisions like the Shepherd, and Shulamite today.

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This post is in honor of my beautiful, and godly wife who’s life inspires poetry in my soul. On occasion on the 31st day of the month as I’m reading Proverbs 31 I turn it into a poem about my wife and give it to her this is one that I wrote for her some time ago.

“A hymn to my wife”
Based on the life of Kathy my Proverbs 31 woman

A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than a diamond mine.

Her husband trusts her without hesitation,
and never has reason for lamentation.

No spite can be found in her mind or her tongue
She treats him generously her whole life long.

She shops for the best yarns and cotton
Her families clothing needs are never forgotten

She brings surprises from places faraway
She’s up before dawn, preparing her day

She always has an eye for investment
She saves, she plans, she makes every payment

First thing in the morning, she dresses for employment,
Getting things done brings her great enjoyment

She’s skilled in all the arts of homemaking
She’s quick to assist anyone who’s wanting

Her family always is nicely attired
Her fashion sense leaves nothing to be desired

Because of her character her husband is respected
Her godly example leads him to be promoted

When she speaks she has something to say,
and she always says it in the kindest way.

She keeps an eye on her entire dwelling
and keeps them all fruitful and hard-working

Her children respect and bless her grace
her husband joins in with words of praise:

Many women have done wonderful things,
but you’ve outclassed them all in everything

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
This woman should be admired and praised

This woman who lives in the Fear-of-GOD.
Deserves your gifts, your glory, and laud

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