Honest Biblical Authors
I love how the Bible gives us 20/20 vision of the lives who took part in writing it through inspiration of the Holy Spirt. The Biblical authors were not faultless men, they were visibly broken and given to weakness.
We know the murder and impatience of Moses.
We see the anger and rage issues of Nehemiah.
We know about Paul's own struggles (Romans 7:24).
We know Peter struggled with ethnic pride (Galatians 2).
These were broken men.
The author of Psalm 119 has always inspired me. He writes the longest Psalm as an anthology to his love for God's Word. He agrees with it. He is inspired by it. He is protected and guided through it.
But he also struggles to do it:
Psalm 119:1–5 (ESV) Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! 4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
It's that last line that I thank God for. Because I love the Word of God more than any other writing. I believe it's Words are powerful and effective and life-changing. And yet I also pray this exact prayer: "Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!" That is why he prays this - because he is just like us - broken and flawed and in awe of God.
Later he prays again:
Psalm 119:10 (ESV) With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
The reason for this prayer is because he does wander from God's commands. We are in good company.
The larger point for us is this: Don't let your own imperfection keep you from the Word of God, Church, Christian community or worshipping Jesus. If you're waiting to make the mark and qualify on your behavior - GIVE UP NOW! There was only one PERFECT Man - Jesus Christ. You're not Him. So if you've failed and fallen, don't get down, get grounded even more in the Word of God.
Your brokenness does not disqualify you from the healing mending message of the Cross.
Amen.
We know the murder and impatience of Moses.
We see the anger and rage issues of Nehemiah.
We know about Paul's own struggles (Romans 7:24).
We know Peter struggled with ethnic pride (Galatians 2).
These were broken men.
The author of Psalm 119 has always inspired me. He writes the longest Psalm as an anthology to his love for God's Word. He agrees with it. He is inspired by it. He is protected and guided through it.
But he also struggles to do it:
Psalm 119:1–5 (ESV) Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! 4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
It's that last line that I thank God for. Because I love the Word of God more than any other writing. I believe it's Words are powerful and effective and life-changing. And yet I also pray this exact prayer: "Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!" That is why he prays this - because he is just like us - broken and flawed and in awe of God.
Later he prays again:
Psalm 119:10 (ESV) With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
The reason for this prayer is because he does wander from God's commands. We are in good company.
The larger point for us is this: Don't let your own imperfection keep you from the Word of God, Church, Christian community or worshipping Jesus. If you're waiting to make the mark and qualify on your behavior - GIVE UP NOW! There was only one PERFECT Man - Jesus Christ. You're not Him. So if you've failed and fallen, don't get down, get grounded even more in the Word of God.
Your brokenness does not disqualify you from the healing mending message of the Cross.
Amen.
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